jl m 8^^ 9 ' 1 11 H is 1 1 * * ^^■iiWMM H : «■ * ■ '. --M .•;■:■. '■ H »*■ *■ * L *^ •^-'ij ' ^^ * : *:'■*■ I" .■■ . ■ -■ ■ ■ zr s yd / L & A^ <*6 t a ,-? t c 1 V i^^^^^^SMUl AN IRISH INTERIOR, SHOWING A HAND LOOM WEAVER AND A SPINNER. (From a Sketch by Charles Whymfer I IRELAND ILLUSTRATED WITH PEN AND PENCIL. BY RICHARD LOVETT M.A. REVISED BY PROF. E. P. THWING, Ph.D. Author of " Out-door Life in Europe," etc. ARDMORE, COUNTY WATERFOKD. NEW YORK HURST & COMPANY. Copyright, 1891* BY HURST & COMPANY. A CONNAUGHT CABIN. {Front a Sketch by Charles IVkytttfier.) CONTENTS AND LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Au Irish Interior, Showing a Hand-Loom Weaver and a Spinner Frontispiece Ardrnore, County Waterford ...... Title-page A Connaugkt Cabin . Page 5 Refractory . 8 The Giant's Causeway 10 INTRODUCTION 11 Holy Cross Abbey, Tipperary 11 Edmund Burke ......... 14 A List of the most important Works consulted in the prepara- tion of this Book 15 An Ancient Circular Window in the Church at Rathain, near Tullamore 15 An Ancient Irish Bell .16 Map of Ireland 18 3354 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Ireland's Eye PAGE. Howth Harbor and Ireland's Eye . 19 The Custom House, Dublin ... 21 Trinity College Library, interior . . 22 Initial, the letter L, from the Book of Kells 23 Part of an Illuminated Monogram, from the Book of Kells 24 An Illuminated Page from the Book of Durrow ....... 26 Leather Outer Case of the Book of Armagh, showing the Early Irish Tracery Orna- mentation 27 The Cross of Cong PAGE. 28 29 The Choir, St. Patrick's Cathedral . Jonathan Swift Trinity College and the Bank of Ireland, Dublin 31 Interior of Christ Church as restored . 35 The Cumdach, or Case of St. Molaise's Gos- pels 37 The Shrine of St. Patrick's Bell . 38 The Ardagh Chalice .... 39 The Tara Brooch (Obverse) . . 40 (Reverse) ... 41 42 CHAPTER II. The Garden of Ireland, The Esplanade and Bray Head Sugar-Loaf Mountain . The Vale of Glendalough . The Dargle 45 Powerscourt Waterfall 46 Powerscourt House 47 The Scalp . 49 The Vale of Avoca 50 51 52 55 CHAPTER III. The Valley of the Boyne. Drogheda from the Railway Bridge . 60 The St. Lawrence Gate, Drogheda . 61 The Bridge, Drogheda .... 62 The Boyne Obelisk .... 63 Ruins of the Baptistery, Mellifont . . 65 The Cross of Muiredach, Monasterboice 66 New Grange 67 Standing Stones at New Grange . . 68 Entrance to New Grange .... 69 Recess in the Sepulchral Chamber, New Grange 70 Round-Tower of Donaghmore . . 74 CHAPTER IV. From Dublin to Cork St. Brigid's Church and the Round-Tower, Kildare 77 The Doorway in the Round-Tower at Kil- dare 78 St. Canice's Steps, Kilkenny ... 79 The Rock of Cashel .... 80 The Interior of Cormac's Chapel, Cashel . 81 Blarney Castle North Doorway, Cormac's Chapel, Cashel 82 Crosier found on opening a Tomb in Cor- mac's Chapel, Cashel .... 83 The Cross of Cashel .... 84 General View of Cork .... 85 Sir Walter Raleigh's House at Youghal 87 Kilcolman Castle 88 90 CONTEXTS. CHAPTER Y. Glengariff, KIllarney, and Valentia. Glengariff The Upper Lake of Killarney McGilliouddy Eeeks . Ross Castle, Killarney . The Pike . . . The Eagle's Nest, Killaruey . The Old Weir Bridge, Killarney Irmisfalleri, Killaruey . The Choir of Muckross Abbey PAGE. PAGE. 92 Tore Waterfall, Killarney . . .105 93 A Kerry Cabin and its Inhabitants . 107 96 Valentia, two views 108 98 Map, showing the Skelligs ... 109 100 The Great Skellig Ill 101 TheGannet 113 102 The Ancient Staircase on the Great Skellig 115 103 Plan of the Monastery on the Great Skellig 117 101 A Stone Oratory at Sallerus, County Kerry 120 CHAPTER VI. The Shannon Athlone Castle 121 At Castle Connel 122 The House in which Maria Edgeworth lived 123 The Library in which Maria Edgeworth wrote ....... Oliver Goldsmith ..... Doorway of Temple Conor Church, Clon- macnois ...... The large Round-Tower and the Crosses at Clonmacnois Doorway of the Larger Round-Tower at Clonmacnois ..... 129 Crosier found at Clonmacnois . . . 131 Thomond Bridge, Limerick . . . 132 King John's Castle, Limerick . . 134 The Treaty Stone, Limerick . . . 134 Kilkee from the Coastguard Station . 135 Cliffs near Kilkee 136 128 Cliffs and Natural Arch near Ballybunnion 137 124 125 127 CHAPTER VII. Connemara. Blessing the Claddagh Fleet at the Begin- ning of the Fishiug Season . . . 140 Clew Bay 141 A Galway Woman (Initial) . . . 141 The Cliffs of Moher .... 142 Peat Cutting 143 Queen's College, Galway . . . 144 Salmon Poaching on the Corrib . . 145 Hook for Poaching Salmon . . . 146 Going to Market , An Arran Islander 147 The Curragh 148 Cong Abbey 149 The Outlet of Lough Mask ... 150 Glendalough 151 The Pins of Bunnabeola . . . 152 Kylemore 153 Catching Salmon with a Seine . . 154 Killala 155 156 CHAPTER VIII. The Donegal Highlands. Donegal Donegal Peasants Donegal Castle 157 The East Window, Sligo Abbey . . 158 The Cloisters, Sligo Abbey . . .158 Mount Errigal . Carrigan Head, Donegal . . . 159 The Natural Arch, Horn Head The Seven Arches, Lough Swilly . . 174 163 166 168 171 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. Belfast, Armagh, and Londonderry. Queen's College, Belfast Castle Place, Belfast The Albert Memorial . The Linen Hall, Belfast . A Group of Belfast Operatives Antrim Castle , PAGE. PAGE- 176 Londonderry 182 177 The Bishop's Gate, Londonderry . . 183 178 Bombshell and Tablet in the Porch of Lon- 179 donderry Cathedral .... 183 179 Koaring Meg, and Walker's Monument, 181 Londonderry ,,.,.. 184 CHAPTER X. The Giant's Causeway, and the Mourne Mountains. The Chimney Tops, Giant's Causeway . 186 The Horizontal Formation, Giant's Cause- Carnck a Eede . 187 Pleaskin Head> Giant's Causeway. . 192 The Ladies' Chair, Giant's Causeway . 191 Grey Man's Path .... 193 " Farewell, yer Honor ! " . . . 195 Ti^p^c^ >* 1 ■a HOLY CROSS ABBEY, TIPPERARY. INTRODUCTION. COR some time past many of those acquainted with our Illustrated Series have ex- pressed the wish that Ireland could be added to the list. England Illustrated has long been a favorite; the three more recent volumes India, Germany, and Egypt ffltis- trated have had a warm welcome; it seems hardly fair that the Emerald Isle should any longer be omitted. It would be idle to deny that Ireland, even from this point of view, presents difficul- ties not experienced in the case of the sister kingdoms. Readers may naturally expect to find in any elaborate book upon Ireland issued at the present moment, some refer- INTRODUCTION. ence to the burning questions of the hour ; such, for example, as the relation of tenant to landlord, or the expediency of Home Rule. Absorbing and important as these questions are, the author trusts that it will not detract from either the interest or the value of this work when the reader discovers they have been rigidly excluded. It has not come within the author's province to discuss them. His object is wider, and, it may be hoped, no less useful. He seeks to give pen and pencil pictures of all parts of Ireland ; to produce upon the mind of the reader, so far as it is possible with the means at his command, the im- pressions that a journey through the country would make upon an observant and un- prejudiced mind. This need not and does not indicate indifference to political issues. Far from it. But evidence is not lacking to show that the inhabitants of England, Scotland, and Wales do not know as much as they might and ought about their Irish brethren, and the land in which they dwell. The glorious scenery of Donegal and Kerry, the picturesque ruins of Cashel and the Lower Shannon, the industries of Bel- fast and Limerick, the splendid past of Ireland — her early Church-life, her missionary enthusiasm, her literature, architecture, and art — present many subjects for considera- tion and study that ought to command the attention alike of ardent Nationalists, staunch Conservatives, and those who may be unable to sympathize heartily with either section. The United Kingdom possesses no fairer regions than Killarney and Connemara ; no wilder coast scenes than the lofty cliffs and bold headlands that bear, at Valentia, Moher, Achill Island and Slieve League, the whole unbroken force of the mighty Atlantic, and dash into driving foam its wildest waves. There are no more interesting people among the rural populations of Europe than such peasantry as the traveler meets in the Golden Vale of Tipperary, along the mountain routes of Kerry, and amid the lovely scenery of Galway, Donegal, Antrim, and Wexford. Sad and troubled as much of the past of Ireland has been, she has no reason to fear comparison in regard to the men she has produced. No section of Great Britain can show abler men in their respective spheres of life than Patrick 1 and Columba, Brian Boru and Shane O'Neill, James Ussher and Bishop Berkeley, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Gough, Oliver Goldsmith and Edmund Burke, Henry Grattan and Daniel O'Connell. There is so much information, both interesting and also not generally known, con- nected with the early Irish Church, with various periods of Irish history, and with the 1 The Scotch claim Patrick as being born on their soil. This, though probable, is not certain ; yet his influence and work were certainly Irish. 12 INTRODUCTION. art and architecture of Ireland, that the author had contemplated giving separate chapters to each of these subjects. But limitations of space, and the fact that these " Illustrated " volumes are intended for popular reading, have compelled him in this respect to depart from his original plan. But he has not felt it right to omit these important subjects al- together, and hence they have been briefly treated as each seem to arise naturally in the progress of the work. For example, the description of the Royal Irish Academy Museum in Dublin has been made somewhat full, in order that the chief peculiarities of Irish art, as illustrated by its most brilliant achievements, may be indicated. The MSS. of Trinity College Library have been referred to at length, to enable the reader to appreciate the marvelous ability of the ancient scribes who wrote and illuminated them. The personal history of St. Patrick naturally accompanies a description of Slane and of Tara Hill, as some reference to that of St. Columba naturally fits in with a descrip- tion of Donegal. The origin and uses of the Round-towers — that vexed question — can not be passed over, and it is dealt with in the description of Clonmacnois, where, within a few yards of each other, two very fine examples have stood for centuries. In this less formal way he has sought — he trusts not less satisfactorily — to deal with all these sub- jects. The author has had to treat the religious difficulties of Ireland in much the same way as the political. The tangled and tragic story of the past is one that neither Pro- testant nor Roman Catholic can find any pleasure in recalling. The conflicting currents and forces that influence the religious life of Ireland to-day have been briefly indicated in the chapter on Belfast. Notwithstanding the experience of the past, and the evidence of so much that is conflicting in the present, the author ventures to hope that better times are in store for the sister kingdom. The writer has sought to give brief, pointed, and accurate descriptions of all that is most distinctive in Irish scenery ; to present a varied and thoroughly representative series of engravings ; to glance at some of the most noteworthy men and deeds of the past ; and to catch and depict, so far as his pen can, the most typical aspects of the Ire- land of to-day. How far he has been successful must be decided by those who have already given a kindly welcome to the three volumes, India, Germany and Egypt Illustrated. He can only hope that the Irish readers into whose hands the book may fall will accept his ap- preciation of, and admiration for, the land they love so well as some atonement for the failings they may observe in his work. As for other readers, he will feel amply re- warded for the time and labor expended upon Ireland Illustrated if the book enlarges their knowledge of the land known more than fourteen centuries ago as "the Sacred 13 INTRODUCTION. Isle," and helps to promote brotherly sympathy toward a people whose history has for some centuries in varied phases been so closely interwoven with that of the English, Welsh, and Scottish races. The author would gratefully acknowledge the help so courteously given to him by the large number of those whom he met during his various journeys through Ireland, or to whom he applied for special information. He had many opportunities of testing the courtesy and hospitality of the Irish people, and, like others who have borne similar testimony, never found these fail. EDMUND .BURKE. AN ANCIENT CIRCULAR WINDOW IN THE CHURCH AT RATHAIN, Near TULLAMORE. A List of some of the most important Works consulted in the preparation of this Book. The books included in this list are all important in their respective depart- ments, and they are printed here as a convenient reference list for any who may wish to study somewhat more fully the various subjects of interest connected with Ireland and the Irish people. The list makes no pretension to completeness. It only seeks to indicate a selection of the most important and most easily accessible works. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland. — By Four Wasters. Translated by John O'Donovan. 4 vols, quartc. 1851. Ulster Journal of Archeology, i 853—1861. — 9 vols, small quarto. The Journals of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland. Descriptive Catalogue of the Royal Irish Academy. — By Sir W. Wilde. History of Ireland. — By Keating. Irish Names of Places. — By P. W. Joyce, LL. D. 2 vols, crown 8vo. LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED. National MSS. of Ireland. — By John T. Gilbert. Adamnan's Life of St. Columba. — Edited by Dr. Reeves. I vol. quarto. 1857. St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland. — By Dr. Todd. 1 vol. octavo. 1864. The Tripartite Life of St. Patrick. — Edited for the Rolls Series by Dr. Whitley Stokes. 2 vols, octavo. 1887. The Writings of St. Patrick. —Revised translation by G. T. Stokes, D.D., and C. H. H. Wright, D.D. 1 vol. octavo, paper cover. 1888. Ireland and the Celtic Church. — By G. T. Stones. 1 vol. crown 8vo. The Round-Towers and Ancient Christian Architecture of Ireland. — By Dr. Petrie. 1 vol. quarto. 1845- Notes on Irish Architecture. — By the late Earl of Dunraven. Edited by Miss Stokes. 2 vols, folio. 1875-1877. Early Christian Architecture in Ireland. — By Miss Stokes. Early Christian Art in Ireland. — By Miss Stokes. Ecclesiastical History of Ireland. —By Dr. Killen. 2 vols, octavo. The Dublin Penny Journal, 1832-1836. — 4 vols, royal octavo. The Irish Penny Journal, 1841. — 1 vol. royal octavo. The Boyne and the Blackwater. — By Sir William Wilde. 2nd edition, 1850. Lough Corrib. — By Sir William Wilde. The Donegal Highlands. Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry. — By William Carleton. 2 vols. 8vo. 1867. Tales and Stories of the Irish Peasantry. — By William Carleton. 1 vol. 8vo. 1846. Fairy Legends and Traditions. — By T. C. Croker. The Ballads of Ireland. — Edited by E. Hayes. 2 vols, crown octavo. Boston, 1856. Derry and Enniskillen. — By Professor Witherow, D.D. The Boyne and Aghrim. — By Professor Witherow, D.D. Ireland : Its Scenery, Character, etc — By Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Hall. 3 vols, octavo. Sketches ©f Irish Life. — By Mrs. S. C. Hall. 1 vol. octavo. Memories of a Month Among the "Mere Irish." — By W. H. Floredice. 1 vol. crown 8vo. The Religious History of Ibeland. — By James Godkin. 1 vol. 8vo. 1873. AN ANCIENT IRISH BELL. HOWTH HARBOR AND IRELAND S EYE. CHAPTER I. Dublin, Ireland's Eye. T RELAND'S EYE is the name of a rocky islet standing over against Howth Har- *■ bor, for many years the port of Dublin and the chief approach by sea to that capital. The island's name is no bad description of Dublin. The great city is in more senses than one Ireland's Eye. Through it the Emerald Isle receives many of her impressions of the outer world, and no fairer feature in her wealth of natural beauty •does she possess than the noble bay of Dublin, with the great city nestling beneath the bold headlands of Killiney and the Hill of Howth. The first impression made upon the mind of the observer by Dublin is one of dis- appointment. The city hardly seems to live up to its environment. The scenery of the bay is very lovely, whether seen in the early morning or the late evening of a sum- mer's day. The view up the Liffey as the steamer approaches the North Wall, embracing the river, the crowded masts and boats, the fine dome of the Custom House in the near foreground, and the multitudinous roofs and spires of the city in the dis- tance, is enticing, and whets the appetite and expectations of the explorer. But the close inspection does not realize the distant promise. It is not easy to define the effect produced as one makes the acquaintance of the quays, Sackville Street, St. Patricks Cathedral, Merrion Square, and College Green. There are handsome buildings, wide 19 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. streets, spacious squares, many evidences of life, prosperity and abundance, and yet something seems lacking. Dublin is not like London, New York, Paris, or Amster- dam. In these great cities, differing widely as they do in manifold respects from each other, the evidences of prosperity predominate ; in Dublin, although she shares many of the best qualities of her larger sisters, the stranger, although he may have a firm conviction that better times are coming, hesitates to assert that she is manifestly pros- pering. While this impression is strong, the visitor can readily imagine that many take an early and sometimes incurable dislike to Dublin. The signs of apparent poverty are plentiful ; the streets and buildings that really please the eye are few, the number of rao-o-ed children seems abnormal ; and if the visitor to St. Patrick's or Christ Church devotes any attention to the neighborhoods of these noted buildings, he meets many interesting but not pleasing pictures of human life. Yet the writer gladly admits that Dublin's power to impress him favorably increased with each successive visit. As he came to know her better, he grew to like her more, and to appreciate more fully the beauty of her surroundings, and the special objects for which she claims recognition. It is now time to turn to some of these. Dublin is in the first place a considerable port. The Liffey, the quays, and docks,, and the canals are among the most prominent features of the metropolis. It is from the river, indeed, that she gets her name as well as a large portion of her wealth. The ancient high road from Tara to Wicklow crossed the river at this point in very early days by means of a rough wicker or hurdle bridge. Naturally a city grew up around the bridge or ford, and the name for Dublin in the Irish Annals is Ath-Cliath (pronounced Ah-clee), 'the ford of the hurdles.' Duibh-linn, the black pool, the ancient name of this part of the Liffey, gradually banished the older, and has long been the only name by which the city is known. The ancient ford is now represented by splendid bridges. The cluster of huts has expanded into square miles of brick and mortar, and the water which ages since floated the coracles of the Irish or the warships of the Northmen is now ploughed by the bulky steel ships of modern commerce. All else has changed marvellously, but in the very name of Ireland's capital there survives the sure evidence of her former humility. To get a good representative view of Dublin a favorite point of view is the top of the Nelson Monument, which towers aloft in the centre of Sackville Street. Seen thence the whole city lies spread out at the observer's feet, and from that eleva- tion, as from no other, he also sees the beauty of the surrounding country. Some very fine distant views are obtained at Phoenix Park. But the true citizen of Dublin main- tains that the view obtained from the O'Connell Bridge is the best that the city can show, equal to any that rival capitals possess. On the left bank of the Liffey, near the great bridge-, stands one of the most prominent buildings in the city, viz. the Custom House. Dublin is not only the eye but the heart of Ireland. Hence on every side are traces of the many-sided life of the nation. Her antiquity is evident in many of her names. Her former national life is recalled by the building that is now the Bank of Ireland. It was here in former days the Irish Parliament met, and here many of Cur- ran's and Grattan's famous speeches were delivered. Her relation to England is kept prominently in view by the towers and courtyard of Dublin Castle. Her educational and literary life of the last three centuries has largely centered in Trinity College, which 20 IRELAND'S EVE. fronts boldly and closely upon an open space in the very heart of the city, the famous College Green. To her great religious hero is dedicated one of her two ancient cathe- drals, and though the statement that St. Patrick founded it is mere fancy, it is fitting that he should for centuries have been thus associated with the metropolitan life. In the center of College Green, facing the fine facade of Trinity College, stands the statue of Grattan. Before the gateway of the great university are placed statues of Edmund Burke and Oliver Goldsmith. Brilliant political oratory, fervid patriotism, noble elo- quence, far-seeing statesmanship, and undying literary fame are here concentered and kept continually before the eyes and the minds of the multitudes who daily throne Grafton Street and College Green. And indeed here is the true heart of Dublin. Much of the business of the city is carried on in this district ; much of her intellectual activity here finds its home and field of work ; the financial heart of the country throbs here, and here blend the asso- THE CUSTOM HOUSE, DUBLIN. ciations of the present and the memories of the past in stronger and more vigorous union than elsewhere. The foundation of Trinity College dates from i5q2, and the institution began the work of teaching in 1593 as "The College of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity near Dublin," in the buildings of the Augustinian monastery of All Hallows. During the reigns of James Land Charles I. it was richly endowed with confiscated lands. Many private benefactors endowed it. James I. conferred also the privilege it still enjoys of sending two members to Parliament. It was not until 1792 that a Roman Catholic could there take a degree, and not until 1873 could any member of that communion enjoy any part of the rich endowments possessed by the College. The facade facing College Green is somewhat heavy and somber. It is very mas- sive, and is principally built of Portland stone ; but it at once arrests the attention of the passer-by, and the effect is by no means unpleasing. Passing between the statues of Burke and Goldsmith which flank the entrance, the visitor is admitted into a spacious IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. quadrangle, in the center of which stands a tall, handsome bell-tower built of granite On his right hand stands the Examination Hall or Theater, and on the left the Chapel, with the Dining Hall as its next neighbor. Both Halls are enriched with portraits of famous students and graduates. It is to the right of the bell tower that most visitors make their first pilgrimage, for there stands the handsome range of buildings containing the Library. It is included among the five great libraries of the kingdom entitled to a copy of every book pub- TRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY, INTERIOR. lished in Great Britain and Ireland. The architecture is plain and unpretending, yet, possessing a dignity of its own, and a certain fitness as the home of a great literary col- lection. The ground floor consists chiefly of an arcade. The library building occupies the rest of the structure. The main apartment is a splendid gallery containing the bulk of the books. This is 210 feet long, 41 feet wide, and 40 feet high. The wood is dark, old oak. Along each side are recesses placed at right angles to the main axis of the room, filled with shelves, and arranged so as to combine very happily architectural IRELAXDS EVE. effect with economy of space. A gallery, twenty feet above the floor, runs round the room. The best view of this magnificent chamber can be obtained from the end of the gallery over the entrance. The visitor can not fail to be charmed as his eye travels down the whole length of the room. The long vista, the lights streaming across from the windows at the end of each recess, the lofty arched roof, the apparently numberless book shelves and books, the comfortable tables below with their busy readers, the cases full of priceless MSS., the long rows of gleaming marble busts of distinguished literary men of all ages and lands, the time-worn volumes and the richly carved and deep-toned wood, both alike eloquent of age — all these combine not only to delight the eye, but also at once to stimulate and to satisfy one's sense of literary fitness. There is a feeling of content that such a splendid library should be so superbly housed. There are many matters in Ireland wherein ordinary courses of procedure seem to be reversed. The origin of Trinity College Library is an illustration in point. In vari- ous countries and in all ages scholars and lovers of literature have had to bewail the ravages in the way of MS. and book destruction caused by war. Yet it is out of warfare that this great library appears to have sprung. In 1603 the Spaniards were defeated at the battle of Kinsale by the English and Irish. The victors in their enthusiasm resolved to erect some permanent monument of their success ; they collected among themselves the sum of £1,800 and — would that their example had found many imitators — decided to expend the money in the. purchase of books, and present them as the nucleus of a library to the College at Dublin, then completing its first decade. Archbishop Usher was appointed to expend the money, and few of the many tasks he performed during his life can have been so congenial. Since his day the collection has grown and grown until now it ranks as one of the largest in Europe. It can claim the Bod- leian as a twin brother, for while Usher was spending his soldiers' money in London, he met there Sir T. Bodley, who was purchasing books for his Oxford collection. Usher's own library, one which embraced manifold treasures in its 10,000 volumes, found here a permanent home. At the eastern end of the library is a handsome room, 52 feet long, 26 wide, and 22 high, containing what is known as the Fagel Library, once the property of a gentleman named Fagel, Pensionary of Holland, comprising 17,000 volumes, and purchased for £8,000. The library is very rich in specimens 01 early Irish illuminated MSS., and these, together with many other very precious literary treasures, have their home in what is called the Manuscript Room. This apartment is on the ground floor, and can only be seen by visitors who are able to secure the presence of the Librarian or one of the Fellows of the College. 