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. Loch Sheelin's beauty seen from Oldcastle

   near Lough Sheelin · lake or lakes · Cavan

   Loch Sheelin, bordered by Longford, Meath, Cavan and Westmeath, is noted for its wooded, indented shores, especially beautiful when viewed from the hills near Oldcastle in Meath, and is associated with Moore's melody 'Come, rest in this Bosom.'

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   The next most important of the Westmeath lakes is Loch Sheelin, but as three other counties--Longford, Meath, and Cavan--border it, it cannot be strictly called a Westmeath lake. However, as it is so close to the very picturesque sheets of water which are the chief scenic attractions of the county they adorn, it has been thought best to include it when describing them. Loch Sheelin has only a few islands, but its shores, although low, are very well wooded. Seen from the hills in the vicinity of Oldcastle in Meath, it is as fair a sight as can well be imagined, with its wood-crowned, indented shores. If there are fairer lakes in Ireland than Loch Sheelin, there are few that have a more beautiful name. It is euphony itself. Its name is the original one of Moore's sweet melody, "Come, rest in this Bosom." It has often been said, "What's in a name?" There is a great deal. A name so beautiful as Loch Sheelin would give a certain charm to a bog hole. It must be confessed that Celtic, of all European languages, seems to contain the most sonorous place names. Such names as Bassenthwaitewater, Ullswater, Conistonwater, Derwentwater, Thuner See, and Zuger See, sound very tame compared with Loch Lomond, Loch Erne, Loch Awe, Loch Ree, Loch Layn, and Loch Sheelin. There is, however, one continental place-name of wonderful beauty of sound, and that is Lorraine. Its German name is Lothringen, but the French, by eliding its consonants, or by what is generally called aspiration in Gaelic grammar, have turned the harsh German name into one of the most euphonious and beautiful in the world.

   Loch Iron and Loch Lene, pronounced Loch Layne, are small sheets of water, but are well worth a visit, even from those who are neither fishers of fish nor of men. The country all round the Westmeath lakes is as beautiful as it is possible for any country to be in which there are neither mountains nor waterfalls. It is never flat, and never uninteresting, covered almost everlastingly with verdure, for although most of the county is hilly, it is one of the most fertile in Ireland. Its still, clear lakes, undulating surface, and rich soil, make it, even in the absence of mountains (and, unfortunately, in the absence of good hotels in its small towns and villages), one of the most picturesque of the counties of Leinster.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 18

2. Lough Swilly, the longest sea loch

   near Lough Swilly · estuary · Donegal

   Loch Swilly in Donegal is noted as the longest sea loch in Ireland, over twenty-five miles following its windings from mouth to head, and described as a beautiful but little-visited lake.

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   The whole of the coast of Donegal is magnificent. There is no other cliff on it as high or as grand as Slieve League, but there are hundreds of places along its nearly a hundred miles of iron-bound, storm-beaten coast that are well worth seeing. It has nothing like Clew Bay, but it has gigantic cliffs, narrow arms of the sea, some of which are nearly as wild and as grand as the famous Killary Bay that has already been described. There may be certain places in the more southern coasts that are finer and fairer than anything on the coasts of Donegal with the exception of Slieve League, but for general wildness and cliff scenery there is hardly any sea-coast county in Ireland can equal it. It has the longest sea loch in the island on its coast--namely, Loch Swilly. Following its windings from its mouth to where it begins must be over five and twenty miles. It is a beautiful lake also, and hardly known at all to tourists, and never can be known until better means are supplied for seeing it from a steamer on its waters. The "wild west coast" may be said to end at the mouth of Loch Swilly. From there eastward it is the northern coast. There is much of the grand, beautiful, and curious to be seen on the northern coast from Inishowen to Fair Head, including the celebrated Giant's Causeway, and "high Dunluce's castle walls." The latter have been already described.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

3. River Gaillimh Dries Up, 1191

   Galway · city · Galway · 1191

   The Annals of Loch Key record that in 1191 the river Gaillimh, from which Galway takes its name, dried up, though the cause is not stated.

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   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, the city takes its name from a river that once ran here, the Gaillimh. The Annals of Loch Key record that in 1191 that river dried up, though they give no cause. The same annals first note the place in 1124, when the men of Connacht erected a castle here. Galway later grew wealthy on Spanish wine trade in the 15th and 16th centuries, and some say a Spanish look still lingers in the faces of its people. Its fortunes fell hard. In 1845 it held close on 35,000 people, but by 1891 only 14,000 remained, and whole streets of cottage ruins stood on the outskirts. It sits on a noble bay sheltered from the Atlantic by the Isles of Arran, and the old books say its condition was beginning to improve.

4. St Patrick's church foundation at Trim in 432

   Trim · town · Meath · 432

   According to the most authentic annals, St Patrick founded a church at Trim as early as 432, with Bishop Ere the first name mentioned in connection with it afterward.

