Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland

Each story keeps the passage it was read from. Open one to read the passage as the book has it, and, where the companion has written its own telling, that too.

1. The Moat of Ballylochloe

   Ballyloughloe · parish · Westmeath

   The Moat of Ballylochloe, an artificial sepulchral mound over 150 feet high near Uisneach, is linked by tradition to a battle at Cloch Bruighne around 50 B.C. in which a wealthy farmer Da Choga was killed, and his grieving wife Lucha was buried nearby, giving the place its name.

   Read the passage

   When treating of hills and of the country in the vicinity of Uisneach, it may be interesting to say something about the most beautiful and perfect _artificial_ hill in Ireland--namely, the Moat of Ballylochloe. It is about nine miles west of Uisneach, and three north-west of Moat. It was evidently erected for a sepulchral mound, but seems to have also been used as a place of defence. A ridge of sand-hills has been cut, and a most perfect and symmetrical _moat_ has been formed. It cannot be less than a hundred and fifty feet in height. When seen from the road approaching it from the east, it is almost Alpine in appearance, and looks like a small mountain. Neither history nor legend throws much light on the origin of this gigantic mound. We are told, however, that in the time of Queen Meave, about the year 50 B.C., there was a terrible battle in a place called Cloch Bruighne, now called Cloch Brian, some two miles from where the moat now stands, in which battle a wealthy farmer called Da Choga was killed, and his house burned. His wife, whose name was Lucha, died of grief, and was buried, it is said, near Loch Lucha, which seems to have been called after her. In Irish, the name of this place is _Baile Loch Lucha_. From the fact of the name of the wife of the farmer, or _bruighe_, being contained in the name of the stead, the late Mr W. M. Hennessy, an excellent authority on such matters, thought that the mound was erected over the remains of the woman Lucha. In former times, there was a small lake at the foot of the moat, hence the modern name Ballylochloe.

   This beautiful artificial hill is well worth seeing. It is only three miles from the railway station at Moat.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 6

2. The Pillar Stone (Coirthe) Still Standing at Tara

   near Tara · hill or hills · Meath

   The author describes the stone currently standing at Tara as a round pillar stone (coirthe), roughly eight feet long, arguing it cannot be the true Lia Fail because that was a flat stone (lia) meant to be stood upon.

   Read the passage

   But there are still other even stronger objections for accepting Petrie's theory that the Lia Fail is still in Tara. The pillar stone that is there is not a _lia_, and never would have been called such by the ancient Irish. _Lia_ means a stone of any kind in its general sense; but the pillar stone in Tara would not be called a _lia_, but a _coirthe_. _Lia_ is always applied to a flag-stone, both in ancient and modern Gaelic. The stone under the coronation chair in Westminster is a real _lia_ or flag-stone; the one in Tara is a _coirthe_, or pillar stone, for, judging from its height above the ground, it cannot be much less than eight feet in length; it is very nearly round, and was evidently fashioned into its present shape by man. If the stone in Tara is the real Lia Fail, how did it come to lose its original name and be know even still by an Irish name that connects it with Fergus, the person by whom the real Lia Fail is popularly believed to have been brought to Scotland? This loss of an original name, and its substitution by a new one, could hardly have occurred in the case of such a famous monument as the Lia Fail. If the superstitious reverence with which it had been regarded before the introduction of Christianity had vanished, its original name would have remained. There are many place names in Ireland that have not changed during twenty centuries, and it is almost impossible to conceive how the name of the most venerated monument in all Ireland could have changed had the monument itself remained in the country. Another strong objection against the pillar stone in Tara being the real Lia Fail is its shape. The real Lia Fail was intended to be stood upon by the chief king at his inauguration; but the most flat-footed monarch that ever ruled Ireland would have considerable difficulty in standing steadily on the _coirthe_ in Tara, even if it were prostrate, for it is round and not flat. Standing steadily on it would be nearly as difficult a performance as "rolling off a log" would be an easy one.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 3

3. The towering Cliffs of Moher

   near Cliffs of Moher · cliff or cliffs · Clare

   The cliffs of Moher average six to seven hundred feet in height and form the longest such cliff range on the coast. They are best seen from the sea, and in storms the waves sometimes break entirely over their great height.

   Read the passage

   Bantry Bay is the first great sea loch of the south-western coast. It is one of the finest natural harbours in Europe, but, unfortunately, ships are seldom seen in it except when they take shelter from the "wild west wind," which blows on these storm-beaten shores with a fury hardly known anywhere else in the world. The whole of the coast of Kerry, up to the mouth of the Shannon, is a succession of the wildest and grandest scenery, with here and there land of only slight elevation, with level meads and pastures of perennial green. Still further north, we come to the mouth of the Shannon, which forms another very fine harbour. About twenty miles north of the Shannon the famous cliffs of Moher appear. There are higher isolated cliffs than those on the west coast, but there is no long range of cliffs so high. They average between six and seven hundred feet in perpendicular height above the sea. To be seen in all their grandeur they should be seen from the sea, but to be seen in all their terribleness, they should be seen in a storm. Such is the force of the west wind on these coasts, sweeping over three thousand miles of unbroken, islandless sea, that the waves sometimes break over the cliffs of Moher in spite of their nearly seven hundred feet of perpendicular height. In no other part of the world is the force of the sea, when driven before a gale from the west, more terrific than on the west coast of Ireland. Old men who lived close to this iron-bound coast on the night of the great storm of January 6, 1839, known over the most of Ireland as the "Night of the Big Wind," say that none but those who were near these coasts on that awful night could have even a faint idea of what the Atlantic is when a storm from the south-west drives it against the rocky barriers that seem to have been placed where they are to prevent it from overwhelming the whole island. They say that when some gigantic wave of millions of tons of water was hurled against these cliffs, the noise made was so loud that it could be heard miles inland above the roar and din of the storm; and that the very earth would tremble at every assault of the waves on those tremendous barriers to their fury.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

   As the companion tells it

   Somewhere about the Cliffs of Moher, you have the longest range of high cliffs on the Irish coast. They run for miles and average between 600 and 700 feet straight up from the sea. There are taller single cliffs elsewhere, but no long stretch of cliffs this high anywhere on the coast. The book says to see them in all their grandeur, you should see them from the sea, but to see them in all their terribleness, you should see them in a storm. The west wind here sweeps over what the source calls three thousand miles of unbroken, islandless sea, and in a gale the waves sometimes break right over the cliffs despite their nearly 700 feet of height. Old men who lived close to this coast on the night of January 6, 1839, known over most of Ireland as the Night of the Big Wind, said that none but those near these coasts that night could have even a faint idea of what the Atlantic is when a storm from the south-west drives it against the rocky barriers placed to keep it from overwhelming the whole island. They said that when a gigantic wave of millions of tons of water was hurled against these cliffs, the noise was so loud it could be heard miles inland above the roar of the storm, and the very earth would tremble at every assault of the waves.

4. Vandalism at Mellifont Abbey near Drogheda

   near Mellifont Abbey · monument · Louth

   The ruins of Mellifont Abbey have been torn up from their foundations by sectarian animosity, leaving hardly a trace of the once magnificent abbey except crypts and the vast walls and fosses that surrounded it.

   Read the passage

   Cong Abbey is a large building nearly 150 feet in length. Few of the ancient churches of Ireland are any longer, and many of them are not nearly so long. It would be a mistake to say that the ruins at Cong are in a good state of preservation, for traces of violence and vandalism are apparent almost everywhere on them. The whole place has a terribly dilapidated look. It has been said that only for ivy and the Guinnesses the Abbey of Cong would have tumbled down long ago. It is true that ivy has prevented great masses of masonry from falling; and it is true that the late Sir Benjamin Guinness did a good deal of mending on the old walls. But it was before his time, when religious intolerance was worse than it is at present, that Cong Abbey was mutilated and defaced. It is sad to know that there is hardly an old religious edifice in Ireland that has not suffered from sectarian animosity. The ruins of Mellifont, near Drogheda, have been torn up from their foundations, so that hardly a trace of that once magnificent abbey now remains except the crypts and the vast walls and fosses by which it was surrounded. Ruthless vandals tried their best with sledges and hammers to overthrow the great cross of Monasterboice in Louth, but the stone of which it consists was too hard for them, for they only succeeded in mutilating what they could not destroy.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 13

5. Death and Burial of St Finnbarre, First Bishop of Cork

   Cork · city · Cork · 617

   The Annals of Inisfallen record that Fionnbarre, the first bishop of Cork, died at Cloyne in 617 and was buried in his own church at Cork. This marks the earliest annalistic notice of Cork.

   Read the passage

   The earliest notice of Cork that appears in Irish annals is in the still unpublished "Annals of Inisfallen," where it is stated, under the year 617, that "In this year died Fionnbarre, first bishop of Cork, at Cloyne. He was buried in his own church at Cork." Under the year 795, the following curious entry occurs in the same annals:--"In this year the Danes first appeared cruising on the coast [of Ireland] spying out the country. Their first attacks were on the ships of the Irish, which they plundered." The same annals say that Cork, Lismore, and Kill Molaise were plundered by the Danes in the year 832, and that in 839 they burned Cork; and that in 915 they plundered Cork, Lismore, and Aghabo. They also state that in 978 Cork was plundered twice, presumably by the Danes. The _Chronicon Scottorum_ says that Cork was also plundered by the Danes in 822. It was so often plundered by them that it is hardly to be wondered at that the annalists should not have been able to keep account of every time it was harried by the Northmen. But the Danes were not the only parties by whom the south of Ireland suffered, for we read in the Four Masters, that in the year 847 Flann, over-king of Ireland, for what reason does not appear, harried Munster from Killaloe to Cork. They say also that a great fleet of foreigners (Northmen) arrived in Munster in 1012 and burned Cork. They were, however, defeated by Cahall, son of Donnell. This fleet had evidently come to Cork for the purpose of making a diversion in the south of Ireland, so that the great Danish army, whose headquarters were in Dublin, and who contemplated the entire conquest of the country, should not have the men of Munster to oppose them. The Danish army that came to Cork in 1012 (the correct date seems to be 1013), were not able to give any assistance to their countrymen at the battle of Clontarf by making a diversion in Munster, for it would appear that they were wholly destroyed. There is no record in the Irish annals of the Danes making any attack on Cork after the battle of Clontarf.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 24

   As the companion tells it

   As you pass through Cork, you are travelling through a place whose earliest mention in Irish annals comes from the Annals of Inisfallen, under the year 617. The annals say: "In this year died Fionnbarre, first bishop of Cork, at Cloyne. He was buried in his own church at Cork." That single entry is the first time Cork appears in any surviving Irish annal, and it links the city to its first bishop, who died at Cloyne but was brought back here for burial. After that first notice, Cork's annalistic history becomes a long record of destruction. The same annals say the Danes first appeared cruising the Irish coast in 795, spying out the country. By 832 they had plundered Cork, Lismore, and Kill Molaise. In 839 they burned Cork. In 915 they plundered it again, along with Lismore and Aghabo. The Chronicon Scottorum says Cork was plundered by the Danes in 822 as well. In 978 Cork was plundered twice. It was harried so often by Northmen that the annalists could not keep account of every time. The Danes were not the only threat. The Four Masters record that in 847 Flann, over-king of Ireland, harried Munster from Killaloe to Cork, for reasons that do not appear. A great fleet of Northmen arrived in 1012 and burned Cork, but they were defeated by Cahall, son of Donnell. That fleet had come to draw the men of Munster away from opposing the Danish army based in Dublin. The force sent to Cork was wholly destroyed and gave no help at the battle of Clontarf. After Clontarf, the annals record no further Danish attack on Cork.

6. Great synod of 1152 at Mellifont

   Mellifont · townland · Louth · 1152

   The Four Masters first mention Mellifont under the year 1152, recording a great synod of three thousand ecclesiastics held there.

   Read the passage

   The first mention of Mellifont by the Four Masters occurs under the year 1152, when a great synod of three thousand ecclesiastics was held there. It was in Mellifont that the woman whose crime is supposed to have been the cause of the English invasion of Ireland died in the year 1193. This was Dearvorgil, the faithless wife of O'Ruarc, whom Moore has called "falsest of women." It is, however, now thought by most of those who have studied Irish history closely that Dermott MacMorrough's relations with this lady had nothing whatever to do with his banishment. They point out the fact that it was about ten years after Dearvorgil had been restored to her people that MacMorrough was banished, and maintain that the true cause of his banishment was in order to re-impose the tribute on the province of Leinster, the Danes being no longer able to assist the Leinstermen as they were wont to do. The other provincial rulers wanted to have the King of Leinster put out of the way, for, as he was a warlike man, they knew he would fight to the bitter end for the protection of his province. If this version of the matter is true, it goes far to free Dermott MacMorrough from the odium that rests on his memory.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 11

7. Hare Island's sylvan beauty and Lord Castlemaine's cottage

   near Hare Island · townland · Galway

   Hare Island, the most beautiful island on Loch Ree, is thickly wooded with trees dipping into the water, and features a rustic cottage and finely laid-out pleasure grounds belonging to Lord Castlemaine.

   Read the passage

   The tyranny and folly of man may mar towns and turn fields into wildernesses, but they cannot mar nature. If no steam-boats plough the waters of Loch Ree, and if men have given place to cattle and sheep on its banks, it is still as beautiful as ever. Its sinuous shores are still as fair to the eye as they were fifty years ago, when a teeming population lived on them, and when twenty thousand people might be seen at the annual regatta that used to be held every autumn on its waters. Nothing less than an earthquake could destroy the beauty of Loch Ree. It has every element of scenic beauty save mountains, but such are its general beauties that mountains are hardly missed. Loch Dearg is almost surrounded by mountains, but it is not nearly so fair to look upon as Loch Ree. The former lake is almost entirely islandless, but Loch Ree is studded with them. In traversing its entire length, from Lanesboro' to Athlone, a distance of twenty miles, islands are ever in view. Hare Island is the most beautiful island in the lake; seen from the waters or from the mainland it seems a mass of leaves. The trees grow on it so thickly that they dip their branches into the water almost all round it. Lord Castlemaine has a charming rustic cottage on Hare Island, and the pleasure grounds attached to it are laid out with very great taste and skill. It is one of the most beautiful sylvan island retreats in Europe. Hare Island contains nearly a hundred acres. Inchmore is still larger, but not so well wooded. Then there are Inchbofin, Inis Cloran, Inchturk, Saints' Island, Hag's Island, Carberry Island, and many others, the names of which would be tedious to mention. The islands of Loch Ree are of almost all sizes, from a hundred acres to a square perch. Except in the vast St Lawrence alone, with its famed thousand islands, there are few river expansions in the world that contain so many islands as Loch Ree. Its shores are fully as beautiful as its islands. It would be hard to conceive anything in the way of shore scenery more beautiful than the shores of Loch Ree for eight or ten miles on the Leinster side of the lake between the mouth of the river Inny and Athlone. The shores are so irregular and cut up into so many promontories and headlands that, to follow the water's edge from Athlone to where the Inny enters the Shannon, a distance of not more than ten miles as the crow flies, would involve a journey of over fifty. Every headland is tree-crowned, and every promontory rock-girded. Very little of the shores of this beautiful lake are swampy; they are generally as rocky as those of a Highland tarn, with deep, blue water ever fretting rock and stone into thousands of fantastic shapes. So rocky are most parts of the shores of Loch Ree, that those aesthetic persons living near it who wish to form rock-works in their pleasure grounds find abundance of water-worn stones on the shores of Loch Ree to make rock-work of any shape required.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 4

8. Holycross Abbey subjected to Furness Abbey in England

   Holycross · townland · Tipperary · 1267

   Holycross Abbey lost its distinctively Irish ecclesiastical character after English domination was established, being subjected in 1267 by the abbot of Clairvaux to the English abbey of Furness.

