The Blarney Stone
With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I wanted to find out more about one particular Irish tradition — kissing the Blarney Stone. It is said that kissing the Blarney Stone will give a person the gift of eloquence and persuasiveness.
This tradition has been around for centuries with various legends surrounding the Blarney Stone’s origins. One story claims it was acquired during the Crusades and brought back to Ireland, while another tale states it was made from the same type of rock used at Stonehenge.
An additional account even links it to the Stone of Scone, also called the Stone of Destiny, which has been used for hundreds of years in the inauguration of Scottish and English kings.
In 2014, geologists from the University of Glasgow concluded that the famous rock isn’t from Scotland, but instead is made of 330-million-year-old limestone found south of Ireland.
So, does it work? Maybe. Winston Churchill is among the list of famous stone smackers. He planted a peck years before becoming the British Prime Minister. Who’s to say that little smooch didn’t bestow a little eloquence and persuasiveness on Churchill?
Unfortunately, if you want to give the ol’ Blarney Stone a kiss, you’ll have to travel to Ireland where the iconic stone is set in a wall at Blarney Castle.
But go with a traveling companion you trust because they will have to hold you while you hang upside down to kiss the stone.
