Hello there friends!
I think today, I will share with you a very suspenseful, keep you at the edge of your seat,
nail biting story. What about you ask? How about the spectacular Blarney castle!? If you have never been to Ireland, I would definitely say have it on your bucket list.
Truly a magical place that will forever be etched in our hearts and in our memories. Ok, enough mush… sooo… the famous Blarney castle, you know the castle..
Have I mentioned, Ireland is full of castles…some are even just random, in the middle of nowhere. But the Blarney castle is on sprawling land and beautiful scenery that surrounds.
Did I also mention, that
you basically get four seasons
all in one day.
It starts off raining, snowing, sleet, hail
and then if you’re lucky some sunshine will head your way.
Regardless of the weather, it just does not matter…
you don’t go to Ireland for the sun and sand..
So, the story goes
here we are waiting, and waiting to climb up to the top of this most beautiful Blarney castle
and an easy feat it was NOT…
just getting up to the castle is a haul
If you have bad knees, you can forget about even going into the castle
or I should say,
I would not recommend it.
It’s a very long way up to the top…very cold, and an anxious climb up there as well.
My Mom may look happy right here….
but I can tell you
she was nervous, and very anxious.
So was I, but I did not lead onto that
we were going up!
Now you know the tale, when you get to the top
you kiss the Blarney stone
suppose to give you the gift of gab
ummmmmmmmmmmmmm…
do these people know who I am?
And here you are,
at the very top
overlooking the most gorgeous
countryside
a feeling of accomplishment…
because as I mentioned it is not an easy way up.
The stairs are stones, winding,
turning, slippery slates
And you make it.
and you are ready to kiss the stone,
so you get down, lay on your back,
and there is a Man there to assist you
you know just in case you fall off the castle
and he tells you to slide back
and that is where you
STOP and say
No, I’m good, thanks!
and never even kiss the Blarney stone!
That was me:)
for the record, my Mom did not even attempt,
with her back and arthritis
she may still be lying there .
And here the rest of the family went skipping away
or should I say chattering away
because
they
indeed
kissed
the Blarney stone!
PRINT HERE free Irish blessing printable
Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed my Blarney stone castle story.
Truly remarkable place.
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Great photos! I probably wouldn’t have kissed it either.
So scenic there…and such family memories!
Oh wow!!! Look at that view!! What a great experience! Next time shove me in your suitcase…I promise to be tiny and kiss the stone for you!!!
Oh my goodness! My heart is beating fast just reading this! I would have been down in the gardens waving up at you…no way I could do the climb with my fear of heights and general intolerance of being touched by other people. Looks gorgeous though!
The climb seemed worth it for the view alone! Just beautiful!
well i didt kiss it but my wonderful soninlaw mike kissed me after he kissed it so just as good to me and i didt come down in a strecher it was a blast
🙂
Beautiful Debbie:) My Hubby is Irish and it is on our bucket list:) Can’t wait to see more!
That is great! I am with you though … fear of falling, no thanks!
hahahaha, i did the same thing – get all the way up there and say NO THANK YOU! lol! beautiful pix and welcome home!
Debbie, I can tell you there are 103 ridiculously carved steps going down Blarney Castle’s tower because I counted them last September to lessen my anxiety. I will be celebrating a higher speed limit (sixty-five) in April, and I too did not lay back to kiss the rock. While standing in line, waiting to snap a picture of my friend getting the gift of gab, I found a large stone, wiped it, and kissed it. I know the woman behind me thought that was a good idea and did the same. I do recommend shopping at the store near Blarney Castle. It has an extensive inventory of beautiful Irish items. I am enjoying your pictures. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Sandy..what a great idea. My Mom is 63, and has really bad arthritis, so for her to make that climb, just blew me away! It was so wonderful though regardless…I felt like I was in heaven at the top.
Gorgeous photos! I miss Ireland now! We didn’t go to Blarney castle while we were there, but I recognize those skinny skinny roads!
Well IF I could make it to the top, and IF I would not be the biggest chicken alive, by God I’m kissing that stone!
Bliss
I’m with your mother, Debbie! I wouldn’t have been able to get back up and I’m sure my gift of gab would have been just fine. Great photos!! Thanks for taking all of us on your journey!
Pricelss pictures of such beauty. I always tell my husband if we go to Ireland someday I am not kissing the stone. I am too afraid of heights for that one. He giggles.
Cynthia
Yes, it’s pretty high up there, and I too am afraid of heights..but your adrenaline gets you up there:)
Oh my goodness! Must go to Ireland! I’m going to start saving my pennies right now! That view is amazing!
I can’t believe it, Debbie! You surprised me with this story. I’m still hoping to get to Ireland, but I must tell you that my mom did indeed kiss the blarney stone. I’m guessing she was in her early 60’s then. (I have the picture my Dad took that day. She died two weeks ago at the age of 85.) Great memories.
Oh wow Debbie, I didn’t know you were blogging from there! Love all the photo’s…you are a lucky girl!!! Drink a beer (or 2 or 3 or 4…) for me:)
We are home now….I know it went by too fast!