23 INITIAL, THE LETTER L, FKOM THE BOOK OF KELLS. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. The most famous of these literary treasures are exhibited in cases which stand on the floor of the great library, and among these the highest place is held by the Book of Kells. This is one of the finest MSS. in Europe, and as a specimen of Irish illumina- tion and writing has no rival. It dates from the time when Ireland, under the name of Scotia, was famous throughout Europe for her schools and for her missionary enterprise. It was the product of the age which sent Columba to Iona, Cuthbert to England, and Columbanus to Gaul. It is a copy of the Gospels, and takes its name from the fact that it once belonged to the monastery at Kells in Meath. The date has to be fixed by internal evidence, and the best authorities now lean to the view that it was written about the end of the sixth century. The Irish Annals record that in the year 1006 it was stolen from the church at Kells, that it was famous for its cover, and that it was found after forty nights and two months, "after its gold had been taken from it, and with sods over it." The mon- astery of Kells became Crown property in 1539, and the great MS. fell into the hands of Gerald Plunket of Dublin. In the seventeenth century Usher became its owner, and with his other books, in 1661, it found a permanent and safe home where it has since dwelt. To it, as to so many of its breth- ren, time and the binder have proved cruel foes. Although it still contains 344 folios, it has lost leaves at both the begin- ning and end ; and when, in the early part of this century, it was rebound, the margins were sadly mutilated. But time has done little to destroy the wondrous beauty ot coloring in its marvelous illuminations, and its wealth and richness of design are still the wonder of every competent observer. It is the most superb example of this branch of early Irish art. Professor Westwood thus describes the special features of this book as illustrative of the early Irish style of MS. adorn- ment: " Ireland may be justly proud of the Book ol Kells— a volume traditionally asserted to have belonged to St. Columba, and unquestionably the most elaborately executed MS. of so early a date now in existence. It far excels in the gigantic size of the let- ters at the commencement of each Gospel, the excessive minuteness of the ornamental details crowded into whole pages, the number of its very peculiar decorations, the fine- 24 PART OF AN ILLUMINATED MONOGRAM, FROM THE BOOK OF KELLS. IRELAXDS EYE. ness of the writing, and the endless variety of its initial capital letters, the famous Gos- pels of Lindisfarne in the Cottonian Library. But this manuscript is still more valuable on account of the various pictorial representations of different scenes in the life of our Saviour, delineated in the genuine Irish style, of which several of the manuscripts of St. Gall and a very few others offer analogous ex; mples. The numerous illustrations of this volume render it a complete storehouse of artistic interest. The text itself is far more extensively decorated than in any other now existing copy of the Gospels."' " Especially deserving of notice," continues Professor Westwood, " is the extreme delicacy and wonderful precision united with an extraordinary minuteness of detail with which many of these ancient manuscripts were ornamented. I have examined with a magnifying-glass the pages of the Gospels of Lindisfarne and Book of Kells, for hours together, without ever detecting a false line or an irregular interlacement; and when it is considered that many of these details consist of spiral lines, and are so minute as to be impossible to have been executed without a pair of compasses, it really seems a prob- lem not only with what eyes, but also with what instruments they could have been exe- cuted. One instance of the minuteness of these details will suffice to give an idea of this peculiarity. I have counted in a small space, measuring scarcely three-quarters of an inch, by less than half an inch in width, in the Book of Armagh, not fewer than one hundred and fifty-eight interlacements of a slender ribbon pattern, formed of white lines edged by black ones upon a black ground." 2 "The introduction of natural foliage in this MS. is another of its great peculiarities, whilst the intricate intertwinings of the branches is eminently characteristic of the Celtic spirit, which compelled even the human figure to submit to the most impossible contortions." 3 The following inscription, in a minute hand, is still partly legible in a small semi- circular space at the head of the columns on folio 4 verso. " This work doth pass all mens conying that doth live in any place. I doubt not there. . . anything but that the writer hath obtained God's grace, GP." On the verso of folio 344 is the following entry : — " I, Geralde Plunket, of Dublin, wrot the contents of every chapter ; I mean where every chapter doth begin, 1 568. The boke contaynes tow hundreth v and iii leaves at this present xxvii August 1 568." Under this is written by Usher, who was Bishop of Meath from 1621 to 1624: " August 24, 1 62 1. I reckoned the leaves of this and found them to be in number 344. He who reckoned before me counted six score to the hundred." 4 While upon the subject of Irish illuminated MSS., as they form such characteristic specimens of Irish art, we must refer to three others that enrich Trinity College Libra- ry. The first, the Book of Durrow, is a copy of. the Gospels according to the Vulgate version. It gets its name from a monastery founded about 523 a. d. by Columba, at Durrow, or Dairmag, the Plain of Oaks, in King's County. Tradition has maintained that Columba wrote the MS., but the fact that the text of the MS. does not appear to be the same as that in use in Ireland in the sixth century tells against this view. On the back of folio 12 is an entry in Latin to this effect : " I pray thy blessedness, O holy presbyter, Patrick, that whosoever shall take this book into his hands ma)- remember the Avriter, Columba, who have myself written this Gospel in the space of twelve days by the grace of our Lord." 1 National MSS. of Ireland, by John T. Gi bert, p. 14. * Ibid. p. 20. 3 Ibid. p. 15. 4 National MSS. of Ireland, pp. 20, 3.1. 2 5 IRELA ND ILL USTRA TED. Like several other of these ancient MSS., this copy of the Gospels once possessed a silver cumdach or shrine. This has unfortunately perished, but the inscription upon it has been preserved. It ran " The prayer and benediction of St. Columb Kille be upon Flann, the son of Malachi, King of Ireland, who caused this cover to be made." Flann reigned 879-916 a. d., and at that early date the book had become an object of special veneration. In the Annals of Clonmacnois, the translator, Connell Mageo- ghegan refers to a superstitious belief once current with regard to this and other early books. "He (Columba) wrote three hundred books with his own hand. They were all New Testaments ; he left a book to each of his churches in the kingdom, which books have a strange property, which is, that if they or any of them had sunk to the bottom of the deepest waters, they would not lose one letter, or sign, or character of them ; which I have seen tried, partly by myself on that book of them which is at Dorowe (Durrow) in the King's Co., for I saw the ignorant man that had the same in his custody, when sickness came on cattle, for their remedy, put water on the book and suffer it to rest therein ; and saw also cattle return thereby to their former state ; and the book receive no loss." The water-stained condition of some of the last leaves of the Book ot Durrow confirms the accuracy of the scribe's statement as to the experiments to which ages ago it was subjected. We are able to give a very fine specimen of one of the illuminated pages of this MS. The second example, the Book of Dimna, so called after the name of the scribe who wrote it, a copy of the Gospels in Latin, dates most probably from the seventh century. It once belonged to the abbey of Roscrea. It was encased in a shrine about the middle of the tenth century. " The shrine with its precious enclosure disappeared at the time of the dissolution of monasteries ; it was found by boys hunting rabbits in the year 1789, among the rocks of the Devil's Bit Mountain, in the county of Tipperary, care- fully preserved and concealed. The boys who discovered it tore off the silver plate 26 AN ILLUMINATED PAGE FROM THE BOOK OF DURROW. IRELAXDS EVE. And picked out some of die lapis-la :uli with which it was studded. It then came into the possession of Dr. Harrison ol n riagh, and alter passing through the hands of Mr. Monck Mason, Sir William Betham, and Dr. Todd, was finally purchased for the library." ' The third, and in some respects the most interesting of all, is the Book of Armagh, a curious composite volume of very great importance in the literary history of Ireland, and in regard to the life of St. Patrick. Dr. Reeves has discovered evidence in the MS. itself that renders it almost certain that it was written about a. d. 807 by a scribe named Ferdomnach. It seems to have been referred to by the Annalists as the Canon of Patrick, and they record that in 937 it was enclosed in a case by Donogh, the son of Flann, King of Ire- land. At a later stage the ancient silver case was en- closed in a leather cover, and of this we are able to give an illustration. It presents a typical example of Irish orna- mentation. An entry at the foot of folio 16 purports to have been made in the pres- ence of the far-famed Brian Boru, probably in 1002, when that king offered twenty ounces of gold on the altar of Armagh. In ancient days, according to the usual custom, the book had a viaor or keep- er, who received an endow- ment of land in virtue of his office. His descendants were known as Meic Maor, sons of the keeper, and in time this became Mac Moyre. Upon the reverse of one leaf appears, under the date of 1662, the signature of Florentinus Moyre, the last of the family who held the guardianship of the book. This man went in 16S0 to London to give evidence in a trial, and, before starting, placed the book in pledge for five pounds. Soon after the MS. and its leather case came into the hands of Arthur Brownlow ; it remained in the Brownlow family until 1853, when Dr. Reeves purchased it, and handed it over to the late Primate Beresford, who in his turn presented it to the Library. There are very interesting specimens to be seen here of other classes of MSS. Standing highest in general interest are those belonging to the Greek Testament. The Library possesses a valuable palimpsest, known as the Codex Rescriptics Dublinensis. 1 Miss Stokes' E*rly Christian Art in Ireland, p. 24. 27 LEATHER OUTER CASE OF THE BOOK OF ARMAGH, SHOWING THE EARLY IRISH TRACERY ORNAMENTATION. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. It has been carefully edited by the present librarian, the Rev. T. K. Abbott. It is a small quarto volume, consisting of 1 10 folios. It contains considerable portions of St. Matthew's Gospel, and its readings possess a very high critical value. It dates in all probability from the fifth century, and is known in the lists of authorities by the letter Z. Any one who wishes to appreciate Dr. Abbott's labors, and the enormous difficulty of much of the work done on behalf of recent New Testament scholarship by such men as Tischendorf and Tregelle-s, should inspect this MS. They will find it extremely diffi- cult even to see, to say nothing of deciphering, the dim Greek uncial letters that were nearly obliterated many centuries ago, to make way for the later and less valuable writing placed over it. The Library also possesses a much later MS. that has been rendered famous by a fortuitous event in Greek Testament controversy. It is well known that Erasmus omit- ted from the first edition of his Greek Testament the words in i John v. 7, 8. translated in our version, " In heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth." When attacked for so doing, he promised that if a single Greek MS. could be found containing the words he would insert them. They were at last found in a Greek MS., written in the cursive or running hand, of late date and very doubtful authority. This MS., known as the Codex Monfortiamts, is also carefully kept in the Manuscript Room. Erasmus, true to his promise, although he did not believe the words to be genuine, inserted them in his third edition. The Revised Version omits them, as resting upon altogether insuf- ficient authority. But it is high time we left the Library for a stroll through the College itself. The various departments of learning are all adequately housed within its very extensive precincts ; the medical school being especially fortunate in this respect. The chemical lecture room and laboratory are splendidly equipped with all the latest and best facilities both for lecturing and practical work. The college park is also a very pleasant place of resort, and on the occasion of a University Cricket Match or Athletic Sports is thronged with the fashion and beauty of Dublin. Across the street, and opposite to the north-west corner of Trinity College, stands the considerable pile of building in which centers the work of the Bank of Ireland. Formerly the Irish Houses of Parliament met here. Visitors are still shown the room 28 THE CHOIB, ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL. IRELAND'S EVE. in which the Irish House of Lords met, and which, one is told, remains very much now as it appeared in the days of Castlereagh. Dublin possesses two cathedrals, both of which, in recent years, have been thor- oughly renovated and restored by private munificence. The younger, but in many re- spects the more interesting, is St. Patrick's. The early history of this building seems to be somewhat obscure. About 1 190, Archbishop John de Comyn, the first English Archbishop of Dublin, built a collegiate establishment here on the site of a much older parish church. In 12 13 his successor changed the church into a cathedral. In 1362 it was burnt, and in 1370 it was rebuilt, with the addition of a fine tower. In 1542 its con- stitution was changed to that of a dean and chapter, and in 1546 it passed to the Crown. During this period it was neglected and fell into decay, but in 1 554 Queen Mary restored its rights and privileges. It suffered during the Commonwealth troubles, and also at the hands of James II. 's soldiers in 1688. In 1 7 1 3 the mostfamous man who has ever been associated with it, Jonathan Swift, was appointed to the deanery. From that time until his death, in 1745, he devoted himself to the preservation of the building and its numer- ous monuments, and to the increase of its revenues. In 1783 the Order of St. Patrick was instituted, and the banners of the knights now hang in the choir. In i865 the restor- ation effected by the wealth of the late Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness was completed. It had fallen into what seemed like hopeless de- cay, and although some partial attempts had been made to stay the progress of destruc- tion, the building seemed doomed. But by the aid of Sir B. Guinness the building has been so restored that Sir James Ware's de- scription once more applies : " If we con- sider the compass, or the beauty, or the mag- nificence of its structure, in my opinion it is to be preferred before all the cathedrals in Ire- land." The architecture of the structure is the First Pointed or Early English, and the ground-plan consists of a nave, choir, north and south transepts, all with aisles, and a Lady Chapel. The tower was built in 1370, and the granite spire, a prominent but not at all lovely object, was added to the tower in 1740. The building is 300 feet long, the nave 67 feet wide, the transepts iSy feet long and 80 feet wide, and the tower and steeple 221 feet high. Sir B. Guin- ness entirely rebuilt the north and south aisles. The interior is crowded with monuments, one dedicated to Swift, who was buried October 2 2d, 1745. It stands in the south aisle, and consists of a fine bust, and a slab upon which is inscribed the epitaph written by himself; one of the saddest inscriptions in this or any other cathedral. It is in Latin, but may be freely rendered : " Here lies the body of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Dean of this cathedral church, where fierce indigna- tion can no longer rend the heart. Go, traveler, and imitate, if thou canst, one who, as far as in him lay, was an earnest champion of liberty." Close by is the inscription com- 29 JONATHAN SWIFT. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. memorating Mrs. Hester Johnson, or Stella, as "a person of extraordinary endowments and accomplishments, in body, mind and behavior ; justly admired and respected by all who knew her, on account of her many eminent virtues, as well as for her great natural and acquired perfections." She was buried by the second pillar from the west door on the south side of the nave, January 30th, 1728, seventeen years before the brilliant but bitter genius of Swift sank to rest. Swift's life is a tragedy, perhaps the most tragical in the long story of English litera- ture. One cannot look upon the two monuments without wishing that the fate of each mio-ht have been different, that Swift could have used his splendid intellect for the good rather than the injury of others, and that Stella's loving heart could have been fixed upon one in whose full and unselfish response she would have experienced a hap- pier lot. Thackeray's judgment to some seems harsh, but many facts bear it out. " The sceva indignatio, of which he spoke as lacerating his heart, and which he dares to inscribe on his tombstone — as if the wretch who lay under that stone waiting God's judgment had a right to be angry — breaks out from him in a thousand pages of his writing, and tears and rends him. Against men in office, he having been overthrown ; against men in England, he having lost his chance of preferment there, the furious exile never fails to rage and curse. In a note in his biography, Scott says that his friend Dr. Tuke, of Dublin, has a lock of Stella's hair, enclosed in a paper by Swift, on which are written, in the dean's hand, the words ; ' Only a woman's hair.' An instance, says Scott, of the dean's desire to veil his feelings under the mask of cynical indifference. See the various notions of critics! Do those words indicate indifference, or an attempt to hide feeling ? Did you ever hear or read four words more pathetic ? Only a woman's hair : only love, only fidelity, only purity, innocence, beauty, only the tenderest heart in all the world stricken and wounded, and passed away now out of reach of pangs of hope deferred, love insulted, and pitiless desertion : — only that lock of hair left ; and memory and remorse for the guilty, lonely wretch, shuddering over the grave of his victim. And yet to have had so much love, he must have given some. Treasures of wit and wisdom, and tenderness too, must that man have had locked up in the caverns of his gloomy heart, and shown fitfully to one or two whom he took there. But it was not good to visit that place. People did not remain there long, and suffered for having been there." 1 In the north transept stands a characteristic specimen of Swift's biting satire, exer- cised, it must be admitted, more justly in this case than in many. The Duke of Schom- berg was killed at the Battle of the Boyne, and buried in St. Patrick's. His relatives do not seem to have cared sufficiently for the duke to contribute towards the cost of a monument in commemoration of his qualities. The inscription, therefore, runs to the effect that the Dean and Chapter had repeatedly and earnestly besought the duke's relatives to erect the monument, that after letters, the requests of friends, repeated and earnest entreaties had availed nothing, the Dean and Chapter had at length erected the stone, in order that the visitor might know where the ashes of Schomberg reposed. The sting is at the end, where it is asserted that the duke's reputation for valor availed more with strangers than his ties of blood did with his own kindred. This is not flattering to the relatives of the duke, nor, on the other hand, does their 1 Thackeray, English Humorists. 3° o o ft ft O •=3 e a w B IRELAND'S EYE. conduct indicate that they felt very deeply the loss of the noted soldier ; but it is hardly in accordance with fact to characterize the inscription, as Macaulay does, by the phrase, " a furious libel." An hour may be pleasantly spent in deciphering the various monuments and inscrip- tions ; but there are not many of general interest. In the south choir aisle is one in remembrance of the Rev. Charles Wolfe, author of the Burial of Sir John Moore ; and in the churchyard one to the memory of Dr. Todd, the archaeologist and author. Only a few hundred yards separate St. Patrick's from the sister cathedral Christ Church. It is supposed to stand upon the site of the old Celtic dun or fort. It was founded in 103S, and completed in the following century by Richard Strongbow and others in conjunction with the Archbishop of Dublin, Laurence O'Toole. In i562 the greater part of the structure fell in ; and by subsequent restorations and vicissitudes most of the original building has disappeared. There is some reason to believe that originally it was a finer structure than St. Patrick's. Like its sister, it owes its present complete and beautiful appearance to the liberality of a Dublin brewer, Mr. Roe, who expended about a million and a quarter dollars upon it. The peculiar plan of the origi- nal choir was ascertained by examination of the crypts, and closely followed in the res- toration. A short apsidal choir or presbytery stands to the east of the central tower, and around this an aisle or processional path runs, and beyond this to the east are two chapels, the smaller adjoining the choir. A Synod House for the meetings of the dis- established Episcopal Church of Ireland was erected and connected by a passage with the west end of the cathedral, the tower was raised, and the whole edifice practically rebuilt. It belongs to the transitional style of architecture. A iew years ago Mr, Drew, architect to Christ Church, discovered the remains of the Chapter House, near which were formerly the old Law Courts of Dublin, and the narrow passage known as Hell. These remains are now carefully preserved. A monument ascribed to the famous Earl of Pembroke, Richard Strongbow, is placed in the nave. In 1487 Lambert Simnel, the impostor, was crowned here. In mediaeval times the cathedral was rich in MSS., shrines and other relics, possessing, among others, a bachall or walking-staff, said to have belonged to St. Patrick. A short walk through a very unsavory neighborhood brings the visitor from Christ Church to the Liffey, and immediately before him on the north bank he sees another noted structure — the Four Courts of Dublin, one of the most imposing buildings in the city, and one which, unlike some of the others, has remained true throughout its his- tory to the objects for which it was built. It occupies an oblong, having a frontage on the river of 440 feet. The foundation stone was laid in 1786, it was opened for busi- ness in 1797, and it cost about $1,000,000. It consists of a central block of building, surmounted by a circular lantern and dome, one of the landmarks of the metropolis. This building is flanked by squares connected with each other and with the main en- trance by arcades. • Each angle of the main building is occupied by one of the superior courts, viz., Chancery, Queen's Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer, whence the name of the pile. The center under the dome is left free for the meeting of lawyers and clients, and all who have business there, or who are drawn thither by curiosity. A description written fifty years ago applies to it to-day ; " The handsome and towering dome lights the great hall of the Courts, an object of just admiration from its chaste and lofty appearance and proportions. During term time it is crowded with lawyers and 33 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. pickpockets, strangers and stragglers, the fleeced and the fleecing, the hopeful and the hopeless, the anxious and the careless. At such a period of bustle, a visitor, as a Pic- ture of Dublin benevolently forewarns him, should look to his pockets. 