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

| ton of the little shrine before which W.
stood and in which three pious Old womer
! were at that moment saying their prayers
| 1t has cost a thousand pounds to com
memorial to the gentleman's father anG
grandfather. The former had died in the
United States. The latter was buried in
| the cemetery of Ingbigeela<
Has he ever been back? | asked.
mo. but Mrs. Walsh and her two
| daughters came here three years ago and
| stopped for several days at CrOnin's Inn
and with their relatives. They We're
very much pleased with the way in which
the. job had been DONE"
What did you say the gentleman
name was?" I asked.
| "Mr. Walsh, Mr.. John r. Walsh of Chi
cago, and everybody here is very sorry
for his misfortunes. 1 played with him
America. He is a little older than l and
/ was rocked in the same cradle. Walsh's
mother loaned the cradle to my mother
when I was born, as he had outgrown
the use of it,
Mr.. Walsh could not have chosen a more
beautiful or a more. appropriate place
for memorial to his parents, and the
work has been we'll done. 1t is a sacred
as well as most romantic spot.
Glen Gougane-Barra.
Gougane-B arra is what they call a
"tarn," a jagged glen in the mountains
nearly a mile long and about a quarter
of mile wide, almost entirely filled
with water. like a Norwegian ford. and
entirely inclosed with walls of rock ris-
ing to a height of nearly 1900 feet. The
principal peaks are called COnicar 1885
feet high; Bealick, 1,762 feet, and Fol
lasteokeen, 1.69S feet. The cliffs cast a
deep shadow over the water and add to
the solemnity and mystery with which
the place has been invested from it's as
| ISOLATION with the patron saint of the
city Of Cork and one of the earliest apos-
ties in Ireland. After heavy rains each
mountain side becomes foaming cata-
ract, and the natives say the sound OF
the water pouring down the rocks may be
heard for miles. The lake Is very deep
and is the source of the River Lee, which
runs sixty-five miles from here to the
bay of Cork.
Mountain Tomb of Father Mahoney.
The island is approached by narrow,
artificial causeway, at the head of which
is an arched tomb built into the side of
the mountain, in which Father Mahoney,
a recluse, was buried in 1928. He was
the last of the monks to live in the little
abbey. He is regarded by the peasants
as next to st. Fin-Barre in holiness and
Fin-Barre is ranked next to st. Patrick,
only a little below him In their Vener-
alton. When the old women passed
Father Mahoney's, tomb they knelt and
kissed it and said their prayers.
The ruins Of ST. Ffn-Barre's hermitage,
which has been carefully restored. con-
sists of a quadrangle of stone about thir-
ty-six feet square, and there are eight
cells with arched entrances in which the
monks used to live Over the entrance
to each cell is a modern plaster cast OF
one Of the stations of the cross ana In the
center upon a pyramid of five steps, q
plain wooden cross has been erected.
St. Fin-Barre's Oratory Chapel.
The little chapel erected by Mr.. Walsh
upon the foundation of Str Barre s
Oratory is thirty-six feet long by fourteen
feet broad with a simple little altar and
an altar rail. The remainder of the space
is filled with wooden seats. There is no
organ or other musical instrument, and
the services held there every third Sunday
| in the month by an itinerant priest are OF
| the simplest order But the celebration OF
| the anniversary of the saint on the 24tn
of September brings the peasants from all
the country around and is attended with
great sOlemnity. The people carry their
rations with them, and camp upon the
shore of the lake and along the roadway
that leads down from the tarn. The island
| is at the height of it's beauty just now. II
| Is a mass of rhododendrons in the fullness
of theiS purple glory. If you searched the
world over you could not find more
| beautiful abode for saint in peace and
retirement 1t has been the theme OF
many poems, and native bard has
painted with graphic lines the scene that
and surrounded with so much natural
beauty.
st. Fin-Barre's Healing Well.
1t is one of the hottest places in Ireland
and the consecrated waters of a spring
called St. in-Barres we'll, which has
been carefully walled in, have the power
| to heal all kinds of diseases except those
that have been caused by dissipation Al
the annual festival in honor of ST. Fin
| Barre the peasants bring their sick chill
dren and even their ailing animals to be
cured. And the neighboring bushes that
surround the we'll and the wooden crosses
that have been erected there In recogni-
| ton of relief are hung with votive offer
| ings. A penitent who comes to be cleansed
of his sins may find full instructions en-
craven upon large slab of brown stone.
| 1t = said to be more than two hundred
| years old. but records the good deeds OF
the Rev. Dennis Mahoney, who died in
lbs. 1t is necessary to say five AYES
! and five 'Paters' at the first station OF
| the cross within the ruins and add five
| more at each as they are passed, making
Iorty AFeSS ana 1Orty PaterS at the
| last cell.
Legend Of the Well.
| OF course, there is legend connected
| with the well-there always is; and in this
case st. Patrick. after banishing the
| reptiles from the country. overlooked one
| hideous snake 1t crawled into the well
of Yougane to escape him, and created
serious depreciation in the surrounding
country, coming out at night to attack
| the fiocks of sheep and the herds of goat
and cattle, until St. Patrick came here
| and drove it out by sprinkling the well
with holy water. THE ould enemy van
ished. and has never since ventured to
leave his loathesome slime upon the green
banks of the island since. In order to
prevent his return ST. Patrick sent ST.
Fin Barre here to watch the well and
exterminate the monster If it came again
But it has not reappeared. and as a
token of gratitude ST. Fin-Barre erected
| the Cathedral of Cork and founded a
great monastery beside it. leaving several
devoted priests here in his hermitage to
keep watch of things.
The Pass of Keimaneigh.
The driver gives us an hour to see this
| lovely and sacred place. and then we
return to the main road, resume our Jour-
I