Cork City GaolA nineteenth century prison at Sunday's Well, restored, up on the hill above the north channel of the Lee.
Castle
Blarney Castle
Blarney, County Cork
The keep is what most people come for, and the gardens and river walks below it take longer.
- Where
- Blarney, County Cork
- Official site
- blarneycastle.ie
- Map
- Directions · OpenStreetMap
- Before you go
- Opening times, prices and access change. Check with the place itself.
Blarney Castle is a medieval keep in the village of Blarney, a short drive northwest of Cork city, with gardens, woodland and river walks laid out around it. Most people come for the stone at the top of the keep. The grounds are the part that takes the morning.
The keep is the part everyone photographs, and the stairs inside it are narrow and worn, so the queue for the stone moves at its own pace. If the castle is all you came for, you will be done in an hour and back on the road to the city.
The grounds are the better half of it. There are walled gardens, a poison garden behind a fence, a path along the river and a rock close full of old yew trees. Blarney House stands across the parkland from the keep. Give it a morning if the weather is on your side.
- Best time to go
- Early on a weekday morning, when the grounds are at their quietest.
Nearby
The closest places on our lists, in any county.
Cork City GaolA nineteenth century prison at Sunday's Well, restored, up on the hill above the north channel of the Lee.
Shandon Bells and St Anne's ChurchA church tower on the north side of the city with a clock on all four faces, and bells that visitors ring themselves.
The English MarketA covered market in the middle of the city, with fish counters, butchers and cheese stalls under one roof.
Blackrock CastleThe castle on the bank of the Lee holds an observatory now, and the river walk out of the city takes you to it.
Fota Wildlife ParkThe cheetahs, giraffes and monkeys on Fota Island are kept in open paddocks rather than cages.
St Colman's CathedralThe granite Gothic cathedral and its bell tower stand over the harbour at Cobh.What’s on nearby
Coming up within about 25km.
Tomorrow, Sunday 8th November
Monday 9th November
Friday 20th November
Saturday 21st November
More in Cork
CobhTown · Co. CorkThe cathedral stands above a terrace of coloured houses, and the harbour below it was the last Irish port the Titanic called at.
KinsaleTown · Co. CorkNarrow painted streets around a harbour, in a town known around the country for its food.
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Drombeg Stone CircleStone circle · GlandoreStanding stones in a field above the sea, with the remains of an old cooking pit beside them.
Glengarriff and Garnish IslandIsland · GlengarriffBoats run from the harbour out to the island gardens, and the seals sit on the rocks along the way.