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Maybe you’ve heard of the Blarney Castle legend? The legend of visiting Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone? Maybe this is brand new information. Either way, I’m about to share a guide to the famous stone found in the country of Ireland.
The Legend
The blarney stone that millions have kissed, was built into the Blarney Castle back in 1146. The lore of this centuries old legend is that if you kiss the stone, you are given the gift of the ?gab.” What adds a little more insanity to this ritual, is to actually reach said stone, you have to lean backwards, upside down, and only then will you be in the reach to kiss the blarney stone.
With this being a rather far fetched, unique bucket list item, I knew I had to drag my family to Blarney Castle on our trip to Ireland for us all to kiss the Blarney Stone and be given the gift the gab!
Visiting Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle, located in Ireland, is not the easiest Castle to get to. Located outside of Cork, it’s accessible by driving, not public transport (at least not the whole way there.) If you want the easiest way to make your way to the Blarney Castle, this is what I recommend:
Fly to Ireland
Dublin: Dublin’s airport has flights coming in from all corners of the globe, and will most likely be the cheapest flight option to get to Ireland. You can track for flights through Google Flights. We stayed in Dublin for the duration of our time in Ireland and it was perfect!
Do NOT rent a car
Once you’re in Dublin, you’ll notice that the cars are driving on the left side of the road. If you are from the U.S., mainland Europe, or anywhere apart from the U.K., this will be opposite of what you’re used to. I wouldn’t recommend renting a car and attempting to drive here unless you are a seasoned traveler. Instead, I recommend what my family and I did instead, which is book a tour!
Day excursion
My family and I are not ones to attempt driving on the other side of the road for our first international family vacation. To eliminate stress, we booked a day tour from Dublin that included Blarney Castle for under $90 per person! We also stopped in Cork City and saw the Rock of Cashel, where St Patrick once frequented. Our bus driver was hilarious and taught us about Irish history along the way – it made the experience a little more personal.
If you want a trip with more stops, this trip has several more opportunities to stop.
