Blarney Castle is a medieval fortress. Currently, it is partially in ruins, and selected rooms and battlements are open to the public. At the top is the Stone of Eloquence, known as the Blarney Stone. The castle is surrounded by vast gardens with several natural rock formations, such as the Druid's Wheel and the Witch's Cave. There is also the so-called Poisonous Garden, where, among others, grows she-wolf, mandrake and opium.
The first fortress was built here before 1200. Originally it was wooden, but at the beginning of the 13th century it was replaced with a stone fortification. It was destroyed in 1446 and then rebuilt by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy.
According to legend, kissing the Blarney Stone gives you the gift of eloquence and persuasion. However, to do this, you have to hang upside down, because the stone is embedded in the wall below the line of the blanks. There are many theories about the origin of the stone. According to one of them, it is Lia Fáil - the stone on which Irish kings were crowned.