FYI: Local Irish People Pee On The Blarney Stone

Yup. No, I didn't find that out the hard way. Plenty of people had warned me beforehand but I was still on a mission. So, I woke up early. Finally, on my own. I wasn't really up for hiking and I had already been to the Aran Islands. I felt that I could save the Cliffs of Moher for next time. So, I considered going to the Rings of Kerry (a gorgeous county in southwest Ireland) but I knew I had to do laundry and only had time for either that OR the Blarney Stone to make it back in time- so, I made my way to Cork for the afternoon where I could explore the city and take my time at Blarney Castle. As soon as I arrived in Cork, I loved it. I think that as far as Irish cities go, this was the most American. Cork is on the southern coast of Ireland. Very pretty. It, too, has a large river running through it. People were busy, but very nice. Much like Chicago. I took a walk down Oliver Plunkett Street and explored the long strip of stores and boutiques. I walked down the river and through more of the square. It's a somewhat small city, so, it was easy to explore.
I quickly was able to get a good gist of the city and make my way to Blarney Castle. The entire castle grounds are incredibly beautiful with parks, lakes, forests, streams and paths that highlight all the points easily. The Blarney House museum was closed to the public for the season but everything else was so great. The land is believed to be enchanted and famous areas are stamped with what some believe to be fairy circles and areas where witches were believed to have practiced their craft. It was incredible. I took in a lot of nature and just enjoyed long walks. Lots of cool trees.
When I made it to Blarney Castle itself, there was a very spiritual woman sitting on the bench out front doing something... Well... Spiritual. She had what looked like a quartz bowl with something that made it hum when dragged in a circle around the rim. I believe that it's a tool used by spiritual people to tune into and stabilize the natural energy of the universe. I only know this because my mom is a nutjob (love you, mom). But I digress. It was kind of cool to watch. She was doing some chants. Better her than I, I guess.
As I walked through the castle, I learned a lot about the castle structure itself. There were tons of stairs. Tons. All in a spiral to the top where the stone is. For those who don't know, the Blarney Stone is believed to give those who kiss it the "gift of gab", or the ability to be well-spoken. It's a huge tourist lure. However, it's rumored that locals pee on the stone a lot. Deciding to take my chances on a non-porous stone that gets cleaned after each kiss, I stood in line and did it! I am now well-spoken and on my own in Dublin! Look out, Irish boys! But seriously- very cool experience. You actually have to lay down off the side of the castle holding metal bars which allow you to lower yourself down with someone holding you about 2-3 feet to kiss the bottom stone on this wall.
After I kissed the stone, I made my way back through the charming town of Blarney and back to Cork in time for my 4 hour bus to Dublin. On which, I finally slept. And perhaps drooled a little- but I like to think of that more as my newly acquired gift of gab overflowing. Alas, it worked!