Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-08
ROAD TO GLENCAR|FF
Mystic Lakes, Memorial
Shrines, Beautiful Flowers.
|GLEN OF GOUGANE-BARRA
St. Finn Barre's Healing Well and
It's Wonderful Water.
THE PASS OF KEIMANEIGH
Through a Land Of Rugged Beauty
and Fairy-Like Flowers-Sacred
in Irish Annals.
THE PASS OF KEIMANEIGH
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

By WILLIAM r.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
GLENGARIFF, July 20, 1908.
The traveller bound for Glengariff
changes from the railway train to an open
coach at the railway station of Macroom.
The coach is built for mountain travel,
strong and heavy, and the seats which ex-
tend from side to side accommodate four
people of ordinary dimensions The
handbags are slowed away under the
seats and in a cavern which opens from
the rear. A couple of steamer trunks can
also be taken along in them. There is a
roof to the stage which is very much
needed to keep off the rain. 1t can be
rolled up into a ridge at the middle of
the supporting hoops In the sunshine.
Talk About the Weather.
The weather is very uncertain in Ire
land. 1t rains almost every day. If the
showers were regular, if they always came
about O'Clock in the afternoon, as they
do in the West Indies and other tropical
countries during the rainy season, one
might make his arrangements accordingly,
but they are usually inopportune. The
clouds have a provoking way of opening
their valves when you are particularly
anxious to have clear weather and are
without your umbrella. If all the rain
would fall in the night it would be a great
accommodation, but thus far no one has
been able to regulate the weather or any
thing else in Ireland. If you find the
roadway muddy. the sidewalks spotted
with little puddles, and the air heavy with
mist when you get up in the morning,
you are pretty sure to have a fine day.
Rain before seven, clear before eleven
is one of the most accurate of maxims
over here. On the other hand, if the
morning opens bright and sunny and the
skies are smiling with blue, be sure to
take your umbrella, your macintosh,
your galoshes and borrow slicker of
the landlord or the head porter If they
have one.
The driver of a stage in Ireland doesn [
flourish and crack his whip like the gen.
tlemen who pursue that line of business
in Montana and Colorado. He is usually
laxative chap and tells you interesting
stories with deep, rich brosue and quaint
with that are charming; but he drives
quietly through the villages and pulls I'm
at his destination as modestly as If he
were on cart instead of coach full
of tourists. In the Rocky mountains the
end of his journey. He never tries to do
anything of that sort in Ireland.
Macroom to Glengariff.
The road follows along the banks of
the Sullane river until it reaches a string
T.
ted with lovely little islands and are said
to be full of fish. There is not a tree
to be seen, but the ground is covered
with rich. thick velvet turf and myriads
of wildfiOwers of all colors and all va
riet!es-a craZy-quilt of bloom No one
ever imagined that there could be so
many Wildfowers or such beautiful ones
The little town of Inchigeela is the lunch
station, where we were served with q
wholesome
toes. lettuce and gooseberry tart that
tasted as good anything l ever had
at the Waldorf. The buxOm, red-faced
landlady gave us hearty, cordial bless
ing as we climbed back into our seats to
continue the journey. We passed several
| ruined castles. some of them near the
roadside and the others pieturesquely sit
uated on the mountain slopes among the
rocks. They all once belonged to the
MacCarthys. who were kings in this coun-
try until they lost their power by foolish
fighting, and today 7 have been assured
that not one foot of sod in the county of
Cork or in the county of Kerry is owned
by man of that name or clan.
Mystic Lake of Gougane-Barra.
After while we turned from the main
road at little village called Carrinacur-
| rah. which is hardly as big as it's name.
| and slowly climbed a picturesque hill to
the mystic lake of GOuganeBarra We
| stopped there to rest the horses and our
selves at neatly kept inn.
AS 1T was a holiday, all the people in
the neighbOrhOod were gathered at Gro
passengers drove in from Macroom, and
several Of them accompanied us across
to Gougane Island and told us the his
tory Of that sacred. place. There was an
old man who had bog-oak walking sticks
to sell. and boys with post cards. for
| there isn't a spot in Ireland that hasn't
been photographed and transferred to a
post card In hideous colors. Mr.. Ben
jamin Shorten, man o. Importance in
the community, who had hailed the coach
| when it passed his house. proved to be
not only fellOw-passenger, but an en-
tertainer of the strangers within his
gate, 1t was q strange story he told us
OF the restoration OF the ruins and the
erection of the little shrine on the site
| of ST. Finn Barrels oratory, which had
been blessed by st. Patrick fourteen CEN
turtles ago.
Story Of Memorial Shrine.
He said that about 1899 or 190O<-he
wasn't quite sure Of the year-an Irish
millionaire from the United States who
was born at Carriglodge, a little village
| four miles to the northward. came here
| to look I'D his ancestors and the house in
which his parents used to live. His ia
Their and mother. with their children. had
gone to the states at the time of the
| famine This particular man as a lad had
begun his business career when he was a
mere child, built up an enormous fortune
and become the president of bank. He
had never been back to the old country
before, and spent several days here with
| two cousins and several other relatives
| of the family who lived in the neighbor-
hood. He was attracted by the romantic
situation and scenic grandeur of Lake
Gougane. and. being a pious Catholic, was
deeply impressed with the sacred asso-
Citations of the tiny island. Before leav-
| ing the country he not only found the
very house. but the very room in which
| he was born. about seventy years ago. He