A day trip to Blarney Castle, Ireland

Once a mediaeval stronghold, Blarney Castle is now best known as the place where visitors can kiss the Blarney Stone, said to bestow ‘the gift of the gab’ to those brave enough to try. 

Being just half an hour away from Cork, Blarney Castle is really easy to get to and you can easily spend an afternoon here.

Getting to Blarney Castle from Cork

The best way of getting to Blarney Castle from Cork is by bus. I personally hate using buses as I hate not knowing where to get off or whether I have enough change, however it’s actually super simple! The 215 bus makes various stops in the city centre, and at the time of writing (July 2022) there was one every 30 minutes. The buses also have screens to let you know when to get off, so that was one source of anxiety crossed off my list.

Bus Éireann have also recently dropped all their fares so it only cost me €2.20 each way (you can only buy single tickets, so you can’t get on and ask for a return). They don’t accept card so you’ll have to pay in cash, but they do accept notes and they do give out change (unlike Dublin). 

You can pay extra to see Blarney House but I opted for just the Castle and Gardens. Depending on how long you need to queue for the Blarney Stone you can spend 1-2 hours walking around the gardens alone.

Kiss the Blarney Stone

It’s said that by kissing the stone you receive ‘the gift of the gab’. Unfortunately, you have to climb to the top of the tower, lie on your back and hang your head over a gap in the floor to be able to kiss it. 

Don’t worry though, it’s quite safe.

I’d advise getting there as soon as you can, as the place does fill up quickly and the queue can increase rapidly. I got there early and had about a 15 minute wait from the bottom of the castle. When I left though the queue was well past the ‘30 minutes wait from here’ sign! 

There are two people at the top, who between them will give you a hand to get in place should you need it. They’ll also take your picture (for purchase at the gift shop) and then disinfect the stone for the next person. Now I’ve written that sentence, that sounds a bit more grim than it actually was. 

I personally opted not to kiss the stone in the end – partially because of COVID but also the closer I got, the more I could see the drop to the ground below. Although of course you’re not really in any danger of falling, it is high.

Learn more about the tower on the way down

On your way down you can explore the ruins and read about what each room of the castle was used for. I particularly liked the fireplace half way up the wall! I would have liked to have read more about the history of the Castle and the Cromwellian invasion but there wasn’t really anything that I could find. I’m conscious that it is quite a small space though and so might not be the best place to display a lot of information.

Wander round the poison garden

Right next to the castle is the poison garden, which as the name suggests, hosts a variety of plants poisonous to life. There are helpful explainers as to why some plants are in the garden, who they’re toxic for and what they can do to the body. There are also plants in the garden that are poisonous but helpful to humans, which was interesting. There were a few surprises in the garden too –  I hadn’t realised lupins were toxic for example. There’s also a neat little section about carnivorous plants too.

Explore the gardens

You can easily walk a good couple of miles through the various garden biomes. My favourite space was the prehistoric garden, a lush, green area that really did look like it came straight from Jurassic Park. 

Another area of the gardens is very whimsical. There’s a stone that looks like a witch’s face, giant ash trees to marvel at, sculptures to enjoy and little challenges to do that will ‘grant wishes’ (walking down and up a stone staircase with your eyes closed for one). It wasn’t quite my cup of tea but if you’re with kids, or you like that kind of thing yourself it will be great fun to explore.

Explore the gift shop and the village of Blarney

Although I spent a considerable amount of time in the Blarney Castle gift shop, in Blarney itself there are also a few gift and jewellery shops if you need to pick up some souvenirs.