Sealed With A Kiss

I had reservations about kissing the Blarney Stone. No one is wild about planting their lips in a spot that countless other mouths have puckered up on. Arriving at the stone itself, I was so disoriented from climbing this steeply coiled staircase that I did not stop to think about matters like hygiene...



And when the gentleman sitting beside the stone said to "Have a seat beside me love", I quickly handed my hat and bag to a friend and followed his instructions. I had heard the stone was not easily accessible but after climbing so many winding stairs, I did not expect to have to lay back and dangle down to make contact. They have a ready system in place. One is lowered backwards over the edge of the tower and held around the waist (by the man who has to have one of the most unique jobs in the world) while gripping a bar in each hand. I shuffled my body down to reach the stone, which is built into the castle wall. With blood rushing steadily to my head, it took me a moment to realize it was time to kiss. Kiss I did and before I knew it I was lifted up and back on my feet.

I got a picture of the event but only have the print copy to illustrate...



I'm not sure you can tell from this photo (of a photo) but they've got iron crossbars along the bottom of the open space. Apparently they did not always have these safety measures and protocol. Instead, people were held from their ankles while leaning backwards to kiss the stone (by what I can only assume would be a very trusted friend). The promise of eloquence would not be enough to convince me to do this without those rails and the assistant.

A final picture of Blarney Castle.