Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-03

three miles in length. and one IN
width, It's southeast point Is known as Port
Doon, while its northwest headland extremity
Is surmounted by lofty light house l22 feet
ABOVE the sea. The northern coast faces tie
sea with line of cliffs almost as smooth in
their face as, and of the color of. cast-iron;
while opposite. to the south. the shores are
low and nat. In the valleys above. are the tiny
hamiets of East Town and West Town; and the
culture population of perhaps 1900 souls live
mere IN semi-barbarous though soddenly
simple, state. and utterly ignorant that their
own my ocean-peak is not the whole bound
less earth"
QUEER PEOPLE.
Among the women we saw. were some ire
mendous figures. but they possessed little of
the facial fury so striking among some of the
fishers wives of the Northern loughs and
coasts Not an hundred of these strange be-
'h2s, men or women. ever were so far from
iloine as the Irish mainland Z miles AWAY
ihelr dialect preserves many of the bold and
bardc SMILES OF the ancient Danes 1t would
be curious, but difficult. to trace the origin of
such people. They are bilingual. as indeed
are most of the folk of wild Donegal contiguous
TO them; but their English has little Irish
flavor: and their Irish has less of pure Gaelic
than OF Scandinavian. Tradition relates much
OF absorbing interest regarding this bit of
rock anu soh. 1t was certainly the home
| OF the Fomorian sea-pirates OF remotest
antiquity. Remains are still found of for
trcsse5 used rs strongholds of the Norwegian
sea-kings, fully 1000 years ago: and there are
Weii-preserved, though neglected. relics of a
later eccleslastic era of great impressiveness
which include crosses. a round-tower and an
clent structures Tor the earliest and rudest
| monastic uses. OF sin later date are
round-tower and church. bnih by st. Columb-
lal III tbs 9Th century, to which Is attached an
anclsnt church-yard where are inferred many
of the saints followers. The superstition
here is that should friends of tie newly
dead have the presumption to inter {. body
in this church-yard on the following
night the Decorating object would be
violently whisked away in implacable
shreds into utter Oblivion. 1t was at Tory Is
land that, in 1906 A. NJ. the descendants of
Nemedius-who arrived with 1000 followers
from Southeastern Europe 200 years earlier.
and who were nearly all DESTROYED by pesti-
lence on the Island of Ard-Neimhidh now Bar
rymore Island. near Cork-came, attacked and
demolished the principal Fomorian stronghold
called Ior-ConaiDn. or Conang's Tower. But
That subject Is too lengthy one TO dwell unon
from the deck of so small an Irish coaster: and
so we set sail for the Innishboffin Islands TO-
ward the gentler South.
AERAN ISLAND.
These comprise group of islets Of great
beauty and picturesqueness at the entrance to
| wild Guiidore Bay, where none but fishermen
hive; and from here until We passed the grand
promontory of Bloody Foreland and came
abreast of the Island of Arran, or Arranmore,
we were constantly in sight of indescribably
beautiful island mainland shore. and in
company with the quaint and grotesaue yawls
and curraghs of the west coast fishermen. Ar
| ran Island-which should not be COMPOUNDED
with the important Aran Islands of Galway
Bay - as seen from the sea, APP
pears like monstrous cone of pur-
pie and green rising from the waves.
With an area of about 5000 acres. scarcely 500
are tllable Its central peak is nearly 500 feet in
height. Fully 1000 souls subsist upon the
island, entirely from fishing; and there is quite
az little communication with the Iaain land as
at Tory Island. Leaving Arran. our craft again
threaded its way through a maze of islands.
and then hugging the enchanting shores of
Gwebarra Bay. glided past bold Dunmore Head.
| and, rounding the great mountain-ri5bed. pc
ninsular Donegal barony of Binnagh. We came,
with the slantinS rays OF the afternoon sun,
INTO the broad expanse of Donegal Bay. In
the two hours in which we were making port
what feast of scene and thought here
furnished. To the south and southwest. far
beyond the range OF vision, stretched the mu-
raj shores of Leitrim, Sligo, and Mayo. with
Sngo and kliiala bays pushing their blue wa
tiers mistily into green uplands beyond.
To the north, lowering above us, were
castellated peaks of Jagged headlands, be-
tween which the Glen, Glenadah, Stragea.
Oily. Banlacky. and Eanybeg rivers came
roaring down from the mountains. To the
east and gradually nearing, were an hundred
hills. through which came to the sea the laugh
ing Ersk and stately Erne from their legend
haunted loughs behind As We crept up the
bay. beyond the purpling waters before us lay
the dark rim of inner shores, where, to the
south. beyond the ruined tower where wrote
the -Four Masters" glimpses were caught of
the low roofs Of ancient Ballyshannon. at the
Erne-mouth; and where our course lay to the
north through the narrow gap. seen the
quaint old town of Donegal. set like a russell
q VII ts vi fyrn
tains towering darkly against horizon skies of
saffron behind. This was the heart-spot of Ire
lands wild northwest. Bewitchsd by the
scene had become oblivious to nv immediate
surroundings, when suddenly our little craft
bumped against the sides of a rotten pier. at
the rotting old hamlet of Salt Hill, the home of
many coasters and fishers of the region.
DONEGAL MAIDEN.
Turning to the unsavory spot, I saw sitting
upon the pier-edge, with bare legs dangling
over our coasters bow a surprising type of
Donegal maiden loveliness, and unconscious
waterside queenly beauty; girl of perhaps
sixteen indescribably winsome and fair, with
the sunset lights playing glorious pranks on
her face and wondrous hair. She held one
knee with her shapely hands, and rocking
back and forth slowly CHANGING first at the
stranger keenly; then quizzingly at our skip
per; and at last. steadily at young Larry, the
mate; she said cheerily;
''Arrah, but We wor long gone, father?"
Faith, but | brought great load;" re-
sponded our skipper teasingly.
An might l make bowld to AK where cts
stowed?" the girl continued quietly, perhaps
rocking bit faster.
The skipppr gave mighty wink in nv direc-
ton; chuckled softly mt his own great wit: and
proceeded imperturbably with his work; finally
experimenting the mighty wink with the start
ling statement: I've bro't We a man. MCCALL
the way from Belfast
\ deeper flush than was first there, came
over the fair Irish girls face. Larry stood
silent with sullen look in his eyes. The girl
arose quickly and began moving away. Sud-
denly she turned, came close to the wharf
edge, and, as regardless of me as though nv
presence were but that much space. with look
at lucky Larry that meant more than all the
poets ever have told. or ever can tell, said with
much fire to her rough old father. but over his
head to the lad:
I'VE took better one wild yei-Larry there
behind ye!" And then she sped away
The result of this playful humor stupefied my
skipper. Larry was in the seventh heaven.
And was that glad for the sweet, old drama
there enacted, for the pride in it / couid not
but sing in my heart this little song to humble
Irish fidelity:
What eyes are like the Irish eyes.-
Whose tender blue
The vioiet's hue
In dew-Eissed morn SURPRISES sure
Because the soul behind is pure,
But he who wins knows all their Glad st1rprise
What lips like the Irish lipss-