I Am Blarney

If only these walls could talk... How many times have we used this expression in our conversation? How many times have we thought of its possibility whilst looking at some particularly ancient or historic building? Of course, walls can talk in ways that we all understand and appreciate. The bullet-ridden walls of the General Post Office tell a story of rebellion and the ultimate independence of Ireland. The richly detailed walls and ceilings of Georgian houses on Merrion Square speak of eighteenth-century wealth and elegance. The musty church walls of St Patrick's Cathedral tell of heroic death and the wasted lives of young men cut down on battlefields in the far corners of the world. If one sits quietly on a rock in the glens of Mayo, it is possible to hear the crumbling walls of a famine cottage tell a story of a different death, no less heroic and no less wasted. Walls do talk but people do not always listen, perhaps because the listening must be done with the eyes, the mind and the heart rather than the ears. If one accepts the proposition that walls reflect their history, it isn't too great a leap of the imagination to actual consider great buildings as personalities who have seen hundreds of years of human history and would like nothing better than to tell us their real story? After all, historians must rely on hearsay compiled by other reporters and historians who are long dead. Archaeologists must rely on conclusions based on the study of the bits and pieces that remain from these past generations. Buildings, however, have been with us for centuries and they were actually present, direct witnesses to the great events of history. If they could actually speak out loud, what amazing stories would they tell? Consider our current subject, Blarney Castle began its existence as an Irish Castle dating back over 800 years. Its foundation predates many Irish castles and while its development at a stronghold was influenced by Norman practices, it was, and is most certainly Irish. Remarkably, while the Normans dominated the Irish countryside, eventually becoming "more Irish than the Irish," and the English followed on in subduing Ireland, Blarney remained Irish until relatively recent time. Blarney itself will attribute this to a remarkable stone which is imbedded in its ramparts. This stone allowed the clan McCarthy to adroitly navigate the conflicting politics that brought so many other castles to their foundations. Of course, Blarney has a story to tell.....All we need to do is listen. Even if you can't accept the proposition that walls talk, I hope you will enjoy this book as a bit of actual history combined with a bit of craic.