Spit o’ the Irish

Here at Trufflepig we’re especially fond of the hidden and unusual, but we’ve all been drawn to the allure of a famous site, too. The Great Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building: they’re surrounded by hordes of people for a reason. The Blarney Stone is one of these tourist wonders, and on a day when everyone is feeling a little bit Irish (at least everyone currently at the pub), one to examine a little closer.

In case you don’t know the promise behind the stone, Blarney Castle‘s most famous attraction is reputed to give anyone who kisses it “the gift of gab”: an eloquence of speech and flattery up there with the likes of Winston Churchill (who kissed the stone himself in 1912). What’s the experience actually like for peasant folk like us?

First, prepare yourself for a long line of “pilgrims”. With superior oration comes a long wait time, unfortunately. On the plus side, the line to the stone winds through the castle, so you’ll get to climb some tiny, twisting turret steps and see a murder hole while you wait. Once you arrive at the top, be prepared to lose all dignity. A fast-talking Irishman will lean you backwards and upside down into the hole in the battlement where the magical stone can be accessed. Don’t pucker up too soon, that rock of linguists is further down than you think. Finally, at the direction of your certified dangler, kiss away… and that stone is wet. Slobbery. Spit-covered. Possibly the grossest thing you’ve ever put your mouth on (though who am I to make that judgment…). Yanked back up before you can fully process what’s happened, you’ll be funneled back out the other side of the castle and wishing you had a bottle of Purell for your lips. Maybe it wasn’t worth it. Or maybe that was just the kind of disgusting sacrifice one has to make to become the next great statesman. Either way, rinse your mouth out with some Guinness and you’ll be just fine.

Amy has no idea why she didn’t expect the stone to be so slimy in the first place, but she bets fewer people would kiss it if they could see it right side up beforehand. She and everyone else at Trufflepig wish you the luck o’ the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day.