The

Blarne
y
Castle
BY: Kierstin Kiser, Missy Over,
Lauren Everett, and Karla
Peterson
 Who?//What?
WHO?? WHAT??

Blarney castle was

The Blarney originally a timber
Castle was built hunting lodge built
in the 10th century.
by one of It was later replaced
Ireland’s by a stone castle in
greatest 1210. Today the
Blarney Castle
chieftains, remains the ancestral
Dermont stronghold of the
McCarthy, King McCarthy family until
the arrival of Oliver
of Munster in Cromwell with cannon
 WHEN?
o The timber hunting lodge was built in the
10th century. (1st building; wooden
structure)
o The stone castle was built in 1210 A.D. (2nd
structure)
o The present day construction was
completed in 1446. (3rd structure)
 ?WHERE?

The Blarney castle is located in

Blarney Village in the city of Cork,
Ireland. (route N20 “Limerick”).
This village has a population of
about 2,500 inhabitants.
Phone Number: +353 21 438 1518
WHY?
The Castle was built more
than 600 years ago,
originally built for the use
of a timber hunting lodge
but became a stone Castle in
1210. The present day Castle
was owned by the McCarthy
family, until the arrival of
Oliver Cromwell. 15 years
 Structure and Design
of the Blarney Castle

• The design of the Blarney Castle encompassed a height

of eighty-five feet, with walls as thick as eighteen
feet at the base.
• The original intent of the castle was to provide
defense from enemies in the day of Irish Kings and
their battles, and for this reason the dwelling is
sometimes referred to as a “keep.”
• Spiral staircases lined the inside of the castle,
with their steep narrowness allowed for only one
person at a time to go through.
• Windows were narrow which were meant for ease of
battlement but not for entrance.
• A parapet connecting the towers of the castle
permitted defenders to shoot oncoming invaders.
 Structure
• The Blarney Castle was almost like a small
town surrounded by walls of stone.
• Inside these walls was a chapel with
separate rooms that housed various
priests.
• It also contained a “family” room, a
banqueting hall, a sprawling kitchen, a
room for the guards and a great hall from
which other parts of the castle were
accessible.
• The castle also included a kennel and a
sentry, along with a dungeon.
• When the McCarthy's occupied the castle,
it was also home to a large retinue of
 Description of the CASTLE
• The Blarney Castle is a massive 5th
century castle with walls 18ft/5.5mm
thick and an 82ft/22m high tower
• It’s the strongest castle of Munster
• It is the third structure to be
built on its current location
• The first structure was a wooden
structure built in the 10th century ,
and a stone structure replaced it in
1210 A.D. to further protect Cork of
the surrounding wars and feuds going
on during this time period
Description Continued

• The grounds of the castle which were

laid out in the 18th century contain
grove trees, and a pretty dell with
a circle of large stones known as
the Rock Close
• The Rock Close and its surroundings
is a curious place of ancient stones
, by legend garden of druidic origin
The Blarney Stone

• It’s a blue stone built into

the battlements of the castle
• Kissing the stone, according
to the Irish legend endows the
kisser the gift of gab ( great
eloquence or skill at flattery)

• The stone was set in the tower

in 1446
• Popular tourist site
 Style of the
Blarney Castle

• The style of the castle is Romanesque,

but it has Georgian Gothic style as well
• The first castle built on the site was a
wooden structure built in the 10th
century
• The second structure in 1210 A.D. was a
stone structure which had the entrance
some twenty feet above ground on the
north force /Romanesque
• In 1446 the Georgian Gothic style pieces
were added on
 “Romanesque”

• The style of Romanesque came to be

characterized by the following:
» Heavy articulated masonry construction,
with narrow openings
» The use of the round arch and barrel vault
» Wall arcade or buttress
» Development of the vaulting rib and shaft
» Cylindrical apse and chapels
» Introduction of central and western square,
round or polygonal towers
» Ornamentation in the form of stylistically
rendered animal and plant forms
“Gothic”
Style

• Gothic architecture is a style

of architecture which
flourished in Europe during the
high and late medieval period.
It evolved from Romanesque
architecture and was succeeded
by Renaissance architecture.
Function of the Blarney
Castle
• To Kiss the Blarney Stone
• Wedding parties (photos are free of
charge)
• Souvenir shop
• Money station
• Gardens to view
• Refreshments
• Ireland's oldest and most historic
castles, an ancient stronghold of
the McCarthys, Lords of Muskerry,
and one of the strongest fortresses
in Munster. It is also one of
THE END