Joseph Uran, age 9, Of Sioux City, Iowa, for his question;

What exactly is the blarney stone?

The blarney stone belongs to Ireland because the Irish people admire sweet talk. They claim that sometimes you can speak sweet, polite words to gentle down someone who is angry. Of course, not everyone can do this. But long, long ago in Ireland the lord of blarney castle showed the whole world how to do it. When enemies came to attack him he held down his temper. He spoke to them politely. And his sweet talk gentled them down and coaxed them to go away.

The Irish say that the smooth talking lord of blarney had the gift of the gab. They wish all their children had this blarney gift to talk their way out of trouble. So an old old stone is kept at blarney castle, and everyone hopes that it can hand on the gift of the gab. People come from far and wide to touch it, and just for good measure they kiss the blarney stone.