Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-08-20
STAUNTON VIRGINIA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST TO- 1856.
COMMUNICATED TO THE SPECTATOR
Letter from Europe.
KILLARNEY, Ireland, June 9th, 1856.

COMMUNICATED TO THE SPECTATOR.
Letter from Europe.
KILLARNEY, Ireland, June 9th, 1885,
Esteemed Il will give you o hurre
and of course imperfect sketch of my excursio
to the town of Killarney and the lakes near b.,
with their legends and associations. In goin
from Dublin to Killarney, you pass through on
of the most interesting portions of Ireland-ne
only for its agricultural attractions, but for il
historical associations On leaving Dublin til
first object of interest that strikes your attentlo
is 'Phanix Park )" its long rows of statel
elms and avenues, its handsome winding gray
eled walks, with the geological and botanica
gardens, make it a great point of attraction an
resort to the citizens of Dnblin during the gal
DAYS, of which, l am sorry to say, the Sabbat
is one. In the midst OF the park you see tn
granite monument, eliminating far above tn
lofty trees, erected to the memory of the Duk
of Wellington. Passing O number of obscur
towns, you reach what was formerly called tn
city of Kildare, renowned for its saints at on
time but now insignificant in size as well as 70
its sanity order. Here are ruins of massiv
churches and castles connected with tradition
of the most thrilling character Here too is tn
inextinguishable fire.
'The bright lamp that shone in Kidares holy fame,
And burn'd through long ages ofdarkness and storm
It is kept burning by some infatuated nuns, VIII
not only predicate theirhopes ofheaven upon thi
act of devotion, but expect to be canonized b,
the church after death. At this point com
mences the far-famed Bog of Allen, computed t.
contain at present 300 thousand acres At ont
period it covered million of acres, but under
Al oc hoa baI fn
number of acres indicated. From this bog tht
Peat is procured, which constitutes perhaps one
half of the fuel consumed in Ireland. On this
bog thousands are employed, of both sexes, pro
curing peat, which sells on the ground, wher
ready for consumption, at ten shillings per ton
A ton and quarter Q-4 Of peat is equal as O
fuel to ga of ton of coal. 1t is cut out of the
bog into blocks by u inches, exposed to the
air and sun until the moisture evaporates, which
usually requires from 8 to weeks, after which
it is put up in large stacks or rIcks and is ready
for use 1t burns brilliantly, and gives to the
chamber or saloon as much the appearance Of
comfort, as our best hickory fuel
The next point of interest is the Rock of Duna-
mase, near the town of Marlborough. 1t is q
lofty, solitary rock, and upon it stands the ru-
ins of the Castle of Dunamase. From its great
natural strength it was considered impregnable,
and at different periods was the scene of carnage
and many bloody struggles. The view from the
old castle is to the highest degree magnificent.
You stand in the centre of an ampitheatre and
gaze over the country, dotted with villages and
towns, and fertile valleys, and note how bounti-
fully nature has endowed the land; you would
naturally associate with it a fairy scene, were it
not from the impress of decay which is too
plainly written or seen throughout Ireland.
Leaving Dunamase, in few hours you reach
Thurles, town distinguished for nothing except
its extensive Monastlc institutions, now in ru-
ins. Here, in the Holy Gross Abbey, you are
shown piece of the cross on which the Savior
of the world died. The holy guide who exhib-
its it says, according to the archives of the
church, it was sent by Pope Pascal in ITO to
Donough O'Brien, then monarch of Ireland,
since which time it has been preserved as o
relic of great valIe.
From Thurles to the Rock of Cashel, there
is nothing in the aspect OF the country of peculi-
ar interest to the traveller. At Goold's Cross,
near the city of Cashel, you will stop to visit the
Rock of Cashel; it is an isolated rock, rising ab
ruptly to lofty height and its summit is crown
ed by the venerable ecclesiastical ruins which
distinguish this point above all others in Ireland
in this respect From these ruins you have
spread ont before You q country, which nature
designed to be luxuriant-"The Golden Vale"
The prospect is extensive and interesting, bound
ed on the one side by the range of the Galtee
Mountains, but permitting the eye to wander in
all other directions for miles over the country !;
but the picturesque effect is much impaired by
the total absence not only of forests. but Of trees
The city of Cashel was once strong military
place, and in the revolutionary period of the l.
rish government was called the key of Nuns
ter. Whichever held Cashel governed the dis
trct of Munster.
From Cashel you pass numerous objects of in
terest old castles, mostly in ruins, but some
kept in tolerable state of preservation by the
present owners, valued mostly on account Of
their historic associations. At Mallow, the juno
tion of the Cook and Killarney railroads, you
first get sight of the Rocks, a lofty range
of mountains that run parallel with the road to
the Lakes of Killarney. The approach to Kill
larney is one of interest to the tourist. The
great feature of its scenery-the beautiful varie-
ty of its mountain ridges, will be seen and ap-
preciated by all who love the magnificent. Al
though the construction of railroad to Killar-
ney has caused great influx of travellers to that
point, incidentally beneftting in pecuniary
point the poverty stricken, crowded population,
yet there are many ofthat class who hear the whs-
tie and see the smoke of the engine in the realms
of O'Donoghue, and the glens of the fabled ia
ries, (who for so many centuries held there rev.
els here unmolestedO y with feelings of regret
The bigotry and credulity of the illiterate peas
antry bind them down to the superstitions of
the past with religious veneratlon, and hence
their great objection to any innovation which
may strip their mountain glens of their legend
ary interest. The town of Killarney, although
the shire town, possesses no interest to the trav-
e'er. The houses,ss general thing, are thatch-
ed roof and quite inferior in appearance. The
hetels hold out no inducement to the tired travel
er to find comfort, much less any of the luxuries
of life. There is fine large hotel at the rail-
road station, but few stop there if they can get
at either of the hotels on the
shores of the lake,two miles distant. At the sta
ton You will be harassed and beset by poor l.
rishmen, whom you will find it impossible to
cast off, begging your honour's permission to
act rs your guide, or row you on the lakes. 10
free yourself of these opportunities, jump into
hack and ge-down to the lake hotel, situated on
the shore of the third lake, within few min
utes walk of the ruins of old Loeb Castle. This
is first class hotel, where is served up in good
Irish style, mutton chops, salmon, sole, and po-
tatoes You foot up your bill on leaving at 81
per day, besides separate bill for dining-room
servant, chamber-maid, boot-black, and candles.
At the hotel you are furnished with boat, and
two men to row it, at $1.25 per day, expecting
you, OF course, to give each of the men at the
close of the day % cents, which is their COM
pensation for rowing over the lakes not less
than 25 miles. Before starting in your boat, if
the morning should be bright and fair, walk out
to old Castle Loeb, and here, in front of you, is
a scene of beauty and grandeur which the artist
cannot truly delneate,or pen describe In front
is the lofty Mangorton, Zone of the many peaks