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| Blarney Castle tips and photos posted by real travelers and Ireland locals. • 16 Photos
• 14 Reviews
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After seeing a number of castles this was just one more on the list. The kissing the stone part was all touristy but fun for those who participated. It could be missed. While the castle was interesting - I'm sure there are other more impressive ones to find.
The best part of the stop was the Blarney Woolen Mills store. Great selection of all things Irish. Kind of a one stop Ireland buying spot. Get it all over with at once. Looked like good quality and prices seemed fair.
If you're traveling in the area (to or from Kerry) it's an OK stop if you want to get your Irish shopping done. I'm not a shopper - I just wanted to get it over with and this put everything Irish under one roof. Skip the castle and do the Woolen Mill if shopping is on your agenda. Leave a Comment
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Blarney Castle was not on my list of "must sees", but when you travel, you have to make some compromises. The Blarney Stone is located at the top of the castle and a man is there to help lower you backwards so you can acquire the "gift of gab" You are allowed to take pictures of your friends bending backwards from a not so great angle ,but there is a photographer who snaps pictures from an excellent view. If you desire to purchase this picture, it is 7 Euros. You can also buy a small certificate with your name on it verifying that you have indeed kissed the stone for 2.50 Euros.
There are the rumours that I am sure most people have heard about what locals do to the stone. Although I doubt these stories are true, I didn't feel like slobbering on it.
I wouldn't visit here during high season when there are crowds of people from the tour buses climbing the narrow steps and then waiting in line to kiss the stone. In December, there weren't any lines at all.
If you are with people who insist that they can't visit Ireland without kissing the Blarney Stone , you can of course, visit the castle with them(it is worth checking out) and snap their pictures for them. You can also take a stroll around the grounds which have pretty winding paths with a stream ,bridges and a rocky glen. It is a pretty place. Leave a Comment
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Blarney is the ultimate touristy thing in Ireland. It's a must do for any first trip to Ireland, but if (ok, when) I make a second trip, I'll likely avoid it. It was very crowded, and, frankly, I was a little grossed out after kissing the Stone, because everyone else was kissing it too...but that's just me.
I spent the most time in Blarney at the various shops, and there are lots of them. It is the best tourist shopping that I saw in Ireland.
I'm glad I visited Blarney and it's definitely worth doing, but I spent a little too much time there. I wish I'd left a little earlier, and saw more things
What I liked best about Blarney Castle was the views-you can see all over from the top of the castle, and will get great pictures. Plus, I could probably see my grandmother's birthplace somewhere off in the distance! Leave a Comment
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Probably the most blatant tourist trap is Blarney Castle, in Blarney, outside Cork City. You pay to get on the grounds and though the grounds are nice, and the castle is picturesque, what they want you to do is climb a narrow stone staircase up inside the square tower, line up and bend over backwards to "kiss the blarney stone" and buy a photo of yourself doing it. Pah! I had no intentions of doing that, I had wanted to take a photo but wasn't willing to pay the entrance fee to the grounds so i walked around the area and took this photo over a wall. I think it's actually quite a good picture and enough to say i was in Blarney!
Avoid the castle malarkey. The town is nice, with some attractive shops. I found an interesting cemetery near the center of town as well. The Blarney Woolen Mill complex is actually a very good place to get your Irish sourvenirs, including woolen goods, Aran sweaters, Waterford and other crystal, China and other miscellaneous things. As much as it is a tourist shopping store, the prices are actually decent and there is a wide variety of goods under the one roof. for instanc, we were at the Waterford factory and crystal prices here matched or beat the factory. The cafeteria serves ok food but there are probably some nice pubs and cafes in the town as well.
There are hundreds of castles and castle ruins all over Ireland far better for photos and exploration. Some are set up with medieval banquets for the tour groups. I might avoid these though you may enjoy it. We did go during the tour and the entertainment was nice and the food tasty (mind you, you are supposed to eat with your fingers as they did in medieval times but the wine is free flowing) Leave a Comment
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Well...I don't know how much of a tourist trap it is but....It seems very touristy to me but I gave it try...Now I've got the gift of the Gab! Leave a Comment
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The story with the Blarney stone is that if you kiss it you'll "gain the privilege of telling lies for seven years".
After kissing it you can even pay a few euro to get a signed certificate that you kissed it :-).
Don't kiss the stone! There are stories that local teenagers take a leak on it and laugh when see all the tourists kiss it.. Leave a Comment
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In all honestly, a trip to 'Kiss the Blarney Stone' can be a real let-down, especially for a senior or one who is disabled. We found this to be a difficult venture, not knowing we had to climb a winding cement stairs for over one hundred feet, almost straight up! Also, coming down is just as difficult -- not impossible, obviously, but difficult enough. Believe me, we looked around the shops rather than climb it the second tour we took. Finally, beware of tour companies who advertise washroom facilities onboard. We found, on both trips, we were told 'the bus was new and they couldn't be used except in AN EXTREME EMERGENCY. I felt, in all honesty, the driver didn't want to pull into a 'dump station' to have them cleaned and flushed. I agree, there were plenty of 'rest' stops, but I also felt we paid for the convenience of a toilet onboard if we saw fit/felt the urge!! Leave a Comment
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Blarney Castle is definitely the epitomy of the tourist trap. The castle itself is quite beautiful and worth the entrance fee. However, don't buy their picture of you kissing the stone. Just ask someone nearby to take a picture. Leave a Comment
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Again, I paid too much for a picture while kissing the Blarney Stone. Can't remember exactly how much but I know it wasn't cheap and they mail the pic to you after 3 months with a card. Leave a Comment
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We did it...well my mother did anyway...we climbed up those circular castle stairs...(God only knows how many...but there were alot and they were falling apart)We get to the top of this huge castle...and my mother tells me we're going to 'kiss the blarney stone'...
oh good heavens!
I looked down...
and then, they (the they being these two men working the blarney castle kiss me spot that day, and my mother), explained to me that i would lay on my back and they would scoot me over the edge of this castle while holding my feet as i dangled upside down....
shyyyaa riiiight!!!
NOT!!!
She kissed the side of this castle ~upside down, mind you, by scooting herself off the ledge on her back,with these two men holding her by her ankles!!!!
But, hey now... i wasn't about to let these strange men hold me to my death ...uh uh...i think it was then that my fear of heights was developed...
LOL... climb with someone you know, and have the joy in watching THEM dew it!!!{the non chicken actually gets a certificate of blarney stone kissing, i think, if i remember correctly.} Leave a Comment
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