Beyond the Blarney Stone: Blarney Castle’s Unexpected Curiosities

“You mean there’s not a ghost dragon or something at this castle you’re dragging me to?” my husband asked when he found out the real reason I wanted to visit Blarney Castle. Which was, of course, to kiss the famed Blarney Stone.

I had to admit that hunting for a ghost dragon sounded a lot more interesting than kissing a rock. And a lot safer than kissing a dragon, even with the upside-down and backward acrobatics involved in kissing the stone. (Although my morning breath might rival anything coming out of a dragon’s mouth.)

“And what’s going to happen when you kiss it?” my husband continued. “Do you get three wishes or something? Or good luck?”

“I thought it had something to do with luck, too,” I said. “Nope. It’s supposed to grant you the gift of gab, as in eloquence and flattery.”

All he heard was “gab.” He rolled his eyes and groaned. “You don’t need to be more gabby than you already are.” He paused briefly before adding, “I don’t need you more gabby than you already are.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

Kissing the Blarney Stone

I’m not sure if kissing the Blarney Stone would have also helped with non-verbal eloquence. However, I was secretly hoping it might help me become a more engaging storyteller, both verbally and via my written words.

Sadly, I never got the chance to find out. Once we got in the very long line to kiss the stone, it quickly became apparent my lips would remain chaste on that trip. Especially if we wanted to make it back to our cruise ship in time. The line didn’t just snake outside of the castle but also switchbacked up stairs to the roof where the stone was. If we stayed in line, we chanced missing our bus back to the dock. No thanks.

However, it turned out that the massive, slow-moving line was a blessing in disguise. There was a lot more to see beyond the Blarney Stone. We wouldn’t have had a chance to explore the rest of the castle’s grounds. As it was, we’d wasted too much time in line and were rushed to see what we did.

Tip: If you have dreams of kissing the Blarney Stone, expect a two to three-hour queue. Unless if maybe you get there right when it opens. If you’re on a cruise, keep an eye on your time. Plan to be first off the boat and get to the castle as fast as you can.

The Poison Garden

The first curious (and a little disturbing) place we came across was the castle’s poison garden. Yet it was also thrilling. A little squeal escaped my mouth when we found it. I’d heard of such gardens, but I’d never seen one with my own eyes.

I particularly liked all the skull and crossbones signs that identified each plant. However, some of the garden’s residents were surprising, like black cohosh and rhubarb. I had no idea that such seemingly innocuous plants could be potentially poisonous.

Others had names more fitting to a poison garden, like wolfsbane and deadly nightshade, both of which were among what I came to call the “caged” plants. So was mandrake, which I now always associate with the Harry Potter books.

The Rock Close

I wish I’d known more about the Rock Close before visiting. In addition to being the oldest part of the garden, the castle describes it as a “mystical place, said to be the site of a druidic settlement.”

The second I stepped into this realm canopied by ancient yews (among other towering trees), I felt its magic. It contained enchanting points of interest like the Druids Cave, Wishing Steps, and Witches Kitchen.

Speaking of witches, there’s a stone shaped like a witch’s face. Legend has it that a witch is trapped inside. Didn’t spot it, but would’ve loved to see it. Lesson learned: do better diligence ahead of time.

Since I’d been so focused on the Blarney Stone, I also didn’t realize there was another stone on the castle grounds that would interest me more than the Blarney one. Or stones, I should say. They are the wish-granting kind. “IF you perform the necessary ritual CORRECTLY!” according to the castle. They’re also located within the Rock Close.

The Historic House

“There’s even a Downton Abbey-like house here?” I said when the trail led us to the Blarney House.

I had no idea there was a historic home on the property, too. I thought there was just the castle. They offered a tour, but either they weren’t doing it while we were there, or we didn’t have time to take it. I would’ve liked to peek inside, though.

The Seven Sisters

I also didn’t realize there was an ancient Stonehenge-like formation there either. The prehistoric stone circle is known as the Seven Sisters, despite having nine stones in total. However, it’s said that a king knocked down two of the stones after his sons died in battle.

I don’t know if it’s like Stonehenge and no one really knows what the stones were used for initially. But as Ancient Origins put it, with the two megaliths knocked down, it became a memorial.

All I know is it was a hauntingly beautiful sight to come across, and just added to the magic of Blarney Castle’s grounds.

All the Trails

To this day, I kick myself for wasting so much time in the line to kiss the stone. We got to walk a lot of the grounds, but not all. We missed out on a great hiking opportunity.

There are a few trails within the castle grounds, including the Woodland Walk, Lake Walk, and Riverside Walk. Some are dirt, some include boardwalks.

We might not have had time to explore them all during our visit. (The Lake Walk alone takes about 45 minutes.) If I had to do it all again, I would’ve focused on this, though. So. Much. Beautiful. Nature!

Blarney Castle Video

Most of the pictures above are also included in this short video of other photos I took during our visit to Blarney Castle. (So I guess it’s really more of a slideshow because it was before I learned to take video in addition to pictures.) But it includes more pictures of the ruins around the castle, as well as the gypsy wagons in the Stable Yard.

Check-In

Would you kiss the Blarney Stone? Have you ever visited a poison garden?