Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-26
TRIP TO WESTPORT
Around Rocky InIets and Over
Bleak Mountains.
PICTURESQUE CONNEMARA
Disappointing in Scenery, Local Color
and Costumes.
KINGDOM OF GRACE O'MALLEY
kylemore Castle Home of American
Duchess of Manchester-St.
Patrick's Curse.
KINGDOM OF GRACE O'MALLEY
Ky WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.

| WESTPORT. August 10. 1908.
! AS Clifden is the terminus of the rail
way. We came over to Westport around
| the rocky inlets from the Atlantic and
across the bleak mountain sides in what
they call an excursion car" an exagger-
ated Jaunting car on four wheels. drawn
by two horses. with seats for six passen-
gers on each side and a cavity in the cen
| ter, opening from the end like hearse,
In which the baggage is carried. 1t is
one of the most uncomfortable vehicles
you can imagine. None of the passengers
can see more than half the scenery as
| they sit back to back and face out to-
| ward either side of the road The ordi-
| nary jaunting car is quite as awkward
! and uncomfortable, and if you take a
| drive to see scenery you have to go over
the road twice because you can only see
half of it at time.
Jaunting Cars.
There are three kinds of haunting cars
Outside cars in which the passengers
sit back to back. with their feet on
| shelves over the wheels: Inside cars" in
which they sit face to face with their feet
in the middle, and "single cars which
| have one seat. accommodating two per-
sons, facing the horse. The latter are
the most comfortable of all. but give the
passengers a good shaking up, which we
are told is excellent for the liver.
1t Is a curious fact that the iauntng
| car. although it is distinctively Irish and
would not be tolerated in any other coun-
| try. was invented and introduced by an
| Italian, Charles Blanconi, native of
| Milan, who arrived in Ireland about
| the year 1900 and set up at klonmel as
an artist and picture dealer. Being struck
| by the absence of vehicles in the country
FOR everybody went on horseback in those
DAYS ne built a conveyance of his own
design. which Immediately became pop
uiar and was initiated by every one who
had the means to build or buy box and
pair of wheels
| Only In Dublin can you hire a covered
carriage-four-wheele or "growlers."
| as they are called in London; but in
Waterford. Cork and Limerick are Gov
| cred cars" which are without doubt the
most uncomfortable vehicles anybody
| ever rode In, unless it be Chinese cart
Ihey are inside cars with hood Of
canvas or leather over them, support ed
by an iron frame or hickory bows. I'M
agine a large square box with one end
| knocked out of it and replaced by step
or two, with two seats. one on either
side, upon which the passengers sit VISA
WIS, cllnglnS to straps suspended from
| the roof, and that's your car. There are
no windows and no place for ventilation
except the open back. which IS covered
with curtain that may be raised or not,
according to the state of the weather.
Fine Horses and Patient Donkeys.
Two things which everybody can COM
mend In Ireland are the horses and the
donkeys-the style, strength, beauty and
speed of the one and the uncompla lining
endurance of the other. An Irish horse
never gets tired, is never lazy and never
vicious-at least that is what his breed
ers and owners say of him. OF. course. the
Irish hunters are the best in the world.
But the Irish donkey, which does the
humble and insignificant traffic; who
haulS the vegetables to market and does
the teaming for the small farmers, is an
object of universal admiration-not for
his beauty. of course. but for those high
er qualities that make up his character
for his strength of purpose. his untiring
industry. his patient fidelity. They are
the mainstay of the Irish poor. and al
though the object of ridicule and wit. L
think the people appreciate them, because
they treat them SO much better than do
the Italians and Spaniards and the poems
of the SpaniSh-American republics
Go back to your brother!' said a street
urchin the other day to a coster-monger
who left his donkey by the roadside for a
few moments. Go back to your broth
err said the chauffeur of our automobile
to woman who was driving donkey
cart and came across to inspect our ma
chine. GO back to your brother" said a
policeman to a young boy who was driv-
ing donkey cart and had jumped off his
ordinary seat upon the whiffietree TO re-
sent the attack of some street urchin
And when l asked the policeman about
the use of that phrase. which one hears
continually. he explained that it was
common all over Ireland for donkey
driver to call his beast brother" and it
deserved fidelity
nothing more.
The scenery up in this direction reminds
one very much of Norway. except in the
lack of cleanliness. for which the latter
country is famous. The coast line is cut
by deep jags and precipitous cliffs, like
the fjords. the mountains have the same
stern and stony appearance. and the peat
Dogs that lie between them are similar to
those in the Scandinavian countries The
climate is much milder here. The fuchsia
plant is commonly used for hedges. which
at this time of year are loaded with bios
SONS of purple and red. / had never seen
fuchsia hedge until l came TO Ireland.
The first was at Glengariff on the south
ern coast. Since then we have found
them everywhere. along the Atlantic
shore. in the western countries. hundreds
of miles of them, inclosing pastures
meadows and gardens and growing with
wonderful luXuriance.
But Little Fruit in Ireland.
There is no fruit in Ireland or at least
very little. / haven't seen an orchard
since came, and no fruit trees except a
few cherries and plums in gardens
Gooseberries seem to be the only fruit
of the season" at the hotels. and goose
berry tart is served for luncheon and for
dinner every day. There are few straw
berries. but they are very expensive and
are sold by the pound. They are never
served upon the regular table d'hote bills
OF fare. but are always extra.
We were told that COnnemara was very
picturesque and the most interesting sec
ton of Ireland in scenery, in local color
and in costumes. but 1t is disappOint-
ment In all three respects. The scenery
is grand. mountains always are. but
1t is very mOnOtonOus; the people are SO
poor and SO dirty that they repel you.
We seldom see them at work. except in
the peat fields as we pass. The Come
mara peasant woman always wears a red
skirt, goes barefOoted and covers her
touseIy head under heavy shawl. She
works alongside of the men and does her
share of the heavy as we'll as the light
labor She is expected to do as much
manual labor as her husband Or her
brother and, Judging from what We OBJ
served in the peat Dogs, they give her the
heavy end of the load.
Peat and Peat Boys.
A peat bog is not always in hollow.
They are often found on the hillside and
sometimes at considerable height,
which contradicts the theory that hogs