Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-08-14
BACK FROM IRELAND.
Edward McGrath Had Delightful
 Visit in the Land of His Youth.

Visit in the Land of His Youth.
 Edward McGrath of West Main street arrived home last night after a tour through Ireland. He went oyer on the Oceanic and made the return trip on the Majestic, the latter cover ing the ground in six days and a half. MT McGrath came to Water bury from Ireland when he was a boy and was absent just forty years when he took notion to revisit the scenes of his bohood. He says the country has changed so much that man who has not seen it since he was young ster would not know which way to turn The only face he saw while abroad that he recognized was that of Miss Margaret Meagher, sister of the late James Meagher of this city, who is now stopping with her brother, John Meagher of Barrow street, conductor on the Dublin and Kingstown railroad. Miss Meagher lived in Waterbury for several years, but returned to the old country a few months ago. Mir Me- Grath says Ireland is dotted with sheep. and believes that it would be difficult to find prettier view than be had by standing on the apex of one of the mountains and look down on the lowlands and see the delightful pas- ture lands alive with sheep and other live stock. There is an abundance of dairfes and the mflkmaid is very much in evidence and just as handsome as ever. Mir McGrath visited almost all the points of interest in the country, including the lakes of Killarney, the site of Donnybrook fair, Glasnevin cemetery. Guinnesses's brewery, the Heath. and half hundred more places of more or less note. At the Gap of Dunloei on his way to the Cork exposi- ton he dropped into Kate Kearney's and had libation of the real old mountain dew" and heard her call off the names of some of the notables that have hcnored her by their presence on and off for the past three-quarters of a century. He says anybody who goes over to Ireland and comes back with out seing Kate Kearney. taking stroll through the national cemetery and go- ing through Gufnnesses's brewery makes mistake as the two last men, toned places are the wonders of Ire land. So far as he had been able to observe there is a fair share of pros- perity and good deal of contentment
  better and everything points to a bountifu1 harvest.
 MT McGraw was in Dublin during the, visit of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra to that city and says he never saw such unbounded enthusi- asm in all. his life. Everybody was chock full of good nature and at times the crowds were so large you would irG- fhor4 within radius of a thousand miles to accommodate the. whole. of them. Oh, he said. "they get lot of en- Joyment out of their lives over there. but man who has become accustom- ed to this country soon tires of if and wants to be back where he finds condi- lions more in keeping with his way of thinking
 While in Ireland half a dozen younp men took him to the summit of the Gaitee mountains and piloted him through some of the underground pas- sageways that sheltered some of the boys who were on their keeping in the days when it was a crime to sneeze at landlord after he had hustled yo11r- self and your family out into the cold world and also pointed out to him tbe jutting lodges of rock that rears its head high above all the rest of it's neighbors, at the same time telling him that an American student named John F. Hayes, who visited that dis trict many years ago. was the only man that had climbed to the top of it in over hundred years The Amerf- can referred to was Dr Hayes of this city, and when MT McGraw told him about it he remembered the incident well and said that he could tell the name of the man that "stumped'' him to try it.
 MT McGraw looks brown and tanned and says that he derived more benefit rom the trip than he could receive for a much greater outlay in other ways. He chummed with a few residents of this country whom he struck in with on the way over and found them most desirable companions.
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