Let’s talk about Blarney Castle. The full name of the property is “Blarney Castle and Gardens,” and with quite a good reason. The gardens of Blarney are, perhaps, more charming than the castle, itself. But more to that in a second.
In my opinion, Blarney Castle is the most famous castle in Ireland. And it was absolutely the most magical place I have visited thus far in my travels. Blarney transported me back hundreds of years ago to the 1500s, when the castle was flourishing. Entering the lands felt like wandering into a portal back in time.
As we began our walk into the grounds of Blarney, we could see the castle off in the distance.


As we headed around and up the twisting staircase for what seemed like years, we found ourselves on a path to the top of the fortress to find the Blarney Stone. Once we reached the very top of the building, there was a walkway around the perimeter. At the center of the far wall was the Blarney Stone. It’s said that you will be blessed with the gift of gabb if you kiss the stone. To kiss the stone, you lay on the ground and lean back (much farther than you think you need to) upside-down while holding onto a rail. There was a man positioned there to help, as people used to kill themselves trying to kiss this infamous stone. Once we kissed the stone, we made our way down to the grounds.



