Have you KISSED this?

Mary Yohannan on

castle for website smaller

Kissing this might bring you luck…

Photo by James Sterganos

Everyone wants the gift of eloquence and the luck of the Irish.  Some say the Irish are gifted with this by kissing a stone, the Blarney Stone to be exact.  It’s all down to the Blarney Stone, not Leprechauns. For over two centuries people have been coming to Blarney Castle in the south of Ireland to kiss this stone set into the battlements in the hope of gaining a silver tongue. It used to be that you were hung over the battlements from above by your ankles, and I guess it was luck if you made it back up alive.  These days there’s less risk involved in leaning backwards from the parapet walkway while holding securely to a metal railing.

The origins of this magic stone are still debated. Was it Jacob’s pillow, St Columba’s deathbed pillow, or the stone that gushed water for Moses? Was it brought to Ireland after the Crusades or given to the Irish by Scot Robert the Bruce in gratitude for helping him defeat the English in 1314? We’ll probably never know. But after you kiss it, tour the ruined castle, visit elegant 19th century Blarney House, and wander around the lake, you sure will have some good stories to tell back home.

If you’re thinking of a trip to Ireland, make sure to visit this magic stone in the South of Ireland near Cork.  You can easily get there as a day trip from Dublin, or if you are feeling a bit more adventurous, try a self-drive itinerary.  You don’t want to miss out on the luck of the Irish, after all, when in Ireland!

Call us today to book your Ireland trip.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect Ireland vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

Phone:  919-606-4604

Email: mary@lifeisbettertraveling.com

About Mary Yohannan, CTA

Travel is a passion of mine and it is something I absolutely love to do.  When I personally travel, I get feelings of excitement, relaxation, interest, curiosity, and a bit of anxiety.  When it all comes together I have created a memory that reminds me of all of these emotions.  I have traveled to 17 European countries, and in each country, I experienced what I just described.  I felt excitement when we were roaming the canals of Venice and thinking this is nothing like Italy in Epcot Center.  I felt relaxation in Scotland when my husband and I enjoyed an anniversary dinner on Rose Street in Edinburgh drinking Scottish beer.  I was interested in touching a 1000-year-old entrance to a library while in Ephesus in Turkey.  I was curious what smoked lard and Palinka tasted like in a small café in Bucharest, Romania.   I was anxious going up the cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch in Switzerland while my head was pounding from altitude changes.  The best part of travel is that when I am not traveling and I think of those places I instantly get a smile on my face regardless of the emotion that I felt.

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