1446 – Blarney Castle, Co. Cork
The third castle built on this site, with a original wooden structure believed to have existed, although no evidence remains of this. Around 1210 this was replaced by a stone fortification, which was destroyed in 1446, but subsequently rebuilt by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muscry. The castle was sold and changed hands a number of times before being purchased in the early 1700s by Sir James St. John Jefferyes, then Governor of Cork City. Members of the Jefferyes family would later build a mansion near the keep. This house was destroyed by fire however, and in 1874 a replacement baronial mansion, by Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon, known as Blarney House—was built overlooking the nearby lake. The castle is a partial ruin with some accessible rooms and battlements. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone.
Share!
Cite This Article
Published March 8, 2010 | Last Updated January 12, 2023
