Welcome to Blarney Castle, the home of the Blarney Stone
Built nearly six hundred years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftans, Cormac MacCarthy, and has been attracting attention ever since. Over the last few hundred years, millions have flocked to Blarney making it a world landmark and one of Ireland’s greatest treasures.
Now that might have something to do with the Blarney Stone, the legendary Stone of Eloquence, found at the top of our tower. Kiss it and you’ll never again be…
Our History
Ours is a beguiling history that stretches back across the generations. Find out more about the Castle, who built it, and some of its more colourful inhabitants.
Blarney Castle is situated in Blarney Village which is 8 km northwest from Cork city in the South of Ireland. See the map below for more details.
Directions from Cork Airport
From Airport follow signs for City Centre
From City Centre follow signs for Limerick (N20)
Travel for 7 km; exit left (signposted Blarney)
Arrive at Blarney
Directions from Shannon
By Car: Follow the road to Limerick. Then follow signs for Mallow and take the turn off before Cork City to Blarney.
By Bus: There is a direct bus from Shannon Airport to Cork City, check out www.buseireann.ie for information on bus timetables.
There are no direct routes via train from Shannon to Cork.
Directions from Dublin
By Car: It takes 3-4 hours to get from Dublin to Cork. Take the N8 motorway and follow the signs south for Cork, then on to Blarney.
Public Transport: Trains leave for Cork on a regular basis. Check www.irishrail.ie for further information on timetables. Or phone Kent Train Station, Cork; Telephone + 353 21 456 766 www.buseireann.ie for bus timetables Aircoach: a bus leaves Dublin airport eight times a day directly for Cork, it is the cheapest way but can take anywhere from 5-7 hours depending on traffic. See www.aircoach.ie for more information.
Our Most Popular Places
There are those who think that you come to Blarney Castle only to see the stone. But most leave knowing that the Blarney Stone is only a part of our attraction. Scroll down and have a look at the other interesting things to see and do while you are with us!
Stone
Castle
Gardens
The Stone of Eloquence
For over 200 years, world statesmen, literary giants, and legends of the silver screen have joined the millions of pilgrims climbing the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone and gain the gift of eloquence…
See What Customers Are Saying About Blarney Castle
This place was stunning. There is SO much more to Blarney Castle than the stone. You can easily spend an entire day here exploring the grounds. The druid caves are mystical, the gardens are gorgeous, the castle itself is huge and wild. I wasn’t going to go to Blarney, because I thought the stone was a very touristy thing to do. But I went, and I am 1000% glad that I did.
Juli Harland
The castle and the grounds are wonderful to experience. There is so much more to this than ‘kissing the Blarney stone’. Beautiful flowers, statues, woods, and rock formations. Can easily take 3 – 4 hours to see it all.
Kat W
Come for the stone, stay for the gardens! No but seriously, the gardens are the main attraction. You could easily spend half a day exploring them. One of the most impressive botanical gardens we’ve ever visited.
Karolina J
A most awesome way to spend at least 3 hours with enough to fill 6.
So many things to see and do in the gardens and woodland. The bee keeping, the Rock Close, the Fern Garden is amazing. So many people think this is just the Blarney Stone. The “bee line” up and down miss all the little side rooms, hidden staircases and room within a room. Especially the kids room off the main kitchen. Of course the Blarney stone. Staying at the Blarney Castle Hotel makes this visit so easy. Breakfast and into the grounds early, stay late.
No line for the experience kissing the Stone.
Peter Watson
This is a real paradise if you love nature. Huge variety of trees, bushes and flowers. Large area containing a lake. There are horses and donkeys. I really enjoyed spending time in this incredibly beautiful park. I recommend wearing comfortable shoes, bring water and snacks, bedding. This is an unforgettable vacation for at least 4 hours, where you can completely relax from all worries and fuss.
Olga Zagorulko
Spectacular – cannot begin to explain the wonder and awe of this place. From the castle and its beautiful surrounding gardens to being able to kiss the blarney stone. Definitely one for the bucket list.
Warren Kent
Beautiful gardens and castle. It was amazing walking through the gardens, so peaceful and quite with such a variation of views ( from the fern forest to the lake to the pinetum). The Castle itself and the surrounding history are very interesting and the views are spectacular from the castle.
Perfect place to go yourself, with your significant other or family. I would definitely recommend this place.
Revisited the gardens and castle and still love it, there’s just so much to explore.
Liam Ó
Welcome To Blarney Castle Shop
Here you will find something for everyone – each item handpicked with the charm, quality and quirkiness you’d expect from Blarney Castle. From exclusive gifts for him and her, through to garments, paintings, souvenirs and mementos.
