Blarney
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Blarney

Blarney

Irish village outside Cork built around Blarney Castle, its famous stone, and unexpectedly extensive gardens.

Blarney is a small village a few miles northwest of Cork, visited almost entirely for one reason: Blarney Castle and the stone set in its battlements that, according to legend, gives the gift of eloquence to anyone who kisses it. The ritual involves leaning backwards over a sheer drop while a guide holds your legs — undignified, mildly terrifying, and enormously popular.

The castle itself is a well-preserved 15th-century tower house set in attractive grounds. The gardens surrounding it are surprisingly extensive, with a poison garden, fern garden, and rock close with druidic associations. Most visitors spend two to three hours here before returning to Cork.

Blarney is an easy half-day trip from Cork city. The village has a handful of pubs and the obligatory Blarney Woollen Mills shop, but the castle is the draw.

Guide

Getting There

Blarney is 8 km northwest of Cork city. Bus Éireann runs regular services from Cork Bus Station (Parnell Place) to Blarney village — the journey takes about 30 minutes and buses run roughly every hour. The 215 route is the main service.

By car, Blarney is a quick drive on the N20 from Cork city. Parking is available at the castle entrance.

Blarney is most commonly visited as a half-day trip from Cork. There's no train station in the village.

Guide

Things to Do

Blarney's appeal is almost entirely concentrated in a single site: Blarney Castle and its grounds. The castle is genuinely worth visiting — a well-preserved 15th-century tower house with unexpectedly extensive gardens, a peculiar and atmospheric rock garden, and the famous stone. Allow two to three hours and you'll have seen everything.