Soooo…You chickened out at the last minute, did you? lol Well, at least you are in one piece and got your exercise for the day. Your pictures are just beatuiful, Debbie. Did I ever tell you my oldest daughter almost married the son of the VP of Guinness Beer? He was a darling lad…but not for her. She spent quite a bit of time over there. Have a blessed day- xo Diana
Oh, that takes me back, I climbed the stairs and kiss the stone. Beautiful country but can be very cold in March.
I chickened as well and did not kiss the stone… But it seems that time has erased in my mind the fact that the stairs were so tricky. Did you try the tunnels underground? You have to crawl to get in!!!
Thanks for reminding me all this!
Magali
No underground tunnels YIKES!
Debbie,
It looks so wonderful and exciting. It looks like you had such a great time. The scenery is beautiful there. Thanks for sharing. I wouldn’t kiss the blarney stone either If I did I would be that person that falls off the castle!!!!
Kris
Oh Debbie what an experience…truly the trip of a lifetime. I loved seeing your pictures…it’s just like in the movies! So pretty and green. When my son was studying abroad in London we took a family vacation to see him. A week I will never forget. You will have these memories for the rest of your life. Glad you came home safely!
Love your story and the pictures. I know all about climbing to those high up castles! Did a lot of that in Europe. Good thing I was young then as it sure is hard on the knees. Don’t think I’d be able to do the kissing the Blarney Stone either. Keep the stories and pictures coming as I’m enjoying the trip. Peggy
Thank you Peggy….I love that everyone is enjoying them. I don’t want to bore you all with our family trip.
What?!?!?! Debbie!!!! I can’t believe you didn’t go for it! Even Jemma did it!!! You are so funny! I don’t remember it being that far of a walk, but I was awfully giddy and excited and it was my birthday!!! I love our pictures and am loving the stories!!!
What a wonderful story about your fabulous vacation! Not to worry about not kissing the stone, I can tell from your blogging you already have the gift of gab and from all the wonderful Irish poetry you’re posting you are truly very blessed!
What an awesome adventure!
I’m to big a germaphobe!! Like you need more gabbing anyway…right!
Carol
How amazing! I’m loving the beautiful photos and letting my imagination do the rest! Beautiful and magical! Sweet hugs from Florida!
So beautiful…love the picture of the castle, would love to see it in person!
Great story, Debbie. And those photos of yours are post card perfect! ‘-)
Very interesting and so picturesque. Thanks for sharing, Debbie!…Christine
You got fabulous photos Debbie!!! I remember Blarney Castle and the grounds very fondly. I was too scared to have the guys hold me over so I just watched my hubby do it!! Such a fun experience!!
It was and is gorgeous. I did slide back and faked my kiss. Yuck the germs. But, it was fun.
I’m sorry Debbie but I’m lmao I hope that doesn’t offend anyone.
I would Kiss The stone also Tradition is so Important and We
need to keep on passing it down to our Next Generation and so on.
Still lol I Loved this Post and I’m Sharing I wish I was with all of you.
Many Blessings
Lisa
It is funny Lisa, and I can totally laugh at myself:)
The good news is the rest of my family did it, so I did not break their spirit:) Believe me that would take a lot!!~
OK, I have no idea why but this is my favorite post that you have ever written. I can’t believe you chickened out and didn’t kiss it, but then again maybe I can. As I recall, you and I share some phobias, and I would have been unnerved too.
I’ve never seen photos from Blarney Castle. I used to read about it with my students in a (reading) lesson I made up for St. Patrick’s Day, but I have not seen actual photos.
Thank you Debbie:) Just call me chicken little!
The photos were gorgeous Deb! And I had NO idea that is how you did it. I just assumed it was a big rock, and you knelt down and kissed it. Who knew there were aerobatics involved? LOL!
Incredibly beautiful pictures, Debbie! Wow, what an experience! I don’t think I would have tried to climb the castle stairs (I can’t do heights, I am from Toronto and have never been up the CN Tower!) so I give you credit for doing it. And kudos to your mom!
Debbie 🙂
Great pics, Debbie, and a wonderful experience. I wouldn’t have kissed the Blarney Stone either! So glad you had so much fun!
It was my lifelong dream to visit Ireland and at age 66 I finally got to make the trip with my daughter and her family and a couple of my friends. I have had dreams of kissing the Blarney stone and there was no way that I was not going to do it, since I was pretty sure I’d never have another chance. About half way up the stairs I felt my knee pop, but I kept going. I was DOING THIS! Kissing the stone was a breeze for me e compared to that clime! Everyone in our group except one of my girlfriends and my 5 year old grandson kissed the stone. After we got back down the steps and began to check out the beautiful surroundings of the castle, it was clear the the knee pop was NOT something good. So, to make a long story short, I tore my pore old meniscus in my poor old knee, badly, climbing up to kiss the Blarney Stone! But, that’s ok. I will never regret fulfilling my lifelong dream. It was still the highlight of my life!!! And the constant pain in my knee willl never let me forget the experiene. ??
Awww..what a great story though to tell. I am so happy you did it. I don’t have any regrets, because I too had a story to tell. The climb up there was pretty tough too. Ireland is so beautiful and I want to go back again someday. Thanks for stopping by.