According to legend, kissing the Blarney Stone endows the kisser with the gift of great eloquence!
Did you know that the Blarney Stone is actually a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle which is located in Blarney about 8 km from Cork, Ireland? To me, kissing the Blarney Stone is a must for every truly-green Irish person!
I personally am not Irish, but my hubby is Scot-Irish and he can surely weave a great tale of Blarney. So, I'm dedicating this lens to him and to all ye out there Irish folk!
So, if you have the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone, I wish you well. And, may I suggest you hoist a bit of green beer this year in celebration of St. Patrick's Day!
The Blarney Stone Green Poll
Quick, all you worldwide travelers ...
Little Green Book of Blarney: The Importance of Being Irish (Little Black Book)
by Ruth Cullen
The Little Green Book of Blarney-The Importance of Being Irish (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Paperback))
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/24/2009)
Spiral-bound: 160 pages
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press (February 28, 2008)
Kissing the Blarney Stone
According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab great eloquence or skill at flattery.
Who's planted their kissers on the Blarney Stone ...
1
Michael Madson, film actor, planted his kisser ...
on the Blarney Stone whilst filming the Irish feat more...3 points
2
Nelly Bly, journalist, planted her kisser
on the Blarney Stone in 1888 while traveling aroun more...3 points
3
Milton S. Hershey, confectioner, planted his kisser ...
on the Blarney Stone while travelling in Europe.2 points
4
Winston Churchill planted his kisser ...
on the Blarney Stone in 1930 while visiting.2 points
Kissing the Blarney Stone video
Kiss Me I'm Irish shirts
Kiss Me I'm Irish T-Shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
Kiss Me I'm Irish T-Shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
Kiss Me Im Irish - Seasonal and Holidays Jersey - 3/4 Sleeve
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
Kiss Me Im Irish Today Ladies T-Shirt by Junk Food
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
Kissing the Blarney Stone on Saint Patrick's Day!
Now, that would be the ultimate Irish, green thing to do don't you think! I imagine many have actually accomplished this.
Saint Patrick's Day at a glance
Picture of St. Patrick's Day 2004 in Cork, Ireland ...
Category: File - :Ireland-St Patrick.jpg|thumb|190px|St. Patrick's Day 2004 in Cork, Ireland.
'Saint Patricks Day' ( or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially 'St. Paddy's Day or simply Paddy's Day', is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 385?461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on 17th of March.
The day is a national holiday of Ireland: it is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland. It is also a public holiday in Montserrat. In Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Argentina and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday.
St. Patricks feast day was placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding in the early part of the 17th century, although the feast day was celebrated in the local Irish church from a much earlier date. St. Patrick's Day is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The feast day usually falls during Lent; if it falls on a Friday of Lent, the obligation to abstain from eating meat does not bind as St.Patrick's day in Ireland is a first class feast, thus removing the obligation to fast or abstain. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints' feasts during certain solemnities, moving the saint's day to a time outside those periods. St. Patricks Day is very occasionally affected by this requirement. Thus when 17th of March falls during Holy Week, as in 1940 when St. Patrick's Day was observed on 3 April in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and again in 2008, having been observed on 15 March. St. Patrick's Day will not fall within Holy Week again until 2160 - when it will fall on the Monday before Easter.
Blarney Stone from casualkeystrokes.com
Blarney Stone at a glance
The Blarney Stone () is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of Category: wikt - :gab|gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its gardens.
The word Category: wikt - :blarney|blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.
Kissing the Blarney Stone Art Giclee Poster Print, 30x40
Kissing the Blarney Stone Art Giclee Poster Print, 30x40
Amazon Price: (as of 12/24/2009)
40 x 30 x 40 inches
It's bluestone ...
Bluestone is an evenly-bedded product which tends to exhibit natural horizontal clefts allowing it to be removed in large flat sections suitable for flagstone, curbing, and the like.
"Did you know there are actually bluestones also at Stonehenge that were placed there in 2600 BC?"
Bluestone at a glance
Bluestone is the name given to several stones:
# a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S.,
# a form of limestone native to the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S.
# a form of dolerite which appears blue when wet or freshly broken in Britain,
# a basalt or olivine basalt in Australia, and
# a type of limestone from the Hainaut quarries in Soignies, Belgium.
The power of the stone by Francis Sylvester Mahony ...
There is a stone there,
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.
Blarney Castle from casualkeystrokes.com
Located at Blarney Castle
The Blarney Stone is actually built into the battlements of Blarney Castle!
Blarney Castle at a glance
Blarney Castle Website: www.blarneycastle.ie
Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland, and the River Martin. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the McCarthy clan and dates from 1446.BlarneyCastle.ie - History The noted Blarney Stone is found among the machicolations of the castle.
Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose
by Mark Samuel and Kate Hamlyn
Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose
Amazon Price: $39.00 (as of 12/24/2009)
Blarney Castle in County Cork is one of Ireland's oldest and most historic castles, an ancient stronghold of the McCarthys, Lords of Muskerry, and one of the strongest fortresses in Munster. It is also one of Irelands biggest tourist attractionsover 300,000 people visit Blarney Castle each year.
