Blarney Castle, by now nearly 700 years of age, is home to many interesting (and scary) stories and legends. Its name is closely linked to many names of historical importance – not only from an Irish point of view but also from an English and Scottish perspective.

Cormac McCarthy, a 14th century King of Munster and one of Ireland’s greatest historical chieftains, is known as “the builder” of what is known today as Blarney Castle. Even though the original foundations of the site dates back as early as the 10th century, the so-called “Blarney Stone Curse” relates to Blarney Castle as we know it today. But more about that later. Cormac McCarty is also known as a supporter to Robert the Bruce, supplying him 4000 men from Munster for the famous Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Legend has it, that the “Blarney Stone”, supposedly the other half of the Stone-of-Scone, was given to McCarthy as a thank-you-gift for his support for Robert the Bruce in the battle that, for Robert the Bruce and his Scottish countrymen, should mark a major milestone in achieving independence from the English Crown.

But the list of famous names can be extended even further: Queen Elizabeth I is said to have commanded the Earl of Leicester to take possession of the castle. But the McCarthy family then managed to delay the matter long enough for Blarney Castle not to be taken by the Crown on this occasion.

Through the following centuries, Blarney Castle changed hands a couple of times: Taken by force by a certain Lord Broghill, one of Cromwells generals, sold on by the Sword Blade Company to Sir James St. John Jefferyes. Through intermarriage with the Colthurst family of Ardrum, Inniscarra and Ballyvourney, Co. Cork, and Lucan, Co. Dublin, Blarney Castle finally came into the hands of its current owners, the Colthursts.

There are several different legends that relate to Blarney Castle or its contents. Probably the most famous ones are the “magical powers” the Blarney Stone is supposed to have. The story tells us that, way back in time, a witch cast a spell over the stone in gratitude to a king who had saved her from drowning. From then on, the stone is believed to have to power to give the gift of eloquent speech to everyone. After kissing the Blarney stone, so the legend says, you will never suffer from loss of words again.

Another legend closely linked with Blarney Castle is the story about the Witch's Kitchen. It is believed that this place was home to the very first Irish cave dwellers long before our time. At the end of the so-called Wishing Steps is the Witch's Kitchen and, offset from it, her stone. The legend says that the witch is magically imprisoned within that stone in daytime and freed from it at night. The guardians of Blarney are said to provide her with firewood so that she can keep herself warm and work her magic during the night. Some say that, if you get to Blarney Castle early enough in the morning, you might still be able to see the dying embers of her fire...And up to the present day, many people believe that the witch who cast the spell over the Blarney Stone and the one imprisoned in the stone in the Witch's Kitchen are one and the same...

Probably the most scary legend in conjunction with Blarney Castle is the curse it is believed to have. Apparently, however tempting it might be, it is does not do your fate any good, if you remove a stone of any kind from the grounds of Blarney Castle (and yes, it can be stones as small as the gravel on the path...). Several cases have been reported so far where people have suffered from significantly bad luck after acquiring (whether legally or not does not seem to matter) a stone from Blarney Castle. As recently as mid-june this year, an estate-agent from South Carolina told an Irish newspaper her story. She says that, after buying a stone from Blarney Castle at an as a gift for her daughter who is living in Ireland her luck took a turn to the worse. Shortly after taking the stone home, the woman lost her workplace and started to experience a significant downturn in her mood (she describes it as unexplained depression). She then decided to post the stone to her daughter with a note asking her to return it to its original place. Interestingly enough, the “curse-victim” stated that she felt “a sense of relief” immediately after handing the parcel over to the postal clerk. The administration meanwhile has confirmed having received the stone. It is not clear however, if those stones have to be put back exactly to where they have been taken from or if it suffices to (only) return the stone(s) to their original home (for the sake of the people affected by the curse, hopefully the latter). Even though Charles Colthurst, the owner of Blarney Castle today, has confirmed that it is not uncommon to receive “Blarney stones” in the post. Therefore, the exact ending to this story has to remain open.

Readers of our blog are welcome to discuss the different possibilities in our commentary-section. Personally, I hope returning the stone to the grounds of Blarney Castle should do the “trick”.

What do you think?