Visiting the Blarney Stone: Bucket List Ireland
As someone who has a very long (and ever-growing) bucket list, visiting the Blarney Stone was simply a must for me when planning my two week Ireland itinerary. After all, it’s not every day one has the opportunity to get their hands lips on a supposedly magical stone said to give the kisser the “gift of gab”.
Prior to my trip I had heard mixed things about visiting the Blarney Stone. Some friends loved it, and others felt the site was a little bit overhyped. That being said, I was determined to visit the Blarney Stone and pucker up!
So, is a trip to this iconic spot worth it?
I am happy to report that the Blarney Castle and Gardens proved to be much more than just a fabled hunk of rock. In this post, I’ll give you my best tips for visiting the Blarney Stone and show you why this famous place has so much more to offer, making it the perfect addition to any Ireland itinerary.
Visiting the Blarney Stone, Castle and Gardens
Before you go kissing any stones, you’ll need to purchase a ticket! I highly recommend buying a ticket online in advance, as these are offered at a discounted rate. You’ll also want to check the visiting hours on the official website. The Blarney Castle is typically open from 9:00-5:00, though hours do vary seasonally.
Your ticket not only gives you access to Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone, but also the extensive gardens within the grounds. I would allow extra time in your itinerary to walk around and explore. All in all, we spent a full 3-4 hours here during our visit.
Avoiding The Crowds
As one of Ireland’s most well-known tourist sites, the Blarney Castle and Gardens attracts quite a few visitors, especially during peak season. While you won’t have much trouble accessing the grounds or getting a view of the castle, if you plan on climbing to the top of Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone, you will want to arrive early to avoid the crowds.
We arrived at around 8:45 AM and were among the first people to enter the castle grounds. We headed straight for the castle and avoided having to wait in a long like to kiss the Blarney Stone.
Note: Most of my friends who said that visiting the Blarney Stone wasn’t worth it arrived much later, and consequently experienced very long lines. I, too, would have been a bit underwhelmed by the experience if I had to wait for an hour to get a peck in!
If you are unable to get to the grounds early, then you may want to wait until later in the afternoon to visit, as the line to see the Blarney Stone won’t be as long outside of peak hours. Explore the grounds first, and then hop in line when you see that it’s dwindled.
Visiting the Blarney Castle
To get to the Blarney Stone, one must first get to the top of Blarney Castle! This impressive medieval structure dates all the way back to the 13th century, although the castle we see today was constructed in 1446 by Cormac MacCarthy, King of Munster.
The castle today is a bit more fortress than fairytale, so you won’t find any lavish furnishings here! Just climb the 127 steps to the top of the castle and voilà, you’ve found the Blarney Stone!
Even if you have no intention of kissing the Blarney Stone, they view from the top of the castle is definitely worth the walk up, and it’s fun to catch a glimpse of people literally bending over backward to kiss it!
Kissing the Blarney Stone
Why kiss the Blarney Stone? While there are many legends and myths surrounding the exact origin of the Blarney Stone, one point remains the same: those who kiss the stone are supposedly endowed with the gift of eloquence when speaking.
While family and friends would probably tell you that I could do with a bit less gab, I was bound and determined to kiss the Blarney Stone.
Both of my parents were a bit grossed out by the idea of kissing a stone that thousands of people have, so they opted to watch me smooch it instead while they took on the roles of “social media managers”.
Fortunately, only a few people had gotten their lips on the stone before me that day, which is another benefit to arriving early!
I didn’t expect kissing the stone to freak me out…until I was lying on the floor as an attendant held me secure and lowered me into the hole where the stone is. The platform is about 100 feet (30.5 m) up in the air, and dangling upside down is a little unsettling! Don’t worry, there are also bars now to protect visitors, though I can’t imagine what it was like before those were installed!
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Despite the sheer drop, I felt secure with both the attendant and the railing for support, and after being lowered in and kissing the hallowed stone, I re-surfaced smiling, laughing, and hopefully with the gift of gab!
Beyond the Blarney Stone: Exploring the Gardens
With the kissing out of the way, I was officially free to begin exploring the rest of the castle grounds and gardens.
In my mind, we’d see the castle, kiss the stone, check out a garden and be on our merry way. In reality, we spent quite a few hours wandering the 60 acres of enchanting grounds that comprise the Blarney gardens.
I must admit, I’m typically not much of a garden lover. However, the gardens here are simply magical. There are so many unique elements that make exploring the grounds an adventure of its own! When you arrive, you’ll get a map with several recommended walking routes, so you can visit whichever areas pique your interest. You can view this map online here to get a sense of how long your visit may be.
Tip: if you are a parent, consider making your kids a scavenger hunt and turn your visit into a game! I don’t have kids but I can just imagine how fun this would be.
Here are just a few of the magical places you can explore during your visit:
Poison Garden
Just next to the castle you’ll find the Poison Garden, an area filled with poisonous plants such as Poison Ivy, Wolfsbane, Mandrake, Ricin, Opium, and Cannabis. Many of them grow behind cages, giving them an extra menacing appearance!
Fern Garden and Ice House
Next we stumbled upon the fern garden. This majestic place is home to over 80 varieties of ferns and is quite whimsical. The ice house was on the map, but a bit difficult to find. The structure was used in Victorian times as a refrigerator.
Blarney House and Blarney Lake
One of the longer walking routes passes the tranquil Blarney Lake and the beautiful Blarney house. If you are short on time, you may want to skip this route as it is a bit out of the way.
The shorter forest trail route has some of the more whimsical elements and was my favorite section of the gardens thanks to these fun elements:
Witch’s Stone
Aptly named, the witch’s stone looks as it was straight out of a fairy tale!
Wishing Steps
Make a wish! Apparently if you climb these stairs backwards with your eyes closed, your wish will come true. Personally, I think this is a genius and hilarious way to make tourists look silly. Then again, most of us did just dangle 100 feet in the air to kiss a stone. Needless to say, I still made that wish! I need all the luck of the Irish I can get my hands on.
Dolmen
I actually spotted quite a few of these megalithic tombs while in Ireland, but this was the first one I saw.
Bog Garden
This area near the Wishing Steps features a bog, one of the many water features to be discovered within the Blarney gardens.
Whether you make your way to the Druid’s Circle, follow the Riverside walk, or keep to the Forest Trail route, you’re bound to discover something delightful and enchanting!
Well, have I convinced you to visit the Blarney Stone? Are you planning to kiss it? Or are you more excited to explore the grounds and gardens? Let me know in the comments!
You might also enjoy these Ireland posts:
- The Ultimate 2 Day Dublin Itinerary
- The Ultimate Northern Ireland Itinerary + Game of Thrones Journey of Doors
- Visiting Waterford Crystal: Incredible Ireland
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