The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-14
DLAahEY AND VICINITY.
Three Examples Of Tower Houses,
or Castles Of Ancient Irish
Chieftains.
Castle Lisflnny at Tallow, Castle
Kilcolman, Irish Home OF
the Poet Spenser.
All Arc Graphically Described rs
They Exist To-day.

And tho World Fam0u Castle Blarnoy-
All Arc Graphically Described NJ
They Exist To-day.
Special Correspondence OF The Independent.
LONDON, May 1.-Throughout the entire
south Of Ireland, and p%articularly along the
banks of such rivers az the Barrow, SUR.
Blackwater, Bride and Lee. are found the
ruins or the we'll preserved remains Of huge
square castles, built by the heads of septs
and CLANS at different periods during the
thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and a few
a. late as the sixteenth, centuries.
Whatever the reason for the same. these
massive stone keeps-tor they boro no re-
semblance to the enthusiastically beautiful
Irish and English castles OF the Elizabethan
and a still more modern time-seemed to
i have been constructed with reference to
conveying intelligence from one to an
other, probably from sienal-lights from
their lofty parapets. az some which are
still standing are more than 100 feet in
height. Wherever you may saunter along
these southern Irish rivers, yoa will find
that there is an Uninterrupted view be-
tween the sites OF the ancient castle ruins.
Often they are but two miles apart; fire.
quently from four to six; but in every in
stance they are in view Of each other; and
ancient roads, showing that quick and easy
communication was taken into account, are
invariably found etween.
Probably three Of the most interesting of
these massive old structures in the south
of Ireland are very near together; and can
all be visited in a days journey. They are
castle Lisinny, at the ancient o of Tai
low on the river Bride. near the boundaries
OF counties Waterford and Cork; castle
Kilcolman, on a rivulet flowing into the
Awbeg, In the northern part of county
Cork; and castle Blarney. in the beautiful
Barney vale. but an hours lovely
walk from tho winsome city OF CORK:
Taken together these are tho best
existing specimens of the tower house or
castle Of the ancient Irish chieftain; while
each in its way ID world famous in view of
its distinctive associations.
Castle Lisfinny stand on tho eide of q
gentle declivity, which rises from the mar.
gin of the river Bride, with the sleepy old
town of Tallow and its low. gray convent
nesting in the valley on the southern side.
II il supposed to have been built by the
earl of Desmond. and has undergone but
little change during the past 100 years. It
CO08l8t6 OF h mRSblVo square GOWOI WIN
facades of fully fifty feet and the structure
Is nearly 100 feet high. Its summit conf
mands q delightful view of the valley Of
the Bride, upwards of twenty miles in OK
tent, gemmed with villas, sheeted with
luxuriant farms, and dappled at intervals
with witching revealments of the river,
here and there appearing like tiny lakes of
silver In emerald settings of ve.dure and
woodland.
The late Douglas Pyne, M. P. for West
U Waterford, as + knew from personal &C
quaintance. n of the most lovabls Of
men, in the fall of 1887 threw the whole
United Kingdom and part of America into
roars of laughter, from his odd and char
acteristioally Irish mode of avoiding arrest
for upwards of three months. with the po-
lice. soldiery and a warrant all literally
under his very nose. The 'iseditious of.
%fenses'' which had brought the law upon
him, consisted in tunneling, from his own
land to the house of a neiRhborina tenant
undergoing siege for eviction, and in this
novel manner supplying him now and then
in his dilemma with courage and comfort
in the form of an old bottle OF
Whisky, md a n hamper OF vic
herself. Mr.. Pyne was considerable Of a
wag. and as it was October when he WAS
'summonsed." his crops were all in, and as
parliament did not meet until January, he
decided to employ the intervening time in
having a little fun with the minions of the
law. ,,
Mr.. Pyne was tenant of the Lisfnny des-
mesne; and his home, a few hundred yards
from the castle, was one Of those old and
now almost obsolete mansions of the Irish
gentleman of half a century ago. He had
converted the castle into byre, barn and
storehouse. Into this strange structure
Pyne and two Of his companions rstreated.
walling up and completely b%nrricading the
lower entrances; and, provided with canned
meats. fruits and other edibles, with An un-
known quantity of whisky and cigars. here
he Rrandiosely defed arrest.
An entire compan of Balfcur's soldiers
underworld to dislodge him. but that was
impossible. An entrance could not be eff
fected. Even If one had been made, ar
IanRements were such within. that any
where from one to a dozen tons of rock
could have been %precipitated upon the in
vaders. Mr.. Pyne from his lofty perch
this. and much more which made their
duties particularly agreeable. The situa-
zion becoming known. Lisfnny was the
center OF attraction for all Ireland.
Throngs came to Tallow daily to cheer Mr..
Pyne, who sagely addressed them on the
wrongs of Irelund'' from a window ninety
feet from The ground; while the unfottun-
ute soldiery were the butt of immeasurable
and lnexpressible ridicule.
Fol thirteen weeks this tremendous farce
continued, when nnaily the great question
rs to how MI. Pyns would take his seat in
parliament grew to be universally discussed.
Irish wit and recourse answered this
promptly. Suddenly there appeared pla-
carded all over the counties of Cork and
Waterford a notice that Mr.. Douglas Pyne's
grazing lands would or q certain day be
sub-let by auction. Towards evening of
that day every road leading into Tailow
Ewarmed with Irish cattle and Irish men.
BY sunset over LOCO cattle were believing
aud charging around the base of old Lis.
finny, while fully 100 tenant farmers swear
ing, protesting, fighting, managed to have
the soldiers hopelessly stampeded by the
excited herds.
1t is about forty miles by road from Tai
low to Cork harbor. In the melee-a clever
rpse by Pyne's friends among the tenantty
the eminent offender was lowered from
his eerie. and by relays of swift horses
was at Queenstown before midnight,
The next night he was in the south of
England. and ten days later, while Balfout's
soldiers were still closely guarding old Lis
inny, that the arrant rebel should not es-
cape, Douglas Pyne quietly entered the
house of in London. and Rravely
took his seat in parliament amid such
cheers as never before or since made the
grant etrurtnra tramhla IN its veyv fopp5n-