   Read the passage

   Holycross is two miles from the neat and thriving town of Thurles, in the County Tipperary. Unlike so many ruined shrines of former days, and especially unlike Mellifont in the County Louth, most of the walls of Holycross still remain. The existing ruins show it to have been a large church. Its length is 130 feet; the nave is 58 by 49 feet. The entire ruins are very beautiful and impressive, and their situation on the banks of the Suir, amid as fine pastoral scenery as can be found in the fine county of Tipperary, make them well worth a visit. Holycross was founded for the Cistercian order, and remained in undamaged condition until the suppression of monasteries in the latter part of the seventeenth century. It appeals that it lost its distinctively Irish character soon after English domination became established in Ireland, for in 1267 it was subjected by the abbot of Clairveaux to the abbey of Furness in England. It is the opinion of many antiquarians and judges of ecclesiastical structures that many additions and alterations were made to and in the abbey, and some of them in comparatively recent times. Some judges of church architecture have been loud in their praise of the beauties of the ruins of Holycross, while others have expressed their disappointment.

   Here is the testimony of O'Donovan, one of the greatest of Irish antiquarians, on the subject: "The ruins of this abbey entirely disappointed my expectations. The architecture of the choir and side chapel is indeed truly beautiful, but they are not lofty, but the nave and side aisles are contemptible. I am certain, however, that this newer part of the abbey is not more than four centuries old."

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 15

9. Irish Antiquities Museum Mismanaged in Kildare Street

   Kildare Street · street · Dublin · 1887–1897

   The Museum of Irish Antiquities in Kildare Street has been badly managed since its objects were moved from the Royal Irish Academy in Dawson Street, with most items stowed away in drawers and unseen by the public for nearly ten years.

   Read the passage

   But it is the Museum of Irish Antiquities that is, or that ought to be, the glory of this splendid group of buildings, and it is the only one of them with the management of which fault can be justly found. The way it has been managed ever since the articles it contains were removed from the Royal Irish Academy in Dawson Street is a disgrace to all Ireland, and a blot on the Irish people. There is not room to show the public much more than half the objects of antiquity. They are stowed away in drawers, and have been so for nearly ten long years. They might as well be in the earth from which they were recovered as be packed into drawers in a back room where none but officials can see them. If there was a decent and proper national spirit among the Irish people, such treatment of Ireland's wonderful and unique antiquities would not be tolerated for a single week. Her antiquities are among the chief glories of Ireland. In monuments of the past she stands ahead of almost all countries save Greece and Egypt. It is not alone in her ruined fanes, round towers, gigantic _raths_, sepulchral mounds, and Cyclopean fortresses that she can boast of antiquarian curiosities more numerous and more unique than those of almost any other country, but also in her multitudinous articles in gold, bronze, and iron. A good many of these--the greater part of them, perhaps--are in positions where they can be seen; but thousands of them are where no one but an official can see them. If the Irish antiquarian department were properly arranged, and if _all_ the objects it possesses that have been dug up from Irish soil were properly exhibited, Ireland could boast of an exhibition of national antiquities greater, more entirely her own, and more unique than that possessed by any other country in Europe.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

   As the companion tells it

   Along here on Kildare Street is the Museum of Irish Antiquities, and its story is not a happy one. The museum ought to be the glory of this splendid group of buildings, but the way it has been managed is what one writer at the time called a disgrace to all Ireland, and a blot on the Irish people. The trouble began when the articles it contains were removed from the Royal Irish Academy in Dawson Street. Ever since then, there has not been room to show the public much more than half the objects of antiquity. The rest are stowed away in drawers, and have been so for nearly ten long years. They might as well be in the earth from which they were recovered as be packed into drawers in a back room where none but officials can see them. The writer says that if there was a decent and proper national spirit among the Irish people, such treatment would not be tolerated for a single week. Her antiquities are among the chief glories of Ireland. In monuments of the past she stands ahead of almost all countries save Greece and Egypt. It is not alone in her ruined fanes, round towers, gigantic raths, sepulchral mounds, and Cyclopean fortresses that she can boast of antiquarian curiosities more numerous and more unique than those of almost any other country, but also in her multitudinous articles in gold, bronze, and iron. A good many of these, the greater part perhaps, are in positions where they can be seen, but thousands of them are where no one but an official can see them. If the Irish antiquarian department were properly arranged, and if all the objects it possesses that have been dug up from Irish soil were properly exhibited, Ireland could boast of an exhibition of national antiquities greater, more entirely her own, and more unique than that possessed by any other country in Europe.

10. Knocknarea cairn possibly Meave's grave

    near Knocknarea · mountain or mountain range · Sligo

    Some believe Queen Meave was buried under the great cairn atop Knocknarea near Sligo, called Moisgan Meabha or Meave's cairn, though there is no historic evidence for this tradition.

    Read the passage

    Rathcroghan does not appear to have been a place of residence of any of the rulers of Connacht since the time of the celebrated Queen Meave. If it was, the writer has not been able to find trustworthy evidence of the fact. It may, however, have been used as a place for assemblies in comparatively recent times. _Relig na Riogh_, or the cemetery of kings, at Rathcroghan, was one of the great burial places of the Pagan Irish Kings. It is a circular enclosure, about half a mile from the platform on which Queen Meave's palace stood. It bears all the marks of extreme antiquity, and has suffered much from the ravages of time. It covers between two and three acres, and at first sight appears nothing more than a piece of ground of very broken surface, for the mounds that marked the graves of kings and chiefs have become nearly obliterated. But it was here that many of the kings and heroes of ancient Ireland were buried, and it is here that the bones of Queen Meave rest, that is, if we are to believe the most trustworthy records of Irish history. It is thought by some that she was buried under the vast cairn of stones that crowns the summit of Knocknarea, near Sligo, for it is called to this day _Moisgan Meabha_, literally Meave's butter-dish; but by extension it probably means Meave's heap or cairn. There is no historic evidence to prove that she was interred under the cairn on Knocknarea, however it came to be called by its present Irish name; and according to the late Sir Samuel Ferguson, her name, or a name closely resembling it, has been found written in Ogam characters on a stone in _Reilig na Riogh_.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 5

    As the companion tells it

    Knocknarea rises ahead as you travel through Sligo, a flat-topped mountain crowned by a vast cairn of stones. Some say Queen Meave, the celebrated ruler of Connacht, was buried beneath that cairn. It is still called Moisgan Meabha, literally Meave's butter-dish, though by extension it probably means Meave's heap or cairn. There is no historic evidence to prove she was interred there, however the cairn came by its name. The more trustworthy records of Irish history point instead to Reilig na Riogh, the cemetery of kings at Rathcroghan, where many of the kings and heroes of ancient Ireland were buried. That circular enclosure covers between two and three acres about half a mile from the platform where Meave's palace stood. It bears all the marks of extreme antiquity and has suffered much from the ravages of time. The mounds that marked the graves of kings and chiefs have become nearly obliterated, so that at first sight it appears nothing more than a piece of ground of very broken surface. The late Sir Samuel Ferguson found a name closely resembling Meave's written in Ogam characters on a stone there, which is the strongest evidence offered for her burial place. Rathcroghan does not appear to have been a residence of any of the rulers of Connacht since Meave's time, though it may have been used for assemblies in comparatively recent times.

11. No trace of Finn's dun on the Hill of Allen

    Hill of Allen · hill or hills · Kildare

    Ancient Gaelic texts state that Finn Mac Cumhail had his palace on the Hill of Allen, yet O'Donovan found no trace of any fort there during his Ordnance Survey, only a small mound called Suidhe Finn, or Finn's chair, unlike the well-preserved monuments at Tara, Emania and elsewhere.

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    The hill of Allen is the one on which, it is over and over again stated by the most ancient and trustworthy Gaelic documents extant, Finn, the son of Cumhail, had his palace. We are even told how, partly by force and threats, he obtained Allen from his grandfather, Tadg; that he went to live on it, and that it was his habitation as long as he lived. But here a great difficulty meets us--there is not a vestige of dun or fort on the hill of Allen. O'Donovan says in his unpublished letters, while on the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, that Knock Aillinn was, according to various ancient Irish authorities, one of the royal residences of the Kings of Leinster, and that it received the name of _Aillinn_ from the _ail_, or stone which was placed in the mound of the rath. On speaking of the hill of Allen, where the celebrated Finn Mac Cool or Cumhail is said to have had his seat, he says, "There are no traces of forts nor any other monuments excepting one small mound called _Suidhe Finn_, or Finn's chair, which occupies the highest point of the hill. On every side of this mound there are faint traces of field works, but so indistinct that I could not with any certainty decide whether they are traces of forts or of recent cultivation, for the hill was tilled on the very summit. I travelled all the hill, but could find upon it no monument from which it could be inferred that it was ever a royal seat like Tara, Emania, Maistean, or any of the other places of ancient celebrity whose localities have been identified; and still in all Fingallian or Ossianic poems this hill (the hill of Allen) is referred to as containing the palace of the renowned champion, Finn Mac Cool, who seems to have been a real historical character, who flourished here in the latter end of the third century."

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 8

12. Sectarian vandalism defaces Cong Abbey's carved capitals

    near Cong Abbey · ecclesiastical site · Mayo

    Cong Abbey shows traces of violence and vandalism, with many of its beautiful sculptured floral capitals defaced or carried away, damage attributed to past religious intolerance rather than to the later restorative work of Sir Benjamin Guinness.

    Read the passage

    Cong Abbey is a large building nearly 150 feet in length. Few of the ancient churches of Ireland are any longer, and many of them are not nearly so long. It would be a mistake to say that the ruins at Cong are in a good state of preservation, for traces of violence and vandalism are apparent almost everywhere on them. The whole place has a terribly dilapidated look. It has been said that only for ivy and the Guinnesses the Abbey of Cong would have tumbled down long ago. It is true that ivy has prevented great masses of masonry from falling; and it is true that the late Sir Benjamin Guinness did a good deal of mending on the old walls. But it was before his time, when religious intolerance was worse than it is at present, that Cong Abbey was mutilated and defaced. It is sad to know that there is hardly an old religious edifice in Ireland that has not suffered from sectarian animosity. The ruins of Mellifont, near Drogheda, have been torn up from their foundations, so that hardly a trace of that once magnificent abbey now remains except the crypts and the vast walls and fosses by which it was surrounded. Ruthless vandals tried their best with sledges and hammers to overthrow the great cross of Monasterboice in Louth, but the stone of which it consists was too hard for them, for they only succeeded in mutilating what they could not destroy.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 13

13. The Calendar of Oengus contrasts fallen Aillinn with victorious Kildare

    Kildare · town · Kildare · 750–900

    The eighth or ninth century Calendar of Oengus describes the proud pagan stronghold of Aillinn as having perished while Brigit's Christian city of Kildare flourished as a 'multitudinous city,' evidencing the historical importance once held by Knock Aillinn.

    Read the passage

    "Aillinn's proud burgh Hath perished with its warlike host: Great is victorious Brigit: Fair is her multitudinous city."

    The "multitudinous city" was, of course, Kildare. It is curious that Oengus should mention Aillinn, and not mention Allen, the supposed seat of Finn, for wherever he had his stronghold must have been, in his epoch, the most important place in Ireland, Tara alone excepted.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 8

    As the companion tells it

    Up ahead is Kildare. The eighth or ninth century Calendar of Oengus celebrated this place as Brigit's Christian city, calling it her "multitudinous city." The same verse declared that the proud pagan burgh of Aillinn had perished with its warlike host, while great and victorious Brigit's city flourished.

14. The Mourne Mountains, Anciently Beanna Boirche

    near Mourne Mountains · mountain or mountain range · Down

    The Mourne Mountains in County Down, anciently called Beanna Boirche, form with the Cooley mountains one of the finest mountain views in Ireland; the district's old name Crioch Mughorna gave rise to the title Lord Cremorne and the London Cremorne Gardens.

    Read the passage

    There are few parts of Ireland more beautiful than the country round the ancient _dun_ of Cuchulainn, and few parts less generally visited by tourists. Carlingford Loch is only a few miles from Dundalk, and except Clew Bay, and one or two others, there is nothing finer on all the coasts of Ireland. But the grandest and most striking scenery in this part of the country are the Mourne mountains in the County Down. There are higher mountain ranges in Ireland, but there are not any more bold, or more truly Alpine. Seen from the central parts of the County Louth, they and the Cooley mountains seem to form a continuous range of "sky-pointing peaks," forming one of the finest, if not the very finest, mountain view in Ireland. The ancient name of the Mourne mountains was the Beanna Boirche. They were called the Mourne mountains from being in a territory anciently called Crioch Mughorna. It gave a title to Lord Cremorne, from whom, it is generally believed, the Cremorne Gardens in London derive their name. It has to be admitted that, in this instance, the Anglicised form of the name is the more euphonious.

    The County Louth, and all that part of the County Down bordering on it, have not had their due share of attention from those who go in search of the picturesque and beautiful. Although the direct route between the two largest cities in Ireland, northern Louth and southern Down are not at all known as well as they should be. There are, even in Kerry or Connemara, few places in which finer views of mountain, bay, and plain can be had, and all within less than two hours by rail from Dublin or Belfast. And as for antiquities, no county of its size in Ireland possesses so many as Louth.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 20

15. Treasure-trove legends near Emania

    near Navan · monument · Armagh

    Local residents near Emania tell stories of gold ornaments of great value being found by people who suddenly became rich; the objects were melted down and lost to the country rather than preserved in a museum.

