Blarney Castle

A few days ago, Mama, Porter, and I tried to visit Barryscourt Castle, but it was closed. So instead, while Daddy did some projects on the boat, we decided to visit Blarney Castle, even though we thought there might be too many other tourists. When we got there, it was late afternoon, so it was not too crowded. 

Blarney Castle is in the middle of a picturesque landscape, so we walked the grounds, in addition to exploring the castle itself. They were both beautiful and amazing.

Blarney Castle was tall. It was looming above us, looking foreboding. I took a deep breath as I glanced at the intimidating structure above me. The castle was  part of the crumbling battlements (walls) that surrounded the main grounds and gardens. A couple thin towers and parts of other buildings were scattered close by. The castle was on top of an eight meter cliff, which would have made it harder for attackers to get in. Blarney Castle was built for one lord and his family to live in; it was not designed to defend the boarder or a country. 

I bet you imagine a castle with many turrets, towers and a main body. Instead, Blarney Castle is one tower. When I say this, you may be imagining it thin, circular and sky-scraping, but it is not like that. It is rectangular, with a width about half its height. The face of the wall was pockmarked with slits for archers to shoot out of and thin windows for light. I took this all in, my excitement mounting. This was going to be awesome.

This is Blarney Castle in the background, before we went through it

Right next to the main entrance was a tunnel. This was part of the dungeons. It was damp, low ceilinged, and dark. There were lights on the walls, but I still had to strain my eyes to see into some corners. The path was rough and the beginnings of stalactites were on the ceiling. The tunnel had a dead end after about 100 steps. I have never been claustrophobic, but when I walked out, I was relieved to be in clean, open air.

In addition to the dungeons, we also went through the escape tunnel- in the photo above

We walked up a path to the entrance. Through the door we went. We looked up as we entered the entrance hall. This was no Harry Potter great hall. This was still high ceilinged, but the actual floor space was quite small. The ceiling was arched and elegant in its own way. Ready for this part of the adventure, I started up the stairs that led to the next level and more of the castle. 

This is the fireplace in the Banquet Hall

Porter is standing in front of one of the slits that archers would shoot out of to protect the castle.

On two sides of the castle are spiral staircases. They were steep, narrow, and hard to climb. They twisted around themselves, meaning there was no center pole. Instead, they spiraled on top of one another up the thin shaft. When I looked down, I could see several spirals below. When I did this, I subconsciously clutched the wall. It was a long way down. As we went up, there were corridors that led to other small rooms. In one particularly erie room, it struck me how old this place actually was: centuries old. I looked nervously at the ceiling, hoping it would not come down on me. 

Coming up the stairs

Here we are standing in one of the small rooms in a suite.

Porter and I looking out of one of the archer's slits- it was a long way down from there!

We continued walking gradually up the spiral staircase, reading about the different rooms as we went until we finally came out onto the ramparts. The sigh that escaped me was echoed by Mama and Porter who were also astounded by the view. We looked out over the landscape. Neat rolling hills stretched away, with trees of all shades of green on them. It was beautiful. We walked a slow circle around the ramparts until we came to the Blarney Stone.

This is not a great picture of me, but it gives you a good sense of the surroundings.

For those who don't know what the Blarney Stone is, it is a stone that when kissed, gives the gift of eloquence. The Blarney Stone is part of the ramparts. Originally, you were lowered by someone holding your ankles on the outside of the ramparts to kiss it. But now you bend over backwards to kiss it on the inside. It was fun to participate in the legend because it gives me a certain kind of connection to Ireland. And my mom noted that a lot of interesting people, like Winston Churchill and Abbot and Costello, had kissed the stone before us. 

Porter kissing the Blarney Stone

This is looking up from the ground to the Blarney Stone, which is in the center opening at the top.

After exploring the castle and kissing the Blarney Stone, we spent a couple of hours wandering around the grounds. There were lots of flowers and trees growing and the grass was well kept. The paths wove through the gardens where we admired the colors and variety of flora. In one section of the grounds, we walked through the Rock Close, which is said to be the site of an ancient druid settlement. There were small waterfalls trickling off rocks and a path under a canopy of yew and oak trees. All you could hear was the sound of nature. The feeling of unknown mystery hung on the air. The Rock Close certainly gave me the same sense of wonder that the castle inspired.

I am walking along the battlements with blarney Castle in the background

This is the path with the canopy of yew trees overhead.

Standing near one of the little waterfalls

The experience of exploring such an ancient and legendary place made me feel special. Also, the history, architecture, and beauty fascinated me. I am glad to have explored Blarney Castle. -JackRabbit