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Blarney Stone

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology | 2004 | | Copyright

Blarney Stone [Ir., small field]. The famous stone, celebrated by travel agents and tavern owners, is housed at Blarney Castle, 6.5 miles NW of the city of Cork. One Cormac Mac-Carthy built the castle in the 15th century on the foundations of an English one from the previous century. For generations the Mac-Carthys maintained a bardic school, which withered away with the downfall of the Irish language. The tradition that a stone in the castle brings eloquence to those who kiss it is apparently modern, popularized by ‘Fr. Prout’ (F. S. Mahoney, 1804–66) and others. When Cormac faced a difficult lawsuit, the secret of the stone was revealed to him by Clídna, a spirit-patron of the family. The stone was the first he faced upon waking in the morning. For fear that all of Ireland would kiss the stone and the entire nation would be overcome with facile speech, Cormac placed it in an almost inaccessible spot on the parapet.

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JAMES MacKILLOP. "Blarney Stone." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Blarney Stone." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-BlarneyStone.html

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Blarney Stone." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-BlarneyStone.html

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Blarney Stone

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Blarney Stone an inscribed stone in the wall of Blarney Castle, near Cork, which is difficult of access but which is said to give the gift of persuasive speech to anyone who kisses it; from this comes blarney as a word for flattering or cajoling talk.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Blarney Stone." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Blarney Stone." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-BlarneyStone.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Blarney Stone." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-BlarneyStone.html

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