The theory is that if you kiss the Blarney stone you will be given the "Gift of Gab". I wasn't sure, but I always thought I already had that gift. Now my family says I'm on overload of gabbing....hahaha....Maybe. Stuart navigated us to the castle as Michael give us lots of information.
Ireland is dotted with ancient ruins, Castles, Abbeys, and Manor Houses, but the tower of Blarney is a unique fortress dating back to the 15th century. My imagination just goes crazy thinking of the Knights in armor, the horses, and the Ladies in their long embroidered gowns. I wish I remembered at least one of my crowns... you all know I have them. By the 1700s after many a battle, the castle wasn't a stronghold anymore, and by the 1800s people started to come to see this ancient place and bestow a kiss. The legend of kissing the Blarney stone was born.`Where did that stone come from? It could have come from the crusades, from Robert the Bruce of Scotland gave it to Cormac MacCarthy, king of Munster....some say the stone itself is from Stonehendgewe will never know... How did it start? the kissing that is... Seems McCarthy pleaded with the goddess Cliodhna for help in his legal battles. She instructed him to kiss the stone on his way to court. He arrived at court with such confidence he actually won his case.......who knows...it was fun and scary and I can take it off the bucket list.
Ps. the reason the stairs were so narrow and winding as we climbed to the top, was due to the fighting times. One enemy soldier could come up at a time, and when they were slaughtered they fell backward and all the other enemies would fall too. This was a great Castle, loaded with history...too much to tell, but I think you get the picture.. When I find the video of me kissing the stone I will post it ...it is Hilarious....you see you must take off your coat and your glasses, so I couldn't see, and just followed the instructions....but I did it!