Kissing the Blarney Stone or How to Get the Gift of Gab

->just below the battlements. No one is quite sure
What person has not wished to have eloquentwhere the Stone came from. Some sources say
powers of speech? I would say, with no doubtthe Blarney Stone is one half of the Stone of
whatsoever, that we have known someone,Scones, given, in 1314, to Cormac MacDermot
somewhere, who has a silver tongue, with anMcCarthy by Robert the Bruce. Other sources
articulate ability to sway opinion. Think aboutsuggest the Stone was the rock struck by the
those individuals who are interact with ourstaff of Moses while he was searching for water
day-to-day existence,who have the talent to moldfor the Israelites. Several other conjectures about
our thoughts and attitudes. Virtually every adultthe Stone's origin exist.
has been "trapped", a captive audience of one,The most widely disseminated and universally
listening to a used car salesman extolling theaccepted story about the Blarney Stone and its
virtues of the car which was driven only by themagical powers involves an old woman who
little old lady from Pasadena.might, herself, have been a witch. The story goes
Do you remember the last time a life insurancethe witch was saved from drowning by a king of
salesman pushed his prepared speech on youMunster. The old woman was so grateful for his
about having enough insurance for your goldenintervention that she bestowed a spell upon the
years? And, of course, we cannot forget thoseking: if he would kiss the Stone at the top of the
most skilled orators, our politicians, who are intentcastle, he would gain such glibness in tongue that
upon convincing the public that their politicalit would endear him to all.
agenda and that of their particular political party,Along with the promise of eloquence came a
are the guardians of the ultimate rhetoric,rather treacherous caveat. The only way to gain
whether it be an honest analysis of a potentiallyaccess to the Blarney Stone in order to bestow
explosive situation or something mundane orthe kiss, the pilgrim must approach the Stone
harmless. They consider it their God-givenupside-down and backwards. The seekers of glib
directive to insure you believe every wordspeech were, at one time, obliged to hang by
uttered, even if it is so ridiculous as stating thetheir heels over the edge of the parapet. A
sky has pink and green stripes, with silver dogshorrendous accident befell a young man reaching
and cats falling from the heavens.for his kiss. Even though his friends had a tight
That, my friends, is the gift of gab. The gift ofgrasp around his legs, the man was not being held
blarney.securely enough and plunged to his death on the
Five miles from the city of Cork, Ireland, in therocks below. Now, the Stone is surrounded by an
village of Blarney, sits the historic Blarney Castle,assembly of iron rails, to be held tightly onto with
built in 1446. It is one of the largest tower castlesboth hands. Oh, I almost forgot. The safest
to be found in Ireland. Almost 90 feet in height,approach to the Stone might have been fortified
the present Blarney Castle is the third castle towith the iron bars, but there is still only one way
be built at that site, under the auspices ofto access the Stone: upside down and backwards.
Cormac MacDermot McCarthy, Earl of Blarney.At least now, there is also a Keeper of the Stone
The tower, built on a rock atop several caves,to physically restrain and support you as you
originally had three levels: The first held thelower yourself to an uncertain fate.
kitchen and the armory; the second, the diningPucker up...
hall; and third, a chapel. A small staircase went upDID YOU KNOW?
to the battlements (recessed parapets along theThe first time Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated
top of a fortification) and the Blarney Stone.in America was in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737.
The Blarney Stone is one of the massive lintels