Blarney Castle

Aaron:

We were travelling into the beautiful green countryside again, sitting on the top deck of a bus. We arrived close to Blarney castle. This was a place that was high on both our lists to visit.

It is essential when riding on a double decker bus, that you sit on the top deck and right at the front—this will give you the best experience. As we wound our way along the Irish roads through the beautiful and lush landscapes, we could really see why they call it the Emerald isle, with its many shades of green.

The number 215 bus from Watercourse Road in Cork took us on the 17 minute journey to the centre of the small village of Blarney. The main area of the village is ‘The Square,’  a patch of grass surrounded by walls. From there we walked around ‘The Square’ towards the river Martin, following the well signposted route to the castle. We stopped at a lovely little  wool shop along the way to get Jed a hat.

Even though the castle is only a few hundred yards away from the village, you can’t see the castle at all. It is hidden away in the woods.

Jed

The bus ride was great. I don’t get the opportunity to ride a double decker bus very often, and then add the beautiful scenery on the way, it was like going on a ride at a theme park. Everything looked so different than Utah, in every possible way. We were of course travelling on the wrong side of the road and the road signs were in two languages, Irish and English.

We arrived in a small town and walked to the entrance of the castle from there. I am learning that Europe is built for walking and public transport. I was also still getting used to this humid cold, so a warm woolly hat was much appreciated for the day ahead.

As we walked, I enjoyed observing the everyday life that was passing us by. We were looking at things that would happen in both of our lands, but at the same time were so different.  I saw a man walking his dog down a road in the town. He was doing a very everyday activity but the whole scene looked so interesting to me, from the woolly clothes he was wearing to the cobbled road he was walking on. It was all so wonderfully different than what I was used to.

Aaron

Crossing the River Martin, we arrived at the entrance to the castle gardens. Blarney Castle, or Caislean na Blarnan in Irish, was a medieval stronghold. Through the ages there have been other fortifications built on this site, with the current keep built in 1446. The Blarney Stone is built into the machicolations of the castle. I had to look that word up, here is the meaning:

“A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall”.

Thinking about past experiences, we decided to go and visit the main attraction first before doing anything else. In places like this we have found that if you need to climb to the top of something then that is usually the place that closes first at an attraction. So off we went to find the castle.and of course the stone.

Jed

As we left the hut where we paid the entrance fee, we turned into the garden towards the castle. The sun was very low in the sky, directly in eye line as we walked closer and closer to the grand structure. It was quite magical as the castle slowly appeared from out of the glare of the sun.

We arrived at the tall imposing north face of the castle, making our way around to the entrance further up the hill. We then entered the rather barren, dark interior of the building.

Aaron

After reaching the very top of the castle, we arrived at the point where you get to kiss the famous stone. The stone was not in a place I expected it to be at all, nor had I expected the process of how you kiss it.

The stone got its powers when a witch cast a spell to thank the king for saving her life after nearly drowning. Kissing the Blarney stone gives you the gift of Eloquence, or the ‘gift of the gab’ as some people call it.

We were now 85 ft above the ground on a wooden platform in open air at the top of the castle. First of all you lie down on your back with your head close to the wall, at this point there is nothing between you and the ground apart from 3 metal bars a few feet below your head. The man who guards the stone, then holds onto your arms and starts to lower you down, with your head upside down as you kiss the stone. It was a very interesting experience and not one that will be forgot.

Now after the main event, we moved to the woodland and gardens that surround the castle. Walking through the gardens was very mystical...it was a cold day with light mist blowing through the fields. The trees were covered in beautiful moss that looked like it had been draped all over the branches.

The mist certainly added to the effect that day as we went deeper into the woodland. It was now getting dark and we found ourselves alone in this area of the gardens. We walked through caves and tunnels with the sound of water echoing from the waterfalls ahead.

We made sure to explore every trail and every hidden passage through the enchanting grounds. As we emerged out again from the trees, the castle was lit up in a dull orange light as the darkness crept in around it.

Beware of imitations:

In 1904 a replica of Blarney castle was built in St Louis, USA as part of the world fair. The real Blarney castle was offered $1,000,000 for the original stone to tour throughout the U.S. They said no, the Blarney stone will never leave the castle. So if you are ever told you can see the Blarney stone anywhere else in the world, it is a fake.