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Today, Blarney is included on the itinerary for thousands of
visitors from many nationalities each year. Many visitors
ask how the tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone arose, and
there are various versions of how the word 'Blarney' came into the
English language. However, it appears that Queen Elizabeth 1
wished to tighten control on the Irish chiefs and insisted that
they held their Irish lands under legal tenure from the
Queen.
The then Lord of Blarney, Cormac McCarthy,
evidently had no intention of agreeing to the demands of the
Queen, but never said so directly to her. Each time that the Queen
demanded his loyalty, he professed his loyalty to her as a
subject, concealing his real feelings on the matter.
Eventually the Queen lost her patience with
her smooth talking subject and declared: 'This is all Blarney, he
never means what he says, he never does what he promises'. The
word Blarney is really defined as being 'persuasive talk designed
to deceive, but not to cause offence'.
Blarney Castle and
Grounds
The Castle stands on the extensive lands of Blarney Castle
Estate which consists of 1,130 acres, of which 730 acres havebeen
planted for forestry purposes and there are 400 acres of avenues
and parklands. Blarney Lake alone has 22 acres of water.
Blarney Castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidir
McCarthy as a defensive fortress. It is possible that an earlier
wooden hunting lodge stood on the site of the present day
Castle. However it has been established that an earlier
stone structure on the site of the Castle was demolished in 1446
when construction of the present Castle started. The Castle took
many years to build and what is known as the Castle today, is in
fact the keep of a much larger fortress. The original development
has been described as being like a miniature walled town.
The original Blarney Castle would have been a self
contained defensive unit which would have been capable of
withstanding prolonged external siege - the surviving Castle keep
is 85 foot high. For many centuries up until 1726, a Bardic School
survived at Blarney and this was controlled by the McCarthys. All
visitors to the Castle should kiss the famous Blarney Stone. It is
said to bestow the gift of eloquence on all those who kiss
it.
'There is a Stone
that whoever kisses never misses to grow eloquent, he may clamber
to a lady's chamber or become a member of parliament'.
Do allow sufficient time for a leisurely visit to
the Castle. The walk from the car-park to the Castle entrance,
will take you about 5 minutes. The Rock Close, part of the Castle
grounds is also open to the public and is well worth visiting.
This is a curiously interesting place of old trees. By legend, the
gardens are of Druid origin and were a centre of worship in
pre-Christian times. Within the Rock Close area there survives a
Dolmen or ancient burial place. Picnic areas have been provided in
the Rock Close on the banks of the River Martin.
Church of Ireland Church
This is the Church of Ireland Parish Church for the Blarney area.
The building of this Church was completed in 1775, and part of the
cost was subscribed by Sir John Jeffreys, the then owner of
Blarney Castle, who did much good work to develop the village. It
is laid out in cruciform shape and is built in a classical style
to resemble a Greek temple in the Doric order, which was
fashionable in the late 18th century.
Roman Catholic Church
With the help of the Mahony family in Blarney, the present
Catholic Church in the village was officially opened on 21st
October 1894. Before the opening of this Church just over 100
years ago, the parishioners in the Blarney area walked to the
nearest Catholic Church at Waterloo, nearly two miles away. In
1894, Blarney had a population of nearly 3,000 people. The Church
has a nave 120 foot long and 22 foot wide, with side aisles and
sacristy. The interior of the building is graceful and timber is
used to good effect.
Blarney Woollen Mills
The Blarney Woollen Mills were developed by the Mahony
Family in 1824. The industry prospered and by the mid 1830s, a few
years before the famine, the mill employed 120 people, and had to
be extended substantially in the 1840s. The presence of the mill
shielded Blarney from the worst of the effects of the famine and
few deaths were recorded in the area during that national
catastrophe. The success story at the mills continued until a
disastrous fire in 1869, a few weeks before Christmas when much of
the mill was gutted.
By August 1871 the mill was once again operational with a labour
force of 222. Employment continued to grow and it reached 600 by
1881 and 700 by 1950. The mills closed in 1975 due to a recession
in the textile industry. In 1976 the late Christy Kelleher, who
had himself been a mill worker, bought the old mill property. In a
short period of time Christy and his family transformed the mill
into one of the finest gift and craft retail centres in the world,
a restaurant and a hotel.
Mass Rock
Mass was celebrated at the Mass Rock in penal times. There is a
Mass Rock located at Ballyshonin, Berrings (5 miles from Blarney)
and the profile of the priest's face can be seen in the rock.
Steps lead from the main road to the Mass Rock. Another Mass Rock
is located at Loughane, Blarney (3 miles from Blarney village).
Round Towers
Round Towers were used by Christian 
monks as a place of storage and refuge in times of invasion, and
some fine examples survive in Ireland. The origin of the round
tower was that the monks could store their chalices and valuables
at the top of the tower by climbing a rope ladder and pulling the
ladder up behind them. The round tower in Waterloo (approx. 1 mile
from Blarney) is a much later construction and was built in the
1800's by Fr. Matt Horgan, the then parish priest of Blarney. The
round tower at Whitechurch (approx. 4 miles from Blarney) was
built by the same man. These round towers are located in
Churchyards.
Medieval Ringforts
Ringforts were built in the 7th and 8th centuries by the Danes
with two or three circles of banks and ditches made of stone.
Within these enclosures stood the ancient farmsteads of early
Christian times. Lisnaraha (located 3 miles from Blarney) is one
of the largest surviving Christian farmsteads in Ireland.
Ballynaraha (located 5 miles from the village) is another
ringfort. Please seek the permission of the landowner before
entering lands.
St. Olan's Well
Located at Aghabullogue (10 miles from Blarney) are the Well and
ruins of St. Olan's Church.
For further details of any of the historical
sights, please contact Blarney Tourist Office
at Tel: +353 021-381624
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