Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-15

dhrinkin.'' said the ancient oracle who
gave me this information. They feared
none but God, and since Maolduin O'Don-
aghue burned the monastery of 1nnisfallen
and murdered the monks in 11JS they
have spint much tonne dOin' pinnance for
his SINS
The MacCarthys, Kings Of Munster.
The MacCarthys were the kings of
Munster, while the O'Donaghues were
feudal lords subordinate to them. but the
latter owned the Lakes Of Killarney and
all the mountains and land around them.
which are now the property of the Earl of
Kenmare. Their stronghold for centuries
was at Ross Castle. and MuckrOss Abbey
was both their place of worship and their
tomb. The first Of the family mentioned in
history Is MacAuhffe O'Donaghue, who
built the church at Agahadoe on the hill
back of Killarney. for st. Finian the leper.
The Prefix "The."
1t is customary for the head of these
old families to use the word "The' as
prefix to their names to indicate their
rank, and / have seen letters signed in
that way, without the initials of the
writer. For example. 1.-The MacDer-.
mott" is a barrister of Importance in
Dublin. ''The O'Donavan' lives at Cork
and retains a part of the ancestral es-
tates. 1.-The O'Shea" is a clergyman of
the Church of England. stationed at
Manchester, and makes much of his posi-
ton as the head of the clan. The
ONeill'' is the Lord of Londonderry. and
of the late Sir Nicholas O'Connor, who
was British ambassador at Constantine
pie at the time of his death 1.-The
O'Flaherty'' is justice of the peace near
Galway and a man OF Importance. Other
members Of old families recognize the
head of their clan in a similar manner.
although it carries nothing but glory and
qualification with it.
Pride and Property Gone.
"The O'Sullivans. the MacCarthys and
all the old families loike the ODonaghues
are gone: played out, as We moight say"
remarked the oracle. For tin cinturies
the O'Sullivans ruled whole counties in
Ireland, but they have lost their proid as
tint to kape pooblic houses (saloons) and
sit around complaining of the hard
tonnes. The whole country south of here
is full of O'Sullivans. There's more Of
man were to sail across County Kerry in
balloon and cast out bag corn,
livery kernel would hit an O'Sullivan,
but they are only proivates in the clan.
The ruling line is extinct and no O'Sulli-
van nows owns an acre Of the old estates.
Nor do the ODonaghues. They're as
poor as church mice, having lost all but
the name and the spirit of the race.
Black Jeffrey O'Donaghue.
Look at that grave there: it's filled
with the bones Of Black Jeffrey O'Dona-
ghue. They called him the Black Prince
of the Glenf1esk. He lived at Killaha
Castle, five moiles from here, and built On
a rock standin' in the middle of a bog,
and nobody could find the way but those
who knew it. His spirit nothing could
contain. He hated the English as no man
ever hated thin before or since, and
whin he saw an Englishman his temper
would rise like the hair on the back of
an angry dog. No Englishman ever came
within soight of Kallaha Castle and got
home aloive. But Black jeffrey died in
his bed after all of tuberculosis and ye
kin see the date on the tomb-1756, age
thirty-six.
Midnight Marriage O. MacCarthys.
Did yees ivir hear about the midnight
marriage of the master Of Blarney Castle,
which took place here in the ruined abbey
In the year 1880, which Duane Elizabeth
and the entire parliament did their best
to prevint? It's a great sthory. The heads
Of the two branches Of the MacCarthy
family were thin united in the persons Of
Florence MacCarthy of Barney Castle,
the same gintleman that deludered Duane
Elizabeth with his soft words and caused
the invintiOn of the word ''blarney," that
is used so much these days. Well. he
was in love with Aileen MacCarthy. his
cousin, daughter of Donal MacCarthy
Nor. Earl of Glencare.
THE two factions had been enemies and
it was the policy of the English to kape
thin apart because a reconciliation would
bring them togither an make thin more
dangerous to British authority. And
that was what Duane Elizabeth was
trying to prevint She feared that if the
MacCarthy factions made friends they
would join Hugh ONeill and the great
Earl of Desmond, thin in rebellion. and
majesty. An that made Florence Mac
Carthy all the more determined to wed
Aileen, who had been his sweetheart In
sacrit for several years. One day ne
crossed the lake and Lady Aileen and her
mother in a boat rowed by four lusfy
gallowglasses with their battelaxes lynn
where the oars had been.
They landed at midnight at the abbey.
thin half in ruins. solemn and mournful
in silence and decay The moon shown
through the roofless walls and the broken
windows Of the crumbling shrine of IRE
lagh upon the blissid head of a venerable
friar, Florence MacCarthy's chaplain,
who was waiting for thin himself. he
was one or tnlm VINO, III tIlc OdIh u<iyo VI
Henry VIII, was expilled from the abbey
at the point OF a Protestant sword. Wild
him was O'Sullivan Nor. Macmillan. the
Countess Of Glencar. and the beautiful
Lady Una O'Leary, and that was all. NO
bard was there to sing the bridal song.
no harp to give swate sounds, no banner
to wave no clansmen to raise joyous
cheer an no spear or batteax CLEANED
in the moonlight, but the blissed virgin
and all the saints were .lOokin' down all
the while approvin' through the roofless
aisles when Florence MacCarthy and
Aileen MacCarthy pledged their vows.
This sacred marriage was proclaimed
an act of treason by Duane Elizabeth.
for that Florence MacCaTthy went to the
Tower, but he got the best OF 1t after
ALL"
The Ruins and the Year Tree.
The windows Of Muckross Abbey are
the most perfect of any ruin in Ireland,
the holdings of several OF the doorways
are in fine state Of preservation. so that
the carving can be carefully studied.
There is a cloister thirty-thre feet
square, encircled by vauked corridor
seven feet wide. and lighted by twenty
two arched windows, which Is as good as
II it were built yesterday. And In the
center of the quadrangle Is venerable
yew tree said to- be the largest In the
world having been planted by the monks
at the foundation of the abbey in 134O. 1t
was usual. 50 I am told. for FRANCISCAN
monks to plant yew trees in the court
wards of their mOnaS aries and thew are