1 In the neighborhood of the splendid square known as Stephen's Green, and of Kil- dare Street, many of the scientific institutions of Dublin, first-class clubs and hotels cluster together. The Royal Dublin Society, the Museum of Science and Art, the National Gallery of Ireland, and the Royal Irish Academy are in this region. The handsome and extensive buildings of the New National Museum, afford room to dis- play many treasures previously inaccessible to the public. Each of the great institutions mentioned above is well worthy of careful attention. It is no disparagement, however, to the rest to say that upon the attention of the stranger the Museum and the Library of the Royal Irish Academy have paramount claims. This Society was incorporated in 1786 for the study of science, polite literature, and Irish antiquities. Very skillfully and thoroughly have these objects been accomplished, although even more might have been done could they have controlled larger funds. The museum contains a marvelously varied and rich collection of specimens of Irish art, from the earliest period down to comparatively recent date. Naturally the most interesting objects are those either entirely or almost entirely peculiar to Ireland. And among these what are known as cumdachs, or book shrines, hold perhaps the chief place. They are rarely met with except in Ireland, and have played no unimportant part in past days. They, like the famous bell shrines, came into existence as the out- come of the reverential affection manifested towards the chief Irish teachers, such as Patrick, Columba, and Molaise by their successors. The old book, the familiar com- panion of the early missionary, was untouched ; but all that wealth and skill could do was lavished upon the production of a box or shrine in which to preserve so precious a relic. In some cases this box was hermetically sealed, and no superstition was stronger or more universal than the belief that the opening of such a box would be followed by the direst misfortune. The oldest and in many respects the most interesting specimen of these in the museum is the Domnach Airgid, or the Silver Shrine. This was for many ages pre- served as a reliquary near Clones in County Monaghan. Dr. Petrie's conclusions, given to the Royal Irish Academy in 1838, are generally accepted as the true history of this ancient relic. He says, " In its present state this ancient remain appears to have been equally designed as a shrine for the preservation of relics, and of a book ; but the lat- ter was probably its sole original use. Its form is that of an oblong box, nine inches by seven, and five inches in height. This box is composed of three distinct covers, of which the first, or inner one, is of wood — yew ; the second, or middle one, of copper, plated with silver ; and the third, or outer one, of silver, plated with gold. In the com- parative ages of these several covers there is obviously a great difference. The first may probably be coeval with the manuscript which it was intended to preserve ; the second, in the style of its scroll, or interlaced ornament, indicates a period betwixt the sixth and twelfth centuries ; while the figures in relief, the ornaments, and the letters on the third, or outer cover, leave no doubt of its being the work of the fourteenth century." The inscriptions on the outer case show that the Domnach belonged to the monastery of Clones or See of Clogher, and the John O'Karbri by whose permission 1 Dublin Penny Journal i. 143. 34 INTERIOR OF CHRIST CHURCH, AS RESTORED. IRELAXD'S EVE. the cover was made died in 1353. It is also known from the Irish authorities that St. Patrick gave to St. Mac Carthen, who died in 5o6, a remarkable reliquary. On the death of Mac Carthen, Tigernach, his successor, becamt the first Bishop and Abbot of Clones, where he built a new church, to which he removed the See of Clogher. This ■evidence goes, therefore, to prove that the Domnach is the identical reliquary that once belonged to St. Patrick, and that as its original purpose was evidently to contain abook, and it actually does contain a MS., which can be reasonably referred to the age of St. Patrick, there is reason for the belief that this is the original MS. Unfortunately, the membranes of the MS. have stuck together, so that it is only with very great difficulty that any separate leaves can be detached. A few of the pages at the beginning of the MS. have been examined, and found to be " the first chapter of a Latin version of the Gospel of Matthew, in a char- acter not inconsistent with the age to which, on examination, the MS. was assigned by Dr. Petrie." The Domnach Airgid is ex- hibited in the little room on the first floor, into which has been brought together one of the most remarkable antiqua- rian collections of Europe. It was purchased for a few dollars by Mr. Geo. Smith, who sold it in 1838 for $i,5oo to the Hon. Henry Westenra, who after- wards became Baron Rossmore, and he ultimately presented it to the Academy. The way in which superstition in later ages centered in and upon these early remains is very finely il- lustrated by Carleton in one of his most vivid and thrilling stories of Irish peasant life, en- titled The Donagh , or the Horse Stealers. He there shows how the ordeal of having to swear upon the Donagh led to the discovery of crime, depicting at the same time the impres- sion that the mere sight of the relic used to produce upon an assembly of peasants. In later days these cases were very richly jeweled and adorned with all the resour- ces of wealth and art. Our engraving shows the one that for centuries enclosed a copy of the Gospels believed to have belonged to Molaise, a friend of Columba. It was made when Cennfailad was abbot, that is, from 1001 to 102 5, and consists of plates of bronze, upon which richly ornamented plates of silver are riveted. The illustration 37 THE CUMDACH, OB CASE OF ST. MOLAISE S GOSPELS. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. reproduces the chief face of the cover, having in the center a cross contained in a circle surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists. In addition to the Domnach Airgid, the Museum possesses another relic which there is good reason for believing dates from the time of St. Patrick, viz., his bell. "The iron bell of St. Patrick is at once the most authentic and the oldest Irish relic of Chris- tian metal work that has descended to us. It possesses the singular merit of having an unbroken history through 1400 years. This bell is quadrilateral, and is formed of two- plates of sheet iron which are bent over so as to meet, and are fastened together by large-headed iron rivets. The corners are rounded by a gentle inclination of the parts which join. One of the plates constitutes the face, the crown and the upper third of the back, as well as the adjacent portion of each side, being doubled over at the top, and descending to meet the smaller plate, which overlaps it at the junction. Subsequently to the securing the joints by rivets, the iron frame was consolidated by the fusion of bronze into the joints and over the surface, giv- ing to the whole a metallic solid- ity which very much enhanced its resonance, as well as contributed to its preservation. The handle is of iron, let in by projecting spikes to perforations on the ridge of the bell, and further secured on the outside by bronze attachments of its straps." 1 This bell belongs to a class of ecclesiastical objects of which nu- merous specimens have come down to us. Over fifty are extant in Ireland, and they are not un- common in Wales and Scotland. In the case of St. Patrick's Bell the history can be clearly traced. About the eleventh century it be- came the custom, out of rever- ence for the early Christian teach- ers, to prepare costly and richly jeweled cases or shrines for these bells. We g-ive an engravinc- of that in which St. Patrick's Bell was for many centuries enshrined. It is a splendid example of goldsmith's work, and it was made between 1091 and 1 103, when Donell MacAulay, the name found in the inscription upon it, was Archbishop of Armagh. It is of brass, upon which silver-gilt 1 Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, 1877. 3S THE SHKINE OF ST. PATRICK S BELL. IRELAXDS EYE. plates are fastened, and fine gold filigree work; it is adorned with gems and crystal. "Since it was made, about 109 1 , it has never been lost sight of. From the beginning it had a spec- ial keeper ; in succeeding generations its custody was continued in the same family, and proved to them a source of considerable emolument, and in after ages, when its profits ceased to accrue, long association so bound it up with the affections of the keeper's family that they almost held their existence upon the tenure of its safe custody, and then handed it down from generation to generation, till the stock at last became extinct, and the object of their former care passed into a keeping established by friendship instead of blood." 1 From the beginning of the twelfth century until about the commencement of the present, the bell and its shrine was in the custody of a family named Mulholland. The last representative of this family, being childless, entrusted them to the care of the late Adam McLean, Esq., of Belfast. They then passed into the possession of Dr. Todd, from whose executor they were purchased for the Academy for the sum of $2,5oo. It would be possible to fill many pages with descriptions of the beauti- ful objects contained in this museum, illustrative of the knowledge, skill, and perseverance put forth at a time when many persons fancy that Ireland was inhabited only by hordes of savages, mainly occupied in the slaughter of each other. The museum is crowd- ed with arms, dress, and objects, the uses of which in some cases remain yet undiscovered, illustrative of all epochs of Irish history. The only museum that equals it in compactness, and in skillful arrangement of contents, is the Museum of Northern Antiqui- ties at Copenhagen. The gem of the Dublin collection, and in many respects one of the most beautiful and noteworthy objects in Europe, is the Ardagh Chalice. When it was made no evidence is extant to show, but all judges agree that at the very least it is over 1 ,000 years old. It was found, with other specimens of Celtic art, by a lad digging potatoes in a rath or earlv fort near the village of Ardagh, Limerick. It belongs to the class of cups known as calices ministrales, in use before the tenth century, intended for the use of the minor clergy and laity, before the Roman Catholic Church debarred the laity from the communion in both kinds. The chalice is composed of an alloy of silver, and is seven inches high. In the various parts, no less than 354 in number, gold, silver, bronze, brass, copper and lead, are used. The upper rim is of brass, much decayed and split from some local action on that particular kind of alloy. The bowl is of silver, the standard value of which is four shillings to the ounce. The ornaments cut on the silver bowl consist of an inscription, interlaced patterns terminating in dogs' heads, and at the bottom a circular band of the 1 Early Christian AH in Ireland, p. 59. 39 THE AEDAGH CHALICE. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. Greek pattern. The mode of ornamentation is peculiar to this cup, being done with a chisel and hammer. Round the cup runs a band composed of two semi-cylindrical rings of silver ornamented with small annular dots punched out with a hollow punch. The space between the rings is filled with twelve plaques of gold repousse work with a very beautiful ornamentation of fine filigree wirework, wrought on the front of the repousse ground, and carrying out in its most delicate execution the interlaced pattern associated with the art of the country. Between the plaques are twelve round enameled beads." Although the object is so small, there are no less than forty different designs dis- coverable in its decorative work. A well-preserved inscription is engraved on the cup containing the names of the twelve apostles as given in the Romish Canon of the Mass. The Tara Brooch, in the general character and exquisite style of its ornamentation, belongs to the same period of art as the Ardagh Chalice. It was found in i85o, near the sea- shore, by the child of a poor woman, who afterwards sold it in Drogheda. The workmanship is so highly finished that to be fairly appreciated it should be examined through a powerful lens. It exhibits seventy-six varieties of design, of the class found in the Ardagh Chalice and the early illuminated Irish MSS. The obverse and reverse are both richly decorated. " The Tara Brooch," said Dr. Petrie, " is superior to any thing hitherto found in the variety of its orna- ments and in the exquisite de- licacy and perfection of its execu- tion." It is composed of what is known as white bronze, a mix- ture of copper and tin. The Ardagh Chalice deposed what is known as the Cross of Cong from the proud posi- tion of chief among the works of art in the museum. This is a famous relic, dating from the Middle Ages, enshrining and illustrating, the traditions and life of the early Irish Church. This cross was constructed, as one of the five inscriptions upon it states, for the following purpose : " In this cross is preserved the cross on which the Founder of the world suffered." In other words, it is a reliquary, and at one time was believed to contain a piece of the cross upon which Jesus Christ suffered. It was made by order of Turlough O'Connor, father of the last king who ruled Ireland prior to the Norman invasion, about the year 1123, and placed in the Church of Tuam, during the 1 Early Christian Art in Ireland, p. 81. 40 THE TARA BROOCH (OBVERSE). IRELAND'S EVE. Archbishopric of Muiredach O'Duffy, who died in n5o. This is clearly shown by the inscriptions still decipherable upon it. It was transferred to Cong either by O'Duffy, who died there, or by order of King Turlough O'Connor, who founded and endowed that abbey. At the time of the Reformation it was concealed in an oaken chest, and early in the present century a parish priest, the Rev. Mr. Prendergast, found chest and relic in a cottage. From his successor Professor MacCullagh bought it, and presented it to the Museum. The shaft is thirty inches high. It is of oak, covered with plates of copper. On the central plate of the front at the junction of the cross is a large crystal, through which what was supposed to be the true cross could be seen. Eighteen jewels were placed at regular intervals, and of these thirteen still remain. Two out of the four beads which originally surrounded the central boss remain. The lower part of the shaft is the head of a grotesque animal, beneath which is the richly decorated ball containing the socket into which the pole was inserted by which the reliquary was borne aloft on processional occasions. Coming back from this remote past, we must glance at a few other points of special note before we leave Dublin for the country. Dublin Castle possesses few note- worthy features of antiquarian or architectural interest. The Chapel Royal is a work of high artistic character, and Avell repays a visit. Its sculpture is fine, and of a high class. The Berming- ham Tower is of considerable ■age and interest. It contains valuable State papers, and was formerly used as a State prison. What importance attaches to the Castle now arises mainly from the fact that it has long been the center and the symbol of England's authority over Ireland. ' Dublin is favored with suburbs that are easily accessible, beautiful in their scenery, and rich in historical and antiquarian associations. It is in this connection although it hardly comes under the description of a suburb, that reference must be made to Phoenix Park. 1 The vaults of Christ Church Cathedral date to an earlier period than that of St. Patrick. The monumental figures o( Strong- bow and Eva will be noted. $1,750 o~>o have been spent in recent restorations. It was begun by the Danes in 1038. — Ed. 41 THE TAKA BROOCH (REVERSE). IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. The name has no reference to the ancient fable, but is derived from fionn uisge> clear or limpid water, the name originally given to a beautiful spring near the Phcenix Pillar. This being pronounced " feenisk," was easily corrupted into Phcenix. The park was seized by the Crown on the suppression of the Knights Templars, whose resi- dence was at Kilmainham, and who owned the land on both sides of the Liffey. It is a magnificent piece of country, seven miles in circuit, with an area of 1,760 acres. It is well wooded, undulating in parts, with many level open spaces, in which hurling, football, and other games are eagerly played by the youth of Dublin ; and, from differ- ent points of vantage, very fine limits stand the Viceregal Lodge, Under-Secretaries for Ireland, a large constabulary barracks, and the Survey work is carried on. It also pie's Gardens, and a Zoological Ireland is commemorated here by lisk to Wellington and a statue There are dens at Glas- large cemetery ran is buried. ern round tow- of O'Connell the height of Curator's house was once the abode of aged yew trees is still known as well be prettier, or more attractive on a fine afternoon in early sum- Needing a somewhat longer are Clontarf and Howth, Clondal- of these are much frequented by is midway between Dublin and famous battle fought on Good Fri- and the Danes under Sihtric. The power broken, but the chieftain who typical Irish monarch was slain. 976, he established his power over was able and strong in war, wise in works of peace. He built bridges sSM M ' ^ CROSS OF CONG. views are obtained. Within its the house of the Chief and the military school and infirmary, a building in which the Ordnance contains a review ground, a Peo- Gardens. The military prowess of an imposing, if not beautiful, obe- to Lord Gough. Botanic Gar- nevin, and a in which Cur- There is a mod- er in memory which rises to 160 feet. The of the poet Tickell, and a grove " Addison's Walk." No place could to a lover of botany than Glasnevin mer. journey, and yet within easy reach, kin, Kingstown, and Killiney. All the residents of Dublin. Clontarf Howth, and was the scene of that day, 1014, between Brian Borumha Danes were defeated and their has ever since stood out as the Brian became King of Munster in the whole of Ireland in 1002. He counsel, and not unmindful of the over the Shannon at Athlone and Lanesborough, he constructed roads, he strengthened the forts and island fortresses of Munster. He dispensed a royal hospitality, he administered rigid and impartial justice, and established peace and order through all the country, so that, as the historian puts it, "a woman might walk in safety through the length of Ireland, from Tory Island in Donegal to Glandore Harbor in Cork, carrying a ring of gold on a horse-rod." * Dr. Stokes, in the book from which we have just quoted, gives a very clear and 1 Ireland and the Celtic Chuvcli, p. 291. 42 IRELAND'S EYE. realistic sketch of the famous battle. It was fought all over the ground now occupied by the north side of Dublin. It began early in the morning, at sunrise, soon after five o'clock. A strong north-east wind was blowing. The Danish inhabitants of Dublin crowded the walls of the town, which clustered thick round the hill now crowned by Christ Church Cathedral, whence a splendid view of the tight presented itself. " It was a thoroughly Celtic fight, without any skill or plan or manoeuvres, consisting merely of a series of individual encounters, which are told in a very Homeric style .... The Raven Standard ever fluttered in front of Sigurd, who carried destruction with him wherever he went." Sigurd is at length slain by Morrogh O'Brian, the Irish leader, who in turn is mortally wounded by a Dane named Eric, whom Morrogh slays just before he expires. The Danes are then utterly routed, and multitudes perish in trying to reach their ships on the beach at Clontarf. But in the hour of victory came the worst blow to the Irish. Some of the Danes had lied to the woods which covered the heights around Dublin. " Brian had taken his station on one of these hills to engage in prayer, like Moses, attended by only a few servants. The king was seated on a fur rug, where he pro- longed his petitions from early morning till the afternoon, receiving occasional reports concerning the progress of the battle from Latean, his attendant. As the sun began to descend towards the west, the apostate deacon Brodar and two other warriors approached the king's station, seeking refuge in the woods." One of the three had been in Brian's service, and he called Brodar's attention to Brian, saying, "The king, the king!" " No, no, a priest, a priest ! " replied Brodar. "By no means," said the soldier ; " that is the great Kingf Brian." Brodar then turned round with a battle-axe in his hand. The aged king gathered his remaining strength, aimed a blow at Brodar, which wounded his legs, while Brodar cleft Brian's head in twain. He then continued his flight to the woods, but was shortly afterwards taken and slain. Malachey, King of Meath, who had remained in reserve, now completed the work, routing the enemy on every side, thus terminating the domination, though not the presence, of the Danes in Ireland. ' Thus passed away King Brian Boru, in the hour of his final victory. And now, every few minutes, tramcars start from the Nelson Pillar, which speedily carry the curious traveler over the plain where the beaten Danes tied in the vain hope of making good their escape in the ships which had so often carried blood- shed and terror around the Irish coasts. A curious proof of the accuracy of the old Irish Annals has been brought to light by modern science. The early accounts of the battle represent the tide as being at its flood at the time of the rout, viz., about 6 o'clock ; and Dr. Haughton has proved that on April 23rd, 1014, it was high water in Dublin Bay at 5.55 p. m. Passing Clontarf, the traveler reaches the Hill of Howth, not only the most promi- nent feature in the scenery of Dublin Bay, but also a spot rich in antiquities and in the fine views to be obtained from it. Here is the ancient port of Dublin. Here the old Norse sea-rovers used to collect prior to one of their marauding expeditions. Hard by the harbor stand the considerable ruins of the fine old abbey. Beyond that is situated the castle, which is still a tine residence, with very beautiful grounds. Near the Car- rigmore cliffs stands a splendid cromlech, consisting of ten huge masses of rock, one I Ireland and the Celtic Church, 302-305. <3 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. forming a table eighteen feet long. Continuing the walk round the headland, the well-known Bailey light comes into view, and in completing the circuit fine views of Ire- land's Eye, of Dublin and the Wicklow Hills delight the visitor. The chief interest of Howthis its lighthouse, with the wonderful gas-light beacon of Mr. Wigham, which has revolutionized the old system of using oil lamps for light- house illumination. According to the depth of fog and atmospheric opacity, additional supplies of light are available without delay, and a penetrating power, hitherto un- dreamed of, at once supplied. 