Traveller in Ireland – 2018 August, Blarney experience, Cork, Ireland

Finally, we go around and find the entry.

Warning, there is a one-hour queue here for the stone… we did not pay for the stone, but we decide to go that way, since there is nothing to tell us which other way we should go.

We start climbing the narrow stairs, until the first level with a top terrace-balcony. Feel proud of ourselves we did all the steps without stop and no panting either. We are up, people go for the kissing stone, we do not know how to bypass the crowd. We decide to go back the same way but it’s not possible. People are coming up those extremely tight stairs. It seems there is only one way. So, up we go. As soon as we are on the top level there is a queue to the right for the stone (and they are photographed in the process and receive a certificate for it, sic!) This is how I missed my chance to receive an Irish certificate.

Do we have to queue for the bloody stone? To the left there is a chain stopping us to go towards the stairs.

Ivan says, "Lets jump it!"

I don’t agree: “It says here <No passing>”.

Ivan says, “I don’t want to kiss the freaking stone, nor to wait for all these people to do it! So, we jump the chain, and we go to Exit.”

My strong embedded fear of authority from my life during communism fades away when his long arm pointed angry to the big green Exit sign above the stairs few steps away.

We jump the chain and leave behind the ‘kissing-of-the-stone’ queue.



We continue our exploring through the castle.

More narrow stairs with various levels and rooms. Among others, the garderobe (fancy name for the toilet) and the murder hole! There is a hole in the floor to put fire through when under attack, and whoever is below is seriously fried. Few young Canadian ladies discuss. One of them explains in detail how she would attack, chop, and slice the enemies instead of waiting for them with fire. We feel that the room becomes too dangerous for us, and we decide to move on and keep going down. More photos.

The Canadians are behind us and the ‘dangerous’ girl offers to take us a photo together. We have to agree, after all she has so many ideas how to slice people.

This is us, with frozen faces in fear.

The Blarney Gardens. Now, this is new!

‘Poison garden’ or the ‘Physician garden’ was populated with plants used in medicine and cooking in the medieval time. From tobacco and poppy to cannabis. Sign warnings – do not smell, taste or eat any of these plants. It was such a beautiful garden and the nice fragrances in the air (which one is it?)

Outside we soak up the sun and we start investigating, checking the brochure. How about that Blarney stone? The story of the stone comes from the descendant of the builder of Blarney Castle. More precisely, Cormac MacDermod and his actions during the Nine Years War when the native Gaelic aristocracy come together in open defiance of English crown. The queen Elizabeth I emissary was trying to persuade the Irish chieftain to abandon his ancient rights and accept the authority of the English throne. The Irish lord responded with flattering letters, outlining the sacrifices he had made and the battles he had fought for the Queen, and about his loyalty. He signed his letters ‘from my house at Blarney”.

After a while, the Queen got fed up and declared that his letters are “All Blarney! What he says he never means!”



The new word was born – blarney it is! 

The stone – eh, they say kiss it and you will become eloquent and convincing, like smooth talk, flattering.

(As in lying through your teeth, maybe?)

It seems the Irish chieftain had some talent spinning the yarn.

Hey, even Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Mick Jagger and Stan Laurel kissed it!

I wonder if the stone became famous because of the lord of the house eloquence, or he became such a smooth talker because of kissing the stone. Or was it because of that ‘medicinal’ garden?

The brochure says, ‘Whatever its origins, the powers of the Blarney Stone – The Stone of Eloquence – are unquestioned.”



Really? Wow! Are we the only ones? I would say the ones that wrote the brochure did kiss the stone and they are determined to smooth talking us into going to kiss it for an extra 6 Euro.

Well, it did not work on us. For me, this statement alone, sounds rather… blarney!

It was a nice castle and with beautiful gardens, and we spent few lovely hours in fresh air and with scents of interesting ‘medicinal’ plants, and… la piece de resistance: tea and scones!

I have to admit, they make wonderful scones in Ireland. And this is not blarney!