Evening star., 1901-09-07
BEAUTY SPOTS IN ERIN
BITS OF IRISH SCENERY WHICH
TOURISTS DO NOT SEE.
The Green Island Coming Into Favor
a Holiday Resort-where
Strangers Should Go.

known, and few visitors come in what is
generally the loveliest month of the year
September. To most people County Wick
low merely means Bray and Glendalough.
yet there Is hardly a mile In the whole
county that is not beautiful. Who that has
ever been there on clear. sunny day can
forget that most lovely of mountain lakes,
Lough Tay, better known locally as Lug
gela? / have scarcely ever met a single
tourist here, though 1t is within a drive or
cycle ride of Bray and Kingstown. This
little lake Is almost unseen till one Is on it's
shore: on two sides the steep hills rise pre-
clpitously from its water. and on a third
the slopes are clothed with trees, ending in
a s1lvery beach. From the road above the
lake glimpse of Lough Dan may be OBJ
tanned, while little way off are two other
picturesque and lonely mountain tarnS-IJp-
per and Lower Lough Bray. The drive may
be continued along a road on the further
side of the. lake. which winds round the
mountain sides, with glorious views of near
the world-famed Glendalough one of the
most ancient homes Of the Christian faith
in the British Isles.
WOOdenbridge.
Further south, in County Wicklow, are
the four beautiful valleys which meet at
Woodenbridge The hillsides here ara
clothed with luxuriant foliage much of it
wild cherry-a lovely sight when in bios
som. The roads are good for driving and
cycling. and one great charm Of the coun-
try Is the freedom with which one can wan
der anywhere Much of the land consists
OF commons" and the gorse and heather
grow fntermingled, SO that in August and
September the ground is covered with a
brilliant carpet Of yellow and purple Pow
erscourt demesne and waterfall, the Dar-
gle, the Glen of the Downs, the Devils
Glen The Is an absentee landlord as the far
Vey safd). the Meeting of the Waters are
only the beSt-known beauty spots'' i'm this
lovely country-spots, too. which can ali be
reached In days excursion from Dublin
There are. unfortunately, very few good
hotels inland, though good lodgings may be
had. Bray has some good hotels and makes
capital headquarters small but Comforts
able hotels are also to be found at Glen
dalough, Rathdrum and Woodenbridge
F1shlng can be had, much Of it free, all
through the county. There are excellent
goif links at Bray and Greystones. and a
smaller one at Woodenbridge. Greystones
Is a favorite seaside resort
Another charming place, which may be
VISITED from Dublin in an afternoon is
Lucan, well known In Ireland on account
OF Its picturesque wood and river scenery
walks or several miles can be taken be-
sioe the river. through charming old
woods. The most picturesque portion Of
the L1ffey valley is from Lucan to Leix-
lip, and Is considered by many to exceed
In beauty even the Wye and the Trossachs
is the Salmon Leap, one Of the most beau
tiful waterfalls in the united kingdom
Salmon can be seen jumping the falls in
autumn.
Pargate street, Dublin, in three quarters
OF an hour. From parts Of the lne when
on high ground, can be seen one of the
best panoramas Of the Dublin and Wicke-
low mountains to be had in the neighbor.
hood of Dublin.
DOueUoI
Another district, which is gradually be-
coming better known, is Donegal, in the
northwest Of Ireland. Here. 1T should be
remembered. that 1T Is the coast that pre-
sents the chief attractions, with the ex-
ception of the two inland lakes Of Glen
veagh and Dunlewy, where there are un.
fortunately no hotels. Inland the country
Is mostly moorland and bogland. inter-
spersed with lakes-rather monotonous in
effect, though with magnificent mountain
views. The air is most exhilarating.
though seldom very cold and there are
some hotels, which, for comfort and lux
ury would be hard to beat anywhere.
These are crowded in the season, and cap
italists might do worse for themselves and
for others than equipping good hotels at
such places as Dunfanaghy in the north.
and Teelin in the south of the county,
both splendid centers for excursions.
A new light railway is now being made,
which will make Dunfaghy easily access
sible, and bring this remote northwestern
corner Of Ireland within some twenty
hours journey of London. Here can be tn
joyed magnificent air; the marvellous cliffs
of Horn Head the home of myriadS of sea
birds). wonderful velvety strand, and the
Inevitable golf links, besides walks. drives
and climbs innumerable, not to mention
sea and lake fishing and boating. The GU
rious may experience the novel sensation
of going out in the native boat, the cur
ragh, frail, light structure, which can
easily be carried by one man. 1t is made
of tarred canvas, or calico stretched over
a wicker framework. and an incautious
stick or heeed boot will easily make a
hole in the bottom, yet SO buoyant is it
that it can carry two CARLOAD of nets and
herrings besides the fishermen, who go far
out to sea in these toy-like boats. These
boats have been in use for many hundreds
of years.
The Sieve Lengue.
There are wonderful cliffs elsewhere in
the county. too-the famed Sieve League,
1000 feet high, in the south, the precipi-
tious cliffs of Glen Head and Sieve-a-
Toeey, near which are the venerated re-
mains of ST. Columba's chapel and cell.
with it's stone pillow. There are lakes in
Vulnerable, too. many dotted with little
islands; on one, Lough-a-doon, pctur-
esque as It's name, are the remains of a
stone fort of unknown antiquity but GER
tainly prehistoric, and the stones, which
are unmortared, but most carefully built
up, are now covered with long gray nchen,
giving the place a most venerable appear
ance: here the fort has stood, in lonely,
almost unvisited. solitude for centuries.
Donegal is getting known now for its ex-
cellent tweeds and homespunS; 1t has other
too fishing and f1sh-curing (the
cured hsh-herrings, mackerel and ling
are mostly for the American markeD,
while in the north of the county, country
produce eggs, poultry, honey, etc, are sent
away chiefly to Scotland. What would
London hOusekeepers say to chickens at
ninepence apiece, rabbits at tenpence a
pair, and new-laid eggs at sixpence doz-
en-? The heather honey is delicious, too.
The poultry and bee-keeping industries
have been much helped by the congested
districts board, who have also done excel
lent work in providing fishing boats paid
for by installments by the fishermen),
and in many other ways. specially in the
giving Of instruction to both women and
men in domestic training, and in various
wage-earning industries. An industry that
promises to be very successful has lately
been started at Killybegs "a railway ter
minus; this is a carpet factory. The work
turned out Is so excellent that carpet
has been ordered to be made here by the
queen. The colorings rival those of
pets from eastern towns and the girls Of
the district have picked up the work Won
derfully quick. One feature that strikes
travellers is the large turf stacks near all
a Il -tD ,Ir ~RA L.