As we are driving very near Blarney Castle we think it would be remiss not to stop and ‘kiss the Blarney Stone’, but afterwards it got me thinking – is this a load of blarney or even baloney?
Blarney Castle
We are on route from Killarney to the seaside town of Youghal on the south coast of Ireland, and decide we will check out Blarney Castle and the infamous stone to see what all the fuss is about.
There has been heated debate over the years about the origins of the stone, but that was laid to rest last year when scientists proclaimed the stone was definitely Irish.
The queue is building around lunchtime of people of all ages eager to tick off one of the must dos on a traveller’s bucket list.
Piece of cake, it’s not that high
On the way up, if you dare to look down
As we start ascending the 100 plus steps up a narrow circular stairway up the castle I start to wonder if this is a good idea. We are crammed basically one person per step and moving very slowly, but too late and impossible now to turn back.
Relief is evident as we get to a landing and then make it to the top of Blarney Castle and admire the view.
Nearly there
Along the last few metres are signs with various writings about the stone, and also one telling us about the difference between blarney and baloney. I like the explanation that baloney is flattery laid on with a trowel, whilst blarney is flattery laid on with the lips, hence the need to kiss this stone.
But now to face another challenge of what is actually going to be required to do to be able to say we did indeed kiss the stone.
Kissing the Blarney Stone is said to bestow the gift of the gab. However one must lean backwards and essentially kiss the stone upside down. At one time the would-be kisser was held by the ankles and lowered head first over the battlements to perform the ritual.
Today we are reassured to see there are a few supporting posts between us and the ground below, and an assistant to help us as we grasp a supporting pole in each hand behind us. Although it is still a bit scary.
The Kiss
Now the crucial moment is here – but do we really want to press our lips where many millions have gone before since the practice first began at least 200 years ago? I must confess to an air-kiss, but still feel I earned the right to say I have kissed the stone.
Afterwards as we are offered a poor quality photo taken by the site operators at €10 per person (€12 if you want a digital version as well to share on social media), I perhaps rather ungraciously wonder if this whole exercise was actually a great Irish joke at our expense! Blarney or baloney – I’ll let you be the judge.
Still, later that night as we dine at the Old Imperial pub in Youghal we are happy to say we didn’t pass by the opportunity.
Youghal seaside
Main Street, Youghal
51.950055
-7.845368