2008 Press Releases
Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose - CUP Publication
20.02.2008
Blarney Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland, with over 300,000 visitors a year, the majority come to kiss the Blarney Stone.
20.02.2008
Blarney Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland, with over 300,000 visitors a year, the majority come to kiss the Blarney Stone.
True believers of the power of the Blarney Stone will be shocked to hear that the stone that is currently kissed is not the stone always believed to have been THE stone. Most of the legends refer to a stone "high up in the tower", this seems to refer to a date stone that was once visible on the north-east angle, with the inscription "Cormach MacCarthy Fortis Mi Fieri fecit AD 1446." The first use of the present stone was mentioned in 1888 when for safety reasons a new stone was chosen on the north face. The stone was clasped between iron bars to counteract damage caused by souvenir hunters - Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose (ISBN 978 185918 411 0, hbk, 164 pp, 234 x 156mm, €39/£25).
The myths of the Blarney Stone all suggest it came from a different source than the rest of the building materials. It was once known as "Jacobs Pillow", brought back from the Holy Land after the crusades. Another suggested origin is that one of the MacCarthys provided Robert Bruce with 5000 infantry to fight Edward II in Scotland. As a reward he received a piece of the Stone of Scone, on which the kings of Scotland have been inaugurated.
Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose uses a mass of historical and archaeological material, which has never been assembled before; the book gives an account of the Castle, its history and the three families that have owned it. The book describes Gaelic society and the Castle's role within its clan organization.
Mark Samuel is an archaeologist and architectural historian who has studied Irish tower houses for more than 30 years. Kate Hamlyn is a freelance writer with an interest in history and archaeology.
For more information about Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose, contact Mike Collins, Cork University Press, Youngline Industrial Estate, Pouladuff Road, Cork. Tel: 021 4902980 mike.collins@ucc.ie
636MMcS
The myths of the Blarney Stone all suggest it came from a different source than the rest of the building materials. It was once known as "Jacobs Pillow", brought back from the Holy Land after the crusades. Another suggested origin is that one of the MacCarthys provided Robert Bruce with 5000 infantry to fight Edward II in Scotland. As a reward he received a piece of the Stone of Scone, on which the kings of Scotland have been inaugurated.
Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose uses a mass of historical and archaeological material, which has never been assembled before; the book gives an account of the Castle, its history and the three families that have owned it. The book describes Gaelic society and the Castle's role within its clan organization.
Mark Samuel is an archaeologist and architectural historian who has studied Irish tower houses for more than 30 years. Kate Hamlyn is a freelance writer with an interest in history and archaeology.
For more information about Blarney Castle: Its History, Development and Purpose, contact Mike Collins, Cork University Press, Youngline Industrial Estate, Pouladuff Road, Cork. Tel: 021 4902980 mike.collins@ucc.ie
636MMcS