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   If de Lacy's gigantic castle had never been built in Trim, it would still be an historic place. According to the most authentic annals, St Patrick founded a church there as early as 432, and Bishop Ere is the first name that is mentioned in connection with it after that of St Patrick. Trim continued to be an important place on account of its castle and its Church of St Mary's, until the time of Cromwell. It was strongly garrisoned by the Royalists; but after hearing of the taking of Drogheda, and the shocking massacre committed there, the garrison surrendered. Only one gable of the old Church of St Mary's remains. Judging by the great height of the part that remains, the Church must have been a very large one. The exact date of the building of the church or monastery to which the still-standing tower or steeple belonged, is not known with certainty, but it could not have formed part of the original one erected in the time of St Patrick.

   The most celebrated place in the immediate vicinity of Trim is Dangan Castle, where the Duke of Wellington is said by some to have been born. When Dangan passed out of the Duke's family, it was inhabited by a person who let it go partially to ruin. It was burned early in the present century, and is now an unsightly ruin. It is curious that there should be such doubt about the birth-place of one who made such a figure in the world as Wellington. Some say he was born in Dangan Castle; some say he was born in Dublin; but the people of Trim maintain that he was born in their town. The last time the writer was in Trim he was shown the house in which the Duke was said to have been born. He was told by a truthful and respectable resident of Trim that the Duke's mother had started from Dangan on her way to Dublin so that she might have the best medical aid during her expected accouchement, but having been taken ill when she got as far as Trim, she took lodgings in the town, and that it was there the Duke of Wellington was born. The exact truth about the matter will probably never be known.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 12

   As the companion tells it

   As you pass through Trim, you are travelling through one of Ireland's oldest Christian sites. According to the most authentic annals, St Patrick founded a church here as early as 432. After Patrick himself, the first name connected with the church is Bishop Ere. Trim remained important for centuries because of its castle and the Church of St Mary's, right up until the time of Cromwell. The town was strongly garrisoned by the Royalists, but after they heard of the taking of Drogheda and the shocking massacre committed there, the garrison surrendered. Only one gable of the old Church of St Mary's remains standing today, and judging by its great height, the church must have been a very large one. The exact date of the building to which the surviving tower or steeple belonged is not known with certainty, but it could not have formed part of the original church erected in St Patrick's time. The people of Trim also maintain that the Duke of Wellington was born in their town. They say his mother had started from Dangan Castle on her way to Dublin for medical aid, but fell ill when she reached Trim and took lodgings there. Some say he was born in Dangan, others in Dublin, but the exact truth will probably never be known.

5. The Botanic Gardens of Glasnevin

   Glasnevin · townland · Dublin

   The Botanic Gardens of Glasnevin are described as the most interesting and beautiful in Europe, prized principally for the charming locality with its murmuring river, shaded walks, and deep glens rather than merely their plant collection.

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   But it is in its environs that Dublin stands ahead of all the capitals in Europe, or, perhaps, of any other city of equal size in any country. Because the beauties around Dublin were not described in the first chapters of this work does not imply that they are much inferior to what may be seen in other parts of the country. There is nothing like the Lakes of Killarney in the environs of Dublin, and Dublin Bay is hardly equal to Clew Bay; but barring those two gems of scenic loveliness, it is questionable if there is, for beauty alone, leaving sublimity aside, anything in Ireland that surpasses the immediate environs of Dublin, without going further north than Howth, or further south than Bray. Every inch of the country round Dublin has some peculiar scenic charm of its own. The Botanic Gardens of Glasnevin are the most interesting and beautiful in Europe; not so much for the care that has been taken of them, or the quantity and variety of the plants that are in them, but principally on account of the charming locality in which they are situated. It is not meant to be implied that they are not well taken care of, or that their collection of plants is not both rare and large. What is meant is that had they the rarest and largest collection of plants to be seen in any gardens in the world, they would not have the same attraction were they situated in a less picturesque locality. If ever there was a place made to spend a hot summer day in, it is these gardens, with their murmuring river, their shaded, sunless walks, their gigantic trees and deep glens. The place where the flower gardens of Glasnevin are would still be beautiful if there wasn't a flower in it.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

   As the companion tells it

   Somewhere close to Glasnevin are the Botanic Gardens, which a writer in Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland called the most interesting and beautiful in Europe. He said their appeal lay not chiefly in the variety of plants but in the charm of the place itself, with its murmuring river, shaded sunless walks, gigantic trees and deep glens. As he put it, the spot where the gardens stand would still be beautiful if there wasn't a flower in it.

6. Ancient names of Boyle

   Boyle · town · Roscommon

   The ancient name of Boyle was Ath da laarg, meaning 'ford of two forks,' though the river there is easily fordable today; the town's other old name was Buil, thought to mean handsome or beautiful.