44 THE ESPLANADE AND BRAY HEAD. CHAPTER II. The Garden of Ireland. FEW capitals are richer in picturesque scenery close at hand than Dublin. Still fewer possess in addition wide tracks of exceedingly lovely country so close that almost all of the best parts can easily be visited in a day's picnic. The inhabitant of Dublin need be at no loss how or where to enjoy himself when he snatches a holiday from the ordinary routine of daily work. The counties of Wicklow and Wexford pre- sent an almost embarrassing choice of delightful excursions. He has only to take the train, and in a few minutes he is at Kingstown, a fashion- able suburb of the great city. This is a modern place, and owes much of its importance to the fact that the mail traffic between Dublin and Holyhead passes through it. Large hotels have been built here. There are multitudes of well-kept villas, and it has become a fashionable resort for well-to-do merchants and people of leisure. Kingstown during the summer gives itself up to music and promenading, to bathing and lounging, to yachting and the never-failing delight of watching the mail packets come and go. The land rises abruptly from the harbor, enabling the place to look beautiful under the white light of day, and even more beautiful under the subdued glow of the many lights dotted about the hilly streets and lanes. The favorite excursion in the immediate neighborhood of Kingstown is the walk to the top of Killiney, a bold hill rising to the height of 480 feet. Enthusiastic residents occasionally affirm that the view from the top of this on a fine clear day has no rival in Europe ; and although the traveler may not always see his way to the acceptance of IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. this conclusion, he will readily admit that it is impossible to get a lovelier view at so little cost in the way of exertion. A still more fashionable summer resort is Bray. This place is even younger than Kingstown, having been quite unknown until comparatively recent times. Fifty years ago it was occupied by a few fishermen's huts ; now it is crowded with enormous hotels, fine private residences, and all the signs of a considerable resident population. Fifty years ago the shore was a lonely beach ; now it is a magnificent esplanade, extending along the water's edge, backed by spacious villas and supplied with baths, pleasure-gardens, and all the devices calculated to attract and detain those who like to combine the com- forts of a big town with the advantages of sea-air and sea-bathing-. Rising abruptly to the south, is the Bri or Bree, meaning headland, whence comes its name. This has been tunneled by the railway, and so laid out that the walk SUGAR-LOAF MOUNTAIN. around the face of the promontory affords a varied series of delightful views. In the height of the season Bray is very lively, and all those phases of life which have been developed by the modern fondness for fashionable sea-side summer life can here be studied by means of numerous examples. But Bray is only at the gate of the beauties of Wicklow ; and within certain limits the further afield one travels the richer is the reward, if the traveler be a lover of nature, and in sympathy with what has been most worthy in the past. Much that is very pretty in the immediate neighborhood of Bray is somewhat vulgarized by the nearness of that center of fashionable idleness. It is when the traveler gets twenty or thirty miles away that he enters into the full enjoyment of a really lovely region, where the tired worker, or the student, may regain elasticity for the mind, tone for the nervous system, and restoration of bodily vigor. Few could spend their holidays in 4 6 = H O o d THE OAR DEN OF IRELAND. visiting Sugar-loaf Mountain, Glendalough, the Vale of Avoca, Glenmalure, and a dozen other beautiful adjacent districts without being the better physically and mentally, and without increasing their love for natural beauty. To bc^in with the things nearest to Bray. No visitor is long at a loss as to what objects are to be seen, or how he may see them. At every turn car-drivers, hackney coachmen, and guides offer to conduct you to the Dargle, to the Glen of Downs, to Powerscourt Waterfall, or where you will, within a radius of ten or fifteen miles. The most popular excursion is to the Dargle and Powerscourt. The former is a beautiful little mountain glen, well wooded, kindly furnished by nature with that usual high rock from which fable insists upon hurling the usual unhappy lover. Like many other much frequented spots, the reputation of the Dargle sometimes suffers from the extravagant praises of those who admire it " not wisely but too well." The bridge is a favorite spot not only for the lover of the beautiful, but also a starting-place for the angler. The origin of the name is a subject of controversy. Some maintain that it comes from the Celtic Daur Glin, or Vale of Oaks ; but Dr. Joyce, on the other hand, main- tains that it comes from an Irish word dearg, meaning red, and that Deargail, now Dargle, means a red little spot. He fortifies his view by saying: " I have on oth- er occasions observed how happily the old name-form- ers generally succeeded in designating places by their most obvious characteristics, every name striking straight for the feature that most strongly attracted attention, so that to this day a person moderately skilled in such matters may often predict the physical peculiarities or the aspect of a place as soon as he hears the name. Nothing could be more appropriate in this respect than the Dargle, which every one will recognize as the name of a beautiful glen near Bray in Wicklow. The prevailing rock in the glen is very soft and of a reddish color, some- times with a yellowish tinge, but in several places deepening into a dark purplish red The visitor can hardly fail to observe this, almost as soon as he enters the lower gate, where the red stones come to the surface of the path under his feet. The reddish color also pervades the clay, which is merely the rock worn down ; and is very striking in several spots along the sides of the glen, where the clay and the rock are exposed, especially after rain, which brings out the prevailing hue very vividly." * Near the head of the glen is the well-situated village of Enniskerry, and after a drive of a few miles through Lord Powerscourt's property, the Powerscourt Waterfall 1 Irish Names of Places, li. 39. 49 THE DAKGLE. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. is reached. This again is attractive, although occasionally visitors are disappointed, because somewhat overdrawn descriptions have raised their expectations too high. The effectiveness of the fall necessarily varies with the body of water coming over it. It is a fine fall and picturesquely situated ; but he who goes fancying it is as picturesque as the Kilefos in the Naerodal, or as voluminous as the Mongefos in the Romsdal, will assuredly be disappointed, no matter how heavily it may have rained just prior to his visit. A good pedestrian can make this the starting-point for a trip among the Wick- low Mountains, several of the highest peaks being in the neighborhood, the high- est mountain being Kippure, which just succeeds in overtop- ping the Donegal Errigal, and reaches an altitude of 2,475 feet. These do not seem very lofty in comparison with the Alpine giants, but they are quite high enough to afford healthy exercise and many splendid prospects. A very fine drive is to continue on from the waterfall along Glen- cree to the Upper and Lower Lough Bray, 1,453 feet above the sea, nestling at the foot of Kip- pure, and then return by way of Enniskerry. Any one wishful to see a good specimen of a fine Irish country residence can gratify his taste by visiting Powerscourt House. It is more remarkable for extent and beauty of situation than for exceptional excellence in architecture. Powerscourt de- mesne covers about 26,000 acres. The first English owner was De la Poer, one of Strongbow's companions. The O'Byrnes and O'Tooles of Wicklow captured it in Henry VIII. s time, and when retaken it was bestowed upon the Talbots. In 1 556 the Kavanaghs acquired possession of it ; and in 1608 James I. bestowed it upon Sir R. Wingfield, who was created Viscount Powerscourt in 161 8. On the road from Enniskerry to Dublin, and within an easy drive of Bray, is a wild ravine known as the Scalp. The road runs over a shoulder of Shankhill Mountain and through this ravine ; it presents a very wild appearance, enormous masses of granite being heaped up in grand and picturesque confusion on either side. It looks as if nature, in order to spare man the trouble of blasting a road, had by some mighty con- vulsion torn a rent through the mountain just wide enough for a high road. Professor 50 POWERSCOURT WATERFALL. THE GARDEN OF IRELAND. Hill has shown that the Scalp was once the channel of a great river that drained dis- tricts of land, now denuded of extensive rock deposits, and whicn discharged itself through the Irish Sea in distant ages. From the south entrance a very fine view is obtained, having in the foreground the Greater and the Lesser Sugar Loaf Mountains. Another pleasant trip is along the road which skirts the foot of the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain, passing through the Glen of Downs, another of these lovely Wicklow dells. It consists of a deep, well-wooded ravine, the banks at some points rising to a height of 800 feet. The road runs to Delgany, whence the return to Bray is direct. But, as we have already suggested, he who would rightly appreciate the scenery of this part of Ireland must go somewhat further. In the central and southern part of POWERSCOURT HOUSE. {From a photograph by Lawrence of Dublin.) "Wicklow are to be found examples both of the softer and lovely country, and of the gloomy and wild mountain scenery. The center towards which all excursions in this region tend is the Vale of Glendalough, one of the loveliest spots upon which the eye can rest. It is associated, like so many. other beautiful parts of Ireland, with the past history and religious life of the nation ; and the national tendency to associate romance and tragedy with exceptional natural features is well illustrated here. Glendalough is a mountain valley, situated, fortunately, in the opinion of the lover of nature, some miles from the nearest railway station. It is shut in on every side, except the east, by mountains, and starting from it several smaller valleys run up into the hills on either side. Two lakes lie embosomed in the valley, and looking towards the upper end from the eastern entrance it appears to be entirely enclosed by abrupt and lofty mountains. To the east of the lakes, situated in the center of the valley, is si IRELAND ILL USTRA TED. a remarkable cluster of ancient buildings — a round tower, early Irish churches, one nearly perfect, others in ruins, the remains of an ancient cathedral, an early cross, and a considerable number of old and modern tombstones. The buildings clustered at this spot, together with others scattered over the valley, make up the far-famed Seven Churches of Glendalough. But before we enter into fuller detail, it may be well to glance at the various ways of reaching this valley. If Bray is the starting-point, Rathnew is the nearest station, and the pedestrian will find it an agreeable walk to go by way of the Devil's Glen and the Roundwood Reservoir. Those not equal to a ten or fifteen mile stretch can ride to the Glen, walk up that, and regain their car at the top. Approached from the south, Rathdrum is the station, and then the visitor has a walk or drive of about ten miles through most delightful country. We should be disposed to recommend Rathdrum as the starting-point. As there is a capital hotel at Glendalough, and as the country is admirably suited for walking, the visitor with time and strength at his disposal need not choose the short- est road, but may reach the Seven Churches by way of the Military Road and Glenmalure. This road is a measure of the difficulties that have been experienced in the past in the government of these districts. It was built during the troubles of 1798 to facilitate the movements of troops in this region ; it remains as a boon to the % 5* THE SCALP. THE GARDEN OF IRELAND. adventurous and scenery-loving traveler. Glenmalure is one of the finest of Wicklow valleys, and when at DrumgofF, where the road from Rathdrum joins the Military Road, the traveler can easily, if he wishes, obtain a guide, and make the ascent of Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in Wicklow, 3,039 feet. The view from the summit, over Wexford, Waterford, and Cork, is very extensive. But the great majority prefer the beaten path ; that which runs by the Vale of Clara to Laragh. And much beyond the fact that it is the shorter and more convenient may be said for this route ; as a drive it is not easy to find its equal. Rathdrum occupies a lovely situation on the Avonmore River, at the junction of two valleys ; through one of these comes the railroad from Wexford, and along the other runs the road to Glenda- lough. The whole drive to Laragh is a succession of beautiful views, the road following the Vale of Clara. The Avonmore river is almost always in sight, and usually at a great distance below the traveler. The slopes of the hills are richly wooded. At Laragh the road turns abruptly to the west, and very soon traces of the manifold remains of ancient buildings, which abound in this region, begin to appear. The road skirts the northern bank of a little stream, at a considerable elevation above it. On the southern bank, about a mile from Laragh, are the ruins known as the Priory of St. Saviour's, probably the site of an ancient monastery, and, according to some, of the ancient religious town of Glendalough. The remains are scanty, but they exhibit many curious specimens of Irish ornamental carving of the ninth and tenth centuries. A few yards from the road, nearly opposite the Priory, stand the walls of a tiny structure known as Trinity Church. Il belongs to a very early period, and exhibits fine examples of a square-headed doorway, a choir arch and chancel windows. Shortly after passing this church, the Vale of Glendalough comes into sight, and presents on a fine day one of the most beautiful pictures that the Garden of Ireland can show. To the right is the Vale of Glendasan, to the left Glendalough ; a mountain juts out boldly to a well-defined edge, separating the two valleys, and in the distance are clearly seen the mountains that shut in the upper end of the valley. If the visitor is driving it is customary to take him up to the western end of the valley, by the shores of the upper lake, and leave him to explore the beauties and antiquities of that region, and then walk down again to the cashel. By these shores St. Kevin, the founder of the first ecclesiastical buildings erected here, lived his hermit life. The saint is an undoubtedly historical character, and flourished in the earl)- part of the sixth century. The facts seem to be that he built the cell on the south shore of the lake, also part of the building known as St. Kevin's Kitchen, and that he lived for years in the vale ; but as usual legend has been very busy with his name. Once when the saint, according to his habit, extended his hand from the window of his cell in the attitude of supplication, a blackbird dropped her eggs into it. He never altered the position, hand or arm, until the eggs were hatched! It was by these lakes that King OToole, when too old to hunt, used to amuse himself by watching his geese swim. Great was his grief when his favorite gander became too old to fly. To him comes the saint, " What will you give me if I make him fly again for you?" " Why, I'll give you all the ground he flies over, even sup- pose he flew round the whole glen." With that exactness always noticeable on these occasions, the gander did fly round the whole glen. "Now," said the saint, " King OToole, be as good as your word, give me this place, and I will dedicate it to God." S3 I RE LA ND ILL USTRA TED. And King O'Toole, " putting a handsome face on it," made over the valley forever and a day to the enterprising saint. The savage side of asceticism, and its unnatural violation of the duties and claims of ordinary life, are illustrated by the legend of Kathleen. To escape from her affec- tionate entreaties, the saint fled to the hole in the cliff overhanging the upper lake, up to which tourists occasionally climb, undergoing thus needless risks, to the enrichment of the wily boatmen and guides. But the saint's hopes of peace were vain. Even here Kathleen found him. Fearless she had tracked his feet, To this rocky wild retreat ! And when morning met his view, Her mild glances met it too. Ah ! you saints have cruel hearts ! Sternly from his bed he starts, And with rude repulsive shock, Hurls her from the beetling rock. That such a legend could be told, as it undoubtedly was, to the saint's credit, is but one of manifold proofs that a too exclusive and mistaken notion about the salvation of one's own soul may lead to extraordinary callousness as to the rights of others, and the claims of mercy. But St. Kevin is not responsible for the foolish legends that have centered about his personality. To him belongs whatever credit is due for the foundation of an ecclesiastical establishment at Glendalough. Later generations ex- tended and developed his work. In the immediate neighborhood of the eastern end of the upper lake are the remains of what is now called Refeert Church, dating from St. Kevin's time, and exhibiting still a fine specimen of a very ancient doorway. It was here, according to tradition, that King O'Toole was buried. There is a fine walk along the southern edge of the valley from the upper lake to the main cluster of ancient buildings. These are all enclosed in a cashel or wall, entered through a fine old gateway, which was standing forty years ago, and which, having fallen down since, was restored and securely rebuilt some years ago, the same stones being used and replaced as far as possible in their original order. The struct- ures of note here are St. Kevin's Kitchen, the Lady Chapel, the Cathedral and the Round Tower. Of these the first is, at any rate in part, contemporaneous with the saint. It once consisted of a nave and chancel, with a sacristy at the east end and a belfry at the west. The chancel has disappeared ; the other parts remain. Of these the nave only dates from the sixth century. It is called the Kitchen from the absurd notion, once prevalent, that the belfry was a chimney ! Divested of the turret and the sacristy, the building resembles somewhat St. Columbkille's house at Kells. Its side walls are eleven feet high, and the ridge of the roof thirty-one feet above the ground. The belfry and sacristy are later additions when the building was used as a church. Dr. Petrie sees no reason to doubt that •' this building, in its original state, was at once the habitation and the oratory of the eminent ecclesiastic to whom the religious estab- lishment at Glendalough owed its origin ; and it is highly probable that it received,, shortly after his death, those additions which were necessary to make it a church, fit for the worship of those who would be led thither from reverence to his name." 1 1 The Round Towers of Ireland, p. 435. 54 THE TALE OF ATOCA. THE GARDEN OF IRELAND. The Round Tower is very ancient, dating most probably from about the tenth cen- tury. It is well built, but, like several others, has lost its original roof and some of the upper courses. These have been restored in recent years, and a conical roof having been added, the tower presents much the same appearance as it must have done origi- nally. The doorway is now about ten feet from the ground, and was probably origi- nally fifteen feet, there having been in the course of centuries an accumulation of debris around its base. In the engraving the tower is depicted as it was prior to the restora- tion of the roof. The small church, erroneously called now the Church of Our Lady, is, in the opinion of Dr. Petrie, contemporary with St. Kevin's House. The Cathedral — a somewhat ambitious name for so small a structure — is roofless. The nave is very ancient, and the west door is a fine specimen of one of the earliest types of ecclesiastical architect- ure. The chancel is somewhat later in style, and therefore in date. Even if we can- not accept the earlier date, although there seems no sufficient reason to doubt it, the storms of nearly a thousand years, and all the mischances and ravages of thirty genera- tions, have failed to destroy these examples of Irish piety and skill. But with many the interest of their visit to Glendalough depends but slightly upon these architectural treasures. They go for the exhilaration of the tramp or the ride ; they delight in the bold hill contours, in the peaceful lakes, in the smiling valley, in the wooded slopes. And these are sufficient reasons. He who can traverse the rich and varied country encircling the valley, or ramble along its pleasant paths without being the better for it, is not to be envied. And yet it must be admitted that some due appreciation of the relative antiquity of the various remains, of the part they have played in religious history, of the testimony they bear to the zeal, industry, faith and skill of past generations — all the more powerful because this can neither flatter nor de- ceive — greatly heightens the pleasure and increases the benefit of such a visit. On a bright summer day here, as at Clonmacnois, at Cashel, at Slane, there is the blending of the fresh and lovely present with the dim, yet no less real, past. The air the sky, the face of nature, the contour of the mountains are much the same to us as they were to St. Kevin ; but as we pace the unroofed nave of the cathedral, or stand in the shadow of the lofty tower, or try to decipher the sculptures on an ancient cross ; as we think of the successive generations of Celt and Saxon that have passed away whilst these relics of human skill have survived, of the fierce Northmen who again and again ravaged the valley, of the long struggle that raged for the possession of these fair regions, there comes upon us that pleasant emotion, due in part to facts and in part to imagination, the sense of satisfaction that we are able to see, mark, and pon- der over the works of other ages, surviving in a natural setting, which is at once ever old and ever new. The traveler who has reached Glendalough from Rathdrum will find it pleasant to return by way of Roundwood and the Devil's Glen. The drive to the former is not so interesting as that through the Vale of Clara, but the walk along the great reservoir of the Vartry that supplies Dublin is worth a visit. This reservoir is an artificial lough, with an area of 400 acres, and formed by a huge dam 1 ,600 feet long, 40 feet wide at the base and 30 at the top. It can supply the metropolis at the rate of 12,000,000 gallons a day. The water travels twenty-four miles through pipes ere it reaches those who use it. 57 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. Near to the Vartry reservoir is a road leading to the head of the Devil's Glen. This is a very fine wooded glen about two miles long, through which the Vartry flows- Entering from the upper end, the finest scenery is met first. The glen is closed by abrupt ledges of rock, and over these the river tumbles and roars in a succession of fine falls. Cars are not allowed to drive through, and so those who wish to see the beauties must perforce walk. It is well worth the trouble. Rock scenery is the chief feature of the glen. It was a prominent place in the 1798 rebellion, and was for a time one of the strongholds of the famous Wicklow general, Holt. The road from the Devil's Glen through Rathnew to Wicklow has many pleasant spots, though at neither place is there anything of special interest. The Garden of Ireland extends further to the south and west, and below Rathdrum is situated its most celebrated district, the Vale of Avoca. This is a lovely valley through which the Avonmore flows, until it meets and mingles its waters with the Avonbeg. The spot where the union takes place is known as the Meeting of the Waters, and it is difficult to conceive of lovelier scenery. On a sunny summer's day the visitor feels that the United Kingdom cannot show a fairer scene. Still even here man has done what he can to mar the beauty. The railway — a necessary evil — runs through it ; yet as it is only a single line and trains are not frequent, this is not such a drawback as it might be. But between Rathdrum and Gorey great beds of copper pyrites exist, and were recently being worked, and the result, while probably satisfactory from the commercial point of view, has been disastrous to the picturesque effect. The great heaps of red- dish-brown refuse seem sadly out of place. The associations and evidences of mining come upon one as a painful contrast, when suddenly encountered in the midst of so much pure loveliness. Doubtless some of the popularity of this region is due to Moore's verses ; but then his lines do fairly represent the impression produced upon a sympathetic observer by the quiet beauty of these peaceful scenes. Allowing some- thing for Celtic imagination, the description even yet holds good : " There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet As the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet ; Oh ! the last rays of feeling and life must depart Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart Yet, it was not that Nature had shed o'er the scene Her purest of crystal, and brightest of green ; 'Twas not the soft magic of streamlet or hill, Oh, no ! it was something more exquisite still. 'Twas that friends, the beloved of my bosom, were near, Who made each dear scene of enchantment more dear ; And who felt how the best charms of Nature improve When we see them reflected from looks that we love. Sweet Vale of Avoca ! how calm could I re-t In thy bosom of shade with the friends I love best, Where the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease, And our hearts, like thy waters, be mingled in peace." A few miles southwest of Wooden Bridge Station is the wood of Shillelagh, famous as having given the name to that weapon with which so many Irish heads have been broken in past days. But as long ago as 1693 the greater part of the wood was cut down for use in the furnaces of the ironworks of that period. Westminster Hall is said to have been roofed with oak cut from the woods of Shillelagh. S* THE GARDEN OF IRELAND. The railroad from Wooden Bridge to Wexford passes through a country which, if not quite equal to the Vale of Av .. a \ et presents much to charm the eye. Wexford itself is a quaint, busy little seaport, inseparably associated with Oliver Cromwell, by reason of the terrible assault and capture in 1649, and interesting to the stranger now. It has also unhappy memories connected with the outbreak of 1798. The massacre on the Bridge of Wexford, and the Battle of Vinegar Hill, testify both to the passionate desire on the part of the insurgents to throw off the English yoke, and to the stern suppression of the rising by the Government of that day. Like its neighbor Water- ford, Wexford owes its foundation to the Danes, and commemorates that fact in its name. The town of New Ross and the city of Waterford are both well worth a visit. The sail along the Barrow from the one to the other is very enjoyable, and at the junction with the Suir a fine view of Dunbrody Abbey is obtained. The approach to Waterford from the sea is striking. As the Milford Haven steamer draws near the entrance to Waterford Harbor, Hook Head, with its prominent lighthouse, juts boldly out into the sea. A few miles to the northeast another promontory can be seen, known as Bag-an- bun Head. On the Hook Head side of this, in the year 1169, Robert Fitzstephen and his companions landed, and began that long strife between English and Irish which has not ceased although nearly seven hundred years have passed since, to use the rhyming legend that has become current — " At Bag-an-bun Ireland was lost and won." Waterford is the chief port of Southeastern Ireland, and a great center of the cattle trade. It is prettily situated on the Suir, the quays stretching for over a mile along the south bank of that river. But it must be admitted that its claims upon the traveler's attention are soon exhausted, however engrossing they may be upon the man of busi- ness. The only structure in it that presents a somewhat ancient appearance is Reginald's Tower, on the quay, and this can hardly make good its claim to an existence of over eight hundred years. 