Blarney Castle

In the south of Ireland, built of solid stone, holding its history within, surrounded by beautiful gardens and waterfalls, concealing the spirit within, under the veil of time lies Blarney Castle. It is one of the most prominent and famous castles round Ireland.

The castle originally dates from before 1200, when a timber house was believed to have been built on the site, although no evidence remains of this. Around 1210 this was replaced by a stone fortification and was, however destroyed in 1446. Nevertheless, it was subsequently rebuilt by Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muscry. The castle withstood several sieges and restorations over the following centuries but despite all that, it has preserved its historical appearance and - perhaps thank to its strong stone foundation - was never completely demolished.

Nowadays, it presents a popular tourist attraction and people traveling to Ireland often incorporate it in their itinerary list. It could be the so-called "Blarney Stone" that draws the attention of so many people for it is widely known that kissing the Blarney Stone bestows its kissers with the gift of eloquence. There are multiple origins and interpretations, here goes one connected to the original builder of the castle and the goddess Clíodhna: Cormac Láidir MacCarthy was involved in a lawsuit and sought help from Clíodhna, the goddess of love and beauty in Irish mythology. She advised him to kiss the first stone he found on his way to court. He followed her advice, kissed the stone, and was able to plead his case with great eloquence and persuasiveness, winning the lawsuit. In gratitude, he later incorporated the stone into the castle's battlements. The word blarney itself can be associated with the meaning of talk which aims to charm, flatter, or persuade (often considered typical of some Irish people: 'it took all my Irish blarney to keep us out of court'), and it can be connected to the already mentioned "gift of eloquence," bonded with the legend. Apart from the castle itself, the gardens and surroundings are worth visiting, too. I frankly recommend taking a walk through the gardens, wander off to the waterfalls, sit on a bench, listen to the falling and splashing of water and birds in the branches, and just rest and chill out in peace.

I hope you are alright and enjoyed reading about the Blarney Castle. I wish you all well! Bye.