    Read the passage

    Those who live in the vicinity of Emania tell many stories about the finding of treasure-trove close to and in this ancient fortress. According to them, gold ornaments of great value were found by some persons many years ago who suddenly became rich, much to the surprise of their neighbours. Those ornaments were, of course, melted down, and like hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of similar articles found in almost every part of Ireland, never found their way to any museum, and are lost to the country for ever. There can hardly be any doubt that some very valuable articles in gold have been found near Emania.

    One of the most interesting instances of the long survival of a place name is to be found adjacent to this celebrated spot. Most Irish persons have heard of the Red Branch Knights. Moore has immortalised them in his exquisite lyric, "Let Erin Remember the Days of Old." Few believe that such an institution as the Red Branch Knights ever existed. It is generally looked on as a bardic fable; but there is a townland close to Emania which is still called Creeve Roe, in correct orthography, _Craobh Ruadh_, which means Red Branch. The preservation of this place name for nearly two thousand years cannot be regarded as an accident. It goes far to prove that the Red Branch Knights did exist, and that the townland took its name from them. This extraordinarily long survival of a place name, the historic fame and antiquity of the locality, lend a supreme interest to this ruined stronghold, which, centuries after its glories had vanished, Gaelic bards used still to call "Emania the Golden."

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 4

16. Tumuli of Sliabh na Caillí near Oldcastle

    Loughcrew · townland · Meath

    More than a dozen tumuli similar to those at New Grange and Dowth, though smaller, were discovered in the Sliabh na Caillí (Loughcrew) hills near Oldcastle, County Meath, also bearing undeciphered incised markings.

    Read the passage

    The country in the vicinity of Mellifont and Monasterboice is not only very fair to look on, but highly interesting in an archaeological point of view. The town of Drogheda, the nearest place to the interesting ruins treated of in this article, is the only place in their vicinity where hotel accommodation can be found. It is full of historic interest and curious remains of the past. But to the antiquarian, to one who wants to see monuments as old as the Pyramids of Egypt, the _Brogha na Boinne_, or burghs of the Boyne, should be a great attraction. They are the most colossal things of the kind known to exist in any part of Europe. One is known by the name of New Grange, and the other is called Dowth. Both places are on the Boyne, and only a few miles west of Drogheda. They are enormous, partially underground caverns, lined and roofed with great flag-stones. They are entirely pre-historic, and are supposed to have been used as places in which to deposit the ashes of the dead; but their real use can hardly be more than guessed at. It is generally thought by archaeologists that they were erected by the Tuatha de Danaans, who occupied Ireland before the Milesians; but authentic history is silent about these gigantic structures. More than a dozen of such structures were discovered some years ago in the Sleeve na Caillighe Hills, near Oldcastle, in the County Meath. They are just like those in New Grange and Dowth, but not nearly so large. The flat stones that form the linings of those curious caverns or tumuli are covered with incised and generally semi-circular markings. They bear all the appearance of being writing of some kind, but no clue to its interpretation has yet been discovered. These markings were certainly not made for fun; neither could they have been made for ornament, for they are _not_ ornamental. There are thousands of them, counting what are in the tumuli on the banks of the Boyne and in the same kind of places in the hills near Oldcastle. It is a pity that no one competent for it has ever tried to decipher this curious writing, for writing of some kind it certainly is. When the cuniform inscriptions on the bricks of Assyria have been interpreted, it is strange that no one has tried to find out the meaning of the writing on the stones of these Irish tumuli.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 11

17. Crimhthan's Stronghold at Howth

    Howth · townland · Dublin

    Crimhthan, a king of Leinster celebrated in the poetry of Dubhthach Mac U Lugair, is said to have had a stronghold at Howth on the site where the Bailey Lighthouse now stands.

    Read the passage

    Crimhthan was a king of Leinster, who is said to have had a stronghold in Howth, where the Bailey Lighthouse now stands.

    Although few traces of cultivation are to be seen on the Hill of Tara, there can be no doubt that it has been very much defaced and uprooted. The great _rath_ of King Laoghaire, who was cotemporary with St Patrick, has almost entirely disappeared. Its earthen rampart must have been of a good height, when it served as a sepulchre for Laoghaire with his body in an erect position, with its face turned southward, against the Leinstermen. Laoghaire was never a Christian; or if he was such at one time, there seems strong reason to think that he relapsed into paganism towards the end of his career. At all events it is evident that he was not a favourite of St Patrick's or of the early Irish Christians, and it is quite likely that when Tara was abandoned, his _rath_ was uprooted, and his body, or what remained of it, consigned to some unmarked grave. But from whatever cause, this _rath_ has certainly been almost entirely obliterated. It must have been considerably over two acres in area, if one can judge by the small segment of it that can still be traced.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 3

18. Croagh Patrick, the symmetrical Reek

    near Croagh Patrick · mountain or mountain range · Mayo

    Croagh Patrick, called the Reek, rises north of Clew Bay to a height of nearly three thousand feet and is noted for its remarkable symmetry, making it look taller than many higher mountains. The view from its summit encompasses the wild Connacht coast from Slyne Head to northern Mayo.

    Read the passage

    North of the bay rises that most symmetrical of Irish mountains, Croagh Patrick, or the Reek, as it is frequently called. It seems to have been made to order, it is so regular and at the same time so graceful and grand in its outlines. There are few mountains of its height that look so high as Croagh Patrick. It is somewhat less than three thousand feet high, but owing to its symmetry and its steepness it looks higher and more imposing than many mountains of double its altitude. Exactly at the mouth of the bay, stretching almost straight across it, and almost completely shutting it in from the Atlantic, rises the great mass of Clare Island, making the bay a safe harbour as well as adding in a most extraordinary degree to its beauty. Clare Island is almost a mountain; its highest point cannot be less than fifteen hundred feet above the sea level, and it rises sheer from the water. It is almost as beautiful an object as Croagh Patrick itself. The hills on the north side of the bay are rather tame, but the beauty of the famous Reek is such that almost any other mountain would appear tame in comparison with it. The number of islands in Clew Bay is said to be three hundred and sixty-five--one for every day in the year. There seem not to be any exact details as to the number of these islands, but it cannot be much less than the number stated. They seem so numerous as to be uncountable. The reason that those wishing to see this wondrous bay at its best are advised to see it when the tide is full is because all the islands do not appear at low water. This is certainly a defect, but no sea loch looks so well at low water as when the tide is full. The citizens of Dublin know what a difference the tide being in or out makes in the appearance of their own magnificent bay. But in Clew Bay the difference in its appearance caused by the tide being full or low is much greater than in the bay of Dublin, for the reason that has been already stated. However much the difference the state of the tide may make in Clew Bay, it is beyond all doubt the most beautiful bay, not only in Ireland, but in all those countries known as the British Isles.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

19. Cyclopean ruins of the Aran Islands

    near Aran Islands · island or archipelago · Galway

    The Arran Islands are noted for their cyclopean ruins, described as the most colossal and extraordinary structures of their kind in Europe, worth a visit alongside Clew Bay for those touring the west coast.

    Read the passage

    There is no way to see coast scenery properly except from the sea. One might be looking at Slieve League or the Cliffs of Moher all his life from the land, but he could never have a full idea of their grandeur unless he saw them from the sea at their base. Those who see the cliffs and cliff-mountains of Norway from the deck of a commodious steamer see them aright. Most of those who make the trip to Norway are loud in praise of its magnificent coast scenery; but if they had to go by land from fiord to fiord, as they would have to do on the west coast of Ireland did they want to see its beauties, would they be so enchanted? They certainly would not. When tourists go to see the Norwegian fiords, they need not trouble themselves about engaging beds, or worry themselves by fearing that the hotel in such a place will be full, for they have an hotel on board the steamer, are carried from place to place, and are given ample time to see the beauties of each place. If there were the best hotels in the world at every romantic spot on the west coast of Ireland it would never attract visitors, and never would be known as it should be, and as its wondrous grandeur and beauty entitle it to be, until large and commodious steamers were provided in which people could live, if they chose, while being brought from one place of attraction to another, or from one town to another. There are few coasts in the world better provided with harbours than the west coast of Ireland. It could hardly happen that a steamer like those that take tourists from Leith to the coasts of Norway could be caught by a gale on any part of the coast from Cape Clear to Malin Head, ten miles from a harbour in which she could not take shelter. The danger of shipwreck would be so small as to be infinitesimal. The trip from Cape Clear to Malin Head, or even to the Giant's Causeway, could be made in two weeks, and give sufficient time to stop a day or more at such remarkable places as Clew Bay or the Arran Islands, where things of more than ordinary interest are to be seen, such as the view of Clew Bay from the high lands east of it, and the cyclopean ruins in the islands Arran, the most colossal and extraordinary things of their kind in Europe. There ought to be enterprise enough in Ireland to put a steamer, like those that take tourists to Norway every summer, on the Irish west coast for three or four months every year. Without such means of seeing the beauties of the west coast, as only a large, commodious steamer could furnish, the beauties and the grandeur of the cliffs of Moher, Clew Bay, Slieve More, and Slieve League will never be known as they should be.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

20. Dathi's grave marked by pillar stone

    near Rathcroghan · monument · Roscommon

    Dathi, the last pagan Irish Chief King, was buried in Relig na Riogh, his mound marked by a pillar stone which O'Donovan believed genuinely marked his grave.

    Read the passage

    That there was such a person as Queen Meave there cannot be any doubt whatever. History and legend never yet existed about a fabulous personage, and Meave figures in both. Whatever impossible things may be related about her in legend, history says nothing about her that cannot be easily believed, her great age and length of reign excepted. It must, however, be remembered that the ancient Irish were a very long-lived people. This fact is so apparent in so many places in ancient Gaelic literature that it has to be believed. We have as strong proof as can be afforded by history that in comparatively modern times Henry Jenkins lived to be over a hundred and sixty, and Old Parr to be over a hundred and fifty years old, and why could not Queen Meave have lived to as great or even a greater age? She was an extraordinary woman, and her name sheds a halo of romance round the place where she lived, and where her remains rest in peace after her long and stormy career. It was also in _Reilig na Riogh_ that Dathi, the last pagan Irish Chief King, was buried. His mound is marked by a pillar stone, and O'Donovan, one of the most cautious and least impulsive investigators of Irish history and antiquities, saw no reason to doubt that the pillar stone marks his grave.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 5

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere about Rathcroghan, in the place called Reilig na Riogh, Dathi was buried. He was the last pagan Irish Chief King of Ireland. His mound is marked by a pillar stone, and O'Donovan, described as one of the most cautious and least impulsive investigators of Irish history and antiquities, saw no reason to doubt that the pillar stone genuinely marks his grave. Reilig na Riogh was also the resting place of Queen Meave. The writer insists there can be no doubt she existed, because history and legend never yet existed about a fabulous personage, and Meave figures in both. Whatever impossible things legend may tell of her, history says nothing that cannot be easily believed, except her great age and length of reign. The ancient Irish, the writer says, were a very long-lived people, apparent in so many places in ancient Gaelic literature that it has to be believed. He points to Henry Jenkins, who lived to be over 160, and Old Parr, over 150, as proof in comparatively modern times. Meave was an extraordinary woman, and her name sheds a halo of romance round the place where she lived and where her remains rest in peace after her long and stormy career.

21. Founding of Clonmacnois by St Kieran and its building chronology

    Clonmacnoise · townland · Offaly · 549–1130

    Clonmacnois was founded by St Kieran, who died in 549. According to the Chronicon Scottorum, its Cathedral was built in 909, the larger round tower in the tenth century, and the smaller in the eleventh or early twelfth century.

    Read the passage

    Clonmacnois was founded by St Kieran, who died in the year 549. There are records of the erection of most of its ancient buildings to be found in Irish annals and history. According to the _Chronicon Scottorum_, a work of high authority, the Cathedral was built in the year 909. The Cathedral that existed when Turgesius the Dane obtained sway for some years over the greater part of Ireland, and when his wife used to issue her orders from that building, was probably of wood, for no trace of it appears extant. Doctor Petrie says that the larger round tower was erected in the tenth century, and the smaller one in the eleventh or early part of the twelfth. There is good authority to prove that the nunnery was erected and endowed by the too well-remembered Dearvorgil, wife of O'Ruairc, whose _liaison_ with Dermot Mac Murrough, King of Leinster, is popularly believed to have brought about the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.

    One of the great curiosities of Clonmacnois is the powder-blown-up castle built by Hugo de Lacy in the latter part of the twelfth century, the remains of which stand on a hill about two hundred yards from the cemetery. It is generally known as the Prior's house, but it was evidently built as a place of defence. It was one of the strongest castles ever erected in Ireland. Although comparatively small, building and enclosure not covering more than half an acre, it was a place of immense strength, and before the invention of gunpowder could have defied a host. It is encompassed by a fosse in some places forty feet in depth, that descends sheer from the walls. The walls are of immense thickness and strength, from six to eight feet thick in many places, and so firmly are the stones embedded in grouting that to detach one of them from the powder-riven walls, or from the vast masses of blown-up masonry that lie scattered around, a hammer and chisel would be required. Huge heaps of the ruined walls, some of them tons in weight, have been tumbled into the deep fosse that surrounds the castle, but they are still almost as solid as rocks. If ever the art of building solid walls was brought to perfection, it was by those who reared this now ruined pile. To know the strength of gunpowder and the solidity of ancient masonry, one should see this ruined castle of Clonmacnois.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 7

22. Galway's Medieval Buildings

    Galway · city · Galway

    Despite its decay, Galway retains many buildings from its prosperous medieval past, making it richer in medieval remains than perhaps any other Irish town. It is also noted as one of the few large Irish towns where a majority of people are bilingual in English and Irish.

    Read the passage

    In spite of the signs of decay that are only too visible in Galway, it is a very quaint and interesting town. It contains many buildings that were erected centuries ago, in the days of its prosperity, that are evidences of its former wealth and trade. In what may be called mediaeval remains, it is, perhaps, richer than any other town in Ireland, and will well repay a visit. It is one of the few large towns in Ireland in which a majority of the people are bilingual, using both the English and Irish languages.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 25

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Galway, you are in a city that holds more medieval remains than perhaps any other town in Ireland. Many of its buildings were erected centuries ago, in the days of its prosperity, and they stand as evidence of former wealth and trade. Decay is visible here, but the old stones endure. It is also one of the few large Irish towns where most people are bilingual, speaking both English and Irish.

