For 600 years, people have bent over a castle wall to kiss a mythical stone in Ireland. The coronavirus outbreak is putting a stop to the popular tradition.

Thelife1 min read

• A popular St. Patrick's Day tradition that involves bending over backward to kiss a stone at the top of an Irish castle has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• In an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Ireland canceled all St. Patrick's Day parades and has limited mass public gatherings through March 29.
• As of March 16, Ireland has 223 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. In total, more than 189,000 people have been infected across 145 countries, the majority of which is in China.
• This is the first time in 600 years that visitors have been unable to kiss the mythical Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in Cork, Ireland.
• Legend has it has that the Blarney Stone bestows upon the kisser the gift of eloquence and persuasiveness.
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