# The Blarney Stone

## 📍 Location
- **Country:** Ireland
- **County:** County Cork
- **Site:** Blarney Castle, near Cork City
- The stone is built into the **battlements** of the castle tower.

## 🪨 What Is It?
- A block of **carboniferous limestone**
- Said to bestow the **“gift of the gab”** (eloquence) on anyone who kisses it

## 😘 How to Kiss It
- Climb to the top of Blarney Castle
- Lie on your back, lean over the edge (with rails and help)
- Kiss the stone upside-down

## 📖 Legends & Origins
- Gifted by **Robert the Bruce** to Cormac MacCarthy in 1314 (unverified)
- Linked to the **Stone of Scone** or **Lia Fáil**
- Alternative theory: an ancient goddess told a king to kiss a stone for eloquence

## 🗣️ Meaning of "Blarney"
- Describes smooth, flattering, or deceptive talk
- Popularized by Queen Elizabeth I, who claimed Lord Blarney's letters were “all Blarney”

## 🔗 Related Links
- [[Blarney Castle]]
- [[Irish Folklore]]
- [[Tourist Attractions in Ireland]]