23. Jubainville's archaeological survey of Emania

    near Navan · monument · Armagh

    French archaeologist Darbois de Jubainville conducted an exhaustive examination of Emania, finding the original enclosure covered about eleven to twelve English acres in a nearly circular shape, with some traces of stone foundations beneath what were largely wooden buildings.

    Read the passage

    Mons. Darbois de Jubainville, the eminent French archaeologist and Celtic scholar, made an exhaustive examination of Emania some years ago. He found that the area within the original enclosure was four and a half hectares, or between eleven and twelve English acres in extent, and that the space enclosed was nearly circular. Like Tara, the buildings in Emania must have been almost entirely of wood. Some of them may, like many of the wooden houses in America, have been built on stone foundations, and there are some traces of stone-work still to be seen. There is a magnificent passage in the Feilere of Oengus the Culdee, written about A.D. 800, in which the greatness and glory of the Christian cities of Ireland are contrasted with the state of utter desolation into which the strongholds of the Pagan kings had fallen. Speaking of Emania he says--

    "Emain's burgh hath vanished Save that its stones remain; The Rome of the western world Is multitudinous Glendaloch."

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 4

24. Killary Bay compared to a Norwegian fiord

    Killary Harbour · estuary · Galway

    Killary Bay, dividing Galway and Mayo, is described as having more the character of a Norwegian fiord than any other Irish sea loch, running some ten to fifteen miles inland with Maolrea rising on its northern side. It is noted as a superb, sheltered deep-water harbour despite the sparse population around it.

    Read the passage

    From the cliffs of Moher to the Killaries, or Killary Bay, or Harbour, for it is known by all these names, there are many scenes of very great beauty; but to take even passing notice of all of them would be entirely beyond the scope of a work of the size of this. The coasts of Connemara, if not remarkable for very striking cliff scenery, are wild, sea-indented, strange, and interesting in a very high degree. But Killary Bay is one of the glories of the wild west coast. It has more the character of a Norwegian fiord than any other sea loch in Ireland. It divides the counties of Galway and Mayo. Some put it before the famed Clew Bay, and Inglis said, over half a century ago, that if the shores of the Killaries were as well wooded as Killarney, the latter might tremble for the supremacy it enjoys of being the fairest lake either of fresh or salt water in Ireland. The Killaries run some ten or fifteen miles inland, between some of the highest hills in the province of Connacht, with Maolrea, the king of Connacht mountains, on its northern side. This fiord, or narrow sea loch, is one of the most splendid harbours, not only in Ireland, but in the world, with not only complete shelter from winds from all points, but with depth of water enough to float the biggest ship that ever has been or ever will be built. But, unfortunately, there is little to attract commerce to these desolate shores, where there are no large towns, and only a sparse population. It has been said by some who have seen almost all the fiords of Norway, that there are few of them superior to the Killaries in everything that constitutes beauty, sublimity, and wildness. That this sea loch is, in a certain degree, dark and gloomy has to be admitted, because the mountains come so close to it that they seem in some places to rise almost perpendicularly out of the water. But Killary harbour is a glorious place on a clear, sunny mid-day, when its sombre mountains cast but little shade on its ever calm waters; for no matter how rough the sea may be outside, this mountain fiord is ever calm, as it is sheltered on all sides by towering heights. As an enchanting bay it is the only one on all the Irish coasts of which Clew Bay or Dublin Bay, were they living things and tormented with human passions, could possibly feel jealous.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

    As the companion tells it

    You're coming up along Killary Harbour, the estuary that divides Galway from Mayo, and it has more the character of a Norwegian fiord than any other sea loch in Ireland. It runs some ten or fifteen miles inland, between some of the highest hills in Connacht, with Maolrea, the king of Connacht mountains, rising on its northern side. The writer of Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland calls it one of the glories of the wild west coast. Some who have seen almost all the fiords of Norway say there are few of them superior to the Killaries in everything that constitutes beauty, sublimity, and wildness. Inglis, over half a century before this book was written, said that if the shores of the Killaries were as well wooded as Killarney, the latter might tremble for the supremacy it enjoys as the fairest lake of fresh or salt water in Ireland. This narrow sea loch is one of the most splendid harbours, not only in Ireland but in the world, with complete shelter from winds from all points and depth of water enough to float the biggest ship that ever has been or ever will be built. But there is little to attract commerce to these desolate shores. There are no large towns and only a sparse population. The mountains come so close that they seem in some places to rise almost perpendicularly out of the water, giving the place a certain dark and gloomy quality. Yet on a clear sunny midday, when the sombre mountains cast little shade on its waters, it is glorious. No matter how rough the sea may be outside, this mountain fiord is ever calm, sheltered on all sides by towering heights. As an enchanting bay, it is the only one on all the Irish coasts of which Clew Bay or Dublin Bay, were they living things and tormented with human passions, could possibly feel jealous.

25. Legendary Founding of Kells by King Fiacha

    Kells · town · Meath

    Kells, anciently called Ceannanus, is said by Irish annalists to have been founded by an over-king named Fiacha some 1203 years before Christ. It is described as one of the most ancient towns in Ireland.

    Read the passage

    Kells, the ancient name of which was Ceannanus, and the one by which it is still known in Irish, is one of the most ancient towns in Ireland. According to Irish annalists it was founded by an over-king called Fiacha, 1203 years B.C. If its situation and environs are of no great beauty, it is yet a place of great historic interest. It can boast of the possession of one of the finest round towers in Ireland, a very ancient cross, and a still more ancient stone-roofed church. If there are no mountains or romantic scenery round Kells, it has the advantage of being situated in the midst of the most generally fertile of Irish counties. It is on the river Blackwater, a tributary of the historic Boyne. Nothing can exceed the fertility of the land round Kells; but that does it no good, for the land is almost all in grass, the rural population sparse, and consequently, of very little outside support to the town. But Kells is no worse off than the other towns of Meath. It is, as far as soil is concerned, the richest county in Ireland, but its towns are either in a state of absolute decay, or at a standstill. There is hardly any tilled land in the county; its herds are large, and its population consequently declining. Where cattle abound, people are generally scarce.

    For those who visit Kells merely to see the wondrous luxuriance of its grassy environs, the best thing they can do is to ascend the hill of Lloyd, which is close to the town, and go to the top of the tower that crowns the summit of the hill. It is over a hundred feet high, with a winding flight of stairs, and a turret on top, capable of containing a dozen people. The view from the tower is very fine, and will well repay those who see it. Almost the whole of Meath, Louth, Cavan, and parts of other counties can be seen. The tower was built more than a hundred years ago by the first Earl of Bective. It is sometimes called "Bective's Folly," because it serves for nothing except giving a fine view to those who ascend it. It is generally known as the tower of Lloyd.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 19

    As the companion tells it

    Coming up now is Kells, a town the road passes through in Meath. Its old name was Ceannanus, and that is still what it is called in Irish. Irish annalists say it was founded by an over-king called Fiacha, 1203 years before Christ, making it one of the most ancient towns in Ireland. It stands on the river Blackwater, a tributary of the Boyne, in the midst of the most generally fertile of Irish counties. The land round Kells is almost all in grass, the rural population sparse, and that does the town little good. But Kells is no worse off than the other towns of Meath. As far as soil goes, it is the richest county in Ireland, but its towns are either in absolute decay or at a standstill. There is hardly any tilled land, the herds are large, and the population is declining. Where cattle abound, people are generally scarce. Kells can boast of one of the finest round towers in Ireland, a very ancient cross, and a still more ancient stone-roofed church. Close to the town is the hill of Lloyd, crowned by a tower over a hundred feet high, with a winding flight of stairs and a turret on top capable of holding a dozen people. The tower was built more than a hundred years ago by the first Earl of Bective. It is sometimes called Bective's Folly, because it serves for nothing except giving a fine view. From the top, almost the whole of Meath, Louth, Cavan, and parts of other counties can be seen.

26. Modern house spoils view of Boyle Abbey ruins

    Boyle Abbey · monument · Roscommon

    A parson built a new, vulgar house so close to the ancient ruins of Boyle Abbey that it entirely spoils their effect, similar to damage done near Cashel and Tara. The author laments the general Irish disregard for antiquities, though praises the Board of Works for recent preservation efforts.

    Read the passage

    The ruins of the great church of Boyle, like the ruins of Cashel, and like the historic hill of Tara, have been spoiled by the erection of modern buildings near them. Some parson has erected here a new, intensely vulgar gimcrack house that almost touches the hoary ruins, it is so close to them. It entirely spoils their effect, and would disgust any one with any veneration for the past. In no other country, perhaps, in the world has the want of respect for the antique been more manifest among the masses than in Ireland. In no other country have so many monuments of the past been more wantonly destroyed, more defaced, and less respected. If it had not been for the care exercised by the Board of Works, during the last thirty years, most of the ruins of Ireland would now be either entirely uprooted, or so marred, like the Rock of Cashel, or the Monastery of Boyle, by the erection of new buildings in their vicinity, that they would have little attraction for any one in whose soul there remained the slightest reverence for the past. There are, however, unmistakable signs that more patriotic and enlightened ideas about their country, and everything relating to it, are rapidly gaining ground among all classes of the Irish people, but especially among the more educated. Irish history, Irish antiquities, and even the Irish language get more of the attention of the upper and middle classes in Ireland now than they ever got before. It seems almost a certainty that the ancient monument-defacing epoch has passed, or is rapidly passing away from a country to which it has been a disgrace so long. It is not enough that the Board of Works should continue to do the good work it has been doing for the last quarter of a century in the preservation of our ruins, it should prevent such outrageous bad taste as the erection of new buildings in the very centre of time-honoured monuments like those on the Rock of Cashel and on the Boyle river.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 17

27. Origin of the name Belfast from a river ford

    near Belfast · city · Antrim

    The name Belfast derives from Bel-feiriste, meaning the mouth or ford of the sand-bank (fearsad) formed by tidal currents at the mouth of the Lagan, which once served as a crossing point.

    Read the passage

    Belfast hardly figures at all in ancient Irish history or annals. It is a comparatively new place. It is first mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 1476, where it is said, "A great army was led by O'Neill against the son of Hugh Boy O'Neill; and he attacked the castle of Bel-feiriste, which he took and demolished, and then returned to his house." The name Belfast is a corruption of _Bel-feiriste_, or as it would probably be written in modern Irish, Beulfearsaide, the mouth or pass of the spindle. This seems nonsense, but the following, from Joyce's "Irish Names of Places," will explain it: "The word _fearsad_ is applied to a sand-bank formed near the mouth of a river by the opposing currents of tide and stream, which at low water often formed a firm and comparatively safe passage across. The term is pretty common, especially in the west, where these _fearsets_ are of considerable importance; as in many places they serve the inhabitants instead of bridges. A sand-bank of this kind across the mouth of the Lagan gave name to Belfast, which is called in Irish authorities Bel-feirisde, the ford of the _farset_; and the same name in the uncontracted form, Belfarsad, occurs in Mayo." The Irish name for a spindle is _fearsaid_; it also means a sand-bank, as described above, probably because the shape of such sand-banks is generally something like that of a spindle. According to the orthography of the Four Masters, whose spelling of place names is generally correct, _feiriste_ is the genitive singular of _fearsaid_; while in the name "Belfarsad," mentioned by Joyce, _forsad_ seems to be the genitive plural.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 23

28. The Norman Keep at Castletown

    Castletown · townland · Louth · 1150–1250

    A well-preserved Norman castle stands only a few hundred yards from Cuchulainn's dun, its architecture resembling the twelfth-century castle at Trim, with modern windows later inserted like Dunsochly Castle near Finglas.

    Read the passage

    The ancient name of the country round Dundalk was Muirimhne; but it has not been called by that name for some centuries. It appears to have been the patrimony of Cuchulainn; for in the tale, in the "Book of the Dun Cow," from which extracts have been given, Fann calls him, "Great chief of the plain of Muirimhne." He, probably, or the clan of which he was the head, owned all that part of northern Louth where the land is level, and up to the foot of the Cooley hills. All the County Louth is fairly studded with ruins of one sort or another. It is one of the most interesting counties in Ireland in an antiquarian point of view. It contains the remains of nearly thirty castles in almost all stages of preservation. One of the finest of them is only a few hundred yards from the _dun_ of Cuchulainn. It is not in the least ruined, but its architecture shows it to be one of the oldest castles erected by the Anglo-Normans in Ireland. Its style is almost exactly that of the castle at Trim, which we know was built before the end of the twelfth century. Like Dunsochly Castle, near Finglas, in the County Dublin, the one near Cuchulainn's _dun_ must have been inhabited at a comparatively recent date, for modern windows have been opened on its front. The only light that was admitted into those old castles was what came through the narrow slits in the walls, about three feet long and six or eight inches wide. These served the double purpose of letting in light and discharging arrows through them. It does not seem to be known by whom the very fine Norman Keep at Castletown, County Louth, was built. There are many larger castles of the same kind in different parts of Ireland, but there are not many of its age in such a good state of preservation. There is a church in the immediate proximity of the castle, and the exact date of its erection seems also unknown. It is in a state of almost utter ruin. The County Louth can boast of having been the birth-place of St Brigit. She was born at Fachart, only a few miles from Castletown, but it was in Kildare she spent almost all her life, and it was there she died and was buried.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 20

29. The Round Tower of Devinish Island

    Devenish · townland · Fermanagh · 563–1602

    One of Ireland's most ancient and perfect round towers stands on Devinish Island in the upper Loch Erne. A Christian church was founded there at an early date, with Molaise as its first abbot, and it was repeatedly plundered and burnt by Northmen.

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    One of the most ancient of Ireland's ancient round towers stands on Devinish Island, in the upper lake. It is one of the most perfect, if it is not one of the highest, round towers in the country. There would be no use in speculating on its age, for we are generally left completely in the dark as to the time of the erection of round towers. There are many allusions to them in Irish annals, but the time of the building of them is mentioned only in a few places. The first mention of Devinish by the Four Masters is in A.D. 721, telling of the death of one of its abbots. Devinish, spelled correctly, _Daimhinis_, means "ox island." A Christian church was erected on it at a very early date, probably during the lifetime of St Patrick, for we are told in ancient Annals that Molaise, who appears to have been the first abbot of the monastery that was there, died in 563. A Latin life of St Aeden says that Molaise "ruled many monks in an island in _Stagno Erne_, called Daimhinis by the Irish." It was plundered and burnt many times by the Danes, or some other Northmen, but almost devastated by them in 836, and at other times; it was burnt in 1157 and in 1360. It seems, not like Glendaloch, Monasterboice, and many other places that were abandoned at an early date, to have had a church or monastery on it until the beginning of the seventeenth century. The last mention of it by the Four Masters is under the year 1602.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 10

30. The view southward from Tara toward the Wicklow mountains

    Tara · parish · Meath

    The Hill of Tara offers a sweeping view westward over the fertile plain of Meath, anciently called Magh Breagh, and southward toward the Dublin and Wicklow mountains, which appear especially imposing from this vantage point.

