Blarney Stone most overrated tourist attraction in Europe

The Blarney Stone, one of Ireland’s most famous tourist attractions, has got the thumbs down from the highly influential Lonely Planet travel guide.

A whopping 73 per cent of respondents stated that the stone, in County Cork, was not worth visiting, even if it imparts the legendary gift of the gab.

The Blarney Stone finished plumb last in the ratings of top tourist attractions by the Lonely Planet readers votes.

Around 300,000 tourists a year visit the stone, which is in Blarney Castle outside Cork City. There have been health concerns in the past over the numbers who kiss the stone.

13,000 people took part in the Lonely Planet’s survey on whether the tourist should "see or skip" the top ten attractions around Europe.

The Blarney Stone was last , with 73% of respondents advising people to skip kissing "a rock".

However, the owner of Blarney Castle, Charles Colthurst, is not taking it lying down.

"The whole experience of the Blarney Stone is that you kiss it, to gain the gift of eloquence. To see the Blarney Stone you have to walk through the Blarney grounds, climb the 15th century castle and proceed to kiss the stone," he told the Irish Examiner.

He claimed that the vast majority of tourists who left comments were very satisfied by their visit.

The Greek Parthenon finished first as the tourist site most worth seeing.