Kissing the Blarney Stone!

On Wednesday morning, Jenna and I ventured up to Blarney Castle, just a few kilometers north of Cork, in order to visit the castle, explore the town, and of course, kiss the Blarney Stone like every American tourist. The castle was very cool, built in the 1200s, a lot of it is still intact and authentic- a far cry from modern safety standards though. The Blarney Stone itself is on the very top of the Castle's Keep, located just under the rampart. The rest of the town is charming too, but you had to be careful for the tourist traps and gift shops! Outside of Blarney Castle is an area known as Rock Close, which is a preserved Druidic Grove, dating to the pre-historic Celtic period of Ireland. The rock formations, caves and flora is kept up in the Gaelic fashion, and is very beautiful garden and wood to visit in its own rite.

 Blarney Castle was built by the McCarthy's in the early 1200s, with Cormac McCarthy ruling as High King of Munster through the 14th Century. As you can see from the picture on the right, the stairs of the castle are not necessarily up to code, especially on a wet, slippery day.

View from on top of Blarney Castle, looking out over the countryside of Cork

The Blarney Stone lies underneath the rampart of the castle wall, along the highest tower. To kiss it, you have to lay on your back and lean out over the opening. The stone was given to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce for his support at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It was a sacred stone of the Scottish royal family, dating back to 847. According to legend, the origin of the stone is rooted in Biblical times, and is said to be Jacob's pillow, on which he slept the night he had his vision of the ladder into heaven. Now I don't know how that stone that Jacob rested on made it all the way to Scotland, and then Blarney Castle, but I kissed it!

The Village of Blarney

The Druidic Grove of Rock Close

 To the left is a stone piling, dating back to pre-historic paganism. The Druids used this grove for religious ceremonies and as a type of outdoor sanctuary for worship. To the right is the "Witches Stone," carved out to look like the pagan goddess of the Crone, the old woman of Autumn.

Druid's Glen; an ancient burial site lies in the small cave underneath the waterfalls

These giant snaking trees are Willow, one of the seven sacred trees of Celtic Pagan tradition. They are the tree of the moon and their groves were revered by the Druid priests.

Moving on to a more modern religion...... this is the Parish church of Blarney village, built in the 1800s.

The climate of Southern Ireland, especially Cork and Kerry, is very mild and blessed with warm sea-breezes year round. Because of this, even palm trees can grow here, making it seem even more like a bit of paradise!