Tourists often kiss what famous stone in Ireland?

Tourists often kiss the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone gives a person the “gift of the gab”—the ability to speak with eloquence, charm, and persuasive skill.

Blarney Castle was built in the fifteenth century by the MacCarthy dynasty, and the present stone castle dates to 1446. The stone is set high in the castle battlements, so visitors traditionally lean backward over an opening while holding safety rails to reach it. The unusual position is now one of the attraction’s most recognizable features.

Many legends claim the stone came from Scotland or was connected with the Stone of Scone, but geological research has identified it as local limestone from southern Ireland. The word “blarney” itself came to mean flattering or skillful but evasive speech, supposedly after a MacCarthy leader repeatedly delayed an English demand to surrender the castle. The stone is therefore associated with both Irish folklore and a long-standing tourist tradition.