Nov 17 2006

There is a stone that whoever kisses,
Oh! he never misses to grow eloquent
'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber,
Or become a member of parliament.
—Francis Sylvester Mahony

Blarney Castle, just outside of Cork in southern Ireland, is home to the Blarney Stone, famed for empowering whomever kisses the stone with the gift of gab. Visitors to the castle who make it to the top are then told to lie down on their back, hold on for dear life, lean back over the castle wall, and plant a big smack on a piece of limestone kissed by hundreds of thousands of others (and rumor has it apparently pissed on by the locals outside of operating hours...good to know now). Those who successfully kiss the stone are said to be given the gift of eloquence, my guess in part because they just leaned back over a wall 100 feet off the ground to kiss a rock that may or may not have been urinated on by locals.

There are many theories on the history of the stone and mysterious powers, including those that surmise the stone dates back to biblical times and was the stone Moses struck with his staff to produce water for the Israelites. It is also said that another explanation is that the Stone was known as the Lia Fáil or "Stone of Destiny", part of the king's throne, with mysterious powers.

Regardless of the legends, or germ factor, it is still quite the experience. This photo is from the castle roof just next to the Blarney Stone overlooking the castle grounds.

Blarney Castle
Ireland
May 2003