The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-07 00:00:00

- -
AN TRADITIONAL STORY.

The following recount of the circumstances which gave rise to
' the strange custom of throwing open the gates of Howth castle at
the first toll of the dinner bell, has been colleited in two places, at
opposite extremities of Ireland—tradition supplying In the one,
what it had left wanting in the other :
About the middle of the sixth ceitury, Grata WailHa, of Grecs
O'Malley, exercised the satire power over the 343 Islands of Clew
Bay, which her ancestors had i.e an earlier period neer all Ireland.
She possessed a manly mind, and a spirit well adapted for the wild
scene in whrath she lived, and the rude men whom the governed—
had calked much bloodshed, and done many a fearful deed on sea
and land ; but " none are all evil," and she also possessed an excess
of high and generous feeling, which seldom fails, with posterity at
least, to cover a multitude of sins. The ruins of her castle may
ye: be men—a huge mass of gray stone, looking towards the main
land front the desolate Island of Clare, which is at the extremity of
the cluster, and apparently formed for no other purrose than to
break the force of the Atlantic as it rolls into Clew Bay. There
we; scarcely a town cv village along the western coast, whirls had
not been at one time or other visited and plundered In the course of
her piratical eNcursions, and as the evil was severely felt, so was
the outcry proportionality great. Still there was no chance or re.
dress, except from a direct appeal to the Sovereign, as she was all.
powerful at sea, and lived on the best terms of intelligence with
Richard Bourke, Viscount and Onvernor or Mayo, to whom she
was afterwards married. The injured accordingly had recourse to
Elisabeth, and the consequence was, a summons, commanding the
attendance of Grace O'Malley at the Court iaLondon,to answer the
charges brought against her. It was at first treated by the 31ilesian
Princess with the most sovereign contempt ; but athreat (sworn to
by Elisabeth) of seining a fleet against her, if she persisted in re.
fused—her own conviction that a struggle against a power so su-
perior, with whatever advantages of situation, could be but a hope-
less one—and, finally, the persuasion of the before-mentioned
Richard Bourke, al hogth prevailed with her, and she consented to
attend at Court. Many curious stories are told about her reception
and adventures there—it will be, however, only necessary to say.
that the Queen was much amused at the strangeness of her man-
ners—dist the proud bearing and haughty spirit which could not h-
endured in a courtier, were forgiven in one so ignorant of courtly
forms, and who had hitherto known none greater than herself_ and
whether, from her Majesty's caprice, or congenial mind and dila.
aition, or from what cause it matters not—but the stranger did in-
crease in favour daily—and finally, instead of being punished far
the enormities of which she had been guilty, was dismissed upon
her simple promise of abstaining from the like in future. On her
return she thought proper to put into Howth harbour (whether from
fancy or necessity is net clearly known), and announcing her name
and rank at the castle gate, requested the usual hospitable enter.
tainment : it was refused, for fear of treachery—and her desperate
character weighed more heavily with the Lard of Howth titan what
was then considered a sacred duty. Once turned offatonce without
attempting to expostulate, disgusted at the heartless conduct which
the mannersand superstition of her cowry alike taughther to lgak on
saalmost anns.ursl. About mid-day, her vessel was observed stand.
ing out to sea—before midnight perhaps het very existense was for.
g-rtten at the Castle--but at that very hour she was again in its
neighbourhood, to lake fearful vengeance for an insult which had
beet as bitterly felt as it was silently borne. The night was awful
in Ore extreme—reia fell in torrenta, and the lightning at sheer bT.
tervals made dr, artful havoc among the old oaks which then clothed
the lofty and rugged sides of the proniontory—destruction seemed
to ta tend her on every side—still she pressed onwards, and suc-
ceeded in surrounding the hotke, in which she had ascertained that
the only son of the Baron was at nurse—no slams was given—anti
the inmates were safely carried away to her vessel. The disappear.
ante of hisehild was tremblingly announced to the father or, the
following morning—at sun-set, the search on sea and shore had
brought him no consolarion—it was renewed on the following and
the fit/lowing day, but with no !rater success—and carried on until
even hope grew cold, Years rolled on, and still found the Baron
St. Lawrence • mond, and unhappy man; misfortunes had, as
usual, crowded upon hint—his wife died in giving birth to his lost
child—he had loved her well, and took no second partner. Mean.
while, his son.who had first seen Clare Island a child, otter almost
a ratan. During this period, be was treated by Grace O'Malley
with unvarying kindness, anti given every advantage her remote
country could afford. Of his birth and'atory be knew nothing—but
all was told to him on the morning of his 21st year, as he sat be.
side her on the deck of her vessel, arid the ancient and beautiful
Abbey of Howth appeared in view, looking like a " fairy" palace
arrested in its flight, and suspended over the sea. It Is scarcely
necessary to add, that he was restored to his father, upon the pro-
mise that the traveller should never again be obliged to turn away
front Honda Castle and that, in token thereof, its gates should be
thrown open each day, before the commencement of the principal
mesh