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    The supreme attraction of Tara is its antiquity. It must not, however, be thought that a visit to this famous hill reveals no beauties. It is not situated among mountains; hardly a lake is visible from its summit: yet the view from it is so fine that if there was no historic interest attached to it, the tourist in search of the beautiful alone would have his eyes feasted with as fair a scene from one of its grassy ramparts as could be gazed on in any part of Ireland. Eastward the view is obstructed by the hill of Screen, but on every other side it is superb. Westward the eye ranges over the fairest and most fertile part of Ireland, the great plain of Meath and West Meath, anciently called _Magh Breagh_, or the fair plain. And fair indeed it is in summer time, one great green sea of grass and wild flowers, reaching to the Shannon, sixty miles away. But it is southward that the view from Tara is most striking. The Dublin and Wicklow mountains are more imposing when seen from Tara than from any other place. They rise in a vast, blue rampart, and seem so colossal as to appear thousands of feet higher than they are. Those old, barbaric Irish kings and chieftains must have been lovers of the beautiful, for they almost invariably fixed their strongholds not only in the fairest parts, but in places commanding the fairest prospects. There are hardly two other places in Ireland the surroundings of which are more beautiful than those of Tara and Uisneach, or from which fairer prospects are to be seen. They were, from far-back antiquity, the seats of those by whom the country was _supposed_ to be ruled, for it often happened that he who was styled chief king had but little control over his vassals.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 3

31. Alleged burning of Trim and monastery by Connor O'Melaghlin in 1108

    Trim · town · Meath · 1108

    Lewis' Irish Topography claims Trim was burned by Connor O'Melaghlin in 1108 with over two hundred people burned in the monastery, but the author notes this event appears in no authentic annals including the Four Masters or Annals of Ulster.

    Read the passage

    Trim Castle was built towards the close of the twelfth century by Hugo de Lacy, the greatest castle builder ever the Anglo-French produced. He built the great castle at Clonmacnois, which has been already described. He built another fine one in Carlow, and was building the castle of Durrow, in the King's County, when a young Irishman, who had evidently come prepared to kill him, struck off his head with a blow of an axe as he was stooping down to examine the work. If Hugo de Lacy had not been killed, he would certainly have built many more castles, not only in the English Pale, but throughout Ireland. But Trim Castle was the finest structure of its kind that he ever raised. Lewis' Irish Topography says that the Castle of Trim was built in 1220. This is just such a mistake as one would expect to find in books like it, Hall's, and others of their kind, which were written by persons almost wholly unacquainted with the history of the country about which they wrote, and entirely unacquainted with its language and native literature. Trim Castle must have been built before 1186, for Hugo de Lacy was killed in that year. The same extraordinary publication says that Trim was burned by Connor O'Melaghlin in 1108, and that over two hundred people were burned in the monastery. It would be interesting to know where Lewis got his information about this matter. He did not get it from any authentic source, for the annals of the Four Masters, the annals of Clonmacnois, the annals of Inisfallan, the annals of Ulster, and the _Chronicon Scottorum_ are all silent about it.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 12

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Trim, there's a claim that Connor O'Melaghlin burned the town in 1108, with over 200 people burned in the monastery. But the author checked every authentic source he could find, the annals of the Four Masters, Clonmacnois, Inisfallan, Ulster, and the Chronicon Scottorum, and none of them mention it. Lewis' Irish Topography, where the story comes from, also wrongly dated Trim Castle to 1220, when its builder Hugo de Lacy was already dead by 1186. De Lacy built Trim Castle towards the close of the twelfth century, and it was the finest structure of its kind he ever raised. He was the greatest castle builder the Anglo-French produced, but a young Irishman killed him at Durrow with a single blow of an axe, striking off his head as he stooped to examine the work.

32. Augustinian abbey at Cong founded in 1128, later endowed by Roderick O'Connor

    near Cong Abbey · ecclesiastical site · Mayo · 1128

    The standing abbey ruins at Cong were founded in 1128 by the Augustinians during the reign of Turloch O'Connor, and later endowed by his son Roderick, who ended his days there.

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    Irish annals tell us that the first religious establishment in Cong was founded by St Fechin in the year 624; but John O'Donovan says in a note in his translation of the Four Masters that Roderick O'Connor founded and endowed the Abbey of Cong. That a religious house of some kind was founded in it by St Fechin there can be no doubt at all, for up to a recent period it was known as Cunga Fechin, or Cong of Fechin. O'Donovan may have meant that Roderick O'Connor endowed and founded the abbey, the remains of which exist at present, for not a vestige of the original building founded by St Fechin remains. It was, like most of the very early churches and religious houses of ancient Ireland, built entirely of wood, and has consequently long ago disappeared. Cong was originally a bishopric. There were five bishoprics in the province of Connacht--namely, Tuam, Killala, Clonfert, Ardcharne, and Cong. The Synod that settled the question of the bishoprics of Connacht met at Rathbrassil, in what is now the Queen's County, in 1010. The abbey, the remains of which still exist, was founded in 1128 by the Augustinians, during the reign of Roderick O'Connor's heroic father, Turloch. Roderick subsequently endowed it, and ended his days in it. It is an interesting and suggestive fact that most of the great religious establishments of Ireland were not only founded but built in the material that now remains of them before the Anglo-French invasion, showing clearly that that event put a stop to almost everything that could be called progress. The invaders, although professing the same faith as the invaded, were much more anxious to build castles than churches. There was hardly a castle in Ireland before the time of Strongbow. This was not caused by ignorance of the art of building among the Irish, for some of the round towers and churches erected long before the time of Strongbow are as perfect specimens of architecture as were erected in any country at the same period. The native Irish king, or chief, was contented with a wooden house surrounded by an embankment, capped with a palisade of wood; but the Norman raised mighty edifices of stone to protect him from the wrath of those he had robbed.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 13

33. Bantry Bay, a fine but underused harbour

    near Bantry Bay · bay · Cork

    Bantry Bay is described as one of the finest natural harbours in Europe, though ships rarely enter it except to shelter from the fierce 'wild west wind' that batters this coast.

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    Bantry Bay is the first great sea loch of the south-western coast. It is one of the finest natural harbours in Europe, but, unfortunately, ships are seldom seen in it except when they take shelter from the "wild west wind," which blows on these storm-beaten shores with a fury hardly known anywhere else in the world. The whole of the coast of Kerry, up to the mouth of the Shannon, is a succession of the wildest and grandest scenery, with here and there land of only slight elevation, with level meads and pastures of perennial green. Still further north, we come to the mouth of the Shannon, which forms another very fine harbour. About twenty miles north of the Shannon the famous cliffs of Moher appear. There are higher isolated cliffs than those on the west coast, but there is no long range of cliffs so high. They average between six and seven hundred feet in perpendicular height above the sea. To be seen in all their grandeur they should be seen from the sea, but to be seen in all their terribleness, they should be seen in a storm. Such is the force of the west wind on these coasts, sweeping over three thousand miles of unbroken, islandless sea, that the waves sometimes break over the cliffs of Moher in spite of their nearly seven hundred feet of perpendicular height. In no other part of the world is the force of the sea, when driven before a gale from the west, more terrific than on the west coast of Ireland. Old men who lived close to this iron-bound coast on the night of the great storm of January 6, 1839, known over the most of Ireland as the "Night of the Big Wind," say that none but those who were near these coasts on that awful night could have even a faint idea of what the Atlantic is when a storm from the south-west drives it against the rocky barriers that seem to have been placed where they are to prevent it from overwhelming the whole island. They say that when some gigantic wave of millions of tons of water was hurled against these cliffs, the noise made was so loud that it could be heard miles inland above the roar and din of the storm; and that the very earth would tremble at every assault of the waves on those tremendous barriers to their fury.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

34. Confusion between Knock Aillinn and the Hill of Allen as Finn's seat

    Hill of Allen · hill or hills · Kildare

    The author argues that the similarity of the names Allen and Aillinn, and their proximity, led to an ancient confusion between the two hills as the site of Finn's household, with the physical remains at Knock Aillinn better matching descriptions of Finn's 'great-broad' residence than the tiny summit of Allen.

    Read the passage

    It would seem as if the two hills, Aillinn, or Knock Aillinn as it is now called, and Allen got confounded, and at an early date too. Allowing liberally for exaggeration and discounting tradition, one has to believe in the extent of Finn's house or palace, however rude and barbaric its arrangements may have been. He was the most powerful man in Ireland, more powerful even than the chief king. The fame of his household was spread abroad, not only over all Ireland, but all Scotland. This we know by the publication of the poems collected in the Highlands by the Dean of Lismore in the sixteenth century, and translated by the late Mr T. M'Lauchlan, and also from a host of other poems. They abound with allusions to Finn and his house and household, as does almost all the folk-lore of the Celtic-Scotch. One thing seems certain, that neither Finn nor his house or palace were myths; his house must have existed, and, like all places of its kind in the days when it existed, it must have been surrounded with an earthen rampart no less high than that to be seen on Knock Aillinn. But no vestige of house or rampart can be traced on the hill of Allen. A still greater difficulty meets one in the size of the summit of the hill. It is not much over half an Irish acre in extent, and where would there be room on such a limited space for the vast household of Finn? His residence was known from far-back times as "Almhuin riogha leathan mor Laighean," the kingly, great-broad Allen of Leinster; but no _dun_ or habitation situated on the narrow space on the top of the hill of Allen could be "great-broad;" but the existing remains on Knock Aillinn would suit the description almost exactly. We may be sure that if any man in Ireland in those days had a big house, it was Finn. The names Allen and Aillinn are so much alike, and both hills are so comparatively near each other, and both seem to have been abandoned as strongholds at such an early date, that confusion of one with the other could easily have taken place; besides, Finn's name does appear to be, in some measure at least, associated with Knock Aillinn. Here is a passage from the "Dinnseanchus" at page 162 of the "Book of Leinster." Treating of Knock Aillinn, these lines occur:--

    "Faichthi ruamand ruamnad rinn Co failgib flatha for Fhind."

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 8

35. Cork's Round Tower Destroyed, Only Foundation Remains

    Cork · city · Cork

    Cork once had a fine round tower of which nothing remains but the foundation, presumably destroyed by the Northmen. Every trace of the old church founded by St Finnbar has also vanished.

    Read the passage

    The antiquities of Cork have almost entirely disappeared. It suffered so much from the Northmen and was so often plundered and burned by them that it is not to be wondered at that so few of its ancient monuments exist. It had a fine round tower, of which nothing is left but the foundation. It was, presumably, the Northmen who destroyed it. Every vestige of the old church founded by St Finnbar has disappeared long ago. The fact that Cork was so often plundered by the Danes and other Northmen shows that it must have been an important place, at least in the matter of churches and monasteries. The Danes knew that wherever the largest religious establishments were the most wealth was. This is proved by history and annals telling us that Armagh, Kildare, Cork, Glendaloch, Downpatrick, Clonmacnois, and other important religious centres, were most frequently plundered by them. Just in proportion to the importance of a place in an ecclesiastical point of view, the more frequently it was plundered by the Danes. When they began their attacks on Ireland, they seem to have known, as well as the Irish themselves, where the principal wealth of the country would be found.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 24

    As the companion tells it

    Cork lost nearly all its ancient monuments to the Northmen, who plundered and burned the place so often that little survived. There was a fine round tower here, but nothing is left now except the foundation, and it was presumably the Northmen who destroyed it. Every trace of the old church founded by St Finnbar has vanished too. The Danes targeted the richest religious centres, and Cork was plundered as often as Armagh, Kildare, Glendaloch, Downpatrick and Clonmacnois, which tells you it held real wealth in churches and monasteries.

36. Fingall Named for Norse Settlers

    Fingal · administrative county · Dublin

    The flat, fertile country north of Dublin was known in ancient times as Fingall, so named because Norse Fionn Gall (fair-haired foreigners) settled there after they ceased plundering churches and monasteries.

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    There is beauty of a "truly rural" kind within half-an-hour's walk from the Dublin General Post Office, or from the centre of the city. Thackeray said in his "Irish Sketch Book," half a century ago, that it was curious how some of the streets of Dublin so suddenly ended in potato fields; but the potato fields Thackeray saw there are all covered with houses now. It is true, however, that on the north side of Dublin one gets into the real country by walking only a quarter of an hour from the city limits; no sham country of cabbage gardens, but real fields of grass and grain growing from soil of the most exuberant fertility. Trees and hedgerows abound; so do some of the best and most thrifty farmers in Ireland, who generally pay enormous rents for their land. The country north of Dublin is almost perfectly flat, while on the south side the mountains commence within a few miles of the city limits. But flat as the country north of Dublin is, it is one of the finest and most fertile parts of Ireland, and was known in ancient times as Fingall, because some _Finn Galls_, or fair-haired foreigners from Scandinavia settled in it when they ceased to plunder churches and monasteries. Those who prefer a flat, well-wooded, and very fertile country to a land of mountains and valleys, like that on the south side of Dublin, should see the plains of Fingall.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

37. Founding of Monasterboice

    Monasterboice · townland · Louth · 524

    Monasterboice was probably founded by Buite, from whom it takes its name, who died in the year 524, making it one of the oldest Christian sites in Ireland.

