Focused on generating corporate results, Jude Donato recruits and develops sales professionals as head of the Lockton Companies. An avid traveler, Jude Donato has visited countries rich in history, such as Ireland. Situated in Blarney, a medieval fort town on the River Martin near Cork, Blarney Castle is a partial ruin that dates to 1200.
The castle was destroyed in 1446, with the King of Munster, Cormac MacCarthy, subsequently overseeing its rebuilding. At this time, the Blarney Stone, a block of bluestone, was placed in a tower battlement. There are several stories about where the stone originates and how it gained its power to give those who kiss it the gift of the gab, but none present conclusive evidence.
One well-told tale involves Cormac MacCarthy praying to the goddess Cliodhna when involved in a vexing lawsuit. Cliodhna told him to kiss the first stone encountered en route to the courthouse. Following this advice, he kissed a stone that gave him eloquence, which he used to win his case in court that day. This experience reputedly led him to transport the Blarney Stone to the parapet where it currently resides.
