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Blarney Castle

 
Blarney Castle, a massive fifth century keep with walls 18ft/5.5m thick and a 82ft/25m high tower, is the strongest castle in the province of Munster. In one of its walls is the famous Blarney Stone, which is believed to bestow the gift of eloquence on anyone who kisses it. The origin of the tradition is unknown.

The castle has given a new word to the English language.

Must-see attractions nearby:
Blarney Castle
Blarney House
Queen Elizabeth I had instructed her Governor in Ireland to call upon Cormac MacCarthy, then Lord of Blarney, to give up the traditional system by which the clans elected their own chiefs and instead to accept the grant of his lands from the Crown. Cormac MacCarthy, while seeming to agree to the proposal, repeatedly put forward plausible excuses for failing to carry it out, until the Queen declared in exasperation: "This is all Blarney: what he says he never means." Hence the use of "blarney" to mean fair words intended to deceive without offending.
Address: Blarney Castle and House, Blarney , Ireland
Hours:
May 1 to May 31: 9am-6:30pm; Sun: 9:30am-5:30pm
June 1 to August 31: 9am-7pm; Sun: 9:30am-5:30pm
September 1 to September 30: 9am-6:30pm; Sun: 9:30am-5pm
October 1 to April 30: 9am-6pm
Always closed on: Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Christmas - Christian (December 25)

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Kissing the Blarney Stone.Kissing the Blarney Stone.
Exterior of Blarney Castle with the stone located where the sky shows through above the top window.Exterior of Blarney Castle with the stone located where the sky shows through above the top window.
Looking up at the Blarney Castle.Looking up at the Blarney Castle.
The grounds of Blarney Castle.The grounds of Blarney Castle.
The old stone Blarney Castle.The old stone Blarney Castle.
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