Blarney Castle is a 15th-century tower house, built in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster, and one of Ireland's best-preserved medieval fortifications. The keep stands about 26 metres tall and the climb to the top — up worn spiral stairs — is steep enough to require some care.
The Blarney Stone sits in the southern parapet, just below the top of the tower. The stone is large, dark, and embedded in the castle wall; it has been kissed by millions of people over the centuries, a fact that occasionally prompts visitors to reconsider. But the ritual continues and the queue at the top of the tower is testimony to the stone's pull.
Beyond the stone, the castle grounds are the real surprise. The formal gardens are extensive and well maintained: the Poison Garden is planted with clearly labelled toxic plants (wolfsbane, deadly nightshade, mandrake); the Fern Garden is a quiet Victorian creation in a damp hollow; the Rock Close is a strange landscape of large boulders said to have druidic associations, with an artificial cave, a witch's stone, and a wishing steps.
The grounds also contain the ruins of a later mansion and assorted estate buildings. Allow at least two hours; the gardens alone take an hour if you wander properly.