This new book sets the castle in a wider context which includes aspects of social, architectural and local history with particular focus on County Cork, including the history of the area around Blarney, the Gaelic society which built the castle, the function of the castle and the gradual development of the property from a well-defended family seat to a major tourist attraction. At the same time it sets the castle within a wider context of national history and events. Since the site controlled a natural route to Cork City and was at the very edge of English Rule in Ireland, there is a relative wealth of extant documentation. Thus the book uses the evidence of both the building itself and of historical material to interpret the castle.
In Blarney!
The Blarney Stone is at Blarney Castle that is located in Blarney about 8 km from Cork, Ireland.
Blarney at a glance
Blarney (An Bhlárna in Irish) is a town in the south of Ireland, located 8 km north-west of Cork, Ireland. It is the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone.
Ireland (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
by DK Publishing
Ireland (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 12/24/2009)
This compact, handsomely illustrated guide to Ireland opens with a general overview of the island's history and culture. The tour of the country begins in Dublin, then circles south and west, ending up in Belfast. At the back of the book are sections on lodging, food, shopping, and other practical information. It is similar in style, content, and price to Knopf Guides: Ireland, published in July 1995. Eyewitness Travel Guides claim to be "the guides that show what others only tell you." This volume does seem to have slightly more illustrations than the Knopf guide (as well as more hotel and restaurant listings), but its paper cover will not be as durable as Knopf's vinyl cover, and it is a bit heavier to carry. Still, this is a thorough guide that travelers, especially those off-the-beaten track, will find most useful. Recommended for public libraries.
"That's a lot of Blarney! Blarney Stone is in Blarney Castle which is located in Blarney!"
Possible origins of the Blarney Stone ...
The proprietors of Blarney Castle list several alternative explanations for the origins of the Stone and its supposed powers, all of which suppose that the Stone had previously been in Ireland but was then taken to Scotland and returned to Ireland in 1314:
- the Stone was the stone that Jacob used as a pillow, and was brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah
- the Stone was the pillow used by St. Columba of Iona on his deathbed
- the Stone was the Stone of Ezel, which David hid behind on Jonathan's advice, while fleeing from King Saul, and may have been brought back to Ireland during the Crusades
- the Stone was the rock that Moses struck with his staff to produce water for the Israelites, during their flight from Egypt
- in Ireland, the Stone was known as the Lia Fáil or "Stone of Destiny", part of the king's throne, with mysterious powers
- the stone's powers were revealed to the McCarthys by a witch who had been saved from drowning
Originally part of Stone of Scone?
The stone, which is believed by some to be half of the original Stone of Scone, was presented to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in recognition of his support in the Battle of Bannockburn.
Stone of Scone at a glance
The Stone of Scone also commonly known as the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, the monarchs of England, and, more recently, British monarchs. Historically, the artifact was kept at the now-ruined Scone Abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland.
Other names by which it has sometimes been known include Jacob's Pillow Stone and the Tanist Stone. Its size is about by by in size and weighs approximately . The top bears chisel-marks. At each end of the stone is an iron ring, apparently intended to make transport easier.
Queen Elizabeth I and a "lot of Blarney"
Queen Elizabeth I wanted Irish chiefs to agree to occupy their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled every Royal request with subtle diplomacy, promising loyalty to the Queen without "giving in".
Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "a lot of Blarney", thus giving rise to the legend.
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A piece of the Blarney Stone in Lubbock Texas?
There is a missing piece of the Blarney Stone (a 'V' shaped gouge on the bottom) that has turned up and is a fixture in the Engineering Building at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
An assortment of Blarney books
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The Blarney Stone Fan Club!
Drop me a line ... Sign in Blarney Stone fans!!!
Are you Irish by chance? Ever kissed the Blarney Stone or know someone who has? I'd love to hear about it!
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Reply
- JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Jul 27, 2009 @ 10:48 am | in reply to Spook
- How cool Kevin! So you had a remarkable once in a lifetime experience AND left your DNA on the Blarney Stone too? ;)
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Reply
- Spook Spook Jul 27, 2009 @ 10:45 am
- By golly gumdrops Ma'am, only about three weeks ago I went there with my brother and sister in law. Being scared of heights and having terrible balance I managed to get up there and do it. However they yanked me back up whilst I was still arching my neck back and only managed to rub my nose on it. Subsequently have lost whatever eloquence I used to have but am hanging in as I do b'lieve in some cultures rubbing noses counts as kissing.
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Reply
- C-Joy C-Joy Mar 20, 2009 @ 3:07 pm
- Blarney Castle grounds are GORGEOUS! Climbed to the top, but didn't kiss it myself. I'm gabby enough as it is;)
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Reply
- Rewards4life Rewards4life Mar 18, 2009 @ 9:37 am
- I never heard of it Julie,but now I know a lot! Awesome lens!
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Reply
- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Mar 17, 2009 @ 5:13 pm
- I seem to only be able to kiss the Blarney Stone when amongst intimate friends. It never works in a crowd.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day! May you find a Blarney Stone to kiss whenever the need arises.
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About the Author, JaguarJulie
Lensmaster JaguarJulie has been a member since March 21 2006, has rated 6,438 lenses, favorited 525, and has created 618 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Stuffed Cabbage *". See all my lenses
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Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work ... it is just NOT cool so don't do it!
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