"gave the stone a smacker" Top 5 Page for this destination Blarney Castle by stemc

Blarney Castle Travel Guide: 45 reviews and 168 photos

BLARNEY CASTLE

BLARNEY CASTLE
This is a most do trip if in Cork a visit to Blarney Castle and to kiss the Blarney Stone. The castle that you see is the third castle on this site ,the first would have been a wooden stockade structure built around the 10thcent followed at a later date with a stone structure in the 12th cent .the present building constructed by DERMONT MacCARTHY King of Munster in 1446 is a15thcent tower house little remains today but the keep (Tower houses were small castles or fortified residences built between 15th /17th cent .the tall square house was defended by a stone wall forming a enclosure used for defence and as a cattle pen .Machicolations (projecting parapets form which to drop missiles) were sited at the top of the house) Blarney also has murder holes at the entrance to the castle to pour boiling tar on invaders ,the base walls of the castle are 18ft thick to withstand any attempt knock the walls down .slit windows for bowmen are further up the walls and battlement ramparts sit atop the tower so the kings soldiers could rain stones and boiling liquids on the besiegers below
The towers that are outside the keep were present in the outside defensive wall but only a few remain today

Pros and Cons

Pros:A MOST DO TRIP
Cons:THE CLIMB TO THE STONE

Last visit to Blarney Castle: Apr 2006
Intro Written Apr 26, 2006
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Reviews (5)

bus to blarney Transportation (1)

the bus to blarney is the 224 but you dont get the bus at the bus station in cork but just a little along from the bus... more travel advice

ths blarney stone from below - Blarney Castle

the stone Things to Do (2)

The Blarney Stone is atop of the battlements you have to climb up the medieval stone steps once at the top you get fine... more travel advice

h and the wishing steps - Blarney Castle

THE ROCK CLOSE Things to Do (2)

Take a walk around the Rock Close which THEY say dates from druid times it has a few interesting features and unusual... more travel advice

the climb to the stone Warnings and Dangers (1)

If you are infirm or bad on your feet and do not like enclosed spaces then be a ware that to get to the blarney stone... more travel advice

Tourist Traps (1)
photo of kissing the stone

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Comments (2)

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globetrott Sep 29, 2006 at 10:57 PM

it is hard to believe that people would kiss a lousy stone in that strange way, just because of an old rumour... ;-)
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HORSCHECK Apr 26, 2006 at 1:45 PM

Interesting start about this Irish tourist trap .... Keep up the good work ... :o)