Family in-fighting blemishes Blarney’s eloquent nature

Blarney Castle’s iconic stone is supposed to bestow the gift of eloquence on those who kiss it, but family in-fighting at the castle has been far from eloquent.

The baronet of Blarney, Charles Colthurst, has hit the headlines on numerous occasions in recent years but his relationships with women have made for the most column inches.

The baronet had a much publicised split from his wife Nora, mother of his four children, in 2003 after 16 years of marriage. What raised eyebrows was her rapid replacement as the castle’s first lady by Englishwoman Caroline Myers, herself a divorcee.