The origin of Blarney Castle goes all the way back to the early 13th century. However, the castle as we know it today was rebuilt by Dermot McCarthy, the King of Munster in 1446.
Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle in Co. Cork was originally built as a stone castle in 1210. The present day construction was completed by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster in 1446 and is one of the strongest surviving tower-houses in the country, famous for its stone of eloquence.
Courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local GovernmentBlarney Castle
Courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle in Co. Cork was originally built as a stone castle in 1210. The present day construction was completed by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster in 1446 and is one of the strongest surviving tower-houses in the country, famous for its stone of eloquence.
Courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local GovernmentBlarney Castle is an example of a tower house, whch were buildings designed to house the families of the wealthy land owners.
The Castle, which probably looks bigger than it is because of its location on top of a cliff, has 5 storeys. The bottom two storeys have walls which are 12 feet thick. The higher you go up the castle, the walls get thinner and the rooms get bigger.
Close to the castle lies a garden with many rock formations like Druid's Circle, Witch's Cave and the Wishing Steps. There is also a newer mansion in the park called Blarney House, which was built in 1874.
The Stone of Eloquence
At the top of Blarney Castle lies the Stone of Eloquence or the Blarney Stone as it is usually called. It is called this because as legend would have it, if you kiss the Blarney Stone, it gives you the gift of eloquence, or The 'Gift of the Gab'.
The origin of this custom is not certain, although it possibly comes from the 16th Century. Then, Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy made promises to deliver his castle to the Crown. However, he continued to delay in doing so with his soft talk and idle promises. This became known as talking 'Blarney'.