59 DROGHEDA FKOM THE RAILWAY BRIDGE. CHAPTER III. The Valley of the Boyne. THE Garden of Ireland, as it is popularly called, lies to the south of Dublin. But this descriptive phrase applies with almost equal force to the region lying immediately to the north of the metropolis. Few districts in the kingdom can show so much lovely scenery, and into no part of it are compressed so many ancient sites, ruined castles, fine old churches and abbeys, and famous battle-fields. The stretch of coun- try drained by the Boyne and the Blackwater has been renowned in Irish story from the dawn of history until the present day. Here is the great cemetery of the ancient pagan kings who flourished before the earliest Irish scribe began to pen the annals of his coun- try ; here stands the Hill of Tara, yet evidencing, by its clearly traceable signs, the barbaric splendor of King Laoghaire's Court ; here is the Hill of Slane, upon which St. Patrick kindled that Easter light, the outward symbol of the spiritual light which more or less brightly has never ceased to shine in the Sacred Isle ; here stood the ancient king- dom of Meath ; and with every square mile of the country is connected some deed of daring or of cruelty, some fairy legend or ancient superstition ; hither flocked the Danes in the ninth and tenth centuries, with their keen scent for battle and plunder, as to the richest district of Ireland ; here lived and sinned that princess Dearvorgil, famed in story, ■upon whom has been placed the responsibility of having occasioned the English invasion 60 THE VALLEY OF THE BOY XL. ,^,l in 1169; here raged relentless warfare between the dwellers within the Pale and the fierce Irish chieftains ; and here, in modern times, was fought and won the great pitched battle between Protestantism and the last of the Stewart kings on the soil of the United Kingdom. In glancing at this celebrated valley, we shall pass in review some of its most attract- ive sites, and recall a few of its most famous associations. Reversing the natural order of the river, we will ascend from the estuary towards the source. A great river like the Boyne, draining a rich agricultural country, necessarily possesses a port of the first rank. Drogheda (pronounced Draw-edd-a) is to-day one of the busiest towns in Ireland, and for many past centuries the pulses of a strong and active life have throbbed here. It is well situated on the steep banks of the Boyne, having many features in common with an ordinary continental town, and, when seen from a distance, it arouses the expectations of the traveler ; but a closer inspection tends to modify first impressions, and adds another to the manifold evidences of the truth of that trite saying, " distance lends en- chantment to the view." It is 32 miles from Dublin and 81 from Belfast. From the earliest times Drogheda has figured more or less prominently in the history of Ireland. It was formerly a walled and strongly-fortified city, and al- though, unlike Derry, is has lost most of the ancient walls, some fine specimens yet remain. Chief among these is the St. Lawrence Gate, as perfect a specimen of that class of architecture as we could wish to see. As the wayfarer passes beneath the archway, and looks at the lofty towers, pierced by narrow windows and loop- holes, imagination begins to picture the angry conflicts upon which it has looked down, and the successive generations that have passed in and out by its well- trodden entrance. Drogheda stands by the site of an ancient ford. In process of time, as at Dublin and elsewhere, the fords were rendered needless by the construction of bridges. To the bridge built over the Boyne at this spot the town owes its name, Droickcad-atha, the Bridge of the Ford, from which the present name Drogheda is easily derived. The name indicates also that this was the first bridge built over the Boyne on the northern coast road. The quays along the river, crowded as they are by steamers and vessels of many kinds, give proof that the town is not only an important place on the northern road, but that by the waterways of the ocean she is in communication with distant parts of the earth. It is believed by some that Milesius and his followers landed near the town, that in the struggle with the natives, his son Coalpha perished, the fact being commemorated in the name, Coelph, given to one of the parishes. It is more certain that Patrick passed by the ford on his way to Slane ; that early in the tenth century it became a stronghold from which the Danes ravaged the surrounding country ; that in 1395 Rich- ard II. held an assembly in the church of Mary Magdalene, and that there four Irish 61 THE ST. LAWRENCE GATE, DROGHEDA. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. chieftains did homage and fealty to the English monarch. " Every one of them, before the words of submission, laid aside his cap, belt and skeyne, and kneeling down before the king, put both his hands joined between the king's hands, and repeated the words ■of fealty and submission in the Latin language." In Henry VI I. 's reign a parliament was held at Drogheda, in 1494, under the Lord Deputy, Edward Poynings, which passed the notorious " Poynings Act," by which it was decreed that the Irish Par- liament should only deal with such matters as had already been approved by the Privy Council. But the ever-memorable incident in Drogheda's history happened in 1649, when she attempted to withstand the greatest Englishman of the seventeenth century, who came to Ireland at the head of his veteran army, to bring the country back to the control of the British Parliament after its revolt and fearful massacres of the Protest- ants in 1 64 1. Wide is the diver- gence of view as to what took place ; not with regard to the facts — they are as clear as the sunlight — but as to the moral judgment to be passed upon them. In September, 1649, Oliver Cromwell summoned the garrison to surrender, " To the which receiving no satisfactory answer," his army stormed the town and put almost the whole garrison to the sword. Cromwell did not hesitate to give his view and justification of the deed. " I am persuaded that this is a righteous judgment of God upon these barbarous wretches, who have imbued their hands with so much inno- cent blood ; and that it will tend to prevent the effusion of blood in the future. Which are the satisfactory grounds to such actions, which otherwise cannot but work remorse and regret." " Such," writes Carlyle, " was the storm of Drogheda. A thing which, if one wanted good assurance as to the essential meaning of it, misfht well ' work re- morse and regret ' : for indisputably the outer body of it is emphatic enough ! Crom- well, not in a light or loose manner, but in a very solemn and deep one, takes charge for himself at his own peril, that it is a judgment of God ; and that it did save much effusion of blood we and all spectators can very readily testify .... In fact, it cut through the heart of the Irish War. Wexford storm followed, not by forethought, it would seem, but by chance of war, in the same stern fashion ; and there was no other storm or slaughter needed in that country." The monuments of the past still existing in Drogheda are hardly so numerous as might be expected. There are the two ancient gate-towers, some traces of the old walls, the ruined church of St. Mary, and the fine tower of St. Mary Magdalene, the latter dating from the fourteenth century. Hence, most visitors prefer not to linger 62 THE BRIDGE, DKOGHEDA. THE VALLEV OF THE BUTXE long in the town, and are eager to get out into the beautiful country, studded with sites and objects of interest, by which it is surrounded. Few excursions in Ireland can rival a day's wandering in the Boyne Valley, provided only that the sun be shinino" and the atmosphere clear enough to disclose the distant views. Leaving the town in a jaunting car, and traveling by a road skirting the southern bank of the Boyne, whence fine views are obtained, Oldbridge is reached after a short drive. This name is now somewhat of a misnomer, as a comparatively new bridge spans the stream. But the interest of the scene, apart frrm its rural beauty, which is very great, centers in the event commemorated by the obelisk standing hard by the northern end of the bridge. Upon a huge irregular block of granite rises a massive column, erected in 1736, bear- ing this inscription : " Sacred to the glorious memory of King William the Third, who, on the 1st of Jul}-, 1690, passed the river near this place to attack James the Sec- ond at the head of a Popish army, advantageously posted on the south side of it, and did, on that day, by a single battle, secure to us and to our posterity, our liberty, laws, and re- ligion. In consequence of this action, James the Second left this king- dom and fled to France." On this eventful day William's army was post- ed along the north bank, and James's clustered around Don- ore Hill, on the south side of the river. Part of the English army crossed early in the morning by a ford a few miles up the river, thus outflanking the left wing of the Irish army and throwing it into some confusion. At this moment the remainder of William's army crossed at Oldbridge, a severe struggle taking place, in which the Duke of Schomberg, Walker of Deny, and others were slain. James, it must be admitted, did nothing to encourage his army, and very early in the day fled to Dublin. Many of his troops fought bravely, but they were out-generaled, and were unable to stand before the trained valor of William's troops. The Irish army was routed and pursued some six miles beyond Duleek. The site of this battle is interesting on many accounts, and the results of the victory were of the highest importance. But the associations of angry political passion, blood- shed and strife, seem strangely unsuitable to the peaceful scenes and lovely landscapes 63 THE BOYNE OBELISK. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. of the district ; and so we gladly pursue our journey to places which speak to us of better things than war and bloodshed. From the northern end of the bridge a little dell runs up through the hill. It is well wooded and a carriage road passes through it. It is known now as King William's Glen, because part of his army was posted here, and because he reached the river bank by this road on the day of his eventful crossing. The road leads up to the higher ground, and, after a drive of from two to three miles, the ruins of Mellifont Abbey come into view. The drive is enjoyable, but not nearly so fine as many others in this neighborhood. The car turns into a narrow valley, and, after running a short distance, suddenly, and without any indication of the nearness of the ruins, brings the traveler to the peaceful shut-in cul-dc-sac occupied by Mellifont. The first and most conspicuous object is a lofty, massive tower, through whose arch, only a few years ago, a mill-race was carried, the water of which supplied motive power to a mill which greatly disfigures the otherwise picturesque cluster of ruins. But this, like so many mills all over Ireland, has ceased to be profitable, is now closed, and the mill-race is dry. The tower is " square in shape and stern in aspect, and bears an elevated turret at its northeastern angle. This frowning portal, which still remains nearly entire, and was evidently the chief entrance to the monastic inclosure, is an historic evidence, fully as authentic and more truth-telling than books, of the state of the surrounding country at the time of its erection ; and while the peaceful consecrated structures in the inclosure below are landmarks of learning and religion within, this bold castle tells a tale of lawlessness and rapine which raged without. From this point we look down upon a confused mass of ruins, arches, churches, solid blocks of ancient masonry, some standing, others prostrate, several ivy-clad walls and grass-grown mounds, a few dirty thatched cabins, with an ugly square-slated mill and an adjoining farmyard." 1 This monastery, the first belonging to the Cistercian order of monks in Ireland, was founded in 1142 by Malachy O'Morgair, Archbishop of Armagh, and Donough O'Carroll, King of Oirgialla, i.e., of the counties of Armagh, Monaghan, and Lough. The first company of monks were sent over from his monastery at Clairvaulx by the famous St. Bernard, and by them the first foundation was built. " Then was the under- wood cleared away, the oak and the birch fell beneath the woodman's ax, and the wolf and the wild boar were scared from their lurking-place, as the valley rang with the clang of hammers and the sharp chip of the chisel. The bees, for which the place was celebrated, and from which it was named, no longer gathered their winter store from its sweet flowers ; and where the crane and the bittern found their resting-place arose the stately structures of the abbey and surrounding monastic edifices, by far the most gorgeous which had yet been seen in this country. There, where the cooing of the wild-pigeon or the shrill whistle of the lapwing alone were heard in former years, the tolling of the vesper and the matin bell spread in measured cadences over the surround- ing woodlands, and the perfume of incense rose up from the depths of the once solitary and uncultured valley of the Matlock." 2 The first abbot was Christian O'Conarchy, appointed in 1 145 ; here, in 1 1 57, a fam- ous synod was held, attended by seventeen bishops and Murtough O'Loughlin, King of Ireland, who made rich presents to the abbey ; here, in 1 193, died the ill-fated Dear- vorgil. It was bestowed upon Sir Gerald Moore at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, 1 The Boyne and the Blackwater, p. 279. * Ibid. p. 2S5. 64 THE VALLEY OF THE B01WE. and he changed it into a magnificent residence. Subsequently it was captured by the Irish in 1641. The chief ruins within the inclosure are St. Bernard's Chapel and the Baptistery. The former when complete must have: been a beautiful and highly ornate example of the Norman or Early English pointed style The structure known as the Baptistery is unique, there being no other like it in Ireland. Originally it was an octagonal build- ing, standing upon a series of splendidly built arches. In the opinion of good judges it dates from the early part of the twelfth century. Around these more important structures are the remains of pillars, crypts, arches, and all the evidences of the exist- ence here in the past of a large church and extensive monastery. Sir W. Wilde has noted one important and significant fact connected with these ruins. " One cannot fail to be struck with the remarkable fact that there is not a single characteristic emblem or element of true Irish ecclesiastical architecture at Mellifont ; no round-tower, no crosses, no inscriptions on tombs, no doorways with straight lintels and inclining jambs, and no knotted tracery, indicative of early Irish art. Everything we meet here is foreign." l True as this statement is with regard _-^-_ to Mellifont, it certainly does not apply to Monasterboice, only about three miles distant. No place in Ireland exhibits more magnificent specimens of distinctive Irish architecture. The car passes from Mellifont along the upland by a hilly road, and at length brings us to an inclosure situated on the slope of a gently rising ground, from which towers aloft a bold but partly ruined round-tower. The inclosure is a cemetery, and occupies the site of a religious house, founded here by St. Buithe or Boetius. The annals o-ive a. d. 52i as the year of his death. The records of the foundation are tolerably complete, consisting mainly of the names and year of death of the abbots, and records of the plundering it endured. It was famous for learning and hospitality, and until Mellifont was founded ranked as the chief abbey of northeastern Ireland. The inclosure contains two ruined churches, the tower, three stone crosses, and some early tombstones. One of the churches, that nearest the tower, is the more ancient, dating in all probability from the ninth century ; the other is a much later structure. The tower is a very fine example, being 5o feet in circumference at the bottom and about 90 feet high. It has been shattered at the top by lightning, and is somewhat out of the perpendicular. All who can spare the time should visit Monaster- boice — those who are interested in Irish art, because there they can study in situ the most superb ancient crosses which Ireland can show ; and those who feel no such in- terest, in order that, if possible, it may be developed, and thereby a new intellectual pleasure be enjoyed. The crosses are three in number. They are elaborately carved, 1 The Boyne and the Blackwater, p. 292. «5 BUINS OF THE BAPTISTERY, MELLIFONT. IRELA ND ILL USTRA TED. and although the rains and sunshine, the haps and hazards, of nine hundred years have passed since they were erected, many of the carvings upon them are still clear and sharp, and they enable the observer to form a clear idea of the devotion and skill con- cerned in their construction. Either time has dealt with them in kindlier fashion or their material is more durable ; at any rate they are in better preservation than their great rivals at Clonmacnoise. These crosses are monumental, and upon one of them occurs the inscription, " A prayer for Muiredach, by whom was made this cross." Now there were two abbots of Monasterboice who bore this name. One died in 844, the other in 923 or 924. The latter seems to have been a man of greater influence and power than the former, and this fact, coupled with other in- ferential evidence, has led archaeologists to assign the cross to him. Hence it is at least over 95o years old. It has been found impossible to decipher satisfactorily the meaning of all the groups of sculpture. The marvel is that they have retained so well all these centuries their sharpness of outline. Miss Stokes 1 states: " These six subjects — that is, the Crucifixion with its type, the Sacrifice of Isaac ; the empty tomb guarded by sleeping soldiers, with the types of the Descent into Hell, Samson with Lion and Bear, David with Goliath, Christ in Glory — are the only ones that have been ex- plained out of the twenty-four panels of this monument." Speaking of this cross, Mr. W. F. Wake- man, the well-known writer on Irish archaeol- ogy, states: 2 "Its height is exactly fifteen feet, and its breadth at the arm six. The figures of warriors and ecclesiastics and other sculptur- ings upon this cross retain in a remarkable [§£> degree their original sharpness of execution. The former are invaluable, affording as they do an excellent idea of the dress both military and the cross of muiredach, monasterboice. ecclesiastical in use among the Irish during the ninth or tenth century. Most of the designs clearly refer to Scripture story. There are figures of warriors armed with swords, spears, and other weapons, among which the ax and sling are conspicuous. The men, it may be observed, bear small circular targets like those in use to a late period among the Highlanders of Scotland." The cross immediately in front of the tower is more slender but much higher than " Early Christian Art in Ireland, p. 135. i Guide to Ireland, p. 148. 66 THE VALLEY OF THE BOl'XE. TVluiredach's. It is about 23 feet high, and consists of three stones, a shaft 1 1 feet long, the central stone containing the cross 6 feet 3 inches long, and the cap 2 feet 3 inches in height. It has been badly chipped where the shaft is inserted into the base, but many of the sculptures are still fairly decipherable, among them being the Fall of Man, the Expulsion from Eden, the Worship of the Magi, and the Crucifixion. When and by whom it w^s erected is not known. Of the third cross only a fragment remains, the burden of its destruction being placed upon Cromwell's broad shoulders. The graveyard is still in use, and within the more ancient church is a circular granite .-stone, probably the shaft of an ancient font. Whenever a funeral takes place, the body is carried around the inclosure and then placed for a few minutes upon this stone. In the Dublin Penny Journal is a description of this scene, interesting for its own sake, and also because it came from the pen of Dr. Petrie, with which we close our sketch of Monasterboice: " In its present deserted and ruined state it is a scene of the deepest and most solemn interest ; and the mind must indeed be dull and earthly in which it fails to awaken feelings of touching and permanent interest. Silence and rsolitude the most profound are im- pressed on all its time-worn features. We are among the dead only, and we are forced, as it were, to con- verse with men of other days. In all our frequent visits to these ruins we never saw a living human being among them but once. It was during a terrific thunderstorm, which obliged us to seek shelter behind one of the stone crosses for an hour. The rain poured down in impetuous torrents, and the clouds were so black as to give day the appearance of night. It was at such an awful hour that a woman of middle age, finely formed, and of noble countenance, entered the cemetery, and, regardless of the storm raging around, flung herself down upon a grave, and commenced singing an Irish lamentation in tones of heart-rending melancholy and surpassing beauty. This she carried on as long as we remained ; and her voice, coming on the ear between the thunder peals, had an effect singularly wild and unearthly ; it would be fruit- less to attempt a description of it. The reader, if he knows what an Irishwoman's song of sorrow is, must imagine the effect it would have at such a moment among those lightning-shattered ruins, and chanted by such a living vocal monument of human woe and desolation. We subsequently learned, on inquiry, that this poor creature's history was a sad one ; she was slightly crazed, in consequence of the death of her only son, who had been drowned ; and her mania lay in a persuasion, which nothing could remove, that he was not lost, but would yet return to bless her, and close her long-weeping eyes in peace." At Oldbridge we are in the midst of modern events and associations, at Mellifont ^mediaeval, and at Monasterboice in early historic. But the Boyne Valley has links 67 NEW GRANGE. