by Veronica
Think of Blarney and folk will say "The Blarney Stone" which sits at the top of the castle. There is however much more to Blarney than a stone of eloquence.
In fact, yesterday, I took 85 photos there. Worry not, I shan't put them all on here but such is the level of enchantment about this wonderfully quiet corner of County Cork. The themed gardens include a Poison Garden, The Rock Garden, The Fern Garden and Arboretums.
 Blarney Castle |  crenelations |
 Lower entrances |
 Mansion |
It is easy to see why this particular location set upon high rocks would be an excellent defensive position.
Caisleán na Blarnan (aka Blarney Castle) is actually the 3rd structure to stand on this site. A wooden hunting lodge stood here in the 10th Century ( 10thC ) Then a stone building in the 1200s. The current building was built by the McCarthys in 1446. The Tower House remaining is what people call Blarney Castle. It was also surrounded by watch towers of which two remain.
It would be difficult to attack this place successfully.
 Watch tower |
There is a centuries-old tradition and it does not as people think it is, of kissing the stone so you can talk a lot. The Kissing of the Stone supposedly gives people the gift of talking their way out of any situation with eloquence and charm.
The stone sits at the very top of the Tower House. I did not go up. There was an hour-long queue and 100 narrow, worn, stone steps. But, people do go to be held upside down to kiss the stone. It is cleaned 4 times a day but I do not think that this is enough for my germ-phobic mind. Apart from this, I have charm enough for 2 people already without kissing a stone.
There is a stone there
That whoever kisses
Oh he never misses
To grow eloquent
The background of the stone is uncertain.
One tradition has it that the Clionagh, Queen of the Banshees, revealed the power of the Stone to the McCarthy Clan. Others say it was used when the McCarthys helped the Scottish to defeat the English in Battle.
I think that given the propensity of some Irish chieftains to dangle their enemies over the parapets, by the ankles, it started as they had to talk themselves out of being dropped over the top if they could talk eloquently enough.
 Blarney castle gardens |
Next we have a celebration of the visual beauty of the gardens.
 Flowers |  Rhodendrons |
 Fern Garden |
 Flowers |  Flowers |
The Poison Garden is the only one in Ireland. Be careful not to touch.
It contains plants from many countries. Each one is clearly labelled with information about its properties.
 rhubarb leaves |  cohosh |
 wolfsbane |
Rhubarb leaves are poisonous but not the stems. NB. Remove the leaves immediately after you pick rhubarb.
Wolfsbane is a favourite of all Harry Potter fans. It can be poisonous.
Black Cohosh is widely used in menopausal products but it can be toxic when taken in large quantities
Sir George Colthurst decided to commission a Belfast architect to build a new home for himself and his family. Built in 1874, the house is in a Scottish baronial style with blue limestone and Cumberland slates. It is a mighty impressive house and is closed off to the public. George's descendant Sir Charles Colthurst lives there.
 Colthurst home |
 My beloved and me by the Laburnum walk |
So, as you see my husband and I found out that there is so much to Blarney than a Stone. It is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Cork.
 River Martin |
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Comments
Bsg . Good comment as always.
Cork is in Southern Ireland so is not part of Great Britain. They have the Irish flag but N. Ireland can fly the Union Jack or Irish flag. You would never see the Union Jack in the South.
Just got to visit the article and its images. I thought it would have not have a Scottish appearance in any part, but the image clearly shows the house does. One observation, with all the spires I see no Union Jack flying, a nice touch. Was the omission by the owners?
Writer artist.
People do though, they queue for over an hour to climb a narrow spiral staircase and then be turned upside down and kiss a dirty stone.
YUKKY germs.
Indeed the gardens are lovely.
Blarney castle looks like a well secured fortress. The gardens are lovely and the greenery is amazing. Kissing a stone which is already been kissed many times is not for me. I wonder if there were cases of improved eloquences.
My opinion is that a castle of this strategic position would not be attacked often. I have no idea how often they were staffed.
Online sources give different answers about watch towers in general and about Blarney Castle in particular.
Is there any information onsite about how much and how often watch towers were staffed? Was it a case of no matter what there was an ever-running rotation of guards for 24/7 coverage? Or was it knowledge- or rumor-activated?
I agree Dusty. Washing it even after every kiss would not be sufficient for me.
The grounds are really lovely.
No way would I wait an hour to kiss a stone that contains stuff from many others! yuck. But the grounds are so pretty. Hope your sweetie is doing well.
Your brother has mentioned Maureen's family connections to County Mayo, which is why I mentioned Great Aunt Arabella's (and my Norway maternal line) connections with County Mayo.
The binder may give me the information this evening when I get back home. Otherwise, Ancestry should give me the particulars -- since that's where I first got the information during my year in SLC -- by sometime next week.
The Family History Library worked up a different way of retrieving information online from the Ancestry site. That way works a bit more cumbersomely for me than the first, original organization of genealogical information.
Frank s wife 's family are Mayo people.