    Read the passage

    Monasterboice is one of the oldest places connected with Christianity in Ireland. Its foundation may have been as old as the time of St Patrick, for Buite, from whom it takes its name, and by whom it probably was founded, died in the year 524. There seems good reason to believe that "Buite" is the original form of the now very plentiful name "Boyd," but how Monaster Buite got twisted into Monasterboice is a mystery. The situation of this ancient place is not nearly so picturesque as that of Mellifont. There is no rushing river and no deep glen. Still the situation is good, and the country around very fine, and, like most parts of Louth, well cultivated. The peculiar glories of Monasterboice are its crosses and its round tower. There are three crosses, two in good preservation, but one was so broken that it had to be patched or fastened into solid stone work. It is most likely that it was purposely destroyed, for barbarians have done their best to cut down the great cross that stands in the same enclosure--the finest of all ancient Irish crosses. It must have taken days for a strong man with a heavy sledge-hammer to make such a deep indentation in the hard stone of which the cross is made. It was its extreme hardness that saved it from destruction and defacement. But hard as the stone of those crosses may be, it cannot resist the action of the elements, for the sculptures with which they are covered are now so effaced by time and weather, that they seem little more than masses of unintelligible tracings; but when those noble crosses were fresh from their makers' hands they must have been magnificent specimens of early Irish art.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 11

38. Ivy-choked Round Tower of Swords in danger of ruin

    Swords · town · Dublin

    The round tower at Swords, once one of the most perfect in Ireland, is being slowly destroyed by ivy that has been allowed to cover it completely, threatening its collapse.

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    Dublin and its vicinity are not quite so rich in antiquities as some other parts of Ireland. Very few traces of the old Danish city have been left. Its walls can be traced in some few places. But what sort of houses the people lived in can only be guessed at. They were probably, for the most part, built of wood; for it cannot be too often impressed on those who have a taste for antiquarian studies, that in ancient, and even what is generally known as mediaeval times, almost the entire populations of northern countries lived in houses of wood or of mud, and sometimes in houses made of both materials. For centuries after the art of building with stone and mortar was well understood, stone houses were rarely used by the masses either in towns or country places. They had stone-built churches and round towers, and sometimes castles, but the people lived in wooden or in mud houses. Dublin has more round towers in its immediate vicinity than any other Irish city. There are three of them within a few miles' distance. That of Clondalkin is on the Great Southern Railway; that of Lusk is on the Great Northern; and that of Swords is only seven miles from Dublin by road, and only two miles from Malahide Station on the Great Northern. All these towers are in a good state of preservation; but the one at Swords will soon be a ruin if the ivy, with which it has been foolishly allowed to become completely covered, is not removed from it. Ivy holds up for a time a building that is in a state of decay, but in the long run it is sure to ruin it completely; for when the ivy becomes strong enough, it forces its way between the stones, gradually displaces them, and the building then tumbles down. If it is the Board of Works that has charge of the Swords round tower, they are greatly to blame for allowing the ivy to be gradually but surely bringing it to certain ruin. If it is under the control of a private person, public opinion should compel him to have the ivy removed from what was not long ago one of the most perfect and best preserved of Irish round towers.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

39. Last historical mention of Glendaloch in 1163

    Glendalough · electoral division · Wicklow · 1163

    The last entry relating to Glendaloch in the Annals of the Four Masters occurs under the year 1163, after which it appears to have been abandoned as an ecclesiastical establishment, though the reason for this abandonment is unclear.

    Read the passage

    The last entry in the Four Masters relating to Glendaloch occurs under the year 1163. It appears to have been abandoned shortly after that date; but why it was abandoned as an ecclesiastical establishment when Danish raids and plunderings had ceased does not seem to be clearly known.

    Glendaloch has been thus lengthenedly treated on because it is the most interesting ecclesiastical ruin in the province of Leinster, Clonmacnois only excepted. Its strange and gloomy, yet romantic situation, its antiquity, its sad history of burnings and plunderings, the utter ruin that has overtaken most of its monuments, the halo of legend and romance that is around it, give it a charm even to the non-imaginative and the rude. For the archaeologist, the poet, the romancer, or the dreamer, it has attractions and charms greater, perhaps, than they could find on any other spot of Irish soil.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 9

40. Loch Ree's neglected beauty compared to Killarney

    near Lough Ree · lake or lakes · Westmeath

    The author describes Loch Ree as one of Ireland's most beautiful lakes, rivaling Loch Erne, yet almost unknown to tourists despite its central location and scenic charms.

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    Of all the great lakes of Ireland there is none so little known to tourists or the public in general as Loch Ree. It is the fourth in size, Loch Neagh, Loch Erne, and Loch Corrib being the only Irish lakes of greater extent, but none of them exceeds Loch Ree in beauty. Loch Erne is a noble sheet of water, and is adorned with many beautiful islands, but owing to its peculiar shape, one cannot take in all its charms from any point on its shores; but there are dozens of places on the banks of Loch Ree from which all its great expanse of water, and most of the charming features of the country that surrounds it, can be taken in at a single glance. If the shores of Loch Ree were mountainous it would be one of the most beautiful lakes, not only in Ireland, but in the world. It is strange that it is not more generally known, and it lying almost in the geographical centre of Ireland, and surrounded by some of the richest land and most beautiful _paysage_ scenery to be found anywhere. People rush to Killarney, Connemara, Achill and many other places, and almost totally neglect this noble expanse of the king of Irish rivers, the Shannon. It is the unfortunate commercial state of Ireland that has caused the scenery of the Shannon to be so little known. If there were dozens of thriving and populous towns on its banks, as there would be if it flowed through any other country than Ireland, large and commodious steamers would be plying on its waters, and the beauties of Loch Ree and Loch Dearg would be as well known as those of Windermere or Killarney. Nothing can more plainly show how fast Ireland is retrograding from even the very mediocre trade she enjoyed half a century ago than the fact that the passenger steam-boats that used to ply almost daily in the summer season between Carrick-on-Shannon or Lanesboro' and Killaloe have long ceased to run, and are now rotting somewhere on the Lower Shannon. The decline in the population, and the consequent decline in trade, became so great that it was found that the money taken did not pay more than seventy per cent. of even the working expenses of those steamers, and they had to stop running. The writer travelled in one of them more than thirty years ago between Athlone and Killaloe. They were large side-wheel steamers that would carry over one hundred passengers, and on which excellent meals could be obtained at a moderate price. There is probably not in Europe a more generally interesting river than that from Athlone to Killaloe, but it is now practically closed, not only to tourists, but to the public in general, for a passenger steamer has not traversed the Upper Shannon for well-nigh thirty years. It is no wonder, then, that the glories of Loch Ree, with its almost countless islands, and the glories of Loch Dearg, with its mountain-girded shores, are now nearly as unknown to tourists and to the Irish public in general as are the reaches of the Congo or the Niger. It is simply heartrending to think that decline of population and general decay have made the mighty waters of the Shannon, that runs almost from one end of Ireland to the other, an almost lifeless stream, for the few little row-boats and sailing smacks one sees on it would not, all told, hold more people than the life-boats of a single Atlantic steamer. Bad as things are, they seem to be getting worse, for there is hardly a single town or city on the Shannon that is not declining in trade and population. At the rate things are going on, a turf boat will soon be the only sort of craft to be seen on the waters of Ireland's greatest river! It is, however, cheering to be able to state that there is good reason to believe that steps are being taken to re-establish a line of passenger steam-boats on the Upper Shannon.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 4

41. Small churches despite Clonmacnois's historic importance

    Clonmacnoise · townland · Offaly

    Despite being one of the most frequently mentioned ecclesiastical establishments in Irish annals, only three small church ruins survive at Clonmacnois, the largest called the Cathedral. The author speculates that wooden churches, since destroyed by fire, may account for the discrepancy with its historic importance.

    Read the passage

    The first thing that strikes the stranger who sees Clonmacnois for the first time is the extraordinary view from it over the largest extent of callow meadows to be seen in any part of Ireland. It must not be thought that these meadows are mere bogs, for some of the finest hay is raised on them. The grass that grows on them must be of a fairly good quality, for they let at from L5 to L6 per Irish acre, the purchaser having to save the hay, and run all the risk attending the making it in land so liable to be flooded. Not infrequently, the taker of meadow on the vast flats that border the Shannon between Loch Ree and Loch Derg, will awaken some fine morning and find all his small cocks of hay afloat, sailing placidly southward, and more likely to find their way to Killaloe than to his haggard. The second thing that will strike the observant stranger in Clonmacnois is the small size of the churches. That it was one of the most important ecclesiastical establishments in ancient Ireland there cannot be any doubt, for it is more frequently mentioned in ancient Irish history and annals than any other place of its kind in the country. Yet the largest church in it, the ruins of which exist, would not, by any stretch of imagination, accommodate more than three or four hundred worshippers. There are the ruins of but three churches existing in Clonmacnois; the largest of them is called Cathedral, the two smaller ones can hardly be called churches. They must have been oratories, and would not combined contain over two hundred persons. When Clonmacnois was in its most prosperous condition--that was in the early part of the ninth century, or about the time when the Danish invasions were heaviest and most harassing--Ireland must have been a very populous country. There are so many proofs of this in ancient Gaelic annals and literature that it may be regarded as a fact. How, then, did it happen that the churches in Clonmacnois were so small? This is a question that cannot be answered fully. It may be that what now remains of its churches is of comparatively recent origin, and may not have been erected until the decadence of the population had commenced at the time of the Danish invasions, which decadence became more and more pronounced down to the latter part of the sixteenth century. Or it may have been that there were large wooden Churches in Clonmacnois in ancient times, not a vestige or trace of which would be found after fire had done its work on them.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 7

42. The Great Rapids of Doonass on the Shannon

    Doonass · townland · Clare

    The rapids of Doonass, about ten miles below Killaloe and three miles from Limerick, form one of the grandest and most beautiful river scenes in the British Isles, yet remain little known despite their proximity to Limerick.

    Read the passage

    No lover of the beauties of nature should be on this part of the Shannon and not visit the great rapids of Doonass. They are only about ten miles below Killaloe. If seen when the river is full they are the grandest thing of their kind in the British Isles. The Shannon here looks like a continental river, containing ordinarily a volume of water greater than any river in France. The country round Doonass, though flat, is superlatively beautiful. The limpid, rushing river flows on among meadows and pastures of the brightest verdure, adorned with stately trees, and bright in summer-time with innumerable flowers. There is nothing terrible or awe-inspiring about Doonass. It is quiet and peaceful in the true sense of the word. Even the great rushing river, as it glides down the gentle slope of the rapids, makes no noise except a deep, musical murmur that would lull to sleep rather than startle. The rapids of Doonass form a scene so incomparably lovely, and so unlike anything to be seen in Great Britain, or to be seen in any other part of Ireland, that it is a wonder they are not better known. They can be reached best from Limerick, being not over three miles from that city. One of the most curious things about those grand and beautiful rapids, is the almost total ignorance which exists about them, not only in Great Britain, but in Ireland itself. If they were situated on a wild, hard-to-be-got-at part of the Shannon, the general ignorance that exists about them among seekers after the beautiful, would not excite so much wonder. A scene of such great beauty and uniqueness, so near a fine and interesting city like Limerick, to be so little known to those who go so far in search of the beautiful, shows how much the world at large, and even the Irish themselves, have to learn about Ireland. If the rapids of Doonass were in England, or even in the United States, there would be not only one, but perhaps three or four hotels on their banks,--hotels which would be full of guests every summer. Let us hope that the beauties of this charming place will be soon better known.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 14

43. The McDermott stronghold on Loch Key island

    near Lough Key · lake or lakes · Roscommon

    An island in Loch Key held a stronghold of the McDermotts, chieftains of Moylurg, likely a wooden crannog structure extending onto piles, since it needed to hold many people and could burn quickly.

    Read the passage

    No one should visit Boyle and its grand ruins and not see the two very beautiful lakes that are near it, Loch Key and Loch Arrow. Loch Key is not over a mile from the town, and Loch Arrow not more than three. The very fine domain of Rockingham may be said to be almost surrounded by Loch Key. It was on an island in this lake that the McDermotts, chieftains of Moylurg, had a stronghold. The island has a castle on it at present, but, seen from the shore, both island and castle appear very small. The fortress the McDermotts had on the island must have been a sort of _cranniog_, or wooden castle, like so many that have been discovered both in Ireland and Scotland in the tracks of dried-up lakes. Those _cranniogs_ were sometimes built entirely on piles, and sometimes on islands, with extensions on piles if the water was not too deep. This last must have been the kind of fortress the McDermotts had on Loch Key, for it must have been much larger than the present island, and must have been large enough to give space to a multitude of people to assemble on it. We read in the annals of Loch Key of the following awful catastrophe that happened on it in 1184: "The Rock of Loch Key was burned by lightning--_i.e._, the very magnificent, kingly residence of the Muintir Maolruanaigh (the McDermotts) where neither goods nor people of all that were there found protection; where six or seven score of distinguished persons were destroyed, along with fifteen men of the race of kings and chieftains, with the wife of McDermott ... and every one of them who was not burned was drowned in that tumultuous consternation in the entrance of the place; so that there escaped not alive therefrom but Connor McDermott with a very small number of the multitude of his people." The same catastrophe is mentioned by the Four Masters, but under the year 1187. This account of the burning of the castle, or, as the annalist calls it, a residence, shows that it was a wooden structure, for it would hardly have been possible to burn a building of stone so quickly that the people in it would not have had time to escape, even if it were on an island.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 17

44. Castle Built at Galway, 1124

    Galway · city · Galway · 1124

    The Annals of the Four Masters first mention Galway in 1124, recording that the men of Connacht erected a castle there.

    Read the passage

    Galway is one of the most modern of the Irish provincial capitals. It does not figure at all in ancient annals. The first mention of it in the annals of the Four Masters is under the year 1124, when it is stated that the men of Connacht erected a castle in Galway. The first mention of it in the annals of Loch Key is under the year 1191, when it is stated that the river Gaillimh, from which the town takes its name, was dried up. The cause of this phenomenon is not stated. Galway was at one time a place of considerable wealth and trade. It was, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the port to which most of the Spanish wine destined for Ireland used to come; and it is generally believed that a Spanish type of features can still be noticed on some of its inhabitants. But whatever mercantile prosperity Galway enjoyed some centuries ago, very little of it unfortunately remains; for of all Irish towns the decrease of its population has been the most terrible. In 1845 it contained very close on 35,000 inhabitants, in 1891 it had only 14,000! It is painful to walk in the outskirts of the town and pass through whole streets in which nothing remains save the ruins of cottages. Galway ought to be a prosperous place, for it is situated on a noble bay that forms a spacious harbour, sheltered from the fury of the Atlantic by the Isles of Arran. It is pleasant to be able to state that the condition of this once fine city is improving.

    [Illustration: OLD HOUSES IN GALWAY.]

