[Editor’s Note: Our intrepid political essayist journeyed abroad recently, and here is the first of two reports.]
Blarney, Ireland – For sure, this is no blarney: Kissing the Blarney Stone is the right thing to do when you’re over here on the Emerald Isle.
Not so much because you’ll suddenly become eloquent (who knows? You just might), but for the fun of the whole thing.
Kissing the Blarney Stone is a lot more than merely bussing a cold, old rock. It’s a gorgeous ride through green countryside from wherever you’re staying. It’s an intimate look at the innards of a medieval castle, where Dermot McCarthy and other earls of Cork long headquartered. It’s a slow 100-step climb on narrow, spiraling stone stairs from castle keep (courtyard) to the ramparts where McCarthy had the legendary stone cemented into his battlements in the 15th Century. You’ll kibitz in the slow line all the way up with visitors from around the globe.
History Lesson
At last, you’ll see a perfectly ordinary-looking rock (actually a block of bluestone), with vertical black iron rails on either side, at floor level on the castle rooftop. Legend says it’s a chunk of the Scottish Stone of Scone that Robert the Bruce gave McCarthy’s granddad as a reward for his support at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
“Alright now, lie down ‘ere flat on yer back,” orders the grizzled crewman at the stone. So you do, hanging your head backward into a foot-wide abyss between roof and battlement, nothing but air between you and the ground far below. The Blarney Stone is smack at the bottom of the parapet. For almost six centuries, this has been the only way to kiss it, flat on your back, clinging to the railings while the crewman holds your legs.
Then the modern world intrudes: A digital camera clicks at the key moment. You’re handed a numbered ticket, and by the time you get back to ground level and the obligatory gift shop, you can buy the color 8-by-10- inch photo for 10 euros (about $13). If you’ve got a camera, it’s a lot cheaper just to have someone else take your picture.
Is all this baloney? Or blarney, as the Irish might say? Maybe it all depends on you. In any case, you’ll find signs telling the difference between baloney (crude and inconsiderate flattery and falsehoods) and blarney (the smoother variety, perhaps enabled by the stone itself).
Getting Stoned, Historically
No blarney here: There’s a lot more than one stone to Blarney Castle, five miles outside the southern Irish city of Cork and 47 miles southeast of the tourist mecca of Killarney. You can easily spend a full day on this greenest of estates (admission to castle, stone and grounds: 10 euros for adults, 8 euros (about $10.70) for seniors).
After kissing the Blarney Stone, explore the Rock Close, site of an ancient Druid settlement where a large and mysterious stone dolmen rests on two other boulders and occasionally wobbles for no visible reason. A trail winds past the dolmen and two small waterfalls, leading eventually to the “Wishing Steps.” Walk up and down these 18 stone stairs with your eyes tightly shut (not to worry, there’s a railing) while making a wish and tradition says it will come true.
Then spend hours wandering through a fern garden and around a lake.
The usual preference here in southwestern Ireland is to headquarter not in urban Cork, but somewhere in or near Killarney, from which the Blarney Stone is just one of several interesting day trips. Another takes you around the scenic Ring of Kerry, known widely as one of the world’s prettiest drives. This 120-mile jaunt takes you first past a stirring waterfall just five miles west of Killarney, then along the gently beautiful Kenmare Bay (recommendation: stop awhile in Kenmare Town and visit the well-manicured prehistoric stone circle on a hill just outside town. Some visitors swear they can feel that important spiritual events occurred here).
Then proceed to the Skelling area of the lake-spattered Iveragh Peninsula, where you’ll look across the water to two other nearby peninsulas and the Skelling Islands, plus an optional stop at the Skelling chocolate factory for chocolate-orange brittle or an array of truffles. This drive at times evokes California’s Point Reyes, Tomales Bay and the Mendocino Coast, but it’s unique in its greenness and variety.
Yet another day trip from Killarney takes you to Dingle Town and the dramatically lovely Dingle Peninsula, backdrop for the classic film “Ryan’s Daughter.” This jaunt offers sweeping vistas, plus glimpses of an earlier, unspoiled Ireland. Shorter trips take you to the magnificent 26,000-acre Killarney National Park, with myriad waterfalls, lakes and woodland trails.
Killarney is easy to reach by car from either the Shannon or Cork airports or by rail from Dublin, Cork or Limerick (a few miles from Shannon). The town offers many venues with live Irish music nightly, usually starting about 9 p.m. There’s a variety of restaurants, from a Burger King to the Plaza Grille in the plush hotel of the same name, which also features a full day spa (open to-non hotel guests).
Lodging ranges from dormitory-like hostels at the low end for about 10 euros (approximately $13) through low-to-medium grade hotels with rates from 25 to 65 euros ($31-$80), on up to the luxury Lake, Plaza and Gleneagle hotels.
Author’s choice: The 40-room Earl’s Court House, a 10-minute walk from High Street, the town’s main drag. Built in 1996 by owners Ray and Emer Moynihan, this cross between bed-and-breakfast and small hotel offers terrific service, free Internet, free cooked-to-order breakfast, suites and king-size beds. Rack rates vary from about $90 to about $150 per night, with specials available for early bookings.
Mr. Elias, whose weekly essays on the state of the state appear in mire than 90 newspapers, may be contacted at TDeklias@aol.com. His “California Is My Beat” essay resumes tomorrow.