Morning journal and courier., 1888-12-08
A PILGRIMAGE IN IRELAND.
traYed-The Ancient Kells and Its Legends-Taleso of the BOyne.


 DRoGHEDA, Ireland, Nov. 26. To the Editor fthe JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 From toward Kells on the sinuous Black water, across to ancient Trim on the upper Boyne, along past sleepy Navan at those two rivers' confluence. and thence on by Slane to Drogheda and the sea, is more beautiful region than the 1oveliest vales of all England
 can disclose. Within it are more ruins of
 castles than may be found along the whole
 distance of the legend haunted Rhine. And
 with it, in impressiveness of ecclesiastic re-
 mains, frequency of memorable historic
 places, and number and richness of glorious medieval and pagan antiquities, no other equal area can be compared. It is truly sur passing in fascination and interest.
 On November day as fair as May ever brought to any cline my most entrsncing pilgrimage in this region was made. It was not Indian summer upon the Irish land and | in the Irish sky. But there was warmth, Hull, hush, and yet glowing life, in land- seape, sky and air, that beat, in perfect uni- son with one's own pulse, palpable throb- ping from loving nature's heart. It is in such rare hours that the walker drinks, l feeds, indeed feasts, equally upon the crack ling of hedgerow bush and the sound of mighty cascades; on the tremor of 8 wind, whipped leaf and the rush of sweeping riv- CTS; on those half dozen blades of grass growing by the chimney out of cabins roof ! thatching and the splendid castle or ruin; on I the gaunt children of Irish squalor and the great lords that make them so; or on the \ # HIn rioh am | the vast, mist purpled sun of an Irish sky ! In such morning and mood I tramped from ] early dawn, from Tara's Hill across to the l old Trim road; then by road and field and | past ruin to the older road to Kells; and | while yet the yellow morning sunlight co.'s l ored the roof matches with bright russet and puce, the roof slsntings with pink pur- l pie, and the upper heights of spires and towers with saffron gray, I came, behind an
 old Irish cart, an old Irish woman and an old Irish ass, in lonely pride and isolate ela- l rion, into the quaint and moldy old Irish city of Navan.
 Behind this to the northwest along the Blackwater, and to the southwest along the l Boyne, for leagues in either direction from l both streams, are constantly recurring clus- l ters of ruins and antiquities set in as fair
 and lovely pastoral scenery-if the presence l of horrible serfdom did not haunt it-as | ever met the eyes of man. The Blackwater, I which must not be confounded with the 1 splendid Blackwater of the south of Ireland, 1 runs out of the weird, island studded Lough
 Ramor in county Cayan. From it's source to it's confluence with the Boyne, one of the finest old roads of Ireland, the great north- | ern road to Kells, winds along it's banks, l now on this side and now on that shore of ! the torturous stream. Just above Kells, is l the ancient Church of St. Kiernan, with it's | remains of wonderful termon crosses, it's
 specimen of oldest style of monumental
 stone to be found in Ireland, and it's holy
 we'll with its majestic overhanging ash.
 Then near the river is Kells, "head fort" in | ancient times, most memorable Of places ID
 earliest Irish ecclesiastical history, with its
 house of St. Columbkille, it's extraordinarily l perfect and beautiful specimen of that mys- | terY the Irish round tower and it's great
 Cross of Kelfs, whose perfection of sculp- ture gives it's rank as one of the most mar I vicious of Europe. Below Tellowu is reached
 authentic record of which is had at early
 date as the year of the world, 3370 This
 was the pagan Tailtean, where the ancient fairs, games, betrothals and marriages were l had and celebrated. The latter held good for but "a year and day" If the couple found hell instead of heaven in each others
 society during that period, they were at lib
 erty to walk into the center of Rath Dubh l or the Black Fort, stand back to back anC 1 depart, one at the north and the other at the 1 south gate, divorced and free couple | With what longing for the old days somt 1 have stood within the ruins of Rath Ddbh ! They are one thousand feet in diameter l Tailtean was one of the four royal residences I of the earliest Irish kings, and almost di l vides with Tara the record of ancient glorie! l and splendor. At Donaghpatrick, shor distance below, whose name is derived iron Domnach Padraig or the ancient church O Patrick, and from whose tree covered height
 the eye sweeps over the forests of Liscarton the hills of Tara and Screen, and the nobl plains of Meath, is found one of the mos
 splendid ancient military raths of Ireland Four of it's great rings or circumvallations ] and it's lofty central mound, can still be dis tinctly traced Tradition has it that thi
 was originally the celebrated Rath Airthir
 erected by the benign Conall, after his gif l of his own to St. Patrick. From Donagh { patrick towards NaYan the river banks an' , contiguous landscapes literally swarm wit
 ruins of castles, churches and the half ef
 faced remains of military and ecclesissti antiquities. Perhaps the great most of Na , van is of the most conspicuous interest. | is tremendous, is in part formed out of
 l natural hill, and it's noble outlines can b ! easily followed.
 3 It is said of the source of the Boyne, tha I "the sacred well from which the river flows
 1 with it's half fabulous legends, serves t
 | connect the earliest historic period with prt ? 1 ceding times, and marks 8 period shroude I | in mystery and Druidism;" and of the rive
 itself that, t'so memorable in ancient histc ry and so rich in monuments of the past 8 it, that we fear not to assert that the histor - of Ireland might be written in tracing il P banks" Its most ancient names were Rig and Boan, derived from BoiR, Boan or Be e ann, an ancient Tuatha De Danan princess = who wors upon her riRh (wrist or fore arn @ many bracelets of gold with which deservin . bards were rewarded. Pagan tradition II I lates that this princess, from oYerpowerin '- curiosity, sought 8 secret forbidden well ( t Nechtam, the King of Leinster's bard, an
 defed it's mystic powers by walking thric
 around it to the left; whereupon her eye ] burst, as was threatened of any encroschel g and three mighty waves uprising formed ! river which swept the princess into the sef Ever after the river wss called Righ, Boa 3 and Boyne. Its fabulous source is this yer q we'll the we'll of the Blessed Trinity of tc day, close by the hill of Carbery, count
 Kildare.
 From this hill, upon which stands the ru ], ins of once magnificent castle, with glas of topography of seven Irish counties ma f be almost wholly traced. Two miles froT
 the Boynes source are found the almost lev eled ruins of Monasterois, most celebrated i t medieval history. Below are the still olde n but better preserved remains of Kinnafa
 castle, massive, square structure. Here
 Kinnafad, .'the head of the long ford" thel Q were dug out of the river bed, showing tht :. | great battle was fought at this place in al cient times, one of the finest collections y Ireland, specimens of which are preserved s the Dublin Royal Irish scademy's museum