While visiting Blarney Castle you may want to kiss the Blarney Stone and get the gift of gab or, as an 18th century French consul put it, "gain the privilege of telling lies for seven years".

Queen Elizabeth I coined the phrase due to her exasperation with Lord Blarney's ability to talk endlessly without ever actually agreeing to her demands. To kiss the Blarney Stone, you must bend over backward and lower yourself down about two feet at the top of the castle. The castle itself is a tower house and was built around 1446 on a solid limestone mound.

Blarney Castle for the most part is in ruin, but it's very interesting to climb the spiral staircases to the top of the castle. The spiral staircases are narrow and steep and were used to protect the inhabitants because only one invader at a time could come up the spiral staircase. The narrow windows should also be noted because they were also used to defend the castle.

Arrows could easily be shot out the narrow windows at invaders, but it would almost be impossible to shoot an arrow in from outside. The grounds around Blarney Castle are well kept and very beautiful and worth the price of admission by themselves. While walking the grounds, you can see a druidic circle made of stones, explore the witches stove, or enter Blarney's dungeon!

Source: http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/