A Load of Blarney

I'm not sure whether you use the word blarney when referring to something being blown out of proportion, as in "She's talking a lot of blarney".

I learned that the word has historical roots with Queen Elizabeth I who sent a local Irish representative, Cormac the lord of Blarney Castle, to support her position with his countrymen. Rather than affirm British rule in Ireland, he rather tried to keep his independence. In essence, he tried to avoid giving away too much of anything to the British crown. Thus Elizabeth's demands were met not in the way she expected but by elaborations on why something could not be done, at least not immediately or without revisions. Cormac tried to talk and bluff his way out of his assignments. It is recorded that Queen Elizabeth was eventually fed up and said, "This is all blarney, what he says he never means." Hence the birth of a new English term.

I was fortunate to get to see the birthplace of Blarney, not only its town which is six miles north of Cork, but the castle itself and home occupied by a former mayor of Cork. One can imagine the town of Blarney as it was centuries ago with its mostly Tudor style architecture and quiet streets as visitors wind their way to the main attraction: the castle.

No one can deny that Blarney Castle is an impressive structure from the 15th century (1446 to be exact). While many visitors come to see the Blarney Stone that is supposed to give a person "the gift of the gab" when kissed, I was enthralled by the architecture of the medieval castle and the nearby 19th century home and surrounding gardens. The castle's battlements area denote its purpose for kingly rule, protection against invaders as well as status. Some walls are up to 18 feet thick and it contains a series of passages that lead to dungeons, presumably for prisoners.

Most visitors have heard of the Blarney Stone which sits 85 feet at the top of the castle in the battlements area. Those who choose to kiss the stone are promised to receive the "gift of the gab". In order to kiss the stone, however, they must hang upside down over an opening that can be seen from below (see picture above). Today there are steel bars that will catch visitors should they slip in their efforts but it wasn't that long ago when the steel bars did not exist and people relied solely on someone holding the kisser's legs while they hung upside down. My friend decided to make the journey to the top to experience what it is like to kiss a stone but I used the time to peruse the grounds instead.

I discovered the Blarney House near the castle which I found equally intriguing. It is recorded the mayor of Cork, Sir James St John Jefferyes, purchased the estate and built a new residence near the original castle in 1704.

Today Blarney House is the home of Sir Charles Colthurst. The surrounding gardens are impressive and kept my camera busy, including one garden containing solely poisonous plants.