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. with a far remoter past than the sixth century, the men of a much earlier generation have left us considerable traces of their handiwork. Between 01dbrids:e and Slane a large number of sepulchral mounds exist, and the references in the Irish MSS. enable scholars to decide that here is situated the great royal cemetery, used by the pagan kings of Ireland away back toward the beginning of the Christian era. Three enormous mounds, lying within a short distance of each other, are so much more prominent than their numerous smaller companions that they naturally for long years past have enjoyed the largest share of public attention. Visiting them as they lie upon the road to Slane, they come in the following order : Dowth, New Grange, and Knowth. To a superficial observer they appear natural hillocks ; but a cursory study suffices to convince one that they are the work of man. Indeed, it is, perhaps, not too much to say that they are, for their class, among the most wonderful works of man in the United Kingdom. In the year 266 a. d. a famous Irish king named Cormac Mac Art died, " the bone of a salmon sticking in his throat." This event took place at the House of Cletty, supposed by some to be Clady on the Boyne. In a very ancient Irish treatise, the History of the Cemeteries, the following passage occurs : " And he (Cormac) told his people not to bury him at Brugh,. because it was a cemetery of idolaters \, for he did not worship the same God as any of those interred at Brugh ; but to bury him at Ros-na-Righ, with his face to the east. He afterward died, and his servants of trust held a council, and came to the resolution of burying him at Brugh, the place where the Kings of Tara, his. predecessors, were buried. The body of the king was thrice raised to be carried to Brugh, but the Boyne swelled up thrice, so as that they could not come ; so that they observed that it was violating the judgment of a prince to break through this testament of a king ; and they afterward dug his grave at Ros- na-Righ, as he himself had ordered." On the banks of the river two miles below Slane is a place called, to this day, Rosnaree, evidently the ford referred to in the old MS., and the great mounds on the other bank are doubtless the cemetery Brugh, in which Cormac, having become a Christian, did not wish to sleep with his pagan ancestors. Dowth was opened and examined in 1847, and it was soon made manifest that it was a great tomb ; but nothing was unearthed or discovered superior to what had been accessible for many years in the mound of New Grange, a mile or two nearer Slane. This consists of an enormous cairn of stones upward of 70 feet high, covering from one to two acres, and weighing, it has been computed, 180,000 tons. Once it was sur- rounded by a circle of huge stones, but only ten of these remain. At intervals excavations for roadmaking or building purposes have been made in its sides, reducing its bulk. It is not known when or by whom the entrance was first discovered and explored, but as early as 1699 a description of it was written, which agrees in all 68 -4$ rj *mtK~- ^mc STANDING STONES AT NEW GRANGE. THE VALLEY UF THE BOl'XE. -essential particulars with what any visitor can now see. The entrance is by a low passage, which starts from an enormous stone, 10 feet long, iS inches thick, and finely carved with a bold spiral pattern. The passage runs nearly north and south, and is 63 feet long. It is constructed of upright stones, twenty-one on the right and twenty-two on the left side, covered in by great flag-stones, one of these measuring no less than seventeen feet by six. One can creep along the greater part of this passage with ease, but about 20 feet from the inner chamber the side stones have either fallen or been pressed in so as to nearly touch at the top. Here the explorer has nothing for it but to go down on hands and knees and crawl. The guide with the light who goes before proves that it can be done, and few are likely to experience any difficulty. None should allow this small drawback to prevent them from seeing a marvelous piece of work, viz., the great sepulchral chamber, occupying the whole center of the mound. After squeezing through the narrow but colossal portal the way becomes easier, and ■vve pass into a lofty domed chamber. The dim light — when we saw it a fairly strong paraffin lamp was used — the strange entrance, the outlines, at first so shad- owy and awe inspiring, all combine to make such a visit memorable. As the eye gets used to the chamber it is seen to consist of a central apart- ment with three recesses, one oppo- site the entrance, one to the east, and one to the west. One of these is depicted in our engraving. It is 9 feet high, 8 deep, and 7 wide. The central chamber is formed by eleven stones, with flat sur- faces facing inward. From these as a base course, rises the dome, formed of large stones placed horizontally, each layer projecting a little beyond that directly beneath it, thus forming a structure of the beehive type, closed and clamped at the top by an enormous slab of rock. This chamber has a diametei of 18 feet and a height of 19 feet 6 inches. Such is the sepulchral mound of New Grange. It is impossible to stand in that -weird chamber without having the brain and imagination excited. When were these massive stones piled up with such rude and yet, for their purpose, effective skill? How did these men of a pre-Christian age acquire mechanical power sufficient to lift such masses as the roofing slab of the entrance or the keystone of the dome ? What man- ner of men were they who could create such lordly dwellings for their dead ? What ideas of life and death and the future did these mighty builders have? One would like to get the clue to these and to many such questions. But at present the answers are vague and uncertain. Not yet, with all our increased research and knowledge, have we explained the mystery. New Grange drives home upon the thoughtful observer the lesson conveyed by the old saying, "There were kings before Agamem- non." There were men in Ireland before historians arose to chronicle their deeds ; ENTRANCE TO NEW GRANGE IRELAND ILL USTRA TED. there were conceptions of man's work and power and pride that produced these august tombs. May we not say that there is evidence here that the prehistoric man had a brain to conceive, an arm to execute, and a heart to feel, for the time in which he lived, quite equal to those of his remote nineteenth-century brother, who is apt sometimes to talk and to reason as if knowledge began with him, and as if the men of the early ages, were nothing but children ? A pleasant drive of a couple of miles takes us past Knowth, the third of these great mounds, as yet, so far as is known, unexplored. A steep descent brings us to the little town of Slane. And here indeed we are on classic ground. A somewhat long ascent, but one easily made by car, brings us to the Hill of Slane. Upon this hill, on Easter Eve, St. Patrick kindled his paschal fire, according to the habit of that day. This was contrary to the custom, that at the annual festival held at that time of the year at Tara no fire should be lit in the neighborhood until the great, fire had been kindled at the palace of Tara. Thus began the series of events that led to St. Patrick's intercourse with King Laoghaire. And, however it may be with this story, and certain as it is that later miracle-makers have woven about the history of Patrick a web of absurd' wonder-workings, it nevertheless re- mains a fact that this district is insepar- ably connected with the life and work of the great teacher, and that this connec- tion rests upon a sure basis of fact. The faith and zeal of after ages crowned the hill with a monastery and a cathe- dral. The tower still stands, albeit in a ruinous condition ; and it can be ascend- ed by the adventurous. From its sum- mit a superb view — unsurpassable in its. kind in Europe — is obtained. Seen under such circumstances as those which favored the writer, viz., brilliant May sunshine and a clear atmosphere and an early summer stillness, the truth of the following description is evident : " The ground whereon we stand is sacred, consecrated by the footprints of our patron saint, hallowed by the dust of kings. Look abroad over the wide undulating plains of Meath or to the green hills of Louth: where in the broad landscapes of Britain find we a scene more fruitful and varied, or one more full of interesting heart- stirring associations ? Climb this tower and cast your eye along the river. Look from the tall, pillar-like form of the yellow steeple at Trim, which rises in the distance, to where yon bright line marks the meeting of the sea and sky below the Maiden Tower at Drogheda, and trace the clear blue waters of the Boyne winding through this lovely,, highly cultivated landscape, so rich in all that can charm the eye and awaken the im- agination ; take into view the hills of Skreen and Tara ; pass in review the woods of Hayes, Ardmulchan, Beauparc ; look down into the green mounds and broad pastures of Slane ; follow the Boyne below you, as it dances by each ford and rapid, to where 70 RECESS IN THE SEPULCHRAL CHAMBER, NEW GRANGE. THE VALLEY OF THE BQYNE. the great pyramids of western Europe, Knowth, New Grange, and Dowth, rise on its left bank ; see you not the groves of Townley Hall and Old Bridge, marking the battle- field of 1690 with the ill-fated hill of Donore, where the scepter passed forever from the line of Stuart, obtruding its long-remembered tale of civil strife upon us? Duleek stands in the distance. Beyond those hills that border Louth lie Monasterboice and Mellifont, the last resting-place of the faithless Bride of Brefne) . " Those steeples and turrets which rise in the lower distance were shattered by the balls of Cromwell ; and that knoll which juts above them is the Mill Mount of Drog- heda. What a picture have we here from this Richmond Hill of Irish scenery! What an extensive page of our country's history does it unfold to us! What recollections gush upon us as we stand on the abbey walls of Slane and take in this noble prospect at a glance ! The records and footprints of two thousand years are all before us ; the solemn procession of the simple shepherd to the early pagan mound, the rude slinger standing on the earthen circle, the Druid fires paling before the bright sun of Christian- ity, the cadence of the round-tower's bell, the matin and the vesper hymn swelling from the hermit's cell or early missionary church ; the proud galleys and glancing swords of fierce Northern hordes ; the smoking ruins of church and tower, the shout of rival clans in civil feuds; the lances and banners of Norman soldiers; the moat and fosse and drawbridge of the keep still echoing back the strife of hostile ranks, the native for his soil, the stranger for his hire ; the ford defended and the castle won ; the pilgrim's cross, the stately abbey, and the baron's hall ; in church, the stole ejected for the surplice, the town besieged, the city sacked ; and then the rattle, and the roar, and smoke of recent battle, — have one and all their epochs, ruins, sites, or history, legibly inscribed upon this picture." * Where better than in connection with these scenes once visited by Patrick can we say what is needful concerning his life and influence? All who are in even a small measure acquainted with the facts know that controversy has raged in the past over almost every statement connected with Patrick's life. In fact, some have gone so far as to deny his existence altogether. The ablest and most comprehensive work on the subject which has appeared in recent years is the edition of the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, taken from the Book of Armagh, and edited by Dr. Whitley Stokes. " All the facts that can be stated with certainty about St. Patrick are these : He was born in the latter half of the fourth century, and was reared a Christian. He had relations parentes in the Britains, and he calls these Britains his patria. His father Calpornus, or rather Calpornius, son of Potitus, was both a deacon and a decurio, and therefore belonged to a Roman colony. Potitus was son of a deacon named Odissus. Patrick's father lived at a place called Bannavem Taberniae, near which he had a small farm, and there, in his sixteenth year, Patrick was taken captive. His captors took him to Ireland, with several others. There he was employed in herding sheep or swine, and devoted himself greatly to prayer. When he had remained six years with his mas- ter he ran away and embarked at some place about two hundred miles distant. After a three-days voyage he landed, and for twenty-eight days journeyed through a desert to his home. " Again, after a few years, but while he was still a young man puer, he was in the 1 The Boyne and the Blackwater, p. 179. 71 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. Britains with his parents, when he dreamed that he was summoned to Ireland, and awoke much pricked in heart. " He gave up home and parents and ingcnuitas, that is, the status of a free man born free, to preach the Gospel to the Irish tribes. His motives, he says, were the Gospel and its promises, and Secundinus adds that he received his apostleship from God, and was sent by God as an apostle, even as Paul. He traveled through the Gauls and Italy, and spent some time in the islands in the Tyrrhene Sea. One of these ap- pears to have been Lerina, or St. Honorat. He had been ordained a deacon, probably a priest, and at some time in his career a bishop. " Long after the dream above mentioned, and when he was almost worn out, he returned to Ireland (whether for the first or second time will be afterward considered), and traveling through the remotest parts of the country he made known the faith to the Irish tribes, of whom he baptized many thousand men. The Lord's flock, he says, was increasing rapidly, and he could not count the sons of the Scots and the knights' daughters who were becoming monks and virgins of Christ. He also ordained clergy, and taught at least one priest from his infancy. His success excited the jealousy of the rhetoricians of the Gauls, in which country he had brethren." 1 " He was well versed in the Latin Scriptures, both canonical and apocryphal, and, though he speaks contemptuously of his own learning, his Latin is not much more rustic than that of Gregory of Tours. He appears to have known little or no Greek. Irish, of course, he learned during his six years of bondage. He was modest, shrewd, gener- ous, enthusiastic, with the Celtic tendency to exaggerate failure and success. Like St. Paul, he wasdesirous of martyrdom. He was physically brave, and had strong passions, which he learned to control. This is all that can be stated with certainty about Patrick, his life, writings, creed, learning, and character. When and where he was born, his mother's name, his baptismal name, where he was captured, when and by whom he was educated, when and by whom he was ordained, when he returned to Ireland; whether he afterward left that country, whether he traveled as a missionary, the date of his death, the place of his burial, — on each of these points we have only the statements, sometimes discrepant and sometimes obviously false, contained in the later lives of St. Patrick and other late documents." 2 " Of these statements the following are the least improbable: Patrick was born about the year 373, at Nemptor, an old Celtic Nemetodnron, which may have been the older name for Ail Cluade (Rock of Clyde), now Dumbarton. The place where Patrick was captured about a. d. 390, Bannavem Taberniae, has not been identified, but was proba- bly somewhere on the western seacoast of North Britain. His captor took him to the northeast of Ireland, and sold him to a chief named Miliuc, who named him Cothraige, and employed him in herding swine in the valley of the Braid near Slemmish. After six years — when he was therefore in his twenty-third year — he escaped and returned to his family in Britain. As to what he did during the next thirty-seven years, i. e., from a.d. 396 to 432, it is impossible to offer anything but conjectures more or less plausible. The current tradition is that after a second captivity, which lasted only two months, he be- took himself to the best schools of the west of Europe, and first came to Ireland to preach the Gospel in the sixtieth year of his age. But against this four objections may • The Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, vol. i, pp. cxxxiii. cxxxiv. 2 Ibid. pp. cxxxv. cxxxvi. 72 THE VALLEY OF THE BOYNE. be urged. First, if Patrick had been absent from Ireland in Gaulish schools from the age of twenty-three to the age of sixty, he would certainly have forgotten Irish, which language he seems to have known well on returning to that country. Secondly, he would have learned to write better Latin than that of his Confession and the Letter to Coroticus, and he would not have complained by implication that he had not been in sermonibus instructus et eruditus. Thirdly, it is improbable that an ardent nature like his, spurred by visions and eager to annex a new territory to the kingdom of Christ, would have postponed his attempt for thirty-seven years. And, fourthly, this alleged long absence from Ireland is plainly inconsistent with Patrick's own words, ' Ye know and God knows how I have lived among you from my youth up, both faithful in truth and sincere in heart.' " It therefore seems probable that Patrick, after his escape from his second captiv- ity, studied in Gaul until he was fit for ordination as a priest. That he was ordained by a Gaulish bishop, and that he then, moved, it may be, by one of the visions which he had so often, returned to Ireland and commenced his work as a missionary." l "The kernel of fact in the story told by Probus about his ordination seems to be that Patrick returned to Ireland on or soon after his ordination as priest (say in a. d. 397), and without any commission from Rome ; that he labored for thirty years in con- verting the pagan Irish, but met with little or no success ; that he attributed this failure to the want of episcopal ordination and Roman authority; that in order to have these defects supplied he went back to Gaul a. d. 427, intending ultimately to proceed to Rome ; that he spent some time in study with Germanus of Auxerre ; that hearing of the failure and death of Palladius, who had been sent on a mission to Ireland by Pope Celestinus, in a. d. 431, he was directed by Germanus to take at once the place of the deceased missionary ; that Patrick thereupon relinquished his journey to Rome, received episcopal consecration from a Gaulish bishop, Matorix, and returned a second time to Ireland about the year 432, when he was sixty years old, as a missionary from the Gaulish Church, and supplied with Gaulish assistants and funds for his mission. In this there is no improbability, no necessity to alter dates to assume a plurality of Patricks, a duality of Paladii, and so transfer the acts of one to another. " There is nothing improbable in the tradition that Patrick landed at the mouth of the River Vartry, where the town of Wicklow now stands, and where about a year before Palladius had landed. Thence Patrick sailed northward along the coast, touching- at Inis Patrick, stopping at the mouth of the Boyne, and landing at Strangford Lough. There he converted the chieftain Dichu, and received from him the site of the church called Sabhall Patraic, a name still in existence as Saul. Thence Patrick went to the valley of his captivity, to visit his old master, Miliuc, and offer him a double ransom; and there occurred the event which is commonly called a legend, but which seems to be an in- stance either of d/iania 2 or of propitiatory self-sacrifice. Miliuc, seeking to prevent the triumphant approach of his former slave, burned himself along with his substance and his house. Patrick then returned to Dichu's residence in Maghinis, and there he re- mained many days, and the faith began to grow in that place. " After leaving Dichu he sailed to the mouth of the Boyne, and leaving his boats 1 The Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, vul i., pp. exxxvii, exxxviii. s A Hindi word meaning primarily the act of sitting in restraint at the door of a debtor by a creditor or his agent to enforce pay- ment. Then it came o mean fasting at a temple door to extort favors f.ora the idol; and later to indicate the Brahmanic practice of voluntarily sitting dmn to die by hunger. 73 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. proceeded on foot to Slane, where he lighted his paschal fire, and the next day went on to Tara, chanting the hymn called The Deer's Cry. There he preached Christ before the Irish over-king Loiquire, and converted his chief bard, Dubthach Maccu-Lugair. " From Tara Patrick went to Telltown, where Cabre, the king's brother, sought to slay him, and caused his attendants to be scourged into the River Blackwater. Conall Gultan, however, the king's youngest brother, received Patrick hospitably, and gave him the site of a church. Patrick then proceeded actively in the conversion of Bregia and other parts of the territory of the Southern Hui Neill. He then traveled to Tirawley ^^|^%^^Pa^'- K.jUND-TOWKR of donaghmobe. under a safe conduct from the nobles of that country, for which he seems to have paid in gold and silver 'the price of fifteen souls of men'; and in Tirawley, near the present town of Killala, he converted the local king and a great multitude of his subjects. " After spending some years in Connaught, Patrick revisited Ulster, where he erected many churches, especially in Tirconnell. He then visited Meath, passed on to Leinster, and baptized at Naas the two sons of the king of that province. He next visited Magh- life, and, entering Seix, now Queen's County, again met the converted bard, Dubthach 74 THE VALLEY OF THE BOl'XE. M.iccu-Lugair, and made Dubthach's disciple, Frace, Bishop of Sletty. Thence he pro- ceeded to Ossory, and thence to Minister, where he baptized the king. " According to the Tripartite Life, St. Patrick then founded Armagh, the site of which he obtained from a chieftain named Daire. After having spent sixty years in mis- sionary work, partly as priest, partly as bishop, he died at an advanced age, perhaps ninety years, on the 17th March, probably in or about the year 463, and was buried in Downpatrick. " These are all, or almost all, the facts relating to Patrick which are either certain or reasonably probable. He seems, as Dr. Todd says, to have always addressed himself in the first instance to kings or chieftains, the baptism of the chieftain being immediately followed by the outward adherence of the clan ; but it is certain that the whole of Ireland did not submit to Patrick's influence. " Even when he wrote his Confession he tells us that he looked daily for a violent death or to be brought back to slavery, and there is some evidence that a partial apos- tasy took place during the two centuries following his death." 1 The many noted towns and districts in the upper valley of the Boyne must be passed over with scant reference. They include Donaghmore, with the fine round-tower so prominent in the great controversy upon the origin and use of these buildings, from the fact that above the doorway is a sculpture of the crucifixion. This was supposed by some to indicate that a pagan building had been thus consecrated to Christian use. Dr. Petrie holds that it rather fixes the date of the tower to be about the tenth century. Navan, Kells, Bective Abbey, Trim, and Tara are all well worth the attention of the traveler. They are all rich in remains which indicate the part they have played in past history. At Tara, whose old Irish name, Teamhair, means an elevated spot commanding an extensive prospect, there is not only a view similar to but less comprehensive than that at Slane, but there are also evidences of the power of the early Irish kings. The spot ceased to be a royal residence as early as 563 a. d., and it is hardly needful to state that the evidences of past grandeur are not so conspicuous as at Cashel and Trim. The remains are chiefly roths or duns, that is, old mounds and inclosing fortifications of earth, that have evidently been residences in the past. The largest of these, Rath Riogh or Riga, is an oval 85o feet long, inclosing the mounds known as the Forradh and the Teach Cormaic, or House of Cormac. The Forradh is flat at the top and encircled by a double earthwork inclosing a ditch. Upon the center of this stands a stone pillar, placed there in 1798 to mark the graves of some who fell in conflict with the English troops. This pillar had lain for ages upon a neighboring mound. Dr. Petrie held that it was the famed Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, upon which for many ages the Irish kings were crowned. This opinion is not shared by all scholars ; if it be true, then this Lia Fail should be under the CoronaL )n Chair in Westminster Abbey, in the place of the stone so long preserved there. To the north of the Forradh lie the remains of the great banqueting-hall. These consist of two parallel lines of earth divided by openings, six on each side, which show where the ancient entrances stood; it was 360 feet long and 40 wide. From the center of the Forradh the finest view of the surrounding country is obtained. Kells is a lively little town, situated near the Blackwater, celebrated as having been the residence of Columba, who founded a monastery there in 55o, and as containing a 1 The Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, vol. i., pp. cxli.-cxliii. IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. round-tower, a building known as St. Columbkille's house, and several splendid old Irish crosses. The saint's house belongs to the class of building and to the same age as St. Kevin's Kitchen, already described. One of the crosses is in the town, three are in the churchyard, and one, the finest of all, in the market-place. Kells was in very remote times the home of learning and literature. The most conspicuous evidence of this is the Book of Kells, so fully described in Chapter I., which in all probability was written in the monastery in this town. Trim, the last place in this rich valley we shall note, though of great antiquity, pre- sents important remains only of much later date than its neighbors. Sir W. Wilde grows enthusiastic over its charms. " To see Trim aright the tourist must approach it by the Blackbull Road from Dublin, when all the glorious ruins which crowd this historic locality, and which extend over a space of above a mile, burst suddenly upon him : the remains of St. John's Friary and castellated buildings at Newtown; the stately abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, a little farther on ; the gray massive towers of King John's Castle ; the Sheep Gate and portions of the town wall; and, towering above all, the tall, command- ing form of the Yellow Steeple, which seems the guardian genius of the surrounding ruins. All these beauteous objects, with the ancient church tower, the town itself, the Wellington Testimonial, and the modern public buildings, form a combination of scenery and an architectural diorama such as we have rarely witnessed." 1 The Yellow Steeple, a square tower, of which only the east and part of the north and south walls are standing, is 1 25 feet high, and was probably a watch-tower. Immediately beside it, in ancient days, were the buildings of St. Mary's Abbey. The castle of King John, so called simply because that monarch once lodged in or near it, was built early in the thirteenth century, and has the proud pre-eminence of being the finest ruined castle in a country peculiarly rich in that class of architectural treasure. The ruins cover two acres ; the donjon or keep rises to a height of eighty feet, and the walls in places are twelve feet thick. The castle was surrounded by a moat 486 yards long, into which the waters of the Boyne could be admitted. Here, during the last seven centuries, many a pageant has taken place and many a tragedy been enacted. Men famous in history have stayed within these walls. " We can not forget the pageants and tournaments of Richard, Earl of Ulster, the imprisonment of the families of the Dukes of Gloucester and Lancaster during Richard II. 's sojourn in this country ; the confinement here of the royal hero of Agincourt; its occupation by the De Lacys, the Mortimers, the Verdons, the Cootes, its parliaments and its sieges — all of which throw a degree of splendor over the ruins of Trim." 2 In the early part of the fifteenth century Sir John Talbot, the Scourge of France, erected a castle at Trim, of which scarcely any traces remain. Dangan, where the Duke of Wellington lived as a boy, is only five miles away, and on his twenty-first birthday Trim elected him as its representative in the Irish Parlia- ment. Only two miles distant is Laracor, once the residence of Dean Swift; and along the quiet roads of this peaceful region he and Stella often sauntered. ' The Boyne ana the BlackwaHr, p. 79. 