The
Blarney stone is maybe the most famous
tourist attraction in
Ireland. Five miles north-west of
Cork is the village of Blarney, the home of
Blarney Castle. At the top of the castle the
world famous Blarney stone sits three storeys high, at the top of a stone
spiral staircase just below the battlements on the
parapet.
This 180
centimetre tall piece of
limestone is reputed to give the person who
kisses it the
gift of the gab.
Due to the stone's unusual position, to kiss it, you must lie down,
bend over backwards and lower yourself down around two feet over
the edge of the castle parapet. This is a difficult task and in the past it has proved
fatal, before the introduction of
safety measures. Nowadays there are iron bars over the
hole where people could fall to make the kiss a little less dangerous. However in the past people used to be held by their
friends by their feet over the edge of the
parapet. If anyone let go, their
friend would
hurtle towards the ground and certain death.
The stone itself is
steeped in history and
legend. It is believed to be a section of the
Stone of Scone which originally belonged to
Scotland, and over which Scottish Kings were crowned due to its alleged special powers.
Robert the Bruce gave it to
Cormac McCarthy, the owner of the castle, in 1314 in return for his support in the
Battle of Bannockburn.
During the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I, Irish chiefs were required to
surrender their properties to the Queen, but remain there as proof of loyalty to the Crown. Cormac McCarthy, Lord Blarney, was
diplomatic in every reponse to the crown, promising
loyalty whilst never actually agreeing to anything. He excused himself from the situation so frequently, and plausibly, that in Court, the official who was sent to talk to McCarthy became a
joke.
The way in which Lord Blarney talked his way out of difficult situations led to the Queen calling his ability to
influence with soft speech "Blarney".
Sources:
http://www.iol.ie/~discover/blarney.html
http://www.historic.irishcastles.com/blarney.html
http://www.sacredsites.com/2nd56/256.htm
http://www.mtsinai.k12.ny.us/ElementarySchool/Teacher/Memory_Lane/Country_Research/IrelandWebsite/blarneystone.htm
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~markcamp/blarney.html