After spending most of the day in Killarney National Park, we drove to Blarney Castle. We picked a good time to visit from the signage we passed. On our way to the castle, signs said, "90 minutes from here," and "60 minutes from here," but we never had to wait to get to the castle. I'm guessing that from the time we got into the line at the castle entrance until the top of the castle was probably between 30 and 40 minutes. But we had good company, conversations, and we enjoyed seeing the castle and the views.

The original castle was built before the year 1200 of wood timbers. It was rebuilt of stone in 1210. But it was destroyed and rebuilt in 1446 by the MacCartheys of Muskerry. Today the medieval stronghold is a historic landmark and one of Ireland's great treasures.

As we approached the castle, we heard some women laughing and excitedly talking about their photos. They were standing behind a large rock and we were curious to understand what they were talking about. They said they would show us, just stand right here. They said it's an iconic photo.

The first floor up to the second floor is a basic stone castle area with a standard stone staircase. I was impressed by the thickness of the castle walls.

From the second story, we entered a solid rock spiral staircase. It's a very tight staircase, steep, and somewhat claustrophobic. That plus we had lots of people both ahead of us and behind us. The staircase did have some room entrances, arrow-shooting openings, and occasional windows.

The views outside from the castle were impressive as we climbed up the castle.

I was surprised that a good percentage of people drop out of the line before getting to the top or kissing the blarney stone.

We, of course, made it to the top of Blarney Castle with our spirits in tact.