A 600-year-old MacCarthy tower house wrapped in 100 acres of gardens, where visitors queue to kiss the Blarney Stone, the legendary Stone of Eloquence, at the top of the battlements.
The legendary Stone of Eloquence sits at the top of the tower, and kissing it is said to grant the gift of eloquence. It means climbing 128 steep, narrow steps, then lying back and holding two bars while a staff member steadies you.
A large two-tower house with walls 18 feet thick at the base. Pick out the Great Hall's 17th-century fireplace, the 16th-century Kitchen, the Dungeon, and the Chapel, Banqueting Hall and Family Room reached from the parapet.
The oldest and most atmospheric corner of the estate: a druidic landscape of ancient yew trees, a sacrificial altar, a hermit's cell, a witch's kitchen and a witch's staircase said to grant a wish if the ritual is done correctly. It is the first stop on the eastern circuit.
Sixty acres of paths thread through the Poison Garden, the fern-filled Fern Garden and Ice House, the 100-metre Herbaceous Border with its rose pergola, the spring-flowering Himalayan Valley and the Carnivorous Courtyard.
The Lake Walk circles the 22-acre lake in about 45 minutes and is a good spot for the resident swans, while the secluded Woodland Walk and the shaded Riverside Walk follow the river Martin past Badgers Cave.
The estate was Ireland's first to be named a Wildlife Estate, supporting otters, red squirrels, badgers, buzzards and kingfishers. Visitors also come to see the horses and donkeys kept on the avenue towards the lake.
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