Kissing The Blarney Stone Or How To Get The Gift Of Gab

Santa Lady With Gift

What person has not wished to have eloquent powers of speech? I would say,with no doubt whatsoever, that we have known someone, somewhere, who has asilver tongue, with an articulate ability to sway opinion. Think about thoseindividuals who are interact with our day-to-day existence,who have the talentto mold our thoughts and attitudes. Virtually every adult has been "trapped", acaptive audience of one, listening to a used car salesman extolling the virtuesof the car which was driven only by the little old lady from Pasadena.

Do you remember the last time a life insurance salesman pushed his preparedspeech on you about having enough insurance for your golden years? And, ofcourse, we cannot forget those most skilled orators, our politicians, who areintent upon convincing the public that their political agenda and that of theirparticular political party, are the guardians of the ultimate rhetoric, whetherit be an honest analysis of a potentially explosive situation or somethingmundane or harmless. They consider it their God-given directive to insure youbelieve every word uttered, even if it is so ridiculous as stating the sky haspink and green stripes, with silver dogs and cats falling from the heavens.

That, my friends, is the gift of gab. The gift of blarney.

Five miles from the city of Cork, Ireland, in the village of Blarney, sitsthe historic Blarney Castle, built in 1446. It is one of the largest towercastles to be found in Ireland. Almost 90 feet in height, the present BlarneyCastle is the third castle to be built at that site, under the auspices ofCormac MacDermot McCarthy, Earl of Blarney.

The tower, built on a rock atop several caves, originally had three levels:The first held the kitchen and the armory; the second, the dining hall; andthird, a chapel. A small staircase went up to the battlements (recessed parapetsalong the top of a fortification) and the Blarney Stone.

The Blarney Stone is one of the massive lintels just below the battlements.No one is quite sure where the Stone came from. Some sources say the BlarneyStone is one half of the Stone of Scones, given, in 1314, to Cormac MacDermotMcCarthy by Robert the Bruce. Other sources suggest the Stone was the rockstruck by the staff of Moses while he was searching for water for theIsraelites. Several other conjectures about the Stone´s origin exist.

The most widely disseminated and universally accepted story about the BlarneyStone and its magical powers involves an old woman who might, herself, have beena witch. The story goes the witch was saved from drowning by a king of Munster.The old woman was so grateful for his intervention that she bestowed a spellupon the king: if he would kiss the Stone at the top of the castle, he wouldgain such glibness in tongue that it would endear him to all.

Along with the promise of eloquence came a rather treacherous caveat. Theonly way to gain access to the Blarney Stone in order to bestow the kiss, thepilgrim must approach the Stone upside-down and backwards. The seekers of glibspeech were, at one time, obliged to hang by their heels over the edge of theparapet. A horrendous accident befell a young man reaching for his kiss. Eventhough his friends had a tight grasp around his legs, the man was not being heldsecurely enough and plunged to his death on the rocks below. Now, the Stone issurrounded by an assembly of iron rails, to be held tightly onto with bothhands. Oh, I almost forgot. The safest approach to the Stone might have beenfortified with the iron bars, but there is still only one way to access theStone: upside down and backwards. At least now, there is also a Keeper of theStone to physically restrain and support you as you lower yourself to anuncertain fate.

Pucker up...

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The first time Saint Patrick´s Day was celebrated in America was in Boston,Massachusetts, in 1737.

Terry Kaufman is Chief Editorial Writer for Niftyhomebar.com, Niftygarden.com, and Niftykitchen.com

©2007 Terry Kaufman.