Blarney

For other uses, see Blarney (disambiguation).

Blarney an Bhlarna
—  Town and townland  —
Blarney Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°55′59″N 8°34′5″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Cork
Population (2006)
• Total	5,226
Irish Grid Reference	W610759

Blarney (Irish: an Bhlarna, meaning "the little field") is a town and townland in County Cork, Ireland. It lies 8 km (5.0 mi) north-west of Cork and is famed as the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone.

Tourism

Blarney town is a major tourist attraction in County Cork. Mostly people come to see the castle, kiss the stone, and to shop at the Blarney Woolen Mills center.

Blarney Castle

Blarney Stone

Main articles: Blarney Stone and Blarney Castle

By kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, it is claimed that one can receive the "Gift of the Gab" (eloquence, or skill at flattery or persuasion). The legend has several suggested roots, involving members of the MacCarthy dynasty - builders and original owners of Blarney Castle.

Square

The centre of the village is dominated by The Square - a grass field where Blarney locals and townspeople sometimes congregate during the summer.

Several attempts to beautify the square over the years have always been met with stiff objection from the locals.^{[citation needed]} Previously the square was used for markets.

Transport

Blarney formerly had its own narrow gauge railway station. The Cork and Muskerry Light Railway linked Blarney with Cork; it opened in 1887 but closed on 29 December 1934.

The nearest airport is Cork Airport. The village is served by the no 224 and 235 bus from Cork city run by Bus Eireann

Economy and media

The Blarney economy is heavily dependent on the largely US tourism trade, with numerous hotels and guest houses in the area to serve this demand.

The Muskerry News is the local paper for Blarney and surrounding areas and is printed monthly. Local radio stations that can be picked up in the Blarney area are RedFM, C103 and 96FM.

Education

There is a Roman Catholic boys' primary school Scoil an Chroí Ró Naofa which caters for approximately 200 pupils and is situated in the centre of the village. A girls' school, Scoil Íosagáin na gCailíní was built nearby in 1974 to accommodate the girls of the parish, whilst the boys received a new extension to their school in 1986.

Gaelscoil Mhuscrai, is the irish language primary school in the village. It caters for approximately 120 students and was established in 2002. It was officially recognised by the State in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

Blarney is also the home of a secondary school called Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál which was established in 1952 and has about 500 students.^{[citation needed]}

Sport

The local soccer club, Blarney United FC, has playing facilities close to the village, with both a traditional grass pitch and a FIFA-approved all-weather pitch.^{[citation needed]} The pitches are supported by changing facilities, a meeting room and a hospitality room. The club has more than 300 underage players (boys and girls aged 6 to 16),^{[citation needed]} and also fields a youth team and three adult teams. The senior team competes in the Premier Division of the Munster Senior League.

Blarney also has a GAA club. Blarney GAA are the All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Champions of 2009 and are the Cork-County Intermediate Hurling Champions for 2008. Blarney also fields a Camogie team, which was established again in 1999.

Blarney has also seen a resurgence in the sport of cycling with the re-forming of the Blarney Cycling Club.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• Official Blarney Castle website
• Website of Blarney secondary school, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál
• Blarney Boy's National School Website
• The official website of Blarney United FC
• Blarney GAA's website
• Blarney Community Council website
• Blarney and Area Local Newspaper, The Muskerry News
• Blarney Cycling Club Homepage