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Kiss
the blarney stone and have bestowed on you the
gift of gab, or (sins of sins) by pass the long
line at the castle and enjoy the castles' gardens.
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Blarney legend -
The seeds of the 'gift of gab'
legend might trace back all the way to
Queen Elizabeth I. The story goes
something like this; Lord Blarneys' particular talent was
distracting (and sidetracking) his
colleagues during conversation. It was a
talent he particularly used with zest any
time there was a promise he was requested
to keep. And, Lord Blarney had made a
number of promises to the Queen. In fast,
after repeated efforts to gain Blarneys'
cooperation, the Queen could only express
her frustration by repeating "Blarney,
Blarney". Thus, the word "Blarney"
became synonyms with someone who tells a
good but untrue story. |
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| In summer; the line to
kiss the Blarney stone starts outside the
castle and then works its way up through
a very tight circular staircase to the
top. Once it is your turn to do the
kissing; you lay down on your back,
stretch out, grab two hand bars and
dangle the upper half of your body over
the side to kiss the stone. Don't worry,
a castle employee assists to insures your
safety. For over a century visitors to
Blarney Castle have participated in this
ritual. No one really knows who started
the tradition of kissing the stone but
some say the Blarney stone is a piece of
the Stone of Scone, the rock used to
crown Scottish Kings. |
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"I don't
know if I can do this..." my wife
expressed her apprehension, "but you
can't visit Blarney castle with out
kissing the rock." she finished.
"It is why people come here." I
replied. As we winded our way up the
tightening stone stairway, I can feel her
anxiety building from the close confines.
Finally, we are at the top of the castle.
Reinvigorated by the fresh air, I hear
her state "I can do this!"
Minutes pass, and it is now our turn at
the stone. My wife turns to me, "do
you want to go first?". "No"
I reply, "I will take your photo."
So summoning her courage, she turns to
the attendant and dangles her upper body
out over the edge of the castle. |
| With
in moments she is setting upright again
smiling. My son quickly gathers are
belongings and we start moving on.
Looking dazed my wife asks "But..,
aren't you two going to kiss the stone?".
"Never intended to", I report.
"Heck no" exclaimed my son
"you never know what you might catch
off that thing!". The rest of the day,
filled with adrenaline, my wife talked
non-stop. I guess the stones' legend is
true.
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| More pages on
BlarneyCastle and its gardens: |
| will be forthcoming |
| Outside Links:
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A Little History of Blarney Castle- The
first stone castle at Blarney was built around
1210 AD. What the tourist sees today is the
ruined remains of the castle as constructed
sometime around the mid 1600's by Dermot McCarthy.
In 1646, Oliver Cromwell took the castle by force
but King Charles II returned the castle to the
McCarthys 15 years later. After the Battle of the
Boyne (1690) the McCarthys once again lost the
castle.
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