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 25

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Galway, you are in a city that does not appear in the ancient annals at all. The first mention of it comes in 1124, when the Annals of the Four Masters record that the men of Connacht erected a castle here. The next notice comes from the annals of Loch Key under the year 1191, which states that the river Gaillimh, the name the town takes from, dried up. No cause is given for that. In the 15th and 16th centuries Galway was a place of considerable wealth and trade. It was the port to which most of the Spanish wine destined for Ireland used to come, and it is generally believed that a Spanish type of features can still be noticed on some of its inhabitants. Whatever mercantile prosperity it enjoyed in those centuries, very little of it remained in later times. Of all Irish towns, the decrease of its population was the most terrible. In 1845 it contained close to 35,000 inhabitants, and by 1891 it had only 14,000. It is painful to walk through the outskirts and pass whole streets where nothing remains save the ruins of cottages. Galway sits on a noble bay that forms a spacious harbour, sheltered from the fury of the Atlantic by the Isles of Arran. The condition of this once fine city is improving.

45. Excavation of the ruined nunnery at Clonmacnois

    Clonmacnoise · townland · Offaly · 1860–1867

    The ruins of the ancient nunnery, located a quarter mile from the churchyard on land belonging to a Mr Charlton, were excavated about thirty years before the book's writing under the supervision of the Protestant Bishop of Limerick, uncovering fine sculptured stonework buried by earlier destroyers.

    Read the passage

    There are the remains of only three churches extant in Clonmacnois; but we know from authentic annals and history that there were nearly a dozen churches in it at one time. What became of them, or where they stood, cannot now be known. Many of them were, probably, wooden churches, and, when once destroyed, left no trace. The ruins of the ancient nunnery are distant nearly quarter of a mile from the churchyard, on the grounds of a gentleman named Charlton. It is only about thirty years ago since an attempt was made to clear away the rubbish in which they were buried, and to try if any of the sculptured stones could be recovered. The excavations were made under the supervision of the Protestant Bishop of Limerick. Sculptured stone-work of the highest order of art was dug up from many feet under the surface where the destroyers had buried it. Visitors to Clonmacnois will not have any difficulty in seeing the ruins of the nunnery, for Mr Charlton willingly permits visitors to see them. It is not only curious, but hopeful and pleasant, to find people of the same religious belief altering so much for the better as time rolls by. Whilom Protestant men and a whilom Protestant Government did all they could in the seventeenth century to turn Clonmacnois into a heap of ruins, almost as void and as shapeless as those of Babylon; but Protestant men and a Protestant Government in the nineteenth century have done everything in their power to save it from further decay, and to dig up its sculptured stones from the dust in which ancient Protestant fanaticism and bigotry had buried them.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 7

46. Flann of Monasterboice, noted scholar and annalist

    Monasterboice · townland · Louth · 1000–1099

    Flann of Monasterboice, who flourished in the eleventh century, was one of the most noted literary men of medieval Ireland and is considered one of the most truthful and correct of Irish annalists.

    Read the passage

    Monasterboice became a ruin many centuries before Mellifont; the latter continued to be a Catholic religious establishment down to the time of Elizabeth, but Monasterboice seems to have been abandoned in the twelfth or thirteenth century. The last notice of it, or any one connected with it, by the Four Masters, is under the year 1122, when they record the death of Fergna, "a wise priest." What caused this famous establishment to be abandoned, or at least to cease to be mentioned in Irish annals at such an early period, seems enveloped in a good deal of mystery. It was plundered more than once by the Danes, and it may be that any wooden buildings it contained were burnt by them and never re-erected, for, like Clonmacnois, what remains of its two churches shows them to have been so small that they could not accommodate any large number of persons. Being so near Mellifont may also have led to its abandonment when the latter place became one of the greatest religious houses in Ireland. If Monasterboice was not so large as Mellifont, its abbots and professors seem to have been greater scholars and harder workers than those of the great monastery. Flann of Monasterboice was one of the most noted literary men of ancient, or rather of mediaeval, Ireland, for he flourished in the eleventh century. He is considered one of the most truthful and correct of Irish annalists, and has left behind him important works that have been preserved to the present day.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 11

47. Newtown Abbey founded by Simon Rochefort in 1206

    Newtown Abbey · street · Meath · 1206

    The Abbey of Newtown, whose ruins stand on the banks of the Boyne close by Trim, was founded in 1206 by Simon Rochefort, Bishop of Meath, the first Englishman known to have held such high ecclesiastical office in Ireland after the invasion.

    Read the passage

    The country round Trim is most interesting and full of ruined fanes. The church of Trim was believed to contain an image or picture of the Virgin, at which we are told many and extraordinary miracles were performed. Trim was a sort of Irish Lourdes in the middle ages, to which the sick and suffering used to go in multitudes. There was also the Abbey of Newtown, the ruins of which still stand on the banks of the Boyne close by Trim. It was founded in the year 1206 by Simon Rochefort, Bishop of Meath, the first Englishman that is known to have had so high an ecclesiastical position in Ireland after the invasion. The ruins of Bective Abbey are only a few miles up the river from Trim, in a beautiful situation on the banks of the "clear, bright Boyne," as the old Gaelic poets loved to call it. Bective was founded for the Cistercian order by O'Melachlinn, King of Meath, about the middle of the twelfth century. It is a beautiful ruin, and in a beautiful locality.

    There is, perhaps, no part of Ireland more interesting to the antiquarian, the historian, or the lover of rich landscapes than the valley of the Boyne. That little stream is the most historic waterway in Ireland. Its name occurs oftener in Irish history and legend than that of any other river. On its banks are to be seen the pre-historic tumuli of New Grange and Dowth, the oldest monuments of pre-historic civilisation that have yet been discovered on Irish soil. The Boyne may be said to be the river of Tara, for it flows almost at the foot of that hill so celebrated in Irish history, legend, and song.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 12

48. Round Tower, Cross and Stone-Roofed Church at Kells

    Kells · town · Meath

    Kells possesses one of the finest round towers in Ireland, a very ancient cross, and a still more ancient stone-roofed church, marking it as a place of great historic interest despite its unremarkable surroundings.

    Read the passage

    Kells, the ancient name of which was Ceannanus, and the one by which it is still known in Irish, is one of the most ancient towns in Ireland. According to Irish annalists it was founded by an over-king called Fiacha, 1203 years B.C. If its situation and environs are of no great beauty, it is yet a place of great historic interest. It can boast of the possession of one of the finest round towers in Ireland, a very ancient cross, and a still more ancient stone-roofed church. If there are no mountains or romantic scenery round Kells, it has the advantage of being situated in the midst of the most generally fertile of Irish counties. It is on the river Blackwater, a tributary of the historic Boyne. Nothing can exceed the fertility of the land round Kells; but that does it no good, for the land is almost all in grass, the rural population sparse, and consequently, of very little outside support to the town. But Kells is no worse off than the other towns of Meath. It is, as far as soil is concerned, the richest county in Ireland, but its towns are either in a state of absolute decay, or at a standstill. There is hardly any tilled land in the county; its herds are large, and its population consequently declining. Where cattle abound, people are generally scarce.

    For those who visit Kells merely to see the wondrous luxuriance of its grassy environs, the best thing they can do is to ascend the hill of Lloyd, which is close to the town, and go to the top of the tower that crowns the summit of the hill. It is over a hundred feet high, with a winding flight of stairs, and a turret on top, capable of containing a dozen people. The view from the tower is very fine, and will well repay those who see it. Almost the whole of Meath, Louth, Cavan, and parts of other counties can be seen. The tower was built more than a hundred years ago by the first Earl of Bective. It is sometimes called "Bective's Folly," because it serves for nothing except giving a fine view to those who ascend it. It is generally known as the tower of Lloyd.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 19

    As the companion tells it

    Coming through Kells, the old town whose Irish name is Ceannanus, you pass one of the finest round towers in Ireland, a very ancient cross, and a still more ancient stone-roofed church. Irish annalists say the town was founded by an over-king called Fiacha, 1203 years before Christ. It stands on the river Blackwater, a tributary of the Boyne, in the middle of Meath, the richest soil in Ireland but a county where grass has driven out people. There is hardly any tilled land, the herds are large, and the population is declining. Close to the town is the hill of Lloyd, crowned by a tower over 100 feet high with a winding stair and a turret on top holding a dozen people. It was built by the first Earl of Bective more than 100 years ago and is sometimes called "Bective's Folly" because it serves no purpose except the view. From the top almost all of Meath, Louth, Cavan, and parts of other counties can be seen.

49. The Beauty of Carlingford Lough

    near Carlingford Lough · estuary · Louth

    Carlingford Lough, a few miles from Dundalk, is described as among the finest coastal sights in Ireland, rivalled only by Clew Bay and a few others.

    Read the passage

    There are few parts of Ireland more beautiful than the country round the ancient _dun_ of Cuchulainn, and few parts less generally visited by tourists. Carlingford Loch is only a few miles from Dundalk, and except Clew Bay, and one or two others, there is nothing finer on all the coasts of Ireland. But the grandest and most striking scenery in this part of the country are the Mourne mountains in the County Down. There are higher mountain ranges in Ireland, but there are not any more bold, or more truly Alpine. Seen from the central parts of the County Louth, they and the Cooley mountains seem to form a continuous range of "sky-pointing peaks," forming one of the finest, if not the very finest, mountain view in Ireland. The ancient name of the Mourne mountains was the Beanna Boirche. They were called the Mourne mountains from being in a territory anciently called Crioch Mughorna. It gave a title to Lord Cremorne, from whom, it is generally believed, the Cremorne Gardens in London derive their name. It has to be admitted that, in this instance, the Anglicised form of the name is the more euphonious.

    The County Louth, and all that part of the County Down bordering on it, have not had their due share of attention from those who go in search of the picturesque and beautiful. Although the direct route between the two largest cities in Ireland, northern Louth and southern Down are not at all known as well as they should be. There are, even in Kerry or Connemara, few places in which finer views of mountain, bay, and plain can be had, and all within less than two hours by rail from Dublin or Belfast. And as for antiquities, no county of its size in Ireland possesses so many as Louth.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 20

50. The Dargle Glen and Powerscourt Waterfall

    near Powerscourt Waterfall · waterfall · Wicklow

    The Dargle, an oak-glen chasm two or three hundred feet deep near Bray, and the nearby Powerscourt Waterfall, where a river leaps nearly three hundred feet into a valley of thick primeval oak, are described as unmatched beauty spots close to Dublin.

    Read the passage

    One great charm of the country around Dublin, like one of the great charms of Killarney, is its diversity. There are mountain, bay, woodland, and river. There is a variety of scenery in the immediate vicinity of Dublin such as cannot be found so near any other European capital, and such as not even Naples itself can boast of. Great indeed is the difference in the style of scenery between the cliffs of Howth and the green lanes of Clontarf, although both places are hardly more than four miles apart. To go a few miles further from the city, Bray is reached. It is only twenty-five minutes by train from Dublin. There one finds himself almost within a gunshot of some of the most picturesque and peculiar scenery in the world. The Dargle and Powerscourt Waterfall are in the same locality. They are gems of loveliness that surpass anything of their kind in these islands. Even Killarney has nothing like them. Their very smallness adds to their charms. The Dargle is exactly what its name, _Dair-gleann_, signifies, an oak-glen. It is a chasm some two or three hundred feet deep, every inch of the sides of which is covered in summer-time with some sort of tree, shrub, or flower. In its depths laughs or murmurs a limpid stream that can rarely be noticed, such is the thickness and luxuriance of the trees and shrubs that overhang it. Powerscourt Waterfall is close by the Dargle. The river that forms it leaps down a rock nearly three hundred feet in height, into a valley of brightest verdure, covered with a thick growth of primeval oak-trees. An enchanting spot--which it is gross folly to attempt to describe--in a land of towering hills and flower-crowned rocks. Its wildness, winsomeness, and loveliness must be seen in order to form anything like a just idea of it. And all within about twelve miles of Dublin!

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

51. The remote, ivy-clad ruins of Boyle Abbey

    Boyle Abbey · monument · Roscommon

    Boyle Abbey is described as one of the finest ecclesiastical ruins in Ireland, situated on the banks of the Boyle river over a quarter mile from the town. Its walls are covered in exceptionally thick and luxuriant ivy, and its gardens' walls still stand sound.

    Read the passage

    The ruins of Boyle Abbey are very fine. The monastery was a large one, one of the largest in Ireland, and was surrounded on almost every side with extensive gardens. The walls of many of those gardens still remain, and seem as sound as they were when first built. The ruins of the Monastery, and the ruins of its adjoining buildings, are covered with the most luxuriant growth of ivy to be seen on any ruins in Ireland. The thickness of its stems, and the size and deep green of its leaves, are remarkable. This extraordinary growth of ivy must eventually tumble down the walls. It may preserve them for a time, but will destroy them in the long run. But without its ivy and its limpid river, the ruined Monastery of Boyle, grand and interesting as it is, would lose a great deal of its attractions.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 17

52. Iniscealtra, the Island of Churches, founded by St Cainin

    Iniscealtra · street · Tipperary · 548–653

    Iniscealtra on Loch Derg's western shore was one of the most important ecclesiastical sites in southern Ireland, founded by St Cainin who died in 653. It contains a round tower traditionally attributed to St Senanus, and ruins of St Cainin's, St Mary's, and St Michael's churches.

    Read the passage

    Loch Derg is full of interest for the antiquarian, especially its lower part. One of the most ancient and important ecclesiastical establishments of ancient Ireland, Iniscealtra, the island of the churches, is on its western shore, close to the land, separated from it only by about a quarter of a mile of water. Iniscealtra was one of the most important places of its kind in the south of Ireland. It was founded by St Cainin certainly not later than the end of the sixth or beginning of the seventh century, for he died in 653. John O'Donovan in his unpublished letters says that he is represented in ancient Irish literature as "A very holy man, a despiser of the world, and an inexorable chastiser of the flesh. He is said to have been author of commentaries on the Psalms. He was buried in Iniscealtra." There is a fine round tower in Iniscealtra which is traditionally supposed to have been built by St Senanus. It is eighty feet in height, and in fairly good preservation, but it wants the top. The ruins of St Cainin's Church show it to have been a small building. There are the ruins of two other churches on the island, one called St Mary's and the other St Michael's. The establishments on Iniscealtra are of very great antiquity. It is first mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 548, recording the death of St Colam in the island. The oldest church in it was dedicated to St Cainin, who was evidently the founder of the place, and the first who sought it as a retreat. He is said to have lived for a long time in a solitary cell, until the fame for holiness he acquired brought an immense number of disciples, for whom he erected a noble monastery in the island, which afterwards became famous. The ruins of St Cainin's Church prove that it must have been a very beautiful building. It was thought by Petrie and other antiquarians that it and the very beautiful one of Killaloe were erected during the short time in the tenth and eleventh centuries when Brian Boramha and Malachy the Second, by their victories over the Danes, gave the country some rest from the plunderings of those marauders.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 14

53. Howth Hill-Promontory

    Howth · townland · Dublin

    Howth is described as a hill-promontory jutting into Dublin Bay, over five hundred feet high and about three miles across, glowing crimson and gold with furze and heath in autumn, with views reaching to the Mourne Mountains and Wales.

