Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-03
BLARNEY CASTLE.
Not the One at the Fair, but the Real
Article.

1
| Article.
YOUNG GIRLS vIsIT--How she KISSED THR
FAMOUS BLABNEY sroNE-Ir's EASY ENOUGH
TO DO 1T NOW, BUT IT usEp TO BE A pIFFI-
CULT TASK.
The description Of "An Irish Village" at the
| words fair in The srlR of last week gives as
! one OF the most interesting features "a faith
full reproduction Of Barney Castle, with its
famous blarney stone.
II it is as described by your correspondent
| it is certainly not fac smile Of the original,
and visitors there will get but false idea of the
far famed castle.
On the stone is said to be inscribed this
verse:
This is the stone that whoever Kisses
Asleysr s y utter. e &c turn ous0r
"The full meaning of the last line Of this
verse is not apparent to the uninitlated Amen
can" says the writer. Most certainly not, and
to no no one else. irish or American. as there is
no such line IN the verses of which this is q
most atrocious Interpolation.
The original verse from Millikens "Groves
of Barney" runs as follows:
There is a stone there that whoever kisses
He never misses to grow eioqnent
A clever spOuter he'll shure
An ont and outer TO be let alone.
Don't hope to hinder him or 10 bewilder him. .
Shure he is il,rim from the Bla-ner stone"
However. there is no verse whatever upon
the original Barney stone, merely the inscrip-
ton (now iuegible), giving the name OF the
builder and the date Of its erection.
Cormach MacCarthy, Forts Iii Fieri Fecit,
A. d. l44S.
The stone was clasped by two iron bars to q
projecting buttress at the top of the castle sew
eral feet below the level OF the wall, SO that the
person who wished to kiss it had to hold on to
the bars and project his body forward in q
most risky fashion, while the guide, for a
shilling fee, held on to his feet.
TIE OLD WAY OF KISSING THE BLARSEY STONE.
The Irish guide. who is full of quaint stories.
tells one Of a mean man-presumably a Scotch
man-who refused to pay the regulation shill-
ing: so. after much hagglirg, the guide agreed
to hold him over for sixpence. but after getting
the unfortunate miser suspended 'twixt heaven
and earth, head downward, he refused to pull
him back until the other sixperce was promised.
However, this custom has been abolished
since an accident some four or five years ago,
when some rural aspirant for oratorical glory
Cor may be only fattery 70 win the girls With
fell in his effort to kiss the stone. and only
saved by being caught in the trees below.
"He was bit drunk" said my informant
"and the Lord looked afther him as He do the
childer. for he wasn't kilt nor yet hurt SO much,
After this the stone Immediately behind the
Blarney stone was removed and a grating sunk,
so that by stepping down q couple OF feet into
the grating. kneeiinS and pushing ones head
ont, you can, by turning up your face, kiss the
bottom OF the magic block.
Spikes have been placed at the top of the wall
to prevent any yenturesome stranger from try
ing Il in the old fashion. although no one would,
OF course. take the trouble and risk when their
object can be attained SO much more easily.
When we first went to Ireland and started in
our ''jaunting car" for Blarney Castle. along
the beautiful road bounded on one side by
stone walls and Towering hedges and on the
other By ''the pleasant waters of the River Lex"
l was unaware of the change in the kissing
program, and had fully ma lie up nv mind to
accomplish the feat with all its attendant diffi-
cuties.
As drew near the place and saw the tower
rising high above tie trees my courage began
TO ooEe out at my finger tips as / reflected that
the stone was just under the coping AT the very
top, 30 feet high. and thought Of the depths
below.
do You think can kiss the Barney stone,
driverF yentured in a hesitatinS tone to the
iarvey of our car.
10 be sure you can. miss, and it's very much
5iniated it VIII be by it, replied that son OF
Erin, who hadn't lived 80 near the source Of
blarney ali his life for nothing
When We reached the top, after long climb
guide told us of the change, and / kissed the
Barney stone with no other inconvenience than
crick in riy neck and rather trembly feeling
as knelt on the very open iron bars which
formed the only barrier between mo and
eternity.
We found very few people ont Of Ireland Tor
in it for that NATTER who knew tina. any change
had been made and We had n rather Iudicrous
adventure in this connection while coaching
through Scotland.
On the same coach with us was a specimen Of
the know-all- where-done everything
tourist, and when talking Of Ireland asked
II he had kissed the Barney stone.
''Oh, ycs!' he said, 1--we just come from
there l was held over by my feet and kissed
| the stone. of course"
was astonished at this statement that I
was guilty OF the rudeness OF saying: But they
don do that any more, you kiss the stone from
| underneath"
OH he said not to be abashed, 81 had them
do 1t the old way. 1 preferred it" Which /
knew Was perfectly impossible
wonder if thoy will bring to the world g
fair some Of the witty, courteous and obligin6
| people one meets everywhere in Ireland
Bright and quick at repartee, they never lose
| an opportunity to pay a compliment or make
joke.
The poor class are great beggars, but a penny
will bring down upon you all the blessings of
heaven, and kind word or smile is always re-
paid with interest. RosALIE L. BRAproRD