The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-09-20


lite is largely used, and this s.one car
be quarried in various parts of Ire
land; notably in the counties Of Wick
low, Down, Donegal and Dublin itself
1t is obtainable of every shade Of viii e.
gray and red, and Of the finest quail.
ity. Wicklow granite is the softest
and it lends itself admirably to archi.
tectural treatment; the other GRANTEES
| are harder and more expensive to pol
ish. The Newry quarries are consid-
cred among the best worked in Ire
,, land.
There are fine red GRANTEES to be OBJ
tanned in Donegal, but the lack Of
railway communication, the cost and
difficulty of transport, closes the mar
kets in England and Ireland largely
to those quarries.
The slndStunes Of Ireland are rather
hard, and consequently more expensive
to work than either the Scottish or
English varieties of this material.
However, at Dungannon, Mt. Charles
and Clonaslee most excellent specimens
are quarried. Fine examples of this
stone used as Il building material may
be seen i'll our new Science and Art
Museum and the National Library, xii
dare street. Dublin; also in the Royal
University Medical SchCol. Irish sand
stones possess warmth of color and
beauty, but their hardness renders
them Il little costly to work.
In marble Ireland is very rich in
deed, and beautiful varieties of every
color and shade of this choice material
arc quarried in different parts of the
island. There are lovely specimens of
gray, pink, red, green, black and even
white marbles found in different parts
of the country. All varieties are of
the most admirable quality, and take
the very finest polish.
The Kilkenny marble has been ia
nous for centuries. 1t is very close IN
grain, and takes IL high polish. Some
of it is pure black, and shines, when
dressed like ebony; some has il black
ground, beautifully marked with va
riety of fossils. There are great guam
titles of this marble obtailmble in
large blocks, in quarries, but from one
to five miles from the city, and also
dark gray fossil marble, very sound
and uniform in color. The marble
saving mills there have the distinction
of being the first established in Great
Britain. The sawS are worked by
water power, originally set up in the
year 1870. and have been constantly
at work OH the banks of tlle More ever
since
In Cork several fine varieties of mar
Die are found. Victoria ral, varie-
gated, notified variety; brownish red,
red. and dark red, notified marble
All these varieties are beautiful and
take Il high polish. Limerick marbles
were once extensively used. but are
clcS. Galway is very rich in marbles,
but want of railways severely halmli-
caps the trade. For instance, there is
Il very fine green marble to be found
nH,r Clilcn. which will fetch Il high
price, even in London, if the demand
could be supplied. Unless the marble
is shipped at Cliluen, the only nltcrma-
tive is to cart it over fifty miles of
road, to the nearest railway station, ut
Galway. There are other colorGl mar
bles in Galway, OF green, black ana
gray hueS. and of the finest qualities.
Some of the great Connemara marbles
are now so costly as to he sold by
weight, instead of by the cubic foot.