Blarney Castle Cork
Blarney Castle near Cork City is one of the most internationally famous tourist attractions in Ireland, a well-preserved fifteenth-century tower house in its own extensive woodland estate that draws visitors from across the world to kiss the celebrated Blarney Stone set into the battlements near the top of the castle. The tradition of kissing the stone to acquire the gift of eloquent and persuasive speech is one of the most enduring and widely known pieces of Irish cultural mythology, and the long queues of visitors waiting to lean backwards over the parapet to reach the stone have become one of the characteristic images of Irish tourism.
The castle was built in its current form by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, King of Munster, around 1446 and represents one of the largest and best-preserved tower houses in Ireland. The tower rises to approximately 26 metres and the stonework, though worn and lichen-covered, retains considerable structural integrity. The climb to the battlements involves a succession of narrow spiral stairs that emerge onto the roofline where the Blarney Stone is set slightly below the parapet level, requiring visitors to lie on their backs with their heads extending beyond the wall to kiss the underside of the stone, a manoeuvre that provides a simultaneously terrifying and absurd experience that most visitors regard with good humour.
The grounds of Blarney Castle are considerably larger and more varied than many visitors expect. The woodland gardens extending beyond the castle contain a series of named areas including the Rock Close, an informal garden around a stream and glacial boulders that has been associated since the eighteenth century with druidical worship and fairy legends, the Witch's Kitchen, the Druids' Cave and a set of wishing steps reputed to grant wishes to those who walk them backwards with eyes closed. The combination of ancient woodland, informal garden design and romantic mythological associations makes the garden as rewarding as the castle for many visitors.