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   The ancient name of Boyle was _Ath da laarg_, that is, the "ford of two forks." It is not easy to understand why such a curious name should have been given to it, for the river at Boyle, even in time of floods, is fordable, and has usually not over six or eight inches of water in it. It has, however, been proved that the rivers of Ireland, and probably of most other countries, had much more water in them in ancient times than at present. The other name for Boyle was _Buil_, whence Boyle. The word _Buil_ is entirely obsolete. It is supposed to mean handsome or beautiful. The Monastery, of which the ruins exist, was founded in 1161 by Maurice O'Duffy, a noted ecclesiastic of the period, but it is known that a smaller and more ancient monastery occupied the site on which the larger one was built at the date mentioned. Boyle Abbey was an offshoot of the great Abbey of Mellifont in the County Louth, that had been founded some twenty years before the Abbey of Boyle. Both abbeys belonged to the Cistercian order; and it would appear that so many monks flocked to Mellifont that accommodation could not be made for them all there, so the Abbey of Boyle was erected for them. The "Annals of Boyle," known also as the "Annals of Loch Ce, or Key," say that the Church of Boyle was consecrated in 1220; but that the church was built in 1161 there seems no reason to doubt. The Four Masters mention it under the year 1174. Their last mention of it is under the year 1602, and it must have been abandoned very soon after. It was granted to Sir John King in 1603, when it must have ceased to be a monastery.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 17

7. Cong Abbey never plundered by the Danes

   near Cong Abbey · ecclesiastical site · Mayo

   No record exists in the Annals of the Four Masters or the Annals of Loch Key of Cong Abbey ever being plundered by the Danes, suggesting it held little wealth during the ninth and tenth centuries before the O'Connor family's rise.

   Read the passage

   The Abbey of Cong was never plundered by the Danes; if it was, no record of its having been plundered is to be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, or in the Annals of Loch Key. This fact of Cong not having suffered from the Danes would seem to show that it did not contain much wealth during the ninth and tenth centuries, when the maraudings of the Norsemen were at their worst. If the Abbey of Cong was worth plundering, it is hard to conceive how it could have been spared by them. It is probable that the church founded there by St Fechin was very small, and that the establishment became important only when the O'Connor family rose to prominence in the province, for it was richly endowed by Turloch and by Roderick O'Connor, both of whom claimed to be chief kings of Ireland.

   [Illustration: CROSS OF CONG.]

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 13

8. Dunleary Renamed Kingstown

   Kingstown · townland · Dublin

   The ancient place name Dunleary was changed to Kingstown, an example of the widespread alteration of Irish place names.

   Read the passage

   It has been said that almost everything connected with Irish history and topography is peculiar. The truth of this can hardly be doubted. If the ancient Irish were a non-Aryan race, the strange phases of their history and the abundance of Irish place names might not strike us as so curious. But it is well known that the Irish are Aryans, and that they are substantially the same people as the ancient Britons were; yet nothing in the history of England or of Great Britain will satisfactorily account for the fewness of place names in the latter country as compared with Ireland. British, but especially English, place names are, in a vast majority of cases, either of Saxon, Norse, or Celtic origin. Their fewness as compared with Irish place names is what strikes a native of Ireland with astonishment. There are probably as many place names in a single Irish province as there are in the whole of England. The townland nomenclature of Ireland is almost unknown in England. The names of all the townlands in Ireland can be seen in the Government Survey of 1871. They number, exclusive of the names of cities, towns, and villages, about 37,000. But it is only the place names that mean human habitations, places erected by men, and where men dwelt, that shall be mentioned here. Let five denominations of place names suffice to show their immensity--namely, _ballys_, _kills_, _raths_, _duns_ and _lises_. The first means towns or steads; the second, churches or cells; and the three last mean fortified habitations of some kind. Of _ballys_ there are 6700, of _kills_ 3420, of _lises_ 1420, of _raths_ 1300, and of _duns_ 760, making altogether 13,600 place names meaning habitations of some kind. But this is not the half of them! The place names in the subdivisions of townlands are not mentioned at all. There is a parish in Westmeath in which there are three place names beginning with _rath_, and three with _kill_, none of which is mentioned in the printed list of townlands. Multitudes of names in which some one of the five words mentioned is included have been translated or changed; just as Ballyboher has been made Booterstown, and Dunleary made Kingstown. Many place names in which _bally_, _kill_, _dun_, _rath_, and _liss_ occur are not included in the numbers given, for very often the adjective goes before the noun, as in such names as Shanbally, Shankill, Shanlis, Shandun, &c. Taking everything into consideration, it would seem fair to estimate that not more than half the place names formed from the five words that have been mentioned appear in the printed list of Irish townlands; then we have the astounding total of over _twenty-seven thousand_ place names in Ireland formed from five words that mean human habitations.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 27

9. Loch Gill near Sligo

   near Lough Gill · lake or lakes · Kerry

   Loch Gill, called the queen of Connacht's fresh water lakes, lies close to the sea and is connected to it by a short river passing through Sligo town; it is praised for its beauty despite having few islands.

