Sunday, February 14, 2010--Lauren O'Keefe prepares to kiss the famous Blarney Stone in Blarney Castle, near Cork. The was rebuilt by the McCarthy clan in 1446. Legend says if a person kisses the Stone, they will be given the gift of eloquence or flattery. Supposedly the word "blarney" grew from Cormac McCarthy's response to a letter from Queen Elizabeth I requesting a loyalty oath; McCarthy wrote back, flattering the Queen but refusing the oath all the same, causing her to deem his words "a lot of blarney." How this connects to the legend, however, is still unclear.
