53. Blarney Castle

Where: County Cork, Ireland
When: April 12, 2001
Who with: Loren, Doug, Jon, class trip

Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone may be one of Ireland's most well-known tourist attractions. The word "blarney", as best defined by an Irish politician, means: "something more than mere flattery. It is flattery sweetened by humour and flavoured by wit. Those who mix with Irish folk have many examples of it in their everyday experience." And the Blarney Stone is meant to bless you with this skill, the "gift of gab", but only for the brave. 

The castle was built in about 1446. It changed hands several times over the years before falling into partial ruin and the structure we see today. 

Hanging out in the ruins. 

But while the castle is cool, the real attraction is the Blarney Stone. A block of Carboniferous limestone, the Stone was set high in the walls of the castle when it was built. The story of its origin varies, but the one I liked best is that the builder of the castle was facing a lawsuit. After asking a goddess for help, he was told to kiss the first stone he saw the morning of his court hearing. He ended up pleading his case and winning the suit, and decided to set the lucky stone into the walls of his castle. 

To get to the stone, it is a long way up. The stairs are old and narrow, and there are a lot of them. At the top, there isn't a roof, just open air. The cool part of that is the views of the surrounding property. 

Once up at the top, I was surprised to see how this kissing thing actually works. The stone sits on a wall that is separated from the floor by about two feet. The only way to reach it is to lay on your back, hold on to the provided handle bars and bend your head backwards to reach it. A handler is thankfully there to hold on to you, but it's still a sheer 85-foot drop to the ground under your head. The experience is fully worth it, but it is not for someone scared of heights. 

With two feet back on terra firma, we then explored the grounds around Blarney Castle. There are beautiful gardens among the ruins, and once again, that cloudy sky only seems to make the green grass pop vividly. 

There were windy paths throughout the grounds that I could have gotten lost in they were so pretty. There were also a ton of different species of trees that were so unique and old looking, it felt magical. Like a leprechaun might hop out at any moment. 

There's also a dolmen on the grounds, a prehistoric burial tomb. This one is speculated to be over 5,000 years old. 

While Blarney Castle may be one of the most "touristy" spots in Ireland, it was still a great place to visit. And come on, who doesn't need a little luck o' the Irish in their eloquence?