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   The country in the vicinity of Sligo is one of the most interesting and beautiful in Ireland. Close to it is the famous Loch Gill, the queen of the fresh water lakes of Connacht. It is so near the coast that it is not improper to say something about it in treating of the scenery of the coast. It is connected with the sea by a river only a few miles in length that passes through the town of Sligo, consequently it is only three or four miles in a direct line from the sea. There is no other large fresh water lake in Ireland, except Loch Corrib, so near the sea as Loch Gill. It is fully ten miles in extreme length, and from three to four in breadth. Its shores cannot be said to be mountainous, but the hills around it are so bold, and their lower parts are so well wooded, that Loch Gill, in spite of its having comparatively few islands, is yet one of the most beautiful lakes in Ireland, and no one in search of the beautiful should omit to see it. There is no other town in Ireland that has more objects of scenic and archaeological interest in its vicinity than Sligo. There is the immense cairn on top of Knocknarea, sixteen hundred feet above the level of the sea. There are four or five other immense cairns close to the town, and there is the extraordinary mountain of Ben Bulben, anciently Ben Gulban, that is shaped like a gigantic rick of turf. It is a couple of miles long, and some sixteen hundred feet above the level of the sea. Its summit is perfectly flat. It can be ascended in a carriage from the south side; but on the north side, facing the sea, it is not only perpendicular, but overhangs its base in some places. If not the highest or most beautiful mountain in Ireland, it is certainly the most extraordinary.

   Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

   As the companion tells it

   As you pass near Lough Gill, you're beside what one writer called "the queen of the fresh water lakes of Connacht." It lies close to the sea, connected to it by a river only a few miles long that passes through Sligo town, so it's just three or four miles in a direct line from the coast. No other large freshwater lake in Ireland except Loch Corrib sits so near the sea. The lake is fully ten miles in extreme length and from three to four in breadth. Its shores are not mountainous, but the hills around it are bold and their lower parts well wooded, so that despite having comparatively few islands, it remains one of the most beautiful lakes in Ireland. The country around Sligo holds more objects of scenic and archaeological interest than almost any other town in Ireland. There is the immense cairn on top of Knocknarea, sixteen hundred feet above sea level, and four or five other immense cairns close to the town. There is also Ben Bulben, anciently Ben Gulban, shaped like a gigantic rick of turf, a couple of miles long and sixteen hundred feet high with a perfectly flat summit. From the south it can be ascended in a carriage, but on the north side facing the sea it is not only perpendicular but overhangs its base in some places.

10. O'Donovan's assessment of the Holycross ruins

    Holycross · townland · Tipperary

    Antiquarian John O'Donovan visited the ruins of Holycross Abbey and found the choir and side chapel beautifully built but judged the nave and side aisles poor, dating the newer portion to about four centuries old.

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    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."

    The sepulchral monument that was erected to the memory of Elizabeth, daughter of Gerald, Earl of Kildare, who died about the year 1400, is considered one of the most chaste, remarkable, and beautiful things of its kind in Ireland. If nothing remained of Holycross but this remarkable monument, it would be well worth a visit.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 15

11. Ruins of Hoar Abbey near the Rock of Cashel

    Hore Abbey · ecclesiastical site · Tipperary · 1200–1299

    The ruins of Hoar Abbey, also called St Mary's Abbey, stand close to the Rock of Cashel and are believed to have been founded by the Benedictine order in the thirteenth century.

    Read the passage

    The ruins of Hoar Abbey, or St Mary's Abbey, as it is sometimes called, are situated close to the Rock, but not on it. It is believed to have been founded by the Benedictine order in the thirteenth century.

    Cashel is interesting in almost every way. There is a magnificent view from its ruin-crowned rock over some of the fairest and most fertile land in Ireland. Nor is a mountain view wanting, for the Galtees, the second highest range of mountains in Ireland, are visible, and a noble range they are, not rounded lumps like so many of the Wicklow Hills, but steep, sheer, cloud-piercing heights,--Alps in miniature. It is a pity that the town, or rather the city, of Cashel is not larger and more thriving. It may have been, like Glendaloch and Kildare, much larger in early Christian times than it is at present, but there does not seem to be any statement of the fact in any of the old Gaelic books, so far as is known to the writer. But whatever may have been the past history of the city of Cashel, no one in search of the picturesque, the unique, or the historic in Ireland should fail to see its Rock. It is said that when Scott visited Ireland he was more impressed by the Rock of Cashel than by anything else of its kind that he saw in the country.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 9

12. The cliffs of Minnaun on Achill

    Minnaun · minor feature · Mayo

    The Minnaun Cliffs on the southern side of Achill Island rise seven hundred feet, higher on average than the Cliffs of Moher, though not perfectly vertical; their steep sea faces are inaccessible even to the wild goats of Achill.

