The Irish standard., 1907-11-16
Some Of the Peculiar Ornamental CARVINGS on
the Older Buildings Are Relics of
Spanish Architecture.
On Gently Rising Ground, the City on the
Beautiful Bay Suffered Mich During
the Cromwellian War.

fectory. surround the abbsy. There Nos
buried the famous "Fireball Maooa.
mara" who in his day was a psineapas
In sonae forty duels, as we'll as second IN
scores Of others. His reputation In that
respect was even more pronounced than
that Of the late o'Gorman Mahon. VIA
having taken leading part In slsottns
o'Connell for Clare more than half .
century before. represented q divisioa
Of Glare in Parliament for q long time
prior to his death. l few times prisp
to his death, q few years ago.
Macnamara's memory is kept sroso
by a song which, among other things,
says:
There lies Shawn Buie, cold, low and
lone,
The great, the glorious Mcnamara;
The heart and nerve that never shook,
The hand. that left no mark innsbruck.
Passing Clare castle, little station
twenty-three miles from Limerick. the
we'll preserved ruins Of Glare Abbey,
with it's lofty tower, are seen on the
right of the railroad. 1t was founded
near the end of the twelfth century by
Donald o'Brien, King of Thomond.
Ennis, Capital Of County Glare.
A little more than a mile farther ON
Ennis, the capital Of the County Of
Clare. 1t is a pretty little town Of
some Ave thousand inhabitants, situat.
ed on the river Fergus. The town was
quite prominent in olden days as . seat
of learning, and had upwards Of three
hundred and fifty scholars ana six hun.
dred monks, supported by one Of tie
Princes Of Thomond, even after xbs
arrival Of the British In ireland. rt
was the burnial place Of the Princes Of
Thomond as we'll a tho chiefs Of the
Macnamaras for centuries. Ennis n.
justly proud Of tho part 1t played Ia the
famous Glare election, which resulted
in the returning Of Daniel o'connssl
to the British Parliament A n,agniA.
cent monument to o'Connell now stands
on the site Of the old eourthouss. b
which O'connell was declared elssA.
ed.
A Group Of Fameus Rulns.
Killone Abbey, founded by Dons,A
O'Brien, and Drumclife Abbey, founded
by st. Columbia, as we'll as the ruins
Of O'Brien Abbey, are all within 4
small radius of Ennis. One line Of the
railroad branches of from Ennis to
Corofln, Ennistymon. Lehinoh and
Midtown Malbay. passing on the way
Lisdoonvarna, and the famous Clifes
Of Moher, sung OF by Gerald arimA.
These rise abruptly from the sea to O.
height Of nearly seven hundred feet.
Close by Lehinch is the tomb of Conan
"of the nimble foot" one Of Ossian's
heroes. On the sepulchral stone arc
craven Ogham characters Of great an
tiquity. Conan was the man Of whom
the Irish bard sang:
:, i,
Absent is Conan now.
Lost to the field,
Blunted his battle az,
Broken his shield! .-ti
Fireless his eagle eye
Bravest Of the brave.
Far from red war you lie. -',
Cold in your grave. 4
The direct line Of railroad from En-.
mis- to Tuan passes through Crushseu,
and between that and the next station
Tubber is the line which divides Clare
County from Galway County, the rail-
road passes through Gort. Kilmac-
daugh, once an Episcopal see belonging
to the Church Of ST. Colman, and dat
! ing from the seventh century. A few
miles distant is Kinvara. There is laid
F, the scene Of one of Francis A. Fahy's
most beautiful poems. THE Ould Plaid
Shawl":.