Blarney Castle
History
The picturesque Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland, represents the third castle on the site. The first building, in the 10th century, was a wooden structure, and in approximately 1210, it was replaced by a stone structure whose entrance was about 20 feet above the ground at the northern face. The current keep, a tower house, was built in 1446 by the MacCarthys of Muskerry.
The castle was once occupied by Cormac MacCarthy, king of Munster, who is believed to have provided 4,000 men to support Robert the Bruce against the English at the Battle of Bannockburn. It is alleged that Robert the Bruce gave half the Stone of Scone to MacCarthy in gratitude for the troops he sent to Scotland. The stone eventually became known as the Blarney Stone, which is still located below the battlements of Blarney Castle.
The round tower in the grounds.
Legends suggest the stone was referenced within the Bible as "Jacob's pillow" and brought to Ireland by the Prophet Jeremiah. It was more likely transported from the Holy Land during the Crusades, supporting the Stone of Scone legend. Yet another legend suggests MacCarthy was told of the Blarney Stone and its magical powers after saving a woman from drowning. The lady, supposedly a witch, told him of a secret stone in the castle that would give the gift of eloquence after kissing it. Whether legend or truth, tourists still flock to the castle for a chance to kiss the Blarney Stone and return with a fascinating story to share.
In 1646, during the Irish Confederate Wars, the castle was besieged by Parliamentarian forces under Cromwell's general, Lord Broghill, who fired down from Card Hill above the lake and broke the tower walls. When his men entered the castle, they found only two trusty old retainers, because the main garrison had fled through the Badgers Cave below the castle, taking the gold plate that Broghill had expected to claim. Legend says there are three passages in the darkness beyond, one to Cork, one to the lake, and one all the way to Kerry. Legend says the plate was thrown into the lake, and a later owner spent a fortune in vain trying to drain it. After the Restoration, the castle was returned to Donough MacCarthy, who later became the 1st Earl of Clancarty. Charles II had conferred the title of Earl of Clancarty on the head of the family in 1658.
The keep of Blarney Castle.
During the Williamite War in the 1690s, Donough MacCarthy, 4th Earl of Clancarty, supported James II, and his estate was forfeited. It passed to the Hollow Sword Blade Company, which sold it in the early 1700s to Sir James St. John Jefferyes, governor of Cork, whose family built a mansion near the keep, which was eventually destroyed by fire. The Jefferyes family intermarried with the Colthurst family on January 14th, 1846. The Colthursts came from Ardrum, Inniscarra, and Ballyvourney in County Cork, and from Lucan in County Dublin. After several of their early children died, Lady Colthurst decided to build a new house in the Scottish baronial style, south of the present keep. Blarney House was completed in 1874 and has been the family home ever since. In 1887, the railway line that transformed Blarney Castle into one of the world's great tourist destinations opened on July 4th, an appropriate date for a site proud of its American connections. The car park today was once the station yard.
Castle Highlights
Blarney Castle is a popular destination for visitors due to its location along major tourist routes in Ireland. As a result, be prepared for large crowds, including those arriving via tour buses similar to visiting Warwick Castle or Windsor Castle in England. Nonetheless, it's well worth a visit. You enter the castle through the basement, which until relatively recently housed cattle and also served as a buttery, where barrels of wine were stored and decanted before a retainer climbed the spiral staircase to deliver some Blarney hospitality.
The most notable aspect of Blarney Castle is unquestionably the opportunity to kiss the Stone of Eloquence or Blarney Stone. Since it is located at the top of the castle under part of its battlements, individuals must lay underneath the stone to kiss it. Given my fear of heights, I did not venture to do so, but I recommend it to others who do not have acrophobia. This is the one part of the visit where you will most likely encounter a line. However, it typically moves reasonably quickly.
A doorway in the rocks of the Rock Close.
The Rock Close is another attraction of Blarney Castle, which may be visited along a paved path with signs indicating unique rock formations. These awe-inspiring sights often exude a mystical and druid-like atmosphere typically experienced at places such as Stonehenge. The signs tell the legends of the Witch Stone, where the Witch of Blarney is said to be imprisoned by day and to escape only after nightfall, and the Wishing Steps, where she is said to grant a wish within a year to anyone who walks down and back up the steps with their eyes closed, without thinking of anything but the wish. Other signs mention the Druid Stones, thought to be the remains of an ancient Druid circle and a sacrificial altar, and a dolmen, a megalithic tomb portal that still sometimes rocks. An additional highlight of the castle exists on the lower floors of the keep, where it is possible to enter rooms once used as bedrooms, as well as entrances at ground level to empty spaces that once led to the Badgers Cave.
On the first floor, the vaulted room above the basement was the castle's Great Hall, which became a welcoming chamber after the splendid Jacobean fireplace was built in the early 17th century, and its ceiling was originally built with a weave of hazel. Higher up, the barrel-vaulted Earl's Bedchamber has a tiled floor and a 16th-century oriel window, and it is probably where the bedhead of a four-poster bed would have stood, with excellent views in every direction.
Blarney Castle can be extensively explored in several hours. Cahir Castle is located nearby if you want to combine it with another attraction on the same day.
Blarney Castle also has some legends and ghosts.