    Read the passage

    Going north from Clew Bay the next most interesting and wild spot is the island of Achill, and the grandest things there are the cliffs of Minnaun and Slieve More. As we are going north, Minnaun Cliffs, which are on the southern side of Achill, must be spoken about first. They are seven hundred feet in height, and will, therefore, average higher than the cliffs of Moher in the County Clare, but they do not rise perpendicularly from the sea as those of Moher do. But their sea sides are so steep as to be quite inaccessible even to the wild goats which still haunt the cliffs of Achill. The cliffs of Minnaun are magnificent, but if they rose sheer from the sea they would form a much more grand and impressive sight.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

    As the companion tells it

    Right here are the Minnaun Cliffs, on the southern side of Achill Island. They rise seven hundred feet, so they average higher than the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, though they do not rise perpendicularly from the sea as those do. Their sea faces are so steep as to be quite inaccessible, even to the wild goats which still haunt the cliffs of Achill. They are magnificent, but if they rose sheer from the sea they would form a much more grand and impressive sight.

13. Ballyboher Renamed Booterstown

    Booterstown · townland · Dublin

    The place name Ballyboher was translated or changed over time into Booterstown, illustrating how Irish-language names were altered under English influence.

    Read the passage

    It has been said that almost everything connected with Irish history and topography is peculiar. The truth of this can hardly be doubted. If the ancient Irish were a non-Aryan race, the strange phases of their history and the abundance of Irish place names might not strike us as so curious. But it is well known that the Irish are Aryans, and that they are substantially the same people as the ancient Britons were; yet nothing in the history of England or of Great Britain will satisfactorily account for the fewness of place names in the latter country as compared with Ireland. British, but especially English, place names are, in a vast majority of cases, either of Saxon, Norse, or Celtic origin. Their fewness as compared with Irish place names is what strikes a native of Ireland with astonishment. There are probably as many place names in a single Irish province as there are in the whole of England. The townland nomenclature of Ireland is almost unknown in England. The names of all the townlands in Ireland can be seen in the Government Survey of 1871. They number, exclusive of the names of cities, towns, and villages, about 37,000. But it is only the place names that mean human habitations, places erected by men, and where men dwelt, that shall be mentioned here. Let five denominations of place names suffice to show their immensity--namely, _ballys_, _kills_, _raths_, _duns_ and _lises_. The first means towns or steads; the second, churches or cells; and the three last mean fortified habitations of some kind. Of _ballys_ there are 6700, of _kills_ 3420, of _lises_ 1420, of _raths_ 1300, and of _duns_ 760, making altogether 13,600 place names meaning habitations of some kind. But this is not the half of them! The place names in the subdivisions of townlands are not mentioned at all. There is a parish in Westmeath in which there are three place names beginning with _rath_, and three with _kill_, none of which is mentioned in the printed list of townlands. Multitudes of names in which some one of the five words mentioned is included have been translated or changed; just as Ballyboher has been made Booterstown, and Dunleary made Kingstown. Many place names in which _bally_, _kill_, _dun_, _rath_, and _liss_ occur are not included in the numbers given, for very often the adjective goes before the noun, as in such names as Shanbally, Shankill, Shanlis, Shandun, &c. Taking everything into consideration, it would seem fair to estimate that not more than half the place names formed from the five words that have been mentioned appear in the printed list of Irish townlands; then we have the astounding total of over _twenty-seven thousand_ place names in Ireland formed from five words that mean human habitations.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 27

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here, the old Irish name Ballyboher was changed over time into Booterstown. The source notes it as an example of how multitudes of Irish place names were translated or altered, just as Dunleary became Kingstown. Ireland carries a vast number of such names built from a handful of Irish words for human habitations. The 1871 Government Survey listed about 37,000 townland names, excluding cities, towns and villages. Of those beginning with the five common elements, bally, kill, rath, dun and liss, there were 6,700 ballys, 3,420 kills, 1,420 lises, 1,300 raths and 760 duns, totalling 13,600, and the author reckons that is not even half, since many subdivisions go unrecorded. The sheer density surprises a native of Ireland, who notes there are probably as many place names in a single Irish province as in the whole of England. Booterstown, then, is one small case of a broad reshaping of the Irish landscape's names under English influence.

14. Death of Fergna recorded at Monasterboice, 1122

    Monasterboice · townland · Louth · 1122

    The last notice of anyone connected with Monasterboice by the Four Masters is under the year 1122, recording the death of Fergna, described as a wise priest.

    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

15. Hawthorns of the Phoenix Park

    Phoenix Park · electoral division · Dublin

    The Phoenix Park in Dublin is noted for having more hawthorns in blossom than any equal area of ground in these islands or continental Europe.