2 Iiid.jp. 95- 76 ST. BRIGID S CHURCH AND THE ROUND-TOWER, KILDARE. CHAPTER IV. From Dublin to Cork. THE trip from Dublin to Bantry is made by the main line of the Great Southern and Western Railway as far as Cork, and by this route some very beautiful country and some famous places are seen. Kilkenny and Cashel, Kilcolman and Youghal, Cork and Queenstown, the Golden Vale and Bantry Bay all lie either in our path or can be seen with a very slight expenditure of time and trouble. The first stopping-place of the fast express is at Kildare, the Church of the Oak, the place where, under the shelter of an oak many centuries ago, St. Brigid built her cell. She was born near Dundalk, about 45o a.d., and founded in 484 a great religious house at Kildare, consisting of both monks and nuns. It is said that from the sixth to the thirteenth centuries, a fire, lighted by Brigid, was kept burning. The site of the cell in which it burned is still pointed out. She died about 525. Forages past a cathe- dral, dedicated to her, has stood on an elevated site in the town. On the dissolution of the religious houses it fell into a ruined condition, but in recent years attempts have been made to restore, or rather to rebuild it. The tower has been rebuilt and the nave is roofed in. The choir is now used as a parish church ; but although much has been done to the nave and tower, they are yet very far from completion. Close by the church stands the round-tower. It has been restored at the top, but unfortunately a turreted parapet has been substituted for the correct conical roof. The tower is in good preservation, is 130 feet high, and has a doorway which exhibits unusual features 77 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. of interest. It is about fifteen feet from the ground, and consists of three concentric arches, ornamented with fine zig-zag mouldings. From the churchyard a fine view to the north and west is obtained, a conspicuous feature being the Chair of Kildare, a limestone mass on the hill called Grange. Kildare is a junction for Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford. The old town of Kil- kenny is well worth a visit, because of its fine situation on The stubborn Newre, whose waters gray, By faire Kilkenny and Rosseponte boord, because of the part it has played in Irish history, and because of the architectural treas- ures it yet possesses. Well situated on an elevation overlooking the Nore, stands the castle which was originally built by William, Earl of Pembroke, 1195. It was purchased by James Butler, third Earl of Ormonde. In 1399 Richard II. was entertained here, and in March, i65o, Cromwell captured it. Within very recent years it has been thoroughly restored, although for centuries very little of the oriainal building has been in existence. Kilkenny in its name commemorates one of the early Christian teachers. The name means the Church of Cain- nech or Canice, who was born in 5 17, and died in 600. He was also venerated in Scotland, under the name of Ken- neth, and several churches in Argyleshire are named after him. The Cathedral of St. Canice is one of the best in Ireland, and, though named after the saint, is of course of a much later date. It was begun about 1 180, and completed in the course of the next century. It is 226 feet long and 123 feet wide at the transepts. From the juncture of the nave and transepts a low but massive tower rises. The cathedral has a very fine western door ; it contains many tombs, especially those of members of the Ormonde family. Near the south transept rises a round-tower, perfect, with the exception of the conical roof. Several Parliaments met here, the most notorious being that which passed, in 1367, what were known as the Kil- kenny Statutes, one of which enacted that marriage with the " mere Irish" was treason, and that any one using the Irish dress or language should forfeit his lands ! Leaving Kildare and Kilkenny behind, and hastening on toward the west, the Rock of Cashel next deserves attention. Like Kilkenny, only in much higher degree, Cashel combines beauty of situation with a wealth of ancient architectural remains and historical associations. Cashel is a small country town, not specially noteworthy in itself, the houses of which cluster near the base of a mass of limestone rock 300 feet high. This mass of limestone forms the far-famed Rock of Cashel. Rising as it does very abruptly from the broad fertile Golden Vale of Tipperary, it formed a natural for- tress, certain to be adapted in warlike times to purposes of defence. Equally certain also was it to become the site of religious buildings. The combination of castle and 78 THE DOORWAY IN THE ROUND- TOWEli AT KILDARE. FROM DUBLIN TO CORK. abbey, of religious and military power, so frequently met with in Ireland, existed here in full force. The ecclesiastical remains are now much more prominent than the military. Comparatively few traces of the ancient fortifications remain, but the eye is almost bewildered by the towers and turrets and arches of the churches ; yet the balance is well preserved. The mere ap- pearance of the rock con- veys a sense of strength and security, testifying to its ancient power ; while there is a fitness, if choice must be made, in the fact that the splendid architect- ural remains tend to di- rect the thoughts of the observer from earthly might and splendor to- ward the kingdom of Heaven and the Prince of Peace. The name reflects the past history of the country, for there were many Cashels scat- tered over Ireland in ancient days, and the word has long formed part of many proper names. It comes from the Irish caiseal, and signifies a circular stone fort. The rock at this particular Cashel having been in early times the stronghold of the kings of Munster, and having pre-eminent natural advantages, has in the course of time appropriated the generic as its own specific name. The earliest historical references to Cashel describe it as the regal fortress of the kings of Munster. St. Patrick, according to the life in the Book of Armagh, visited Cashel, and converted the king. " After this Patrick went into the Province of Muns- ter, to Cashel of the Kings. When Oen- gus, son of Natfraich, arose in the morning, all the idols were on their faces ; and Patrick, with his household, found him beside the «r. canice's steps, Kilkenny. fort. He gave them welcome and brought them into the fort to the place where Patrick's flagstone is to-day. And after this, Patrick baptized Natfraich's sons, and left 79 IRELAXD ILLUSTRA TED. blessing and prosperity upon them ; and blessed the fort, namely Cashel, and said that until Doom only one slaughter should take place there. And he abode seven years in Munster. " While Patrick was baptizing Oengus, the spike of the crosier went through Oengus's foot. Said Patrick, ' Why didst thou not tell this to me ? ' ' It seemed to me,' saith IK] Oengus, ' that it was a rite of the faith.' $' Thou shalt have its reward,' said Pat- rick ; 'thy successor, shall not die of a wound from to-day forever.' No one is King of Cashel until Patrick installs him, and confers ecclesiastical rank upon him ; and twenty-seven kings of the race of Ailill and Oengus ruled in Cashel under a crosier until the time of Cenn-gecan, slain a.d. 897." 1 In 1 10 1, according to the Annals of the Four Masters, a convocation of the people of the southern half of Ireland was held at Cashel, at which Murtough O'Brien, tbe 1 Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, vol. I., pp. 195, 197. 80 THE ROCK OF CASHEL. FROM DUBLIN TO CORK. king, gave Cashel to the devout, " for the use of the religious in Ireland in general." Murtough's successor, Cormac, built the famous chapel in 1134. In 11 52 Cashel became the seat of the archbishopric of Munster, and soon after a cathedral was built. Henry II. here received the homage of Donnell O'Brien, King of Munster; Edward Bruce held a parliament here ; in 1495, Gerald, Earl of Kildare, burned the cathedral, because he thought the archbishop was inside. He was grieved afterward to learn that his supposition was incorrect. The chief buildings upon the Rock of Cashel are the round-tower, Cormac's Chapel, and the ruined cathedral. The cluster of towers, arches and walls presents a most effective- appearance as the traveler approaches the rock on his jaunting car. The round-tower stands at the north-east corner of the north transept of the cathedral, is 90 feet high, 5o feet in circumference, and has walls 4 feet thick. It was divided into five stories or floors, and the masonry is said to be as good as that of the White ,.p^, S3 ■t§; ili ■■v & ' "1 ■•< 23rt£3Stej-i;P ! \ is '■> if kSmpH mm:. THE INTERIOR OF CORMAC S CHAPEL, CASHEL. Tower in the Tower of London. The original conical roof is still upon it. Although not specially mentioned in any of the Irish annals, there can be but little doubt that this is the most ancient of all the buildings now standing upon the rock. Next in order of time, but supreme in historical and architectural interest, comes the unique Chapel of Cormac. This was begun by Cormac MacCarthy, King of Muns- ter, in 1 127, and consecrated in 11 34 a. d. The entry in the annals of Inisfallen runs: " 1 1 34. The church built by Cormac MacCarthy at Cashel was consecrated by the archbishop and bishops of Munster, at which ceremony the nobility of Ireland, both clergy and laity, were present." Notwithstanding its great age, the edifice is in very good preservation, and presents many features of special interest to the student of ecclesiastical architecture. It differs in several respects from the common type. It has no east window in the chancel, and no original west door ; it has both a north and 81 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. south entrance, and at each side of the end of the nave a tower rises, the southern to a height of 55 feet, the northern 5o. In the southern tower is a staircase leading to some apartments situated between the interior stone roof, and the high external vaulted roof. The chancel arch is very handsome, and is not placed in the center, but at the southern side of the dividing wall. The arch is decorated with numerous carved human heads. The whole building is 5o feet long by 18 wide. NORTH DOORWAY, CORMAC S CHAPEL, CASHEL. The north door, of which we give an engraving, is very richly decorated. It doubtless formed the original main entrance to the chapel. It consists of five concen- tric arches, supported by five columns and a double column. In the archway of the door is a sculpture representing a centaur shooting at a lion, which is tearing some other animal beneath its paws. A recess in the north wall holds a tomb said to be that of Cormac MacCarthy ; but 8s IRo.M DUBLIX TO CORK. there is reason to believe that it is later in date, Cormac's tomb having been removed ■a century or so ago to the north transept of the cathedral close by. The ornamenta- tion on this latter tomb is twelfth-century work, and when it was opened many years •ago a fine crosier was found in it. This ultimately passed into Dr. Petrie's possession, who after carefully studying the old annals came to the conclusion that Cormac was a bishop as well as a king, ami hence that the crosier may be the one used by Cormac himself. The head only has survived, the rest being of perishable material. " This is formed of copper, and measures 12 inches in length and 5 in the diameter of the crook. Its surface is covered with a sunk lozenge carving, filled with a vitreous enamel of a blue color, the intervening elevations of which are gilt — a design obviously intended to represent the scales of a reptile. Within the curve is a human figure, standing, with one leg placed on the neck of the serpent, and the other on the back of a double-faced, wingless dragon, which be has pierced in the back with a spear which the dragon bites. This human figure is dressed in a simple tunic, tied round the waist ; and the feet are covered with buskins which extend above the ankles. The bowl is encircled by a central belt ornamented with nine turquoises and nine sapphires placed alternately and at equal distances from each other. Immediately above the bowl is an ornament resembling the Irish crown. The lower part or socket is ornamented with a very graceful pattern •composed of leaves or Mowers in three vertical ranges, separated from each other by three figures of a fish, the well-known mystical symbol of the early Christians ; and these are each ornamented with a range of seven gems, turquoises and sap- phires, placed alternately at equal distances along the back." 1 In the cemetery adjoining the buildings there are no ancient crosses like those at Monasterboice, but near the entrance to the cathedral stands what is known as the Cross of Cashel. This when com- plete must have been a very fine piece of work, enough of its ornamentation can be made out to prove that it most probably dates from the twelfth century. The figure cut in the stone is supposed to be St. Patrick, and the Kings of Munster are said to have been crowned while standing on its pedestal. While the cathedral dates from the latter half of the twelfth century, most of the work now standing was built about the close of the fourteenth. It is 260 feet long and 1 70 feet wide at the transept, and a large part of the fine central tower is still standing. It may be easily ascended, and from the top one of the best views in the south of Ire- 1 Round-Towers of Ireland, p. 313. 83 CROSIEB FOUND ON OPENING A TOMB IN COEJIAC'S CHAPEL, CASHEL. It is now greatly dilapidated, but IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. land is to be obtained. It was intact and used for divine worship until the time of Archbishop Price, 1 744-1752, who, according to tradition, not being able to drive his carriage up to the church door, obtained an Act of Parliament to remove the cathedral to the town, and unroofed the old building for the sake of its lead! All subsequent attempts to restore it failed, and it now remains a melancholy but a picturesque ruin. The Rock of Cashel affords material for a whole volume of antiquarian disquisition. Few places better reward the time spent in acquiring a fair knowledge of the remains and their story ; but, like Glendalough, the charm of the place does not depend wholly upon these. The lover of the beautiful can indulge his passion here, and find ample satisfaction. Standing on the ruined cathedral tower, or strolling along the edge of the rock which slopes abruptly away from the observer's feet, a magnificent expanse of country stretches out before him. His eye ranges over one of the most fertile tracts of Ireland, the Golden Vale of Tipperary. Away to the north is the beautiful river scene where stands Holy Cross Abbey, on the banks of the Suir ; farther beyond, the town of Thurles, and the Devil's Bit Mountain, the spot whence the Prince of Darkness, according to popular tradition, snapped the Rock of Cashel in a fit of hunger and weariness, but soon dropped it in disgust. To the south are the rich lands of Tipperary, lying warm and luxuriant in the sunshine, having a superb background in the distant Galty Mount- ains ; while in the western distance are the summits of the Slieve Phelim hills, beyond which is the busy town of Limerick. It is a scene upon which the delighted eye loves to linger, and which, when once enjoyed under favorable con- : ditions, lives long in the memory. Amid such rich natural beauty, one may forget the past, and rejoice only in the happy present. The past, however, asserts itself even in the landscape, for as the eye turns from the peaks of the Galty Mountains, or from the rich coloring of the distant plain, it falls upon the ruined towers and arches of Hore Abbey, which rise in the immediate foreground, and carry the thoughts back once again to the men and the life of five centuries ago. After leaving Cashel there is not much of very special interest until Cork is reached. From the train fine views of the Galty Mountains are obtained, especially in the early part of the year, when the snow is lying in the gullies, and crowning the summits. But for the most part the gently undulating country is devoid of attractiveness. Oueenstown, Youghal, and Kilcolman are places that make demands upon the attention ; and as they are all easily reached from Cork, we may best visit them after we have seen that city. 1 1 Tourists from America naturally land at Queenstown and make their way northward, finally going from Londonderry arid. Belfast to Glasgow. — Ed. 84 THE CROSS OF CASHEL. FROM DUBLIN TO CORK. The metropolis of southern Ireland is a city of 80,000 inhabitants, well situated on the banks and in the valley of the Lee. It is a great port, and also the center of the butter trade for southwestern Ireland. Provisions and grain are also exported in considerable quantities. There are many evidences of trade and busy life in the city ; but there are also those signs of depression so common in Irish towns. Empty and ruined houses may be seen in or near the main thoroughfares ; and, busy as the streets and wharves undoubtedly are, they yet do not convey the impression of being utilized up to the full measure of possibility. 1 Cork produces strangely mixed impressions upon the stranger. Looked at as a whole from one of the heights commanding the city, the impression is pleasing. Some of the streets, as, for example, the Grand Parade, George's Street, the South Mall, and Patrick Street, are fine wide thoroughfares, filled with well-stocked shops, handsome buildings, and well-dressed people intent upon business. The quays and the bridges, six GENERAL VIEW OF CORK. in number, are also fine and commodious, the most noteworthy being St. Patrick's and Parnell's, the latter a fine swivel bridge, opened in 1882. But many of the other streets are narrow, irregularly built, and not at all inviting to the passer-by. Still, Cork ought to be estimated as a great sea-port, and judged on these lines it is perhaps ungracious to find much fault. The city possesses some very handsome buildings, notably the Cathedral of St. Fin Barre, which stands on the site of ass ancient monastery, and was consecrated in 1870. This magnificent building is an example of what can be done by the energy of one man. The late bishop, John Gregg, obtained the money, laid the foundation-stone, ■consecrated the building, and arose from his bed, only a few weeks before his death, to place the top stones upon the towers and the spire. The Roman-Catholic Cathedral is 1 Cork was a native monarch. Some derive the name from Corcagh, Marsh, the city being built on marshy islands. The great •painter James Barry left Cork in boyhood, never to return. "Cork gave me breath, but never would have given me bread," he said — Ed. 8S IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. a handsome structure, and Trinity Presbyterian Church is one of the architectural orna- ments of the town. One of the Queen's colleges is situated in Cork. In the churchyard of St. Anne's,, at Shandon, lie the remains of Father Prout, near the spot he loved, and within sound of those bells of which he wrote : With deep affection I've heard bells chiming And recollection Full many a clime in, I often think of Tolling sublime in These Shandon bells, Cathedral shrine, Whose sound so wild would, While at a glib rate In the days of childhood, Brass tongues would vibrate— Fling round my cradle But all their music Their magic spells. Spoke naught like thine ; On this I ponder For memory dwelling Where'er I wander, On each proud swelling And thus grow fonder, Of thy belfry knelling Sweet Cork, of thee ; Its bold notes free, With thy bells of Shandon Made the bells of Shandon That sound so grand on Sound far more grand on The pleasant waters The pleasant waters Of the River Lee. Of the River Lee. The easiest, and in some respects the pleasantest, excursion from Cork is a visit to> Queenstown, or, as it used to be called, the Cove of Cork. The most enjoyable way is to go by steamer, but the trip by rail affords good views of the finest scenery. For some miles the route lies along the river, which soon begins to widen out into a very fine stream. On the north bank the land rises rapidly to a considerable elevation, and is very well wooded. The citizens of Cork have not been slow to avail themselves of the fine sites thus afforded for comfortable residences, and many fine houses adorn both the north and south shores. A conspicuous landmark upon the southern bank is Black- rock Castle, a modern building, situated upon a promontory at a bend in the river,, which here turns sharply to the south and broadens into a fine estuary. The railroad to Queenstown runs along the north shore, while the Cork and Passage Railway occupies the southern. Passino- Carrieraloe and Monkstown, the steamer rounds a point and then enters one of the most commodious and also one of the loveliest harbors in the world. It is three miles long and two miles wide, and is completely landlocked, being entered by a channel two miles long and one wide. The expanse of water is broken by two islands, Haulbowline and Spike Island. The harbor runs east and west, and along its northern shore the town is built. The land rises abruptly to a height of several hundred feet,, and a very easy climb will bring the visitor to one or other of many points of vantage. The enormous steamers of several of the trans-Atlantic lines call here, the harbor is. generally busy with shipping, and, seen under a sunny sky, few landscapes are so fair. An Eastern traveler compares it to the Bosphorus. Six miles distant to the east is Cloyne, formerly the seat of an independent bishopic, but now associated with Cork. The famous philosopher, Berkeley, was Bishop of Cloyne from 1734 to 1753, and resided there for seventeen years. The glory of the town has departed ; the old cathedral is used as a parish church, and there still stands a fine round-tower, over 100 feet in height. Farther still to the east, about twenty-six 86 FROM DUBLIN TO CORK. miles from Cork, is the town of Youghal, well situated on the hill overlooking the mouth of the Blackwater, the river whose valley forms one of the prettiest parts of Ireland. The town contains about six thousand inhabitants, and is proud of its build- ings and of its historical associations. The great church of St. Mary was for many years, like the Dublin cathedrals, in a ruinous state, and has, like them, been restored in recent years. A collegiate establishment was founded here by the Earl of Desmond in 1464, but the church dates back to the thirteenth century. The establishment con- sisted of a warden, eight fellows, and eight singing-men, and the endowment was three thousand dollars a year. The house or college in which they resided is still in exist- ence ; but it is memorable from the fact that there once lived in it for several years a famous Englishman, Sir Walter Raleigh, and that he there entertained the great and gentle poet Edmund Spenser. The house retains few traces of its ancient appearance ; it is rather an Elizabethan manor. It was repaired in 1602 by Sir George Carew.and a SIR WALTER RALEIGH'S HOUSE, YOUGHAL (WITH BAY WINDOW OF HIS STUDY). few years later by Sir Richard Boyle, afterward Earl of Cork, since it had been greatly injured in Desmond's rebellion. The interior is wainscoted with finely carved Irish oak. Tradition states that in the garden of this house Raleigh planted the first potato that grew in Ireland, and that under its yew-tree Spenser smoked the new and strange tobacco, and pondered The Faerie Queenc. But it seems to have been too peaceful a home for the brilliant soldier and statesman, and, although prominent for a time in the conduct of Irish affairs, his stay here was brief. Raleigh was present at the capture of Smerwick Fort in November, i5~9 ; in 1 584 he obtained the grant of a large tract of land in Munster ; in i58q he was again in Ireland, and on his return to England took Spenser with him, and introduced him to Queen Elizabeth. The same year saw the publication of the first three books of Spenser's masterpiece. The Blackwater, like its Meath namesake, has a great reputation among the lovers of natural beauty. Following the river up some twenty or thirty miles, the Awbeg, 87 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. one of the main tributaries, is reached. This stream is well known to anglers, and is noted for the fine trout it contains ; it is also known to the readers of Elizabethan poetry as one of the streams described by Spenser in his Colin Clout's Come Home Again, which was penned in i5qi, during his years of dreary banishment. The Mulla of this poem is the Awbeg of to-day : "Mulla, the daughter of Old Mole, so bright, The nymph which of that watercourse has charge, That, springing out of Mole, doth run downright To Buttevant, where spreading forth at large It giveth name unto that ancient city Which Kil-ne-mullah cleped is of old, Whose ragged ruins breed great ruth and pity To travelers, which it from lar behold." KILCOLMAN CASTLE. About two miles to the northwest of Doneraile, a small town on the Awbeg, are the ruins of Kilcolman Castle, for ten years the home of Spenser. Judging from present appearance, it can never have been a cheerful abode. It was a fairly strong keep, as every gentleman's house had to be in those stormy, troublous times ; the rooms are small, and the arrangements for the comfort of the occupant seem to have been so necessarily imperfect that the visitor does not feel much desire for a return of those "good old times," at any rate if this should involve a return to such residences as the poet's home. This applies only to the castle itself, for the surroundings were very lovely. "The castle," writes Charles Smith, in his Natural and Civil History of the County and City of Cork, " is now almost level with the ground, and was situated on the north side of a fine lake, in the midst of a vast plain, terminated to the east by the County of Waterford