Blarney Castle: the stone, tickets and day tours from Dublin

A MacCarthy stronghold, not a royal palace

Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, a town about 8 km from the centre of Cork City. The current keep dates from 1446, built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond. Cormac Laidir MacCarthy rebuilt it after an earlier stone fortification on the same spot was destroyed.

Nearly 600 years later the keep stands as a partial ruin, with some rooms and the battlements accessible. It matters because the word Blarney itself, meaning clever flattering talk, comes from the legend of the stone set into its parapet.

The stone and the kiss

At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. To kiss it you climb to the peak, then lean over backwards at the parapet edge, helped by an assistant. Wrought-iron guide rails and protective crossbars are fitted now.

Legend says the kiss gives the gift of eloquence. One origin story has the goddess Cliona telling MacCarthy to kiss the first stone he found on his way to court, which he did and won his case. Another claims it was a piece of the Stone of Scone given by Robert the Bruce, though Glasgow geologists found in 2014 that its limestone matches stone from the Blarney area.

If the castle is your main goal in Ireland, see our wider guide to castles in Ireland for the other strongholds worth pairing with it.

The keep and the stone

Most visitors climb the keep first, before queues build. Narrow spiral stairs lead to the battlements, where the Blarney Stone sits among the machicolations. The kiss is done leaning backwards over the drop with rails and crossbars for protection.

Below, some rooms of the castle are accessible. The site is a ruin, so wear shoes that cope with stone steps and uneven floors.

The gardens and rock formations

Paths tour the extensive grounds with signs naming the attractions. Natural rock formations carry fanciful names such as the Druid's Circle, the Witch's Cave and the Wishing Steps.

One garden is a poison garden planted with wolfsbane, mandrake, ricinus, opium poppies and cannabis. It is the most photographed corner of the grounds after the stone itself.

Blarney House and the lake

Blarney House, a Scottish baronial mansion built in 1874 by John Lanyon, overlooks the lake on the estate. It is open to the public. An earlier house on the site was destroyed by fire.

The Colthurst family still occupies the demesne. Give the house an extra half hour if interiors interest you, our estimate.

Opening times

Blarney Castle is open all year, daily from 09:00. Closing is 17:00 to 18:00 depending on season, with last admission one hour before. There are no timed slots.

Check the castle's own website before you travel for the exact seasonal closing time on your date.

Dress and access

The keep means climbing narrow stone stairs and leaning backwards at height for the kiss. Wear closed shoes and skip loose hats. The Dublin: Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel & Cahir Castle is not suitable for wheelchair users, so check access needs before booking any coach tour.

Ireland is changeable, so bring a layer even in summer.

Quiet times

Our estimate: the line for the stone is shortest before 10:00 and after 15:30. Coach groups arrive mid-morning and at midday.

On a tour day you cannot choose your slot, so if the queue matters to you, an early self-guided visit is the alternative.

From Dublin on a tour

Blarney is a long way from Dublin, so three of the tours run the full 12 hours from Dublin and combine it with the Rock of Cashel tour and Cahir Castle. They meet at Suffolk Street, central Dublin, or Beresford Place.

Arrive 10 minutes early. All the Dublin tours include every admission, so you pay nothing at the gate.

From Cork on a tour or alone

From Cork, the county highlights tour is a shorter 9.5-hour day costing $66 per person, with Blarney, Kinsale and Charles Fort. If you travel independently, the castle address is Monacnapa, Blarney, Co. Cork.

By road it is roughly 8 km from Cork city centre, per the castle's location. Bus and taxi options are not stated here, so confirm locally.

Three routings

Compare the three routings before you book.

The list

• The stone's geochemical signature was analysed by University of Glasgow geologists in 2014 and matches limestone found in the Blarney area, undermining the Robert the Bruce legend Wikipedia: Blarney Stone.
• The word Blarney means clever, flattering talk, defined by John O'Connor Power as flattery sweetened by humour and flavoured by wit Wikipedia: Blarney Stone.
• A legend recorded in 1785 suggests the kissing tradition only began late in the 18th century Wikipedia: Blarney Stone.
• The poison garden grows wolfsbane, mandrake, ricinus, opium poppies and cannabis Wikipedia: Blarney Castle.
• The Colthurst family still occupies the demesne, and the present owner succeeded in a 2008 court action to eject a man who had lived on his land for 44 years Wikipedia: Blarney Castle.