EireLandings ~ Part Twelve ~ Full of Blarney

 

Blarney Castle

There is a stone there,

That whoever kisses,

Oh! he never misses

To grow eloquent.

(So said a witch, saved from drowning, to explain the power of "the Stone" to the ancient Clan MacCarthy)

       Off from Killarney, our next destination was Blarney Castle, one of the most anticipated parts of our journey.  Favorite Oldest Aunt and I had been here before, together, about 25 years ago.  I had kissed the famous Blarney Stone on that trip - she had done it many years before when traveling with my uncle.  Favorite Youngest Aunt was ready to do what she had dreamed of all her life and Favorite Daughters as well.  Would the weather cooperate?  Would Youngest Aunt get all the way to the top?  I had complete faith - 5 years ago, she and I climbed to the top of Kidwelly Castle in Wales in the pouring rain.  I come from hearty female stock!

       Before arriving at Blarney, we drove through Cork - Ireland's second largest city.  Somewhere in the vicinity our ancestor Simon Brennan lived before he left the country in 1848.  The city is actually an island between two branches of the River Lee (personal note that the Irish surnames in my maternal family are Brennan and Sullivan; I also married a Brennan and subsequently married a Lee although the Lee I married was completely, thoroughly, physically, and emotionally Welsh except for the very small English part of him rarely discussed!) 

       Our whisk through Cork was swift and although there is much to see and know more about, I was proud to learn that from its 7th century beginnings it weathered the Vikings, the Normans, Cromwell, and other English visitors and predators.  Cork's history shows that it was always quick to join a rebellion followed by occupation and reprisals. 

       But the excitement was mounting as we saw the sign we'd been waiting for and the Guide gave instructions on time and place to meet the bus.  Favorite Oldest Aunt headed for Blarney Woollen Mills shops and tea room, the rest of us headed for the Castle grounds, a short walk away from the parking lot. 

       The heavy rain of the morning was gone although the sky was heavy with clouds. The stream running through the grounds was full and fast-running.  As to be expected, the environs had changed considerably since I was last there. There are more tourist-friendly improvements and the well-planned landscaping added to the beauty of the space that brightened up the misty grayness of the day.

The Castle Keep

       The Keep of the Castle came into view and with a turn to the right we started up the steps to the entry of the Castle that was built by the MacCarthys in 1446, the third castle on the site.

       We weren't allotted much time to explore and the primary goal of this time was to get to the top of the Castle to kiss the famous Blarney Stone.  The Stone, according to a plaque on the grounds is known in its homeland as "...'Lia Fail' or 'Fatal Stone', used as an oracular throne of Irish kings - a kind of Harry Potter-like 'sorting hat' for kings.  Legend says it was removed to mainland Scotland, where it served as the prophetic power of royal succession, the Stone of Destiny." 
     
Because the King of Munster, Cormac MacCarthy, sent 4,000 men to support Robert the Bruce in his defeat of the English in 1314, the Stone was split and half was sent to Blarney.  MacCarthy allegedly had a speech impediment and he was instructed by the local Druid to kiss the Stone whereupon his speech issues were cured. The legend of receiving the Gift of Gab from kissing the Stone continues to this day.

Castle interior

     
      There are multiple levels of the Castle ruins but no time to do more than move cautiously up the 130 triangle shaped, well-worn, damp stone steps that became narrower the higher we climbed the spiral.  Foot placement was a significant challenge!  As we climbed we stole quick looks into each level.  There were people ahead and behind us so we were able to stop a bit and read the posted signs.


       And finally we emerged at the top of the Castle! 

View from the Top

The Keep from above



      

Now, at last, we were in the queue to kiss the Stone.  It moves quickly and the weather was holding steady.  You have to be willing to lie down on your back, hold onto parallel vertical bars and slide your head back and down, it's quite a feat of engineering!  There is help and a professional photo is taken. 

FINALLY, Favorite Youngest Aunt is next.  And at 85 years, 1o months of age and a lifetime of dreaming of the impossible:

A Dream Fulfilled!

         It was such a blessing to be present for this auspicious moment in her life as well as for each of my daughters.  Legend or myth notwithstanding, it was great!  I did not kiss the Stone this time, I didn't want to chance the undoing of the charm!

        We took more photos and headed back down those spiral stairs and back to the Blarney Woollen Mills shops and tea room for lunch and a quick look around for souvenirs.  I had hoped to find a Tara brooch to replace the one I bought there 25 years ago - not a "fine" piece of jewelry by any means, but sentimental.  In the last major move I made, I had lost it.  But I hadn't much time so I raced through and didn't see anything that resembled my pin - oh well!  Back on the bus and as we pulled away, Favorite Youngest Aunt was applauded and cheered for her accomplishment as the Guide showed her photo up one side and down the other of the aisle.  And the day was far from over!

       From the plaque at the Castle:  Queen Elizabeth I is credited with introducing the word "blarney" to the English language.  Her emissary, Sir George Carew, was charged with persuading the MacCarthy Chieftain [of Blarney Castle] to abandon his ancient rights and accept authority of the English throne.  Every time he tried, he was met with long and eloquent protestations of loyalty and honeyed flattery of the Queen (by the MacCarthys) - but with no agreement.  In frustration, Elizabeth exclaimed, "This is all Blarney. What he says he never means." A new word for flattery and smooth-talking was born.

       There are many legends about the Stone - perhaps it is Jacob's Pillow brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah.  It is also rumored to be part of the Stone of Scone that sat for many centuries under the throne of King Edward I in Westminster Abbey as the Coronation Stone.  That Stone was returned to rest in Scotland in 1996 with the understanding that it will be transported to Westminster Abbey for future coronations.

       As we traveled to our next stop, I mentioned in conversation with Favorite Daughters that I had hoped to find a replacement for my brooch but did not.  It turns out that Favorite Oldest Daughter had it, she remembered borrowing it when I had stayed with her and her family for awhile and neither of us thought about it when I moved.  I had gone looking for it as the trip approached and wondered whatever I had done with it.  When I visited them a month ago, having forgotten about it again, she gave it back to me and no doubt one day it will find its way back to her with now shared memories of its origin.