Mostly blarney, but we already knew that from Lonely Planet and Rick Steves – €18 (roughly $27 AUD each) was too much to pay to enter the grounds of Blarney Castle. We paid it – how could we not – it was on our list.
Blarney Castle is large and imposing. Although well preserved, it looks better from a distance. We decided an hour’s queuing to walk the steps up (we were never going to kiss the Stone!) wasn’t worth it either.
The gardens are lovely and interesting. After learning about how plants have been used for nefarious purposes in the Poison Garden, we wandered happily for at least an hour. However, we had come from the wild Ireland of Connemara, Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Ring of Kerry and wandering through the beauty and remoteness of Killarney National Park was less than 24 hours in the past.
If you’re planning a trip to Ireland anytime, have always associated Ireland with the Blarney Stone and couldn’t contemplate missing it, I’d suggest exploring Ireland in a clockwise direction, commencing from Dublin, and bring a picnic lunch. We decided to save our food money after sampling the coffee.
Perhaps if I had spent the hour queuing and steeled myself to kiss the Stone, this post would read differently. Perhaps I missed a life changing experience and the world will be the poorer for the eloquence that might have been.
The history of the castle and stone is interesting and if you are inclined, you can read about it at https://blarneycastle.ie/pages/kiss-the-blarney-stone