Join me in a virtual visit to beautiful Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone.
When I was a little girl, my Dad and my Grandpa used to talk about kissing the Blarney Stone. It’s part of Blarney Castle and kissing it is said to give you the gift of eloquence. Although neither my Dad nor my Grandpa had ever kissed the aforementioned stone, they both had that gift, and their stories about the stone made me resolve to kiss it myself one day. And one day I did – twice. You can read about it here.
Recently, I returned to Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone, and once again I was taken by the beauty of the place. Even if you don’t want to climb the hundred plus steps to get to the Blarney Stone, it’s well worth a visit to see the gorgeous grounds, gardens, castle ruins and Blarney House.
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Blarney Castle
The castle itself is sadly in ruins, but much of it is safely intact. The stairs to get up to the Blarney Stone are very narrow and steep, particularly towards the top. It’s no surprise though, the Blarney stone is a long way up. It can be a little challenging if you are claustrophobic, but the experience and the views really are worth the climb.
Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle
The Blarney Stone is embedded in the piece of the wall that juts out from the actual tower. The railings you can see at the top are there to stop you from falling as you kiss it! If you do brave the stairs the views out over the countryside are quite amazing. Of course, you have the opportunity to kiss the stone itself. You just lay down on some plastic sheeting (while a strong man holds on to your waist), grab on to the hand rails, pull yourself down over the abyss, and pucker up!
Whether or not it gives you the gift of eloquence, it really is an experience. My first hand advice? Don’t look down! Would I do this again post-pandemic? I’m not sure, but you still can if you want to!
More Than Just The Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle
After the long climb back down, you can wander in the grounds and take some lovely well signposted walks through the gardens. There are plenty of them – from a Fern Garden to a Bog Garden and even The Poison Garden, full of poisonous plants. There’s an interesting short walk around a Rock Close as well. From June to August, you can also visit and tour Blarney House, a mansion built in the castle grounds in 1874.
Blarney House is a beautiful, historic property and is still lived in today. It’s really interesting to see such historic rooms, paintings and artefacts juxtaposed with the owners’ modern day possessions.
The locals will give an embarrassed sigh when you tell them you visited Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney Stone. Some may even say “Did you have to?”, but a visit to this magical place really is not to be missed.
Roughly 8 kilometres from Cork City Centre, Blarney Castle is open all year round (opening times vary). Blarney House is occasionally open for guided tours during the summer months. Visit the Castle website for more information and opening times.
Information is correct to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing. Be sure to check with the relevant venues for opening times, their full terms and conditions, and to check prices, availability and payment terms.
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Comments & Reviews
Go, April! What an amazing place to visit…thanks for sharing your visit with us!
~Lisa
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post 🙂 x
That is so neat and a little scary. Thanks for sharing this beautiful place April 🙂
Thank you, Diane, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It is a little scary I have to admit 😉 I plan to be back in Ireland in a couple weeks and am hoping to take a tour inside Blarney House. I think I’ll give kissing the stone a miss this time though!
My in-laws (now passed) went many years ago. Thanks so much for sharing your photos and visit, April.
Shirley
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Shirley. I’m sorry your in-laws have passed, but I’m so glad they got to see Ireland.
So gorgeously green and lush…Tight quarters can make this Ninja Baker a bit queasy. But as you say, the climb is worth the view….Kind of like Life sometimes <3 Anyway, thank you for the intro. Again, #inspired to jump over the pond!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Kim 🙂 I did find the climb challenging this last time – I seem to get a bit more claustrophobic as I get older!! That is a great analogy about life 🙂 The view really is outstanding!
Your pictures are gorgeous! I’d love to see the gardens! And a bog garden? Goodness, what kind of flowers/shrubs/trees could grow there???
Thank you, Nina 🙂 It really is an amazing place!
The castle looks amazing. And I bet it has a very interesting history.
It really does, Cristina. I would happily visit again anytime!
As a reader from Canada this is one of those places I dream of visiting. So much of the literature I have read comes from the British Isles and it would be amazing to see and touch the settings from the stories.
Very pretty enjoyable post. Loved the pics.
Thank you so much, Leanna. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I come from Canada too – I lived there until I was in my twenties. I remember how excited I was to visit Blarney the first time, and every time I go back I feel so lucky!
What a neat piece of folklore. Totally fun that you visited.
Thank you, Elise! It really is a fun place to visit 🙂
I’ve always wanted to visit and kiss the stone. My father did when he was a young man. Thanks for the trip!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Carol. That is cool that your Dad kissed the Blarney Stone too!
I haven’t yet made it Ireland but its high on my list! hopefully soon…I keep hearing about how its a bit gross to be kissing this stone, lol but hey some things just need to be experienced right! the whole area looks so beautiful, I really need to go!
I confess, the thought of all those lips from all those years…I kind of had to put it out of my mind to be honest! I hope you get to Ireland soon, Mary. It’s lovely!
Hi April
Lovely post about Blarney Castle and kissing the stone. I enjoyed the experience the times I was there. I also visited St Patrick’s grave in Downpatrick in Northern Ireland–a very touching experience. I blogged about it years ago.
Hi Pat, Thank you so much! I have yet to visit Northern Ireland, although my paternal Grandmother grew up in Belfast. That is so interesting that you visited St Patrick’s grave.
I just told me husband the other day that I wanted to visit Ireland one day. I think it looks absolutely beautiful. I had never heard of the Blarney stone, though, lol. I would climb the stairs just for the view.
The view was stunning, Angela, and definitely worth the climb. I hope you get to Ireland, it really is amazing!