Kissing the Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone is a legendary block of limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The Blarney Stone is supposed to be half of the original Stone of Scone.

Today, the word blarney means clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.

The stone was reputed to have been that mentioned in the Bible as 'Jacob's Pillow' and was supposed to have been brought to Ireland by Jeremiah the Prophet. It was more likely to have been brought back during the Crusades which legend applies also to the Stone of Scone now at Westminister Abbey.

The stone was given to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in return for his support in the Battle of Bannockburn.

Another tale was that McCarthy was given the story of the stone by an old woman whom he saved from drowning. This lady turned out to be a witch. As a reward, she told him the secret of a stone in the castle which would give him the gift of eloquence in return for a kiss. Wherever the truth lies, tradition has it that once kissed the stone bestows the gift of eloquence.

Queen Elizabeth I wanted Irish chiefs to agree to occupy their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled every Royal request with subtle diplomacy, promising loyalty to the Queen without "giving in". Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "a lot of Blarney", thus giving rise to the legend.

"There is a stone that whoever kisses,

Oh! he never misses to grow eloquent

'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber,

Or become a member of parliament."

On St. Patrick's Day in 1939, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, unveiled that they had discovered a piece of the Blarney Stone. According to the legend the stone was discovered by a group of petroleum engineers while they were on a field trip. After doing tests it was discovered that the stone was a piece of the original Blarney Stone. The stone now lies on a stand in front of the old Electrical Engineering Building. It is said that seniors that kiss the Blarney Stone upon graduation will receive the gift of eloquent speech .

Attracting visitors from all over the world, the castle is situated 8 km from Cork City. In the grounds of the castle the Rock Close and gardens convey 'druidic' charm and magical delights of centuries past.

But beware, some locals scoff at the tourism surrounding kissing the stone and sneak up from the pubs to urinate on it.