Kissing the Blarney Stone

So our last day of our weekend trip was to spend the day at The Blarney Castle and Gardens. I have to say this was the most terrifying thing I've done in my life!! Everyone has told me that no trip to Ireland is complete without a visit to Blarney Castle in County Cork to kiss the famous Blarney Stone. Kissing the Blarney Stone, otherwise known as the “Stone of Elegance,” is said to bestow the gift of gab.

The stone is allegedly half of the Scottish Stone of Scone, which was used to crown ancient Scottish kings and is said to have magical powers. Legend goes that the Blarney Stone was given by Robert the Bruce to Cormac McCarthy in 1314 after the Battle of Bannockburn. The stone and the castle gained their reputation during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Dermot McCarthy, the Irish lord who held the castle at the time, was ordered to surrender it to the queen to prove his loyalty to the crown but he kept coming up with excuses as to why he could not surrender the castle. Queen Elizabeth, tired of hearing endless excuses from McCarthy called them “blarney." Another Irish legend claims that the King of Munster was given a spell by an old woman he had saved from drowning. The spell gave the King a “speech that would win all to him” -- all he had to do was kiss a stone at the top of the castle.

But kissing the Stone is not for those afraid of heights (which I AM!). The stone is located at the top of Blarney Castle, on the outside of the parapet. You must climb the long spiral staircases (narrow staircase... claustrophobia... another issue I have) to the very top of the castle which is 90 feet above ground. The stone is kissed by hanging backwards over the edge while someone holds your waist and shoulders. There are iron rails to keep you from falling but you can see down to the ground and it is a long way down. Lets just say I had the guy holding me up laughing at me because every time he would move me I would scream.... I think people down below could hear me lol.... I was TERRIFIED!!!

Oh CRAP

"Don't Look Down..."

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

But thats an item I can mark off my bucket list.... more like ex through it with a sharpie! And to think of all the people that kissed that stone....ick!

Once it's done

Oh and after we kissed the stone we walked through the poison garden. It was really cool... and creepy, I kept wondering if the people who were really studying the description and the plants were serial killers...... I stood 3 steps away from everyone, just in case. Lol ;)

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