The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-11-21
TWDeeI Tn ireland
Ey JOHN a. sLacA
Copyright, 1908, by John A. Black.)
PART VII.

Out boatman points out several rocks and isl
ands connected with the legend of the O'Donoghue;
such as his prison, where he is confined under the
lake and fed on little bread and plinty of water;
and his library with his Bible which is table
of stone"
On landing at Ross Castle our car met us and
took US, wet and tired, back to the town-a pretty
mile and half drive.
Killarney is a picture done in natures choic-
est coors, set in a splendid frame, hung in the best
light no copy it in words
After travelling ten miles by jaunting car, six
by stif-egged ponies, twelve by boat, in wind and
rain, you may be we had impressions of Kill
larney all over us, some of which were quite last
ing. We finished the day-and almost ourselves
by taking the night train for Dublin.
Beware of night trains in Ireland They are
refrigerator trains. We got some snatches of cold
sleep which stifened our limbs, and hardened our
hearts against the Great Southern Western. When
got to Kingsbridge station, Dublin, we were
able to call a ear and be taken to hotel, where
got to bed and thawed out till well on in the
day. Beware of night trains III Ireland, l say!
We in Dublin, the famous capital of Ire
land our hotel is but stonecast from the old castle
which figures conspicuously in Irish history. The
castle is not imposing pile; in fact, 1t is d1sL
appointing to one who has read its history. But
it has history enouglto make up for any shortcom-
ings III architecture not all good history-not good
for Ireland, | mean-but interesting history. Here
is the seat of government here is where the Crap
png iron grips Ireland and holds her alongside the
foreign ship of state whose boarded Erin some
centuries ago, and which has steadily refused to
give up the prize.
Over in College Green is another interesting
building-the old Parliament house. 1t is
cupied by the y-changers-the Bank of Ire
land. Here the Irish parliament lived and died
fell into the Pitt in 1900 A. D. GLOW shocking
old Parliament house looks" said who he ped
to vote away the Parliament, to Curran; "yes,"
tr1ln lord / for
derers to be afraid of ghosts"
College Green is not green; it may have been
green once, but there is little chance for grass to
grow on it with four busy streets pouring their
throng of vehicles and pedestrians into it all day
long. The college has some fine bulldings-none
remarkable, though; but the grounds very fine
and surprisingly extensive to be in the heart of
great city.
There is tendency in certain circles to refer
to all things Irish with sneer; can any good thing
come out of Ireland? As if Ireland were one of the
FIJI group, and its people barbarians who became
civilized only when they got out to America |
never realized fully the ptiableness of this ig
norant prejudice which affects to sneer at Irish"
as [ do standing here in Trinity college library
among these relics of Ireland's past, near and re-
mote-a past not to be ashamed of in any company
Come and see! Here ancient books and manu-
scripts, and works art which tell of that pc
riod, stretching across nearly five centuries of Ire
lands history-from the sixth till well into the
northern Europe; the time when crowds of stu
dents came from Great Britain and the continent
some of them of royal blood-to be educated at
Clonard, and Clonmacnois, and Armagh, and Ban
gor, and Cashel, and Mungret, and Monasterboice
and the other great monastic schools of Ireland;
the time when Irish scholars overran Europe and
commanded the attention and admiration of all
lovers of learning; the time when the fame of
Ireand's musicians second only to that of her
scholars, in foreign countries the time when Irish
now England, Scotland Wales, and to the conti-
nent; the time when Ireland was known far and
wide as ''the Island of Saints and Scholars"
The Book of Kels, matchless work of the
pious art and learning of the seventh century, is
the most interesting and valuable of the many books
and manuscripts in the collection. 1t is latin
copy of the -Four Gospels done by hand in vellum.
The initial letters are done in five six colors; and
intricate and delicate the designs, and so
skiiful is the workmanship that competent judges
say they could not be matched by the artists of