The Irish standard., 1908-10-31
are lost in ama.ement and delight"

are lost in amusement and delight"
About . mile from the Eagles Nest
is the old Weir Bridge. bridge Of two
arches. Of which only one affords a
passage for boats. The current 10 ex-
ceedinsly rapid here. and when the
bridge is passed, the tourist is in Tore
Lake. facing Dinis Island. At Dinis
Pool the current divides-one, to the
right, running between Dinis Island
and elena Mountain-easily the most
beautiful spot In Killarney.
The Tore Lake-or the Middle or the
Muckross Lake-it is known by the
three namss-has less islands than tho
other. The far-famed Muckross Abb
bey is here. adjoining the pretty VIII
lase Of Cloghreen. The original name
oi the Abbey was 'Irelough." and a
church which was consumed by fire
existed on the same site in 1892. The
principal entrance Is by a handsome
pointed doorway, luxuriantly over
grown with ivy. and within it may be
found the tomb Of the o'Donoghue
IT Erin's chiefs deserve thy generous
tear.
Heir Of their worth. o'Donoghus, lies
here"
are the closing lines of the epitaph on
the tomb. The cloister is the hest
preserved portion Of the Abbey, and
in Its center grows a splendid yewtree
which covers the whole area. 1t is be-
lieved that any person daring to pluck
a branch OF this tree will not be alive
or that day twelve months.
The Lower Lake is much the larg-
est, and :here are about 35 islands sit
uated in it, the most distinguished be-
ing Ross. Innisfallen, and Rabbit Is
lands. Ross Castle is fine embattled
building and contains a spiral STAIR
case Of cut stone. Here the stories
connected with the name of the leg
endary chieftain take their source from
this. his castle. The people point out
the window from which he leaped, ex-
changing his chattels on earth for his
sovereignty beneath the water. He
was endowed, they will tell you, with
the gift IF Transforming himself into
any shape. His wife asked him to ex-
hibit some Of these transformations
He warned her that If he did SO, and
she displayed any fear. they would be
separated forever. She, confident that
she could look on unmoved, persisted
in her request, and on his assuming
some very terrible shape. screamed
with terror. He Immediately sprang
from the window into the lake below
and remains there, an enchanted Split.
And it is SAID that his enchanted books
flew after him, and there they are
turned to stone-to be seen to this day
under the waters of the lake.
From the top of the tower a COM
manding, view Of the surrounding
country ia obtained. Ross Island is
in the center Of the Lower Lake, and
the next in Importance is sweet Innis-
fallen. Here are two wonders-the
needle and the Bed of Honor-the nee
die being o crabtree with a kind Of
double trunk. forming an aperture. It
is considered lucky for a woman to
force her way through. The Bed of
Honor" is a seat formed by the matted
branches of a yew-tree, and the tra-
ditions that account for it's name are
confused and contradictory.
st. Patrick, says a legend, never
went into Kerry, but holding out his
hands toward it, he said, Il bless all
beyond the Reeks." It would seem as
If his blessing has rested here, for this
is truly the place where angels might
indeed fold their wings and rest"
Every island. every little bay into
which it runs, the shores wooded with
rich evergreens, the mountains sur
rounding 1t. the cataracts-all go to
make Killarney the Mecca Of beautiful
Ireland.
And the guides will relate strange
tales, in keeping with the grandeur Of
the picturesque world about. among
them the story Of Ossian, the warrior
bard, the stn of Fingal. He saw beau-
tiful white horses riding through tho
fields, and he mounted one. and he
bore him far away to Thier-na- oge,
the land Of eternal youth. A beauti-
full country. indeed, fit for a great war
rior, and here he stayed until he
thought that common ponteness bade
him to return IL only to inquire how
his friends and relatives were.
"They are dead" he was told.
"They've been dead these fifteen hun
dred years."
"How :an that be?" said ossian in