- Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle is a
medieval stronghold inBlarney , near Cork, Ireland. It is near the River Martin. Thecastle originally dates from before AD 1200. It was destroyed in 1446, but subsequently rebuilt byCormac MacCarthy , the King ofMunster . It is currently a partial ruin with some accessible rooms and the battlements. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as theBlarney Stone .Tourist s visiting Blarney Castle may hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift ofeloquence . Photographs are taken of the "magic moment". There are many legends as to the origin of the stone, but some say that it was theLia Fáil —a magical stone upon which Irish kings were crowned.Surrounding the castle are beautiful and quite extensive
garden s. There are paths touring the grounds with signs pointing out the various attractions such as several natural rock formations which have been given fanciful names, such as "Druid's Circle", "Witch's Cave" and the "Wishing Steps". Blarney House, a Scottish baronial-stylemansion , was built on the grounds in 1874. It is also open to the public.
=Gallery ofee also
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Blarney
*Blarney Stone External links
* [http://www.blarneycastle.ie Official Blarney Castle Website]
* [http://www.corkuniversitypress.com/cgi-bin/corkuniversitypress.storefront/EN/product/9781859184110 Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose]
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