mountains; Ballyhowra Hills to the north, or, as Spenser terms 88 FROM DUBLIN TO CORK. them, the. Mountains of Mole, Nagle Mountains to the south, and the Mountains of Kerry to the west. It commanded a view of above half the breadth of Ireland ; and must have been, when the adjacent uplands were wooded, a most pleasant and romantic situation.'' It is here that Spenser learned some of the deepest lessons of life. Driven into himself by the uncongenial nature of his surroundings, compelled to practice self-denial, he entered into fuller communion with the natural beauties around him. Here he passed through some of the uncertainties of a long but at the last successful wooing ; and here he enjoyed the happiness of a married life based upon deep and ardent affection. Thus taught and disciplined, he learned those truths which he afterward so beautifully expressed in his Hymne of Heavenly Love, in which the poet shows that he had learned the true secret of the Gospel. After describing how "Man, forgetful of his Master's grace, No less than angels, whom he did ensue, Fell from the hope of promised heavenly place Into the mouth of death, to sinners due, And all his offspring into thraldom threw," and how the Lord Jesus Christ, " Out of the bosom of eternal blisse In which he reigned with His glorious Sire, He down descended, like a most demisse And abject thrall in flesh's frail attire, That He for him might pay Sin's deadly hire, And him restore unto that happy slate In which he stood before his hapless fate," the poet goes on to ask — " How can we Thee requite for all this good ? Or what can prize that Thy most precious blood ? " Yet naught Thou ask'st in lieu of all this love But love of us, for guerdon of Thy pain : Ay me ! what can us less than that behove ? Had He required life for us again, Had it been wrong to ask His owne with gain ? He gave us life, He it restored lost ; Then life were least, that us so little cost. " But He our life hath left unto us free ; Free that was thrall, and blessed that was banned ; He ought demands but that we loving be, As He Himself hath loved us afore-hand, And bound thereto with an eternal band, Him first to love that was so dearly bought, And next our brethern, to His image wrought." The years which Spenser passed at Kilcolman were among the most eventful in the whole course of English history. He came to Ireland in i58o with the Deputy, Lord Grey de Wilton, and for about eight years he seems to have resided in or near Dublin. In all probability i588 was the year in which he began his residence at Kilcolman. While he dreamed and chafed during his years of unwelcome banishment from England, Sidney died in Holland, the beautiful but wicked Mary Oueen of Scots perished on the scaffold, 89 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. the Armada came and was destroyed, and England emerged from her life and death con- flict with Spain and the Papacy, victorious and with such triumphant energy that she left medisevalism behind forever, and took her place in the van of modern life and progress. Spenser felt most keenly the loss of his friend and typical hero, Sir Philip Sidney, and has enshrined his grief in noble verse. In the struggle known as Tyrone's Insurrection, Kilcolman Castle was attacked and burned, Spenser and his family escaping only with very great difficulty, and according to some accounts with the loss of an infant child, who was burned with the castle. The easiest and favorite excursion from Cork is to Blarney Castle, a spot which amply deserves the reputation it has acquired, although that reputation rests mainly upon the features of the place least worthy to sustain it. Multitudes wish -to touch the Blarney BLARNEY CASTLE. Stone, who are not impressed by the picturesque solendor of the old ruin or the exceeding beauty of its surroundings. The castle stands upon a hillside which slopes steeply down to the River Blarney, a stream which winds through a lovely and well-wooded valley. Hard by is the neat little town, in which are several mills engaged in the manufacture of tweed. The castle dates from the fifteenth century, and was founded by Cormac MacCarthy, who also founded the abbey and castle of Kilcrea, in the former of which he was buried. The castles and estates were forfeited in 1689, the last of the original owners being allowed a pension of fifteen hundred dollars. Seen across the river by the approach from the town, the lofty gray mass of the huge quadrangular keep towering above the foliage of the trees, the castle presents a very im- posing appearance. 90 FROM DUBLIN TO CORK. The real Blarney Stone was one containing the inscription Cormac Mac Car thy for tis me fieri fecit . 1. D. The situation of the stone has shown a tendency to vary according to the predilections of the guides ; but that now exhibited is the lowermost of those clasped between the iron bars, as shown in the engraving. Whatever the origin of the tradition, and of the custom of kissing the Blarney Stone, the reputation it has acquired of recent years has been due largely to Father Prout's verses : There is a stone there, The groves of Blarney, That whoever kisses, They look so charming, Oh ! he never misses Down by the purlings To grow eloquent. Of sweet silent brooks, 'Tis he may clamber All decked by posies To a lady's chamber, That spontaneous grow there Or become member Planted in order Of Parliament. In the rocky nooks. A clever spouter 'Tis there the daisy He'll sure turn out, or And the sweet carnation, An out and outer The blooming pink " To be let alone" ! And the rose so fair ; Don't hope to hinder him Likewise the lily Or to bewilder him, And daffadowndilly — Sure he's a pilgrim All flowers that scent From the Blarney Stone. The sweet open air. But rich as this whole district is in scenery and historic sites, we can not extend our consideration of them. Only a passing mention can be made of the western part of County Cork. Those who can make time and opportunity should certainly visit Kinsale. Bandon, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, and Skibbereen. GLENGAMFF. CHAPTER V. Glengariff, Killarney, and Valevtia. PHERE are three main routes from Cork to Killarney. The tamest is by rail via * Mallow ; the most adventurous is by rail to Macroom, and thence to Killarney by the North Road, as it is called, one of the finest drives in southwestern Ireland, running through the country of the MacCarthys, with their ruined castles, and enabling the traveler to see Gougane Barra and the Pass of the Deer. The former is a lonely lake, lying embosomed in a great hollow formed by the mountains, which tower in parts almost perpendicularly above it. In the center of the lake is an islet sacred to St. Finn Bar, which was for ages the object of special pilgrimages. The scenery here, for wild magnificence and power to touch the imagination, can hold its own with any in this region — so full of grand mountain and lake solitudes. The Pass of the Deer is a deep mountain cleft about two miles in length, " the most sternly grand defile in Ireland, a scene of utter loneliness, where no song of bird or hum of bee breaks the monotonous stillness, save where the ripple of numerous sparkling rills course down the side of the acclivities. There are immense masses of rock seemingly poised in the air, almost perpendicularly on either side, clothed with stunted arbutus, rowan-tree, yew, and ►3 W W a +0 3 H O GLEXGARIFF, KILLARNEY, AND VALEXTIA. holly, while huge projecting- cliffs ever and anon seem threatening to bar the visitor's progress." Hire the outlawed O'Sullivans and O'Learys long defied the Government, and in 1S22 the adherents of Captain Rock for a long time held possession of the pass, until dislodged by Lord Bantry and the military. It is a district well adapted for law- lessness of this kind. But the popular route is by the way of Bantry and Glengariff. This takes the trav- eler along one of the roads in Ireland most frequented, at least in the tourist season; but it also has compensations, inasmuch as it offers some most magnificent drives, and at the chief stopping-points some of the very best hotels in Ireland are to be found. A short but pleasant railway journey from Cork enables the visitor to see the pretty coun- try on the road to Bandon, to catch a passing glimpse of that well-situated town, to see something of the wildest parts of County Cork, and finally brings him to Bantry, at the head of the famous bay of the same name. Here, if disposed to stop, he will find very comfortable accommodation, and, although the little town presents an ancient appear- ance and has a fishlike odor, there is nothing- in it that need detain him lone. But with the drive to Glengariff the beauties of this region begin to reveal themselves. The road winds along the northeastern shores of Bantry Bay, which are somewhat hilly, affording consequently beautiful and ever-varying views. Whether the drive be taken in the full light of the midday sun or when the softer lights and the shadows of evening are over the landscape, it will linger long in the memory. The noble expanse of the bay, the lofty peaks of the Sugar Loaf and other distant mountains, the fine bold rock contours, the little streams that ripple down from the surrounding mountains, the splendid colorings of sea and sky and rock and heath, all combine to heighten the enjoyment of the traveler. Especially fine are the views when the approach of evening tends to deepen the shadows and to robe the more distant prospects in a lovely purple haze. Eloquent descriptions of Glengariff abound, sometimes accurate and adequate, sometimes charged with a pardonable exaggeration. But the perusal of these tends to form untrue or disproportionate ideas of this celebrated glen. Perhaps the ideal course would be to go and see the spot, and then read the descriptions. Glengariff is emphat- ically a place where the eye sees what it is capable of seeing, and the impression received will vary here, more than in most places, according to one's taste. Those who love the combination of bold rocks with lovely dells whose sides are fringed with beautiful trees, and through which musically murmuring streams run down to the sea ; those who rejoice in the fresh, blue, health-giving ocean, and who yet love to look upon it in its gentler and softer moods ; those who like when taking a holiday to exchange the rush and struggle and selfishness of modern metropolitan life for the peaceful country, far removed from the roar of business and the fierceness of modern competition, and yet sufficiently in touch with the outer world to avoid all traces of stagnation, these can hardly do better than select Glengariff as a place of resort. The modern tourist loves his comforts, and these he can have in the hotels. Be he pedestrian, or cyclist, or fisherman, or sketcher, or lover of boating and driving, here can he indulge to the full his favorite recreation. And he can at the same time breathe some of the purest air and rejoice in the marvelous wealth of rich and lovely scenery with which the benefi- cent Creator has gladdened this part of the land. The name Glengariff means "The rugged glen." It includes the harbor formed by 95 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. the innermost recess of Bantry Bay, and the valley through which flows the Glengariff River, in its descent from Eagle's Nest Mount- ain to the sea. The bay is dotted with air r e number of tiny islets. The river rushes head- long clown from its source, reaching its highest point of beauty, perhaps, at the old ruined arches of what is known as Cromwell's Bridge. The temperature in this favored glen varies within narrow limits, the vegetation is rich, the arbutus, the rowan-tree, the holly, azaleas, rhododendrons, and hvdrangeas all flourish here, and its wonderful combi- nation of beauties and advantages makes it a notable place of rest for the overworked and weary, and a choice winter- ing-place for the delicate. But most who visit this earthly paradise, like ourselves, however fain to linger, have to hasten on to other scenes. Glengariff to Gougane Barra, and thence to Killarney ; go by the main road to Kenmare. This is as fine a drive as any tourist need wish to enjoy. The road runs through the village, and then for a short distance along the left bank of the Glengariff River, and finally begins to wind ever higher and higher up the valley of a small tributary of the Glengariff River, which it finally crosses, and winds around a bold, steep hill at a height of nearly eight hundred feet above the sea. From this point a comprehensive view of the greater part of Bantry Bay is obtained. It then turns sharply to the north, rising still higher and penetrating into ever wilder mountain scenery, until a peak known as Turner's Rock, 9 6" M GILLICUDDY REEKS. There is a road from but the vast majority GLENGARIFF, KTLLARNEF, AND VALENTIA. over 1,300 feet above the sea, is reached This is pierced by a fine tunnel, and as the car passes out of the Ion-- and somewhat gloomy p issa jea superb \ iew greets him. Stretched out before him, but mainly to his left hand, arc the fine multitudinous peaks of Ireland's greatest mountain chain, the McGillicuddy Recks. Seen early in the year, say in April, thc_\- are often covered with snow, and present a most beautiful appearance. Seen under an\- circumstances with the essential element of a tolerably clear atmosphere, their wild forms, their great extent, their fine configurations, rejoice the heart within the lover of natural beauty. The road climbs for a time along the steep side of one of these huge mountain masses, and gradually descends, crosses the river, and finally runs for miles along the left bank of the Sheen. The scenery gets softer as one approaches Kenmare. The Sheen finally empties into the Sound, the inner part of Kenmare Bay, and about a mile below the mouth of the Sheen a fine suspension bridge has been thrown across Kenmare Bay, -over which passes the road. Kenmare is quite a recent town compared with some of its neighbors, having been founded as a colony in 1670 by Sir William Petty, the ancestor of the present Lansdowne family. There is little in it to detain the visitor, unless he intends to explore the fine mountainous country round about, in which case it becomes a very convenient headquar- ters. For most the hour or two of waiting for the mail-cart, or securino- a fresh horse and car, is sufficient ; and after a brief stay the journey to Killarney is beo-un. Kenmare is nearly on the sea-level, and the road soon begins to ascend. It winds along the base of the mountains, rising higher and higher, until it crosses the top of Windy Pass, at an elevation of about one thousand feet above the sea. It then skirts the slopes high above the Dwenregh River, runs by the northern margin of Looscau- nagh Lough, skirts the base of a small mountain, and then affords the traveler what is considered to be, and justly so, the very finest view of the Killarney Lakes in all their variety and extent. From this point, until Killarney is reached, wherever the eye turns it meets fine peaks, waters gleaming in the sunshine, enticing glens that look as if specially created to afford picnic facilities, and the ever-changing expressions of natural beauty which, if not unrivaled, are worthy of the highest praise, and capable of affording very pure pleasure. And here again it should be noted that Killarney suffers from its friends. Some of these, not content to allow its claims to rest upon the evidence of a very hio-h type of beauty, make monstrous claims, and give high-flown descriptions, which only tend to irritate and to provoke unjust comparisons. Killarney, in the writer's judgment, is quite capable of holding its rank among the districts of exceptional natural beauty; but for its admirers to expect those who visit it to admit that it stands without a rival, can only- lead to vexation of spirit. Arrived at Killarney, the first task is to see it. At present the arrangements for doing this are not so convenient as they might be. Those who come by the Kenmare Road get a succession of lovely distant views, and those whose purses admit of a sojourn at the Lake or the Royal Victoria Hotels have no reason to complain ; but for all others, to get anything like a view of the lakes is a task involving the expenditure of time, exertion, and money. The domain of the Earl of Kenmare lies between Louo-h Leane and the town, and around this a lofty wall has been constructed, with the result that it prevents any view whatsoever, unless the visitor proceeds to some such recog- nized point of vantage as Ross Castle. It is the same on the road to Muckross Abbey. 97 IRELAND ILLUSTRATED. In fact, it is possible, or, rather, as there is no choice in the matter, it is compul- sory, on all who wish to travel the six miles of road between Muckross Abbey and Lake-View House, to journey by a road on one side of which the way presents the unvarying monotony of a blank stone wall. The patient endurance of those who thus journey is nut strengthened by the recollection that on the other side of the wall are some of the best views in what is considered to be the loveliest region in Ireland. Killarney is a district, rather than a town. There is indeed a cluster of streets, lined for the most part by very unattractive houses and shops, and not at all remarkable for neatness. These constitute the town, but no visitor is likely to wish to linger here. ROSS CASTLE, KILLARNEY. The country to the south and west abounds in peaks that may be ascended, mountain loughs about which linger grim legends, waterfalls and cascades, passes and glens, trips by car or by boat,— in fact, scenery the chief beauties of which can be exhausted in two days, or which can afford the careful explorer pleasant tasks for weeks. The most comprehensive excursion is to the Gap of Dunloe and back by way of the lakes. For this a whole day is needed, and the earlier the start the better. A good pedestrian can walk it, but the pleasantest way is to take a car to the foot of the Gap; by this means the five miles of wall are passed quickly, and the wayfarer is fresh for the walk through the Gap, and any excursion that may seem desirable, say the ascent of Purple Mountain or a stroll up the Black Valley. By this route the Killorglin Read is taken, and 98 GLENGARIFF, KILLARNEV, AXD VALENTIA. on the right hand, two or three miles out of the town, the ruins of Aghadoe church and round-tower are passed. About two miles or so away from the mouth of the Gap the first experience of the great Killarney nuisance is encountered. Not far from Aghadoe the road forks, and here, on the alert to catch their victims early, an- stationed a collection of the Kil- larney beggars, misnamed guides. They are mountedon ponies, and their object is to suc- ceed in getting these taken for the ride up the pass. There is no escape from them, and even the plan of engaging one for the purpose of stalling off the others is defeated by the additional swarms that are encountered in the pass. The best plan is to say little or no- thing, to buy nothing, and, above all, to drink none of the various mixtures that are offered every few hundred yards along the route. 1 It is really intolerable that these hordes of beggars should be allowed thus to detract from the enjoyment of a very lovely district. But as things are, there seems to be no remedy. One is inclined to hold that if the advocates of home-rule could make it evident that their panacea would banish the beggars, not only from the Gap, but from all the other lovely parts of the kingdom, they would at once secure the sympathy of all travelers. These would consent to a good deal in order to secure the disappearance of the men and boys who offer ponies for hire, who bring cornets to wake the echoes, and who wish to fire off cannons that look admirably adapted to destroy the individual bold enough to fire them, — together with the girls who offer for sale woolen socks and potheen and milk, the whole tribe of Kate Kearney's descendants who sell deplorable photographs of themselves and the huts in which they live, and the miscellaneous crew who look upon every visitor as the possibility of a copper or a sixpence. The Gap of Dunloe is a pass between the Toomies and the McGillicuddy Reeks, up which any but the feeblest walkers can go with the utmost ease, from the point where the cars always stop. The River Loe traverses the Gap, expanding at intervals into five lakes. A good road winds up the valley, crossing the stream by bridges in two places. The mountains rise very steeply to a height of over two thousand feet, and the scenery is very wild. The narrowness of the defile, combined with the height of the mountains, gives it a somber and awe-inspiring influence. At one point the ravine narrows, and a huge mass of rock has fallen and split into two irregular portions. The road runs be- tween these enormous stones, which have the semblance of a rude gateway. The spot is known as The Pike. The impression of wildness and desolation is considerably weakened, not only by the troops of beggars, but more legitimately by the number of little farms in the valley, and by the numerous traces of fairly prosperous agriculture. As the ascent is made, very good views to the north are obtained, but by far the finest is enjoyed when the summit of the pass is reached, and the traveler stands with the beautiful Owenreach Valley at his feet, the many-islanded Upper Lake to his left, the Kenmare Road and the Police Barracks directly opposite, and the Black Valley to the right, over which tower the rugged pinnacles of the Reeks. Occasionally one meets with absurdly over-drawn descriptions of this Black Valley. When the writer saw it, under a bright April sun, it failed signally to harmonize with its name, since it lay smilingly at his feet, looking most attractive in its beauty. By an easy road the descent into the valley is made, Lord Brandon's cottage is passed, — a toll of one shilling being levied on every visitor, — and then the boat is taken ' My companion, though a D.D., pretended to be deaf and gravely marched on in silence, simply raising his forefinger lo ! ;s «ar. He thus escaped the importunities of these beggars. — Ed. °9 IRELAND ILL' S RATED. THE PIKE. for the row down to Ross Island. This is certainly not less enjoyable than the earlier half of the excursion. If any part of Killarney deserves the palm, it is this row along the placid waters of the Upper Lake, in and out among its many rocky islets, and down the Long Range which connects the Upper and Middle lakes. To the south rise Cromaglan and Tore mountains, to the north the spurs of Purple Mountain and the Eagle's Nest. The views are extremely beautiful, and there is a marvelous variety of coloring and of contour. The boatmen, in their well-meant efforts to amuse, talk a considerable amount of arrant nonsense about the uses to which the ever-present O'Donoghue puts the many strangely shaped rocks which abound on every hand. The most effective view of all is where the boat, following, as it must, the windings of the stream, passes immediately beneath the loftiest part of the Eagle's Nest. This mountain, like its GLENGARIFF, KILLARXEV AXI) VALENTIA, neighbors, is clad for some hundreds of feet above the water-level with arbutus, ash, oak, holly, and other trees. Among other charms, this spot possesses a fine echo. Soon after passing this point the great excitement of shooting the rapid at the Old Weir Bridge occurs. There is just sufficient fall to impart a somewhat lively motion to the boat, and the distance is so short that, almo: ou are aware the descent has begun, it is over. Under exceptional circumstances, with the water unusually high, it is conceivable that the pas oil lb atl led with some risk. Of course none but those well acquainted with the peculiarities of the place should attempt to take a boat down. After shooting the bridge the boat glides into a most lovely part, the Meeting of the Waters, and the shore of ! >inis Island, which divides the stream, one portion of the THE EAGLE S NEST, KILLAKNEY. waters flowing out into the Middle or Tore Lake, the other passing on to Lough Leane. Dinis Island is delightful, and any who have neither time nor inclination for the longer trips will find this part most accessible, and equal in beauty to any in the whole range of the Killarney lakes. Passing under Brickeen Bridge, having tarried for a moment to gather a sprig or two of arbutus, the boat shoots out upon the wide waters of the Lower Lake. This is 5,ooo acres in extent, being about five miles long by two wide. When it is breezy, as the writer tested by experience, the waves can rise, and the rowers need to bend their backs to the oars to uree their craft across to Innisfallen and then on to Ross Island. The former, twenty-one acres in extent, is the gem of Lough Leane. It is lovely as regards IRELAND ILL USTRA TED. its scenery, and it is venerable by reason of past associations. Here, in the seventh century, St. Finian founded a monastery, of which some traces have come down to us ; and here one of the famous early records of Irish history, the Annals of Innisfallen, were penned. At Ross Castle we land. 1 On the mainland, opposite the Tomies' side of Innisfallen, is O'Sullivan's Cascade, which consists of three distinct falls, one of the favorite shorter excursions. At the southeastern end of Lough Leane is the ruined THE OLD WEIR BRIDGE, KILLABNEY. Muckross Abbey. It was founded, according to Ware, by Donald MacCarthy about 1440; but the Annals of the Four Masters record that it dates from 1340; there is some evidence that the building was begun by Teige, and finished in 1440 by his son Donald. It was restored, as an in cription on the north side of the choir states, in • This was the home of the O'Don ighues, five hundred rears ago. Lvery seven years, it is said.