Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-20
CORK TO GL[NGAR|FF
Seventy-Five Miles OF Lovely
Landscape.
THE HOME OF THE FAIRIES
Various Kinds of Sprites and COLLINS
Who Used to Live There.
THE CROMWELLIAN HORRORS
A String of Ruined Castles and Mon
asteries All the Way Is
THE HOME OF THE FAIRIES
THE CRoMwELLIAN HORRORS
IN WILLIAM f.. CURTIS.

RY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The star ana 'ht
Chicago Record Herald
GIENGARIFF Ireland July %, 1908.
IT isn't far across the southern counties
of Ireland. and from Cork to Glengarln,
the Ioyeliest place in the United Kingdom
and one of the loveliest spots on earth is
only seventy-five miles. There are two
routes. You can go by rail to the little
old-fashioned town of Bantry. at the head
of Bantry bay. which is the rendezvous
of the British fleet and the place of their
regular annual maneuvers. and from
there bv coach around the shore of the
bav or by a little steamer across It's
matchless blue waters. Or you can take
the more interesting and pi> -uresque
route by rail as far as Macroom, and then
by coach or carriage over the mountains.
through the most picturesque canyon IN
Ireland and up and down the mountain
sides.
Glengariff is way down in the south
westernmost corner of Ireland, and, as a
gentleman said the other day IN descrlo-
ing it's location: If you'll go Jlst one
step further therell not be a dry spot to
rist yer foot on till you enter the harnor
of New York, bedad, or maybe Boston
The best route in every respect ana one
be found anywhere is by way OF
Macroom and it is such a favorite with
tourists that during the summer season
there is an almost continuous PROCESSION
that way. The arrangements for taxing
care of travellers are perfect and all you
have to do is to buy your tickets and let
the attendant look after the rest. The
railroad carries you about thirty miles.
an hours ride from Cork and there is a
good deal of interest to be seen from the
car windows on the way. The conductor
sticks his head in the window every now
and then and warns the passengers what
to look out for. There is a castle on one
side or a ruined abbey on the other. or
some sign of the devastation committed
by Cromwell and his Covenanters when
they were trying to convert the Irish to
Professionalism, two or three centuries ago.
Cromwellian Ruins.
1 am becoming very skeptical about the
Cromwellian ruins. Every time we come
across an abandoned limekiln or the roof
less walls of some cabin from which a
family has been evicted and burned out
they tell us that the damage was done by
Cromwell's soldiers. Kate Douglas Wig
gin satirizes that situation in Penelope s
Irish Experiences" by having her party
occupy rooms in Irish hotels when Crom-
well, in the confusion of his departure,
forgot to sweep under the bed.
You can't convert people from one re-
or by burning houses and sacking mon
asteries and numbering innocent women
and children. That has been clearly
demonstrated by the Duke of Alva in the
Netherlands, by Philip II in Spain and
by Cromwell in Ireland. 1t partially re-
stores ones cheerfulness to be able to
realize that such means of evangelization
have been abandoned. But 1t stirs the
soul with indignation and horror to wit
ness the indisputable evidences and to
read the uncontradicted testimony of the
horrors that were committed in Ireland
by the Protestant Covenanters in the
name Of the Prince of Peace. They were
as bloody and as cruel as any that &C.
CURED in Holland or in Spain. The mas
sacre of st. Bartholomew had parallels in
the Puritan efforts to conquer this coun-
try.
There is a string of ruined castles and
monasteries all the way from Cork to
Glengariff. and nature has done her best
to hide the shame and cruelty that are
associated with them by the glorious
mantles of ivy which cover their crum-
Cormac MacCarthy. the king of this
country in 1855. for the Franciscan friars,
was the burial place of the MacCarthy
family, the owners of Blarney Castle for
two centuries or more. Several of the
tombs are we'll preserved.
Another MacCarthy Stronghold
A little farther along. at Crookstown. is
another of the MacCarthy strongholds
called Castlemore; and still farther are
the ruins of Lissardagh and Clodagh,
where they kept their forces and received
the tribute of their dependents as they
did at Barney Castle, near Cork; those
ancient kings and strings of castles
through their territories, each one of them
in charge of a senechal who kept the
place with a guard of retainers and re-
ceived tribute from the peasant farmers
of ha mo ant
for protection and blackmail. Within the
thick walls the loot they brought from
battle was stored; their prisoners were
held for ransom. and there they enter
tanned their allies and their friends, rev.
cling for days and nights together in the
spacious halls The MacCarthys were
vigorous and energetic citizens and ruled
the south shore of Ireland with despot-
ism that had no parallel in Ireland at the
time. But they were as generous to their
friends as they were vindictive to their
foes.
One of the principal castles of the Mac.
Carthy clan was Carrg-a -droid. which
was built by chieftain, according to the
local traditions, Ito please the good lady
OCarra. who desired residence in that
singularly wild and beautiful spot be-
cause of romantic legend. A poor peas
ant lad. crippled and humpbacked, but OF
brilliant intellect and cunning wit fell In
love with the fair daughter of his chief
tain. who frowned at and ridiculed the
dJldH. III despair at the hopeless
nature of his suit. the peasant boy wan
dered by the river side one day. when
he suddenly heard the Click click OF
the hammer of the Cluricaun one of the
most popular of the Irish fairies, whose
fdvorite haunt was the house of a shoe
maker. The peasant crept upon Cluricaun
silently, seized the fairy in his arms and
refused to release him without ransom
The Cluricaun had crock of gold buried
in the earth and, to please the peasant
boy he dug IL up, and not only endowed
him with riches. but transformed his mis-
shapen figure into one of manly beauty
and grace.
When he returned to the castle in his
new shape and approached the lovely MICA
she received him with blushng admira-
ton. and at the first opportunity he ex-
planned the good fortune that had come
to him. They kept the secret while he
wooed her, and the great chief of the
MacCarthys gave his daughter willingly
to so brave and SO handsome and rich q
stranger, as he supposed his former peas
ant boy to be. Any sensible person. I am
sure. would be glad to have a castle
where such fortunate things occur.
Used to Abound in Fairies.
This country used TO abound in fairies,
gnomes. koboles. pixies and all kinds OF
queer little people. but they are ali gone
now. Our Jarvey. as the driver of a
jaunting car is called. insists that they
have emigrated to America, but when /