Blarney Castle is one of the most famous buildings in Ireland.  This is chiefly due to the stone embedded in the upper walls which is said to give the power of eloquence to those who kiss it.  The building of the castle is attributed to the great builder Cormac Laidir MacCarthy in 1446.  The present ruin is in two parts - a slender peel tower which is the earliest part, and a much larger mass which was then attached to the tower around the end of the 15th century.