Blarney

Blarney (in Gaelic, An Bhlarna), village in the south-west of the Republic of Ireland, in County Cork near Cork city. Textile manufacturing is the chief industry. The town is the site of Blarney Castle, built around the mid-15th century and containing the so-called Blarney Stone, an inscribed rock slab set dizzily out from the top of one of the high walls. According to legend, any person who kisses the stone becomes endowed with the gift of eloquence and persuasive flattery. Population (1991) 2,043.