Blarney Castle Legends

Blarney Castle is a popular tourist destination in Ireland, most famous for the Blarney Stone set into the battlement walls along the roof. It is said the stone was half of the Stone of Scone, given to Cormac MacCarthy, King of Munster, by Robert the Bruce of Scotland, in appreciation for providing 4,000 men to fight with the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn.

 

Another story has the stone given to MacCarthy by an older woman he saved from drowning. The lady was a witch who told him the stone's secret, which would give anyone who kissed the stone the gift of eloquence. There is rumored to be a witch at Blarney Castle, who is said to be held prisoner during the day. She escapes at night and goes to the nearby Rock Close, where she makes a fire in the cave known as the witch's kitchen to stay warm. It is said if you visit the cave in the early morning, you can sometimes see the fire's dying embers.

Blarney Castle has a relatively peaceful history, but one event in 1646 saw the castle being besieged by Parliamentarian forces during the Eleven Years' War. When the castle was taken, they found the garrison inside was gone, having escaped through the caves and tunnels under the castle. The garrison also took a sizeable golden plate with them as they fled, which was never found. Legends suggest the golden plate still lies somewhere in the depths of the nearby lake.

The River Martin, which flows beside the castle, is also said to be haunted, but not by the spirits of people who once roamed the castle halls. Instead, the ghosts are of fish. Ghostly salmon to be specific, which have been observed jumping from the river to catch insects.