The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-03-14
CLIMBING sLARNEY CASTLE.
Accidents Which Have Happened to
It's Famous Stone.

Barney town is a small manufacturing
place The old castle, however, is well
outside the village, in surroundings Who'll
ly rural. 1t stands on low hill whence
it looks forth from amid a grove Of trees
down on a broad field that is used as a
public pleasure ground. A slight wooden
bridge spanning q swift, clean little river
gives entrance to the field in which are
many noble shade trees with rustic seats
about their base and in the opens a num-
Der of framework swings.
The castle has suffered little from the
ravages Of time except that the roof and
the wooden floors have fallen. You can
climb winding stairs and follow dev,o:s
passages into vaulted chambers and chilly
cells to your hearts content. All this is
very romantic, but it is worth while
membering that in spite Of historic cha III
and strong appeal to the fancy the castle
is a relic Of an age OF barbarism, when
the country was divided among many
petty chiefs, each distrustful of the 9th
or even when on terms Of nominal friend
ship.
The castle is many stories high, and n
the topmost cornice is the far famed
Blarney stone, that powerful talsman
which you have only to kiss to be en- low
ed with eloqucnce for life. But rs tie
vertical measurement OF the curnice IS
about six feet and its projection beyond
the main wall fully three feet and rs The
stone is at the bottom of the cornice lh,.
kissing is not as easily accomplished as
might be- Formerly ii was customary to
lower the candidate for eloquence over
the rampant head foremost. fried
clinging to either heel, but at such q diz-
bn i..,I
riously of danger that of late years row
Of great spikes guards the pnrap-t
against further attempts of the sort
The stone eloquent at one time dropped
out. 1t was. however. promptly resto cd
and Is now fixed in place by two heavy
iron rods. which clasp it to the corn GO.
Were it not that the Blarney stone comes
opposite one of the frequent gaps which
alternate with the outthrust Of the SUD
porting stones Of the cornice it would be
practically inaccessible. As things are,
the only way to beStow the mystic kiss is
to get down on your knees. double up Ike
Jackknlfe and crane your neck across
the yawning vacancy. ! regarded the
stone with interest and wished | was
more OF an acrobat more coura geous
but | was deferred by that lofty hole
which, though not much more than II foot
broad and four long, was still plenty
large enough to fall through. and de-
cided TO get along without the eloIuencr.
The story Of the stone dates back to
the middle of the fifteenth century, when
Cormac Mccarthy the Strong, de-
scendant of the ancient kings OF Nun
ster and builder of the fortress. CHANGED
one day to save an old woman from
drowning. For reward she offered
Cormac golden tongue which should
nave the power to influence men and
women, friends and foes. as he willed
She told him to mount and keep and
KISS n certain stone in the wall FIVE feet
below the gallery running around the
top lie followed her directions and OBJ
tanned all the fluent responsiveness she
had promised. The tale Of this new nc.
guirement and it's origin spread. ana the
Biarney stone has been dra wing pilgrims
to itself ever since.-Interior.