BLARNEY CASTLE

The castle is most famous for its Blarney Stone, which attracts thousands of tourists every year. Legend has it that whoever lays their lips on this stone will gain the gift of eloquence. That's why so many people climb the castle stairs and lean over (don't worry, it's all perfectly safe) to kiss the stone. Where it came from is unclear. Some believe it was brought back from Jerusalem by the Crusaders, while others believe it came from Scotland as a fragment of the Stone of Scone. The origin of the belief in the gift lies in the following anecdote: Queen Elizabeth^I wanted Lord Blarney to receive his investiture only from the Crown... Lord Blarney apparently complied, but kept postponing the application of this order, finding a thousand pretexts each time, so much so that the Queen finally exclaimed: " This is all Blarney!

In any case, everyone lends themselves to the manoeuvre, which consists of lying down and tilting their head back to kiss the famous stone..

Of far greater interest isa visit to Blarney Castle. The castle is a remarkable^15th-century structure built into the rock. It is the third castle to be built on this site. The first was built of wood in the 10th^century , and was replaced by a stone structure around 1210. In 1446, the keep as seen today was added to these buildings.

In the 17th^century , the castle was taken by Cromwell's troops who, after installing a cannon on a hill opposite, succeeded in destroying the tower walls. But when the men took possession of the keep, they found only two servants: the garrison had fled through underground caves, taking the famous golden crockery with them. Later, one of the castle's owners sought to drain the lake into which the gold crockery had apparently been thrown. He spent a fortune... in vain.

The château grounds are also well worth a visit. It's a pleasant place to wander around, with its stream, and a garden (Rock Close) was laid out in the ^19th century on a supposedly Druidic site. You'll see two dolmens, a rock that (with a little imagination) looks like a witch with her hat next to her, and magical stairs that must be climbed up and down from behind, eyes closed, if you want your wishes to be granted. It's a charming place, imbued with a certain mystery.