Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland

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No trip to Ireland would be complete without a visit to Blarney Castle.  Whether you kiss the Blarney Stone or not is ultimately up to you, but be warned, it is not an easy feat.  More on that later.  Blarney Castle has a long history and the story of the Blarney Stone and the tradition of kissing it is quite entertaining.

 

Is it worth visiting Blarney Castle?

 

The answer to that is an emphatic, yes!  Even if you don’t care about kissing the Blarney Stone and receiving the gift of ever-flowing eloquence, Blarney  Castle and grounds are worth a visit.  The castle sits on the edge of a small cliff; which was used as a rock quarry when the castle was being built.  The current castle or stronghold that sits on this ground is not the first castle to stand here.  There have been several and they all have wonderful stories.  There are many areas of interest on the grounds of Blarney Castle.

 

The grounds are spectacular.  Over the past several years they have been putting a lot of effort into the grounds.  On one side of the castle, they have a garden that grows some of the plants that would have been used during the time Blarney Castle was occupied.  They have them listed and an idea of how they were used.  The rest of the grounds have beautiful walkways and gardens to visit and explore.  Even if you never want to kiss the Blarney Stone, a trip to Blarney Castle would be well worth the stop.

 

What is it like to kiss the Blarney Stone?

 

What starts out sounding like a rather benign and trivial exercise turns out to be quite the feat.  The Blarney Stone as it turns out is located on the very top of Blarney Castle.  To get there you have to navigate the stairs up to the top.  Not that it is a long climb but rather the stairs themselves can be a bit daunting.  Not always perfectly spaced, the stairs to the top left me feeling like I needed to take great care.  Once on the top of Blarney Castle, you have to lay down on your back and lean out over a precipice to reach the Blarney Stone.  They do have assistants there to hold on to you, and one to take your photo, as well as a metal grate that will stop you from falling, but it is still a bit tricky!  If you move too quickly, you run the risk of bumping your nose on the Blarney Stone.   All in all it is a fun experience and I enjoyed the experience.  The views from the top of Blarney Castle are quite remarkable as well and just adds to the fun of kissing the Blarney Stone.

 

If you want to learn more about Blarney Castle and many other castles in Ireland that were built in the same style, you should check out the history of what they call a Ten Pound Castle.  These castles dot the land and are quite interesting.

 

When you are ready to plan your trip to Ireland, contact us, your premier full-service Boise Travel Agency and Ireland Experts.  We can assist you in planning your perfect trip to Ireland.

 

Phone:  208-996-3269 Email: cal.lindsay@cruiseplanners.com