THE BLARNEY STONE

The story behind the stone that gave rise to the phrase “Gift of the Blarney” amused me more than a little.  

The stone was given to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in return for his support in the Battle of Bannockburn.  My amusement comes from the “tight with money” reputation of the Scottish.  Picture McCarthy, the Irishman, and the Scotsman Bruce, sitting together after the battle.  Bruce said to his friend, “How could I repay you for your welcome support on this day?”  McCarthy, with thoughts of jewels, gems, and riches, replied, “a stone or two would be thanks enough my friend”.  At this point I could imagine the scrooge mentality of the Scotsman kicked in and Bruce looked around the battlefield, saw a large stone on the ground, and gave it to his friend…..

Joking aside, the stone is believed to be one half of the Stone of Scone, which originally belonged to Scotland.  Scottish Kings were crowned over the stone because it was believed to have special powers.

The actual phrase “Gift of the Blarney” came from Queen Elizabeth I, who wanted Irish chiefs to agree to occupy their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled every Royal request with subtle diplomacy, promising loyalty to the Queen without "giving in". Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "a lot of Blarney", thus giving rise to the legend and the belief that you, too, can acquire this gift of eloquence by kissing the stone