November has been a real mixed month weather wise. I’m sure the plants don’t know if they’re coming or going with the ups and downs in temperature. There were a…
We are experiencing a wonderful autumn here in the gardens. The colours this year are simply breathtaking, with buttery yellows, burning reds, and coppery tones of orange creating a blazing…
August was extremely busy here in the gardens, both with visitor numbers and with work. I feel like this summer has flown by in a blur, but it’s been great…
Aug 28th - Sept 29th Blarney Castle & Gardens are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the ‘Through the Artist’s eye’ exhibition which will take place from the…
The gardens are looking great at the moment, with colour around every corner, and so many things to discover. There are certain areas of the gardens that deserve a special…
The gardens are looking stunning right now, and special mention goes to the Laburnum arch in the Poison Garden, and the rose pergola on our Herbaceous border, which are both…
Having started April with a continuation of the extremely wet weather that has plagued us throughout the year so far, it would seem that things are finally starting to improve,…
March has been a challenging month due to the constant rain. We usually have our construction and landscaping projects completed by now, but the ground conditions have held everything up.…
February has been an extremely busy month for us here in the gardens. There has been a sudden explosion of colour, as spring bulbs and spring flowering trees and shrubs…
January has flown by, and I can’t believe that I’m already writing this. We are extremely busy in the grounds and gardens as we prepare for the coming tourist season.…
December has passed in the usual festive blur, leaving me slightly befuddled but full of Christmas cheer, or is that pudding? and hopeful for great things in 2024. As we…
November has been an incredibly mild month overall, and we are still waiting for any period of prolonged frost to let the plants know that winter has arrived. That said,…
I am writing this in my office whilst the rain hammers against the windows. It has become a very familiar sound over the last couple of weeks and has certainly…
As September finishes, I can already see signs of autumn, with a drop in temperature, our first real storm of the season and gathering flocks of starlings in the treetops.…
August has been another busy month for us, and I think we are starting to see the first signs of autumn creeping into the trees with hints of yellow and…
July has been extremely busy, and I am delighted to see so many visitors exploring the full extent of the grounds and gardens. There is so much to see, and…
June has flown by in a blur of watering, weeding and generally juggling jobs as we try to keep everything looking it’s best, or in some cases simply alive! Watering…
I think May saw the garden shake off it’s spring coat and move firmly into summer dress mode! The growth over the last month has been exceptional, particularly due to…
The gardens are looking truly fabulous right now. Every turn reveals another beautiful vista, be it drifts of tulips by the entrance, swathes of blue Camassia in the meadows below…
The colour in the gardens is amazing at the moment, with magnolias, cherries, rhododendron and various spring bulbs all competing for attention. So much of the past few years planting…
As we move into March, we can see that spring has arrived here in the gardens. In every corner there are pockets of crocus, narcissus and an array of other…
The Autumn colour around the gardens is magnificent right now, and well worth a trip in to see. I love to walk through the arboretums and along the riverside and…
October saw the start of autumn and the first hints of colour through the trees in the arboretums. The reds and yellows seem particularly good this year, and the lime…
September simply flew by, and autumn is on its way. I can see the colours starting to change in the trees, and cooler, dew laden mornings are becoming the norm.…
August was a very busy and interesting month for us here in the gardens. We launched this year’s sculpture trail, introduced a new pop-up garden featuring jellyfish, and harvested a…
As we exit June, I find myself feeling very positive about the coming summer season. Our overseas visitors are starting to return in larger numbers, and the locals continue to…
September has passed by in a flash, and autumn has definitely arrived. Over the last few days, I’m seeing cooler, misty mornings, dew-laden grass and the first colour changes amongst…
October is one of my favourite months as it generally brings dramatic changes throughout the grounds and gardens. It’s still fairly mild though, and we are still waiting for our…
November passed by in a flash and I suddenly find myself heading into the festive season feeling somewhat unprepared. The Christmas madness has descended on my house, and it may…
December has passed in a blur, and I find myself looking into the new year with a renewed sense of hope. Spring is just around the corner and new life…
January certainly flew by here in the gardens. The weather has been very mild so far this winter, and it’s certainly creating some confusion. I am already seeing some trees…
May brought a sudden surge in growth throughout the grounds and gardens and we are surrounded by beautiful new growth, exceptional floral displays, and tonnes of weeds! It’s the same…
April has seen an absolute riot of colour in the gardens and the show is only just beginning! The colours throughout the borders are exceptional, with magnolias, camellias, and early…
I’m going to start by saying, if you haven’t visited Blarney Castle Gardens then you are truly missing out. The grounds and gardens are simply beautiful, and the spring colours…
February has brought the promise of spring, and there are signs of it all through the gardens. Pockets of multicoloured flowers sparkle in the wet grass wherever you turn. Crocus,…
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