THE BLARNEY STONE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 68, 13 November 1912, Page 7

THE BLARNEY STONE.

The story of the Blarney stone is surrounded with a careless vagueness of historical detail characteristic of its country of origin and quite appropriate to the nature of the yarn itself.

Blarney is a village four miles northwest of Cork, with 800 inhabitants. It is situated on the Blarney River, and has some celebrity for its tweeds; but the castle and its stone are, of course, the main glory of the place.

The castle is little more than a square tower 120 ft. high, with machicolated battlements, and it was the stronghold of the McCarthys. The famous stone is

of triangular shape, and is lowered from the north angle of the castle, about 20ft. from the top. It bears the following inscription:— “Cormac McCarthv Fortis Me “Fieri Fecit, AJ). 1446.” How the stone acquired its reputation is disputed, but the version given by Wheeler’s “Familiar Allusions” holds the field, probably because it is the only connected story offering anything like an explanation. When or how it first got its singular reputation is not known, but the superstition concerning it is firmly fixed in the minds of the Irish peasantry, hundreds of whom resort to the castle every year for the purpose of kissing a stone endowed with a property so marvellous.

The story runs that in 1602 Comas McCarthy, the lord of the Castle Blarney, concluded an armistice with Carew, the Lord Resident, on condition of surrendering the fortress to the English garrison; but, whenever the fulfilment of his pledges was demanded he invented some smooth and plausible excuse for delay, till Carew became the

Laughing-stock of Elizabeth’s

Ministers.

“Thus,” says Wheeler, “the term ‘blarney’ became a by-word, and. was used to denote a soft, insinuating and deceitful manner of speech.” It is said that Queen Elizabeth herself was the first to use the phrase, “It is all blarney.”

The reference authorities thus describe the virtue that follows the kissing of the stone: — Dr. Brewer’s “Dictionary of Phrase and Fable” : “Whoever does this shall be able to persuade to anything.”

Wheeler’s “Familiar Allusions”: “The power of imparting to anyone who kisses it a fluent, persuasive and not over honest tongue.” Farmer and Henley’s “Slang Dictionary” : “Blandishment, soft speech, or sawder, gross flattery, gammon.” Dixon’s “Dictionary of Idiomatic Phrases”: To be full of flattery and persuasive language.”

Trench H. Johnson’s “Phrases and Names” ; “Suave speeches, intended only to gain time.” Lloyd’s “Encyclopedic Dictionary” : “Smooth, meangingless, flattering Irish speech, designed to put the person or audience addressed in good humour, and thus further any ulterior object which the orator may have in view.” -

The virtues of the stone arc immor talised in Milliken’s ’ “Groves of Blarney,”

which contains this verse added by Father Prouij, of “Relics” fame;— There is a stone there That whoever kisses, 0, he never misses To grow eloquent. Don’t hope to hinder him Or to bewilder him, Sure he’s a pilgrim From the Blarney Stone.

Samuel Lover has also written about the Blarney Stone. The best known verse is:— 0 say, would you find this same “Blarney” ? There’s a castle not far from Killar-

ney, On the top of its wall (But take care you don’t fall) There’s a stone that contains all this Blarney.

Like a magnet its influence such is, That attraction it gives all it touches; If you kiss it, they say, From that blessed day, You may kiss whom you please with your Blarney.

The exact position of the stone is another matter of considerable dispute, and the doubt is much too remunerative to be disposed of. The general supposition is that the stone is the one fixed by irons to the parapet of the large square tower (which used to be the donjon or keen of the castle), some feet from the top.

Others maintain that this is not the stone at all, but that the right stone lies on the ground.