    Read the passage

    Then there is Howth on the north side, and only nine miles from Dublin, one of the most wonderful spots of earth for its size in Europe. It is a hill-promontory that juts out into nearly the middle of the bay, about three miles in width and nearly the same in length. It is over five hundred feet high, and in autumn is a pyramid of crimson and gold; for wherever there are not trees or cultivation, there are furze and heath. A place of wondrous beauty of its own, in no way like the Dargle or Powerscourt. From the summit of Howth there is one of the most enchanting and extensive views conceivable, reaching north to the Mourne Mountains and east to Wales. And all this about nine miles from Dublin! Yet with all these glories at her very feet, Dublin is still the Cinderella among the capitals of Europe.

    There is beauty of a "truly rural" kind within half-an-hour's walk from the Dublin General Post Office, or from the centre of the city. Thackeray said in his "Irish Sketch Book," half a century ago, that it was curious how some of the streets of Dublin so suddenly ended in potato fields; but the potato fields Thackeray saw there are all covered with houses now. It is true, however, that on the north side of Dublin one gets into the real country by walking only a quarter of an hour from the city limits; no sham country of cabbage gardens, but real fields of grass and grain growing from soil of the most exuberant fertility. Trees and hedgerows abound; so do some of the best and most thrifty farmers in Ireland, who generally pay enormous rents for their land. The country north of Dublin is almost perfectly flat, while on the south side the mountains commence within a few miles of the city limits. But flat as the country north of Dublin is, it is one of the finest and most fertile parts of Ireland, and was known in ancient times as Fingall, because some _Finn Galls_, or fair-haired foreigners from Scandinavia settled in it when they ceased to plunder churches and monasteries. Those who prefer a flat, well-wooded, and very fertile country to a land of mountains and valleys, like that on the south side of Dublin, should see the plains of Fingall.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

54. St Fechin founds first religious house at Cong in 624

    near Cong Abbey · ecclesiastical site · Mayo · 624

    Irish annals record that the first religious establishment at Cong was founded by St Fechin in 624, and the place was long known as Cunga Fechin, or Cong of Fechin, though no trace of the original wooden building remains.

    Read the passage

    Irish annals tell us that the first religious establishment in Cong was founded by St Fechin in the year 624; but John O'Donovan says in a note in his translation of the Four Masters that Roderick O'Connor founded and endowed the Abbey of Cong. That a religious house of some kind was founded in it by St Fechin there can be no doubt at all, for up to a recent period it was known as Cunga Fechin, or Cong of Fechin. O'Donovan may have meant that Roderick O'Connor endowed and founded the abbey, the remains of which exist at present, for not a vestige of the original building founded by St Fechin remains. It was, like most of the very early churches and religious houses of ancient Ireland, built entirely of wood, and has consequently long ago disappeared. Cong was originally a bishopric. There were five bishoprics in the province of Connacht--namely, Tuam, Killala, Clonfert, Ardcharne, and Cong. The Synod that settled the question of the bishoprics of Connacht met at Rathbrassil, in what is now the Queen's County, in 1010. The abbey, the remains of which still exist, was founded in 1128 by the Augustinians, during the reign of Roderick O'Connor's heroic father, Turloch. Roderick subsequently endowed it, and ended his days in it. It is an interesting and suggestive fact that most of the great religious establishments of Ireland were not only founded but built in the material that now remains of them before the Anglo-French invasion, showing clearly that that event put a stop to almost everything that could be called progress. The invaders, although professing the same faith as the invaded, were much more anxious to build castles than churches. There was hardly a castle in Ireland before the time of Strongbow. This was not caused by ignorance of the art of building among the Irish, for some of the round towers and churches erected long before the time of Strongbow are as perfect specimens of architecture as were erected in any country at the same period. The native Irish king, or chief, was contented with a wooden house surrounded by an embankment, capped with a palisade of wood; but the Norman raised mighty edifices of stone to protect him from the wrath of those he had robbed.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 13

55. Bective Abbey founded by O'Melachlinn for the Cistercians

    Bective Abbey · monument · Meath · 1150

    Bective Abbey, a few miles up the Boyne from Trim, was founded for the Cistercian order by O'Melachlinn, King of Meath, about the middle of the twelfth century, and stands as a beautiful ruin in a beautiful locality.

    Read the passage

    The country round Trim is most interesting and full of ruined fanes. The church of Trim was believed to contain an image or picture of the Virgin, at which we are told many and extraordinary miracles were performed. Trim was a sort of Irish Lourdes in the middle ages, to which the sick and suffering used to go in multitudes. There was also the Abbey of Newtown, the ruins of which still stand on the banks of the Boyne close by Trim. It was founded in the year 1206 by Simon Rochefort, Bishop of Meath, the first Englishman that is known to have had so high an ecclesiastical position in Ireland after the invasion. The ruins of Bective Abbey are only a few miles up the river from Trim, in a beautiful situation on the banks of the "clear, bright Boyne," as the old Gaelic poets loved to call it. Bective was founded for the Cistercian order by O'Melachlinn, King of Meath, about the middle of the twelfth century. It is a beautiful ruin, and in a beautiful locality.

    There is, perhaps, no part of Ireland more interesting to the antiquarian, the historian, or the lover of rich landscapes than the valley of the Boyne. That little stream is the most historic waterway in Ireland. Its name occurs oftener in Irish history and legend than that of any other river. On its banks are to be seen the pre-historic tumuli of New Grange and Dowth, the oldest monuments of pre-historic civilisation that have yet been discovered on Irish soil. The Boyne may be said to be the river of Tara, for it flows almost at the foot of that hill so celebrated in Irish history, legend, and song.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 12

    As the companion tells it

    Right here beside the road are the ruins of Bective Abbey, standing on the banks of the Boyne a few miles up the river from Trim. O'Melachlinn, King of Meath, founded this house for the Cistercian order about the middle of the twelfth century. The old Gaelic poets loved to call the river the 'clear, bright Boyne,' and the abbey sits in a beautiful situation on its banks. It is a beautiful ruin in a beautiful locality. The Boyne is the most historic waterway in Ireland, its name occurring oftener in history and legend than any other river, with prehistoric tumuli at Newgrange and Dowth on its banks and Tara standing near its course.

56. Clare Island guarding Clew Bay

    Clare Island · electoral division · Mayo

    Clare Island rises almost like a mountain, some fifteen hundred feet above sea level, stretching across the mouth of Clew Bay and sheltering it from the Atlantic while adding greatly to its beauty.

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    North of the bay rises that most symmetrical of Irish mountains, Croagh Patrick, or the Reek, as it is frequently called. It seems to have been made to order, it is so regular and at the same time so graceful and grand in its outlines. There are few mountains of its height that look so high as Croagh Patrick. It is somewhat less than three thousand feet high, but owing to its symmetry and its steepness it looks higher and more imposing than many mountains of double its altitude. Exactly at the mouth of the bay, stretching almost straight across it, and almost completely shutting it in from the Atlantic, rises the great mass of Clare Island, making the bay a safe harbour as well as adding in a most extraordinary degree to its beauty. Clare Island is almost a mountain; its highest point cannot be less than fifteen hundred feet above the sea level, and it rises sheer from the water. It is almost as beautiful an object as Croagh Patrick itself. The hills on the north side of the bay are rather tame, but the beauty of the famous Reek is such that almost any other mountain would appear tame in comparison with it. The number of islands in Clew Bay is said to be three hundred and sixty-five--one for every day in the year. There seem not to be any exact details as to the number of these islands, but it cannot be much less than the number stated. They seem so numerous as to be uncountable. The reason that those wishing to see this wondrous bay at its best are advised to see it when the tide is full is because all the islands do not appear at low water. This is certainly a defect, but no sea loch looks so well at low water as when the tide is full. The citizens of Dublin know what a difference the tide being in or out makes in the appearance of their own magnificent bay. But in Clew Bay the difference in its appearance caused by the tide being full or low is much greater than in the bay of Dublin, for the reason that has been already stated. However much the difference the state of the tide may make in Clew Bay, it is beyond all doubt the most beautiful bay, not only in Ireland, but in all those countries known as the British Isles.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

57. Killaloe and St Flannan's Church

    near Killaloe · townland · Clare · 600–700

    Killaloe, named for the ecclesiastic Dalua, is the site of St Flannan's church, described by the Earl of Dunraven as a venerable ruin on a wooded hill above the Shannon. Flannan, Dalua's disciple, became Bishop of Killaloe in the seventh century.

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    At the extreme lower end of Loch Derg is the small but ancient town of Killaloe. Its real name is Cill Dalua, it was called after an ecclesiastic of the name of Dalua, sometimes written Malua, who lived in the sixth century. He placed his disciple, Flannan, over the church. He was made Bishop of Killaloe in the seventh century. The church is known generally as St Flannan's. The Earl of Dunraven, speaking of the beauty of the ruins of this church and the buildings attached to it, says, "These ancient buildings are on a wooded hill which slopes in a gentle incline down to the brink of the Shannon. The cathedral and small stone-roofed church stand side by side, and the walls of the latter are thickly covered with ivy. Nothing can be more impressive than the aspect of this venerable and simple building, surrounded by majestic trees, and hidden in deep shadows of thick foliage. A solemn mystery seems to envelop its ancient walls, and the silence is only broken by the sound of the river that rolls its great volume of water along the base of the hill on which it stands."

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 14

58. The Grand View of Dublin Bay from Howth

    Howth · townland · Dublin

    Dublin Bay is best seen from the south-west side of the hill of Howth, where its background of mountains and woodland creates a view of extraordinary beauty, memorably praised by a visiting Scotch mechanic.

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    Its bay is the great scenic attraction round Dublin. It cannot be seen to real advantage but from the south-west side of the hill of Howth. The bay has very few islands, but its background of mountains on one side and woodland on the other is so wonderfully fair, that were there myriads of islands to be seen, they could hardly add to the wondrous beauty of the view. What a Scotch mechanic said about the view of Dublin Bay from the high land on the south-west of Howth the first time he was there will give the reader a better idea of Dublin Bay than a whole chapter of descriptions, and loses nothing by being expressed in the strong doric of the north: "Ech, mon, I seed mony a bonny sicht in Scotland, but this beats a'." There are many who think the view from Killiney Hill finer than that from Howth. The view from the former takes in Sorrento Bay, which is in reality part of the Bay of Dublin that can hardly be seen from Howth, and also takes in many valleys in Wicklow and plains in the interior that are not visible from Howth. It is not easy to say which of the views is the finer; but either is worth travelling not only ten miles, but a hundred miles, afoot to see.

    In describing the beauties of Dublin Bay, it cannot be out of place to give the finest poetic address to it that was ever written. It will be new to most English and many Irish readers. The poem is by the late D. F. M'Carthy:--

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

59. Ancient church ruins on Inchagoill island

    Inchagoill · townland · Galway

    On the bleak island of Inchagoill are the ruins of what antiquarians consider one of the oldest churches ever erected in Ireland, along with the ruins of a second, evidently much later, church on the same island.

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    There are the ruins of what antiquarians think are those of one of the oldest churches ever erected in Ireland, on the bleak island of Incha-goile. There are also the ruins of another church on the same island; but judging from the extremely archaic architecture of the one first mentioned, it must be many centuries older than the other. Both churches must have been very small.

    But although the lower part of Loch Corrib cannot boast of much scenic beauty, its upper part is magnificent. It thrusts its sinuous arms up into the wildest recesses of the Joyce Country, and among mountains of fantastic forms. The Joyce Country, _Duthaigh Sheoghach_ in Gaelic, has ever been remarkable for the gigantic size of its men. There have been scores of Joyces who were from six feet four to six feet six in height, and stout in proportion. There are still some of its men of immense size. It is said that not so very long ago a giant Joyce was going home from a fair or market, and that a faction of ten men who were not on perfectly friendly terms with him, followed him to beat or perhaps kill him. Joyce had no weapons or means of defence of any kind, so he unyoked the horse from the cart or dray on which he was riding, tore it to pieces, armed himself with one of its shafts as a "shillelagh," and awaited his enemies; but they seem not to have liked being hit with the shaft of a cart and retreated. Those who like can believe or not believe this story. It is given as the writer heard it from a very respectable gentleman who knew Joyce.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 13

60. Flann Harries Munster from Killaloe to Cork

    near Killaloe · townland · Clare · 847

    In 847 the over-king Flann harried the province of Munster from Killaloe to Cork, an attack by an Irish overking rather than the Danes.

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    The earliest notice of Cork that appears in Irish annals is in the still unpublished "Annals of Inisfallen," where it is stated, under the year 617, that "In this year died Fionnbarre, first bishop of Cork, at Cloyne. He was buried in his own church at Cork." Under the year 795, the following curious entry occurs in the same annals:--"In this year the Danes first appeared cruising on the coast [of Ireland] spying out the country. Their first attacks were on the ships of the Irish, which they plundered." The same annals say that Cork, Lismore, and Kill Molaise were plundered by the Danes in the year 832, and that in 839 they burned Cork; and that in 915 they plundered Cork, Lismore, and Aghabo. They also state that in 978 Cork was plundered twice, presumably by the Danes. The _Chronicon Scottorum_ says that Cork was also plundered by the Danes in 822. It was so often plundered by them that it is hardly to be wondered at that the annalists should not have been able to keep account of every time it was harried by the Northmen. But the Danes were not the only parties by whom the south of Ireland suffered, for we read in the Four Masters, that in the year 847 Flann, over-king of Ireland, for what reason does not appear, harried Munster from Killaloe to Cork. They say also that a great fleet of foreigners (Northmen) arrived in Munster in 1012 and burned Cork. They were, however, defeated by Cahall, son of Donnell. This fleet had evidently come to Cork for the purpose of making a diversion in the south of Ireland, so that the great Danish army, whose headquarters were in Dublin, and who contemplated the entire conquest of the country, should not have the men of Munster to oppose them. The Danish army that came to Cork in 1012 (the correct date seems to be 1013), were not able to give any assistance to their countrymen at the battle of Clontarf by making a diversion in Munster, for it would appear that they were wholly destroyed. There is no record in the Irish annals of the Danes making any attack on Cork after the battle of Clontarf.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 24