The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1880-10-02

meD stationed WIN small cannon, WHICH
they would fire off at our approach ant
demand of us slxp nee each for the
'beautiful echo" Ragamuffin specu
lators they were, aud as picturesque, IL
their flowing rags, as were our escort Of
chattering damsels, who had not bon
net or shoe to the whole lot.
With this procession we passed through
the four miles of the Gap, and were only
sepai ated from them by high stone
wall that barred he way, having in it 6
shut gate, over which was placed il
large letters "No Thoroughfare."
Every one who passed through thi,
gate must pay one shilling for TIE main
tenance of the road. Our impecunious
Escort had no shilling, and we were there.
fore excluded.
Brandon, and at his cottage saw the
famous Fuscia that clambered like. q
vine over the whole front. 1t was
twelve or fourteen feet in height and a
mass of bloom. Other rare and beauti-
ful flowers have attained almost the
same wonderful perfection in this soft
mild climate.
Here We found our boat awaiting as,
manned by four lusty oarsmeI, who had
rowed the distance of fifteen miles to
meet us. A young priest had come up
in the boat from our hotel, and proved
to be very intelligent and agreeable
companion.
He told stories of the old ruins that
we passed, and pointed out the home Of
O'COnnell, and of The old king O'Brian,
and OF Mccarthy; told us of the wild
deer thai roamed at will over the wild
inOuntaiis-one Of which we saw-and
described the manner of hunting the
deer. Pointed out where St. Patrick
lived and the lake to which he banished
the snakes Of Ireland.
On Ross Island, in the lower lake, is
the castle of the O'Donohue, in ruins.
The people relate That his ghost may
here be seen every morning before sun
rise on a white horse surrounded by
fairies, and that the vision fades away
as soon As the sun rises.
Here, too, is the lovely island of Innis-
fallen, on which is an old ivy-clad Alb
hey founded A. ID. 600 by st. Finian
aud OH which was written the "Annak
Of Innis'a'l.u" giving history Of churcf
matters in connection with st. Patrick
and through the thirteenth century.
1t was of this Island that Tenn Moore
sang
"Sw0ct Tnnisfillen, re lhee welll
"May calm and unshine long be
thine,
How 1air thou art let others tell,
awhile bu- toJeet how fair be mine.'
At the foot Of the lakes is Muckros
Abbey, containing tOmbs of the Irish
kings of Munster, amongst which il
Mccarthy Nor and O'Donohue Nor.
The cloisters are the best preserved
of any We have seen, and great yev
tree is now growing in tile open court
shadowing the whole Abbey with III
funereal branches. The tree is of sew
eral centuries growth, and is regarded
with great veneration.
All the way from Killarney to Water.
ford, nearly three hundred miles, we
are continually passing the ruins Of
Castle, Abbey and watch tower, all
alike garn,shed with the ever present
ivy. At Kilkenny (where, by the way,
took place the memorable fight of the
cats, is the hall of the old Irish chief.
tain and King Donald o. Brian of Linn.
erick-now occupied by the Marquis
of Ormond.
Waterford, ON the river Sur, the
ancient Gleann- na-gleodi, (valley Of
lamentation) was founded A. d. 15t
and was chief battle ground between
the Irish and the Danes. A large
Danish tower still stands on the quay
built about The year 1908.
Here we shall bid farewell to the
Emerald Isle. We leave it with min
gled feelings of regret and pleasure,
aud with the consciousness that we now
understand the feelings of its emigrants
to our own shores, who, whilst they
execrate the oppression of landlords
and government, ever cherish fond
ness for the beautiful green island,
and love for it's people.
During our brief sojourn of tn ee
weeks we have travelled it's whole
length, twice across the island, and
all around its northern coast. We
wished to satisfy ourselves by personal
observation as to the reputed distress
of its people, and the cause thereof.
We find both it's soil and climate in
comparably superior to those of Scot
land. But whilst in Scotland every
town and village is enveloped in the
smoke of some smelling or manufac-
turing industry, and the whole country
is bristling with tall chimnies, and
every hill and valley rings with the
sound of work that brings to it money
from its own people and from abroad,
Ireland is silent and dead in all these
respects. Look around you at any
point and you will not fail to see the
thatchless cottages, the silent cabins
and the forsaken villages. 1t is mid
harvest, and the men are idly lounging
about the railroad stations and the tav-
erns, while the women are reaping The
wheat and binding the sheaves. All
are barefoot and all are in rags, and
most of them wear the discontinued
indicative of despair. You
ask the men why they do not 60 to
work and till the neglected land ?
TIL ~ tell you the rent costs more than
the value of the grown crops. We
eave their case to themselves and to
with The hope that some
hing may soon be done for their re-