I was surprised to read the first two reviews. I'll agree that the Blarney Stone IS totally over-hyped and not worth a trip on its own accord. According to people we know that grew up around there, you'd have to be crazy placing your lips on the thing.
That being said, we were actually pleasantly surprised when we visited the castle. We were staying overnight in Blarney for the Easter weekend (hotels in Cork were sold out) and had a gorgeous afternoon to check out the whole area. Maybe it was because the sun was shining, but I thought that the grounds of the castle were worth the price of admission itself. While places like Cashel are a fine-tuned tourist machine (and very much worth seeing), Blarney Castle is self-serve tourism...there is very little that is roped-off and you are free to check out all the rooms, the caves and the grounds at your leisure.
I will agree that the castle is quite a climb and NOT suitable for the elderly, small, unruly children or anyone afraid of heights or unsteady on their feet. We went up with our 4 & 6 year old and kept a good grip on the scruff of their necks up at the top. They thought it was the best castle that we've ever been in. Read up a little on the history before you go, skip the blarney stone and you won't be disappointed. A sunny day wouldn't hurt either.

My sisters and I had a wonderful experience at Blarney Castle. We were expecting it to be a tourist's trap and were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful grounds and flowers and the budding trees. The trek up in the castle to the Blarney stone itself was a wee little bit challenging, but well worth the trip up to see the view and of course kiss the stone. The walk through the park along the creek was beautiful and relaxing. We thought it was fun and it definately was one of the many highlights of our trip to Ireland. We enjoyed shopping in the Blarney Woolen Mills and came away with a whole different feeling than what we came in with. If you have the time to stop in Blarney, it's a fun stop to make.

I've seen alot of historical structures in Ireland so one has to be impressed with the marketing guru that was able to hype this attraction. I'm not saying that you shouldn't see it, just make sure your expectations aren't extremely high. From the yard the castle, though small, is rather majestic looking. Once you enter the building you are more or less directed up the stairs to kiss the stone, which hangs from the top of the castle about 5 stories up. The way up is what came as a surprise to me. You have to navigate your way up an extremely narrow enclosed stone spiral staircase which does have a rope banister (which you will need). The stairs are very, very narrow so don't wear boots like I did. There is a sign outside the building saying that there is some risk associated with climbing the stairs. If you are older, claustaphobic, not wearing flat shoes, very young or not sure-footed you may have some problems. In my own experience I felt extremely anxious considering the height (there are small open windows) and enclosed, vertical feeling space. Of course this was just my experience (though as an athletic 20 something I was a little embaressed to see 13 year olds carelessly trodding upward while I nearly had to be carried down...). If you do have to turn back there will be some very angry people behind you since the stair is one way up and there is not any room to pass each other whatsoever. I understand that they would want to keep the authenticity of the building by not improving the original staircase; just know that this is the case. The building does have a room off to the side of the stairs, about every story up or so. This is an old stone castle, it is not furnished or decorated at all. Blarney sits on a beautiful piece of property, albeit small. The hyped 'wishing' steps are just a small set of stone steps. Frequently, rocks will have names on them but there is never an explanation why it is named as it is. Do not expect to learn alot of history at this site. All in all I was disappointed with my visit;this wasn't worth the price.

This was the biggest disapointment in Ireland. There was graffiti on the walls and trash all over the ground. It is a big tourist trap. It is a shame that the castle has been so badly mistreated. Stick to the sites that the Office of public works takes care of. They do a wonderful job. -------------- .