The Shasta courier., 1863-01-10
RIarney Castle.

Who has not heard Of Blarney Castle?-
Who is not familiar with the q Groves of
Blarney2n Who does not know the legend
of the famous Biarney,stone dear TO politi.
clans, lawyers and pretty girls, who must
alive will take our cath TO it-at some
time or other, visit Blarney Castle and fur.
lively kiss the stone? OF which Father Prout
once sung in this lively manner:
There is stone there
That whoever kisses,
Oh he never misses
To grow eloquent;
7 is he may Chamber
To a lady's chamber,
Or became member
Of Parliament.
A clever spouter
He'll soon turn out, or
An out and outer.
g To be let alone
Don't hope to hinder him,
Or to bewider him.
Sure. he's pilgrim
From the Blarney- stone!
When the stone obtained this peculiar re-
putation there is no means of ascertaining.
Its exact position among the ruins of the
castle is also doubtful. But its celebrity is
due to this /" lie who has kissed the Blar-
ney-stone is supposed to be endowed with a
fluent and persuasive tongue, although it
may be associated with insincerity, the term
barney being generally used to character
ize words that are meant neither to be hon
est nor true" Barney" is, therefore, a
convertible term with - sawder.' or may be
used instead Of the immortal monosyllable
uttered by Lady Caroline Stages and re-
corded in - The Vicar of Wakefield =
fudge
Blarney Castle was built by Cormac Mae
Carly Ladder. the fourth lord of the manor a
descendant of one of the hereditary kings Of
Munster. probably soon after he succeeded to
the lordship, which took place in the year
l449. 1t is founded on rock of limestone,
and consists of several chambers and extern
sive buildings, differing in character and age.
The principal tower is upwards Of 100 feet
high. In the northeast angle of is battle
ments is embedded the ever famous "stone;"
but some claim the honor for remarkable
stone in the external wall, eight feet from
the summit The building next this tower
contains the Earl's Chamber, an arched room
of small size, having tiled floor, and lighted
by handsome recessed window. There are
yet some melancholy tokens of its former fur
niture. in the shreds Of tapestry here aud
there clinging to its walls. To the east of
the castle is the mansion house, unroofed and
In ruins it was dismantled SO recently as
1921.
The lake is distant quarter of a mile
from the castle. 1t is triangular in shape,
and nearly half mile in circuit, and covers
nearly thirty acres. The song describes it
as well stored with perch and eels. Leeches
are also found in It but we have not ascer-
tanned their employment in the healing art.
The sweet rock close" is a broken terrace
on the banks of the Comon streamlet, over
hung 5y evcrgraens and some forest trees
Here were placed the = statues" of the "hea-
then goddesses and nymphs so fair, " com
memorated By the bard. A fight of steps,
bearing the fanciful name Of the Witches
Stairs, leads down to the waters edge. They
are covered ever with large flags, and close
beside them is fine Cromlech (or funeral
stone) from which, perhaps, the popular title
arose The demesne is now dairy farm.
The adjoining village is falling into ruins,
from the failure of the woolen and linen
mills, which once existed to the number of
thirteen. The most interesting modern re-
n,iniscence arises from the visit of the author
of Waverly, during his Irish tour in 1926.
We may add that the castle remained in
the possession of the descendants of the Mac
Carly, until forfeited with the extensive es-
tates belonging to the Lord Muskerry and
Clancarty, in the war of 1859, after which it
passed into the hands of the Jeffries family.
to whose representative it still belongs.
Blarney Castle and its song celebrated
groves are situated about five miles from
Cork, on the river Lee.