    Read the passage

    It has been said that the gentle and refined are ever fond of flowers. If this be so, the gentle and refined ought to be very plentiful in Dublin and its environs, for in no other part of this planet known to man are there as many wild flowers to be seen so near a great city as in the environs of Dublin. This statement is made in sober earnestness, and with absolute certainty as to its truth. It may be asked, if this is so, how is it to be accounted for? It is easy of explanation. To begin, Ireland is, _par excellence_, the land of wild flowers because of its moist, mild climate and generally rich soil. Sunlight, when it is the burning sunlight of southern climes, is death to flowers. Dublin enjoys a milder climate than any city in Great Britain, although not so mild as Cork or some other Irish southern cities. It is only a few miles from the mountains on the south of Dublin to Howth on the north. Between Howth and the mountains, if the whole of the mountains of Wicklow are counted and taking inequalities of surface into account, for government surveys always mean level surfaces, there are every autumn at least a hundred thousand acres of wild flowers within half a day's journey of Dublin. It may be said that these wild flowers are nearly all of one species--heath. That is true; but heath, or heather as it is more frequently called, is a wild flower, and one of the most beautiful that grows. The reason the Irish mountains produce so much more heath than those of Great Britain is because they are less rocky and more boggy, and are in a milder climate. The mountains of Wales, being so stony, have hardly any heath on them. Then there is the furze or gorse, as it is generally called in England. Heath and gorse bloom side by side over thousands of acres in Howth and on the Dublin and Wicklow mountains. Then there is the hawthorn. Where in these islands, or on the continent of Europe, are there as many hawthorns to be seen on an equal space of ground as in the Phoenix Park, Dublin? Let those who have seen them in their snowy glory of white blossoms in the early summer answer. But there are still other flowers that do certainly bloom in greater luxuriance, and are more plentiful round Dublin than round any other city in these islands--one of these is laburnum. Florists have said that nowhere else does it bloom with such luxuriance as around the Irish capital. Dublin is indeed seated in a flowery land, for it is well known that even the rich soil of Ireland produces more wild flowers than the rich soil of Great Britain. It is true that not only the flora but the fauna of Ireland are less numerous in species than those of Great Britain. There are a great many species of flowering plants that are common in the larger island but unknown in the smaller one except in gardens. It is not easy to account for this; but if there are fewer indigenous flowering plants in Ireland than in Great Britain, the former country produces those that are natural to it in much greater abundance than the latter. The reason of this is easily understood. It is because the climate of Ireland is milder and moister than that of Great Britain; and it is probable that the soil is of a different quality in Ireland. But one thing is certain, that not in England or in any European country are there such a quantity of wild flowers to be seen as in Ireland. It is not alone on Irish bogs and mountains that wild flowers are more abundant than in most other countries, for the most fertile soil in Ireland, the best fattening land, generally grows wild flowers in such abundance that pastures become parterres.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 22

    As the companion tells it

    You're passing through Phoenix Park now. A writer in the Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland asked where in these islands or on the continent of Europe there are as many hawthorns on an equal space of ground as here, and answered his own question by pointing to these trees in their snowy glory of white blossoms in the early summer. He traced the abundance to Ireland's mild, moist climate and rich soil, which he said produce wild flowers in greater profusion than anywhere in Great Britain or any European country.

16. Loch Arrow, the forgotten lake near Boyle

    near Lough Arrow · lake or lakes · Sligo

    Loch Arrow, four miles from Boyle, is a beautiful but little-known lake surrounded by wooded islands, promontories, and neat peasant homesteads, yet remains largely forgotten by the wider world.

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    Loch Arrow is the least known of all the beautiful lakes of Ireland, and beautiful it is in very nearly the highest style of beauty. There are no mountains round Loch Arrow, and none to be seen from its waters; but its numberless attractions in the way of wooded islands, bold promontories, and swelling shores render it one of the lovely lakes of Ireland; and yet, few, except those living in its immediate vicinity, know anything about it, or have ever heard of it. The land near it seems to be, for the most part, in the hands of small farmers; and neater or more attractive peasant homesteads cannot be found in any part of Ireland than on the banks of Loch Arrow. It is not more than four miles from Boyle; and small as it is, not more than five miles long, and from two to two and a half miles broad, it is a gem of a lake that seems to be forgotten by the world.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 17

17. Ruined Round Tower of Drumbo

    Drumbo · townland · Down

    The round tower at Drumbo, County Down, about five miles from Belfast, survives only as a ruin of about thirty feet in height.

    Read the passage

    Belfast and its environs cannot be said to be very rich in monuments of antiquity. There are, however, two round towers not far from it; one at Antrim, some fifteen miles away, in excellent preservation; and one at Drumbo, in the County Down, about five miles from the city. The last is in a ruined condition--not much more than thirty feet of it remains. But Belfast can boast of the most extraordinary monument of antiquity of its kind in Ireland being in its immediate vicinity. This is the vast _rath_ known as the Giant's Ring. There is nothing in Ireland so fine as it. The _rath_ on the summit of Knock Aillinn, in the County Kildare, which has been already described in the article on that hill, is much larger, and encloses three times the space; but the earthen ramparts are not nearly so high as those of the Giant's Ring. The space enclosed by this gigantic rath is seven statute acres. When standing in the centre of this ancient fortress, nothing is seen but the sky above and the vast earthworks all around. The centre is as level and almost as smooth as a billiard table, and exactly in the centre stands a cromlech. Old men living in the locality say that the ramparts were for many years planted with potatoes. This must have reduced their height by many feet; but they are still nearly, if not quite, twenty feet high. Like most ancient raths, it has two entrances, one exactly opposite the other. It would give ample room to a population of some thousands, and was evidently an ancient city. But one of the most extraordinary things connected with the Giant's Ring is that annals, history, and legend are silent about it. So far, there seems to be no more known about those who built the Giant's Ring than about the builders of the temples of Central America. It is the same with many of the vast Cyclopean forts along the west coast, of which the Stague fort in Kerry and the forts in the islands of Arran in Galway are the most remarkable. There are, however, very few large earthen forts in any part of Ireland about which annals and history are alike silent. The Giant's Ring is by far the most remarkable structure of its kind in Ireland, and the most remarkable of all the ancient remains in the vicinity of Belfast. It has been much better preserved than most of the remains of its kind in Ireland, for the landlord on whose property it is has built a stone wall round it, so it is safe from spoliation.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 23

