To all Who Wear the Green

The Blarney Stone is a stone located in the ramparts of Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland. It reportedly possesses magical properties which bestows the gift of flattery onto those who kiss it though this, of course, is considered humbug by many.

There are scant legends concerning the Blarney Stone. One legend tells that the Blarney stone is one-half of the original Stone of Scone. It was presented to Cormac McCarthy, Lord of Blarney in 1314 by Robert the Bruce in gratitude for providing him with an additioinal 40,000 troups in the victorioius Battle of Bannockburn. It was believed that magical properties pervaded the entire Stone of Scone.

Another legend surrounding the stone tells of an old woman:

One day an old woman was out walking her geese. As she approached a small lake, the geese waddled quickly to the water's edge and jumped in. The old woman, warm from the noon day sun, knelt down to drink of the cool water. In doing so, she lost her balance and toppled head first into the lake.

Now, as it happened, Cormac McCarthy, Lord of Blarney Castle, was passing by. Hearing terrifying screams and thrashings in the water, Cormac ran toward the sounds of distress. Seeing a woman who was close to drowning, he jumped into the lake and dragged the drenched hag to the shoreline's safety.

She rewarded her knight by casting onto him a spell: kiss a stone on your castle's top and you will be given speech that will win all to you - friend and foe alike.

Well, Cormac, having later returned to the castle had forgotten about the spell. In the middle of the night, a small voice awakened him from a peaceful sleep and encouraged him to go at once to the castle's tallest rampart and bestow a kiss onto one of the stones. To this voice, he immediately responded.

The next day, to Cormac's surprise he received visits from three of his sworn enemies. They were so pleasant that Cormac invited them to sup with him that night. Whilest enjoying a lavish spread, the three knights related to Cormac their previous intention to storm the castle and kill him. As they were about to attack, however, a strange light encircled them, at which time they were immediately freed from their animosity toward him.

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