Blarney Castle, Ireland

There are four pearls in Blarney's crown - Blarney Castle, the Blarney Stone Monument, the so-called Rock prison and the beautiful botanical garden. It is they who turn the city into one of Ireland's treasures, attracting thousands of visitors.
Blarney Castle is set in beautiful natural surroundings. The original building on the site of today's Blarney Castle was erected in the 10th century and was a wooden fortification. Around 1210, the castle was rebuilt and then the stone building was erected. Its current form is credited to the Irish Lord Durmon MacCarthy, with the renovation of the palace taking place in 1446. Blarney Castle remained a hereditary estate for the McCarthy family, but this continued until an invasion by Oliver Cromwell in 1646. The Clan McCarthy reclaimed the estate 15 years later -late thanks to King Charles II who ascended the throne.
After the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the owners of the castle were again forced to leave it. Blarney Castle was sold to Sir Geoffrey Jeffreys, who was Governor of Cork in 1703. Today, Blarney Castle is managed by the local Estates Authority. The world-famous Blarney Stone sits high in the castle battlements.