18. Best view of Clew Bay from above Westport

    Westport · town · Mayo

    The author advises that Clew Bay cannot be seen to advantage from Westport town itself, but should instead be viewed from the high lands about a mile east of the town for the best panorama at high tide.

    Read the passage

    Clew Bay has a great advantage over the greater part of the bays on the Irish coast on account of its size. Killary Bay is in no place more than a mile wide, but Clew Bay is fully seven miles wide at its narrowest part, and about sixteen miles long--that is from Clare Island to the quay at Westport. Those who desire to see this splendid bay aright should not attempt to look at it from the town of Westport, for it cannot be seen to advantage from there. Neither can it be seen to advantage except during high tide, when all its multitude of islands are clearly defined. Let them ascend the high lands east of the town of Westport for about a mile, and then look back on the scene beneath them. If the day is fine, if there is plenty of sunlight, they will have to be the least sensitive of mortals if they can gaze on such a scene unmoved. Scenes sublimer and grander, and views more extensive, can be found in other countries; but for pure beauty--a beauty that seems to laugh and rejoice at its own matchless charms--Clew Bay may challenge anything of its kind on earth.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 21

    As the companion tells it

    Westport sits at the head of Clew Bay, but the bay cannot be seen to advantage from the town itself. Clew Bay has a great advantage over most bays on the Irish coast on account of its size. It is fully 7 miles wide at its narrowest part and about 16 miles long, from Clare Island to the quay at Westport. If you want to see it aright, go up to the high lands east of the town, about a mile, and look back. And go at high tide, when all its multitude of islands are clearly defined. If the day is fine and full of sunlight, the author of Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland says you would have to be the least sensitive of mortals to gaze on such a scene unmoved. He concedes that sublimer and grander views can be found in other countries. But for pure beauty, a beauty that seems to laugh and rejoice at its own matchless charms, Clew Bay may challenge anything of its kind on earth.

19. Enniskillen linking the Upper and Lower Loch Erne

    near Enniskillen · town · Fermanagh

    The town of Enniskillen sits on the narrow river joining the upper and lower parts of Loch Erne, described as full of islands and bays much like the upper lake itself.

    Read the passage

    Loch Erne is divided into upper and lower lakes. The clean and thriving town of Enniskillen is situated on the straight, or narrow river, that joins the two lakes; but it may be said that there are not two lakes, but only one, for Enniskillen is situated where the lake narrows into what might be called a river, but a river full of islands and bays, just as the upper lake is. Its multitude of islands is the charm of Loch Erne. The best authorities say that there are a hundred and nine islands in the lower lake, and ninety in the upper. It is a shame that a small steam-boat does not ply regularly, at least in summer time, from one end of this noble sheet of water to the other. If Loch Erne, with its marvellous variety and beauty of scenery, were in any other European country, there would be not one but half-a-dozen steam-boats on it. It is strange that the inhabitants of Enniskillen do not make an effort to establish a line of light draft-steamers on Loch Erne that would ply on both upper and lower lakes. A small steamer does sometimes, according to report, ply in the summer between Enniskillen and Beleek; but it does not appear that any steamer has ever navigated the waters of the upper lake, which is the more picturesque of the two. Nothing could more plainly show the backward condition of Ireland than the fact that there is no regular line of passenger steam-boats either on the Upper Shannon or on Loch Erne. Tourists, or those in search of picturesque localities, will never go to places where there is not proper accommodation for them. No matter how beautiful the scenery may be, it will not be visited by any large number of people unless they can have comforts in travelling and lodging. Switzerland attracts more rich people to visit it in summer-time than any other country in the world; but, with all its marvellous beauties of mountain, lake, and river, it would never attract the multitudes that go there every year if they did not find good travelling and good hotel accommodation. In Switzerland there are steam-boats on every lake and on every river where there are beautiful sights to be seen. There are lakes in it that are visited every year by crowds of tourists, who would find sights as beautiful on Loch Erne or on Loch Ree, and who would visit those lakes if they knew that they could find on their waters, or on their shores, the travelling comforts and the hotel comforts they find in Switzerland. It has to be frankly admitted that the reason why the beauties of Ireland are so comparatively little known is largely owing to the Irish themselves. Let them provide better accommodation for the travelling public, and Ireland will attract people who heretofore have never visited it.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 10

20. Round Tower at Antrim in excellent preservation

    near Antrim · town · Antrim

    A round tower stands at Antrim, some fifteen miles from Belfast, and remains in excellent preservation.

