Tips for Visiting Blarney Castle in Ireland
Kissing the Blarney Stone and being gifted the gift of gab is a typical tourist stop when they visit Ireland. Blarney Castle is located about 30 minutes from the city of Cork and can be a fun day trip from Cork. Here are a few things you should know when you go to visit Blarney Castle.
Blarney Castle is Popular with Tour Groups:
Blarney castle can get overrun with tour groups during the high season and even sometimes in the off season. Tour buses usually start showing up about 30 minutes after the grounds open. So to beat the lines be there first thing in the morning or visit late in the afternoon closer to closing time when most tour companies have left.
Don’t Expect to See Period Pieces in the Castle:
Blarney castle is mostly an empty ruin of a castle. The rooms are empty and they have little to no furniture in them. They do have renderings of how the rooms used to look.
Getting Up to the Blarney Stone Can Be Claustrophobic:
getting up to the top and getting back down from kissing the Blarney Stone can be a claustrophobic person’s nightmare. The circular staircases are very small and tight (the castle is a few hundred years old) and with all the tourists it can take some time to get to the top. So if you have limited mobility you may want to pass.
Kissing the Blarney Stone:
Yes, you will kiss a stone that millions of others have kissed, so get over the hygiene issues. You will lie on your back and an attendant will help push you over the edge to kiss the stone upside down and then drag you back.
There is More Than Just the Castle:
the grounds contain a manor house you can visit, a number of gardens that you can check out. We liked the Fern Garden with the waterfall and the Poison Garden which has plants that are poisonous to humans, so you may want to pay attention a bit more to your little ones if you pass by.
Don’t Come Hungry:
there are a couple of food options on the grounds at Blarney Castle, but nothing to write home about, so it may be best to eat before you come or have a snack in your bag.
Getting There:
Blarney Castle is about 20-30 minutes from Cork by car. There are buses and tour companies that can bring you our to the castle grounds daily.
Filmed at Blarney Castle, Ireland
Copyright Mark Wolters 2018