Blarney Castle
Blarney Castle (Irish Caisleán na Blarnan ) is located nine kilometers north of the city of Cork in the Irish village of Blarney ( Blarney ).
History
The original wooden castle at this place was built in the 10th century, but in 1210 replaced by a stone. After the destruction was the king of Munster, Dermot McCarthy, restore them as a family residence. From this building the keep remained.
Oliver Cromwell's troops took the castle in 1646 by a cannon, only to discover that the inhabitants had fled through three long tunnels, together with all valuable items. Fifteen years later, when Charles II ascended the throne of England, the family McCarthy took the castle again in possession.
1690 all Irish noblemen were dispossessed and disempowered. The McCarthy's were forced to leave Blarney Castle. 1703 earned the Governor of Cork, Sir James Jefferyes, the estate.
The stone of eloquence
- See also Main article Cliodhna
The fluency stone is located on the outside of the upper battlements of the keep (English: Stone of Eloquence ), allegedly brought the half of the stone of Scone, the Crusaders from the Holy Land and on which the Scottish kings were henceforth crowned. Cormac McCarthy was given him in 1314 by Robert the Bruce for his faithful service in the Battle of Bannockburn. Legend has attained the one who kisses the Blarney stone, the gift of free speech. For the Irish and British, the term Blarney is in everyday life thus equivalent to hollow phrases or recklessness talk. However, the colloquial " blah ", which is used in German, is not based on the word Blarney.
A legend claims that Queen Elizabeth I is said to have personally coined this phrase. After endless excuses from Cormac Teige McCarthy in the negotiations for the surrender of the castle, the Queen is reading the trial transcript has proclaimed that this was anything but Blarney.
Current usage
Blarney Castle is nowadays due to the large notoriety in the English-speaking world one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland. Every year tens of thousands kiss the stone of eloquence, with one upside down over the railing leaning needs. The entire village of Blarney around the castle has been designed completely on tourism. Blarney Castle itself is surrounded by gardens, where there are several notable rock formations, such as the Druids Circle (English: Druid 's Circle ), the witches cave (English: Witch's Cave ) and the desire staircase ( English: Wishing Steps). The creeks around the castle are littered with cent coins.