    Read the passage

    Belfast and its environs cannot be said to be very rich in monuments of antiquity. There are, however, two round towers not far from it; one at Antrim, some fifteen miles away, in excellent preservation; and one at Drumbo, in the County Down, about five miles from the city. The last is in a ruined condition--not much more than thirty feet of it remains. But Belfast can boast of the most extraordinary monument of antiquity of its kind in Ireland being in its immediate vicinity. This is the vast _rath_ known as the Giant's Ring. There is nothing in Ireland so fine as it. The _rath_ on the summit of Knock Aillinn, in the County Kildare, which has been already described in the article on that hill, is much larger, and encloses three times the space; but the earthen ramparts are not nearly so high as those of the Giant's Ring. The space enclosed by this gigantic rath is seven statute acres. When standing in the centre of this ancient fortress, nothing is seen but the sky above and the vast earthworks all around. The centre is as level and almost as smooth as a billiard table, and exactly in the centre stands a cromlech. Old men living in the locality say that the ramparts were for many years planted with potatoes. This must have reduced their height by many feet; but they are still nearly, if not quite, twenty feet high. Like most ancient raths, it has two entrances, one exactly opposite the other. It would give ample room to a population of some thousands, and was evidently an ancient city. But one of the most extraordinary things connected with the Giant's Ring is that annals, history, and legend are silent about it. So far, there seems to be no more known about those who built the Giant's Ring than about the builders of the temples of Central America. It is the same with many of the vast Cyclopean forts along the west coast, of which the Stague fort in Kerry and the forts in the islands of Arran in Galway are the most remarkable. There are, however, very few large earthen forts in any part of Ireland about which annals and history are alike silent. The Giant's Ring is by far the most remarkable structure of its kind in Ireland, and the most remarkable of all the ancient remains in the vicinity of Belfast. It has been much better preserved than most of the remains of its kind in Ireland, for the landlord on whose property it is has built a stone wall round it, so it is safe from spoliation.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 23

21. Sumptuous residences of Hollywood on Belfast Lough

    near Holywood · town · Down

    Hollywood, on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, is noted for its unusually large number of fine, well-kept residences, mostly owned by Belfast merchants.

    Read the passage

    Belfast Loch, as it is called, if not as picturesque as Dublin Bay, is, nevertheless, a very fine bay, and has most beautiful and sumptuous residences on its shores, particularly on the southern side. It is on this side of the loch that Hollywood is situated. There are more fine, well-kept residences in Hollywood than there are in the neighbourhood of any other Irish city. The people of Belfast are proud of Hollywood, and they ought to be. There are few places in the immediate vicinity of any city of the size of Belfast in England or Scotland where so many fine, well-kept, and sumptuous residences can be seen as in Hollywood. The greater part of them are owned by Belfast merchants.

    Few go to Belfast in search of the picturesque. It has got such a commercial name that those who have never been there think that it has no attractions save for the business man. But if Belfast is visited in the summer time, if the views from its hills are seen, and if its beautiful suburb of Hollywood is seen, it will be found that there are scenic attractions of a very high order in the neighbourhood of the northern capital.

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 23

22. Round Tower of Clondalkin near Dublin

    Clondalkin · street · Dublin

    A well-preserved round tower stands at Clondalkin, on the Great Southern Railway line, within a few miles of Dublin.

    Read the passage

    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

23. Round Tower of Lusk near Dublin

    Lusk · town · Dublin

    A round tower in good preservation stands at Lusk, accessible via the Great Northern Railway, one of three such towers near Dublin.

    Read the passage

    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

24. View from Cave Hill near Belfast

    near Cavehill · population centre · Antrim

    Cave Hill, situated only three or four miles from Belfast, is noted for offering a very fine view.

    Read the passage

    The environs of Belfast are finer and more interesting than those of any Irish city, Dublin alone excepted. It is really curious that so little notice has been taken of them. The view from Devis Mountain, the top of which is hardly more than four miles from the centre of the city, is one of the finest and most extensive that can be seen in any part of Ireland. The greater part of the north of Eastern Ulster can be seen from it. Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde seems almost at one's feet when standing on the summit of Devis Mountain. To know the immensity of Loch Neagh, it should be seen from there. It appears like a vast inland sea, out of all proportion to the size of the island to which it is a curse rather than an adornment; for it is one of the most utterly uninteresting of Irish lakes. The view from Cave Hill is also very fine. This hill is only three or four miles from Belfast.

    [Illustration: BELFAST LOCH.]

    Project Gutenberg #39500, Chapter 23