Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-11
LAKES 0. KILLARNEY
Over a Barren Mountain Road
to the Land of Romance.
ROAD FROM CORK TO KERRY
Legends of the Priests Leap, Conall
Cearnacb and the Giants.
WAR CRIES OF ANCIENT CLANS
Story Of a Coach Ride From Glenga-
riff to the Land Of Song and
It's Lovely Lakes.
ROAD FROM CORK TO KERRY
WAR CRIES OF ANCIENT CLANS
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
tel r4rrorD~r1onra Of The

Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.@
KILLARNEY. August 2. 1905
The big stages that cross the mountains
| from Glengarif to Killarney are loaded
chiefly with Americans. 1t is singular
how few other nationalities are represent
| ed In the passenger traffic. The morning
we came over there were four great We
hicles carrying twenty-four persons each.
and every passenger except one German
| bridal couple and funny acting English
| man, was from the United States. In our
coach were representatives from Wash
ington. Cincinnati, st. Louis, Omaha and
points in Texas and Minnesota. I sup
pose the other states were equally repre-
sented upon the three other coaches.
A Dreary Mountain Climb.
Everybody who comes to Ireland takes
this ride because it offers the grandest
scenery and one OF the most delightful
experiences tourists can enjoy. The coach
begins to climb slowly through the bea,-
tiful glen as soon as it leaves the Eccles
Hotel and continues climbing, up and up
for six miles, through dense forest Of
glowing green until 1t energies into a will
derness of rock and moorland wild. pic
turesque and almost entirely uninhabited
HcIc IL very lIttIc VeSctdtlOI, only a lew
streaks and punches of grass that grow
along the cracks in the rocky surface or
In wind-carried soil that has been caught
in crevices. 1t is one of the widest places
you can imagine. and as we go upward
it becomes more so. The stage winds
around the brow Of a mountain that
seems solid mass Of stone. and as far
as one can see there is nothing else In
the universe except a ribbon of silver that
winds at the foot of the slope where we
a. ~{NyAy yt,avH h@ov L@
One has the sensation of awe that soil
tude often produces, but ii is disturbed by
the chatter of the passengers. This is as
dreary. desolate and lonesome place as
the world contains.
This is comparatively new road. 1t
was not built until 1888. but. like all the
roads of Ireland. it is solid and perfect
and made to last forever. The old road
and the principal line of communication
between the counties of Cork and Kerry
for centuries ran along the slope of Hun
cry mountain, so called because 1t is so
devoid of vegetation that a goat would
have to take his luncheon If he went up
there.
Legend Of the Priests Leap.
From Hungry mountain the road cross
ed to the Mountain of the Priests Leap"
which was named from a legend that
grows out OF persecution Of the Catholics
in Cromwells time. The driver told 1t in
|
this way:
"Ye see, yer honor in Cromwelrs time
there was bounty Of five pun fer the
head Of wolf and five pun fer the head
of priest: an a dale Of money was made
O. both o. 'em. Well, bedad, one foine
day a priest was ridin' over the hill, whin
the tories caught sight O. him 1--WE called
thin tories In those days. the biaggards
that did the huntin' O. the priests) and
them that purshued him were jist to lay
t,o{r Ion To hi
whin he prayed to st. Fiachna. The
blessed saint heard him. and the donkey
he was ridin gave a/lape siven miles
from one mountain to the ither and yees
can see the marks of the baste's hoofs
in the solid rocks to this day
1t takes but little encouragement and a
minimum Of material to supply legends
in this weird and desolate region where
every sound seems unnatural. and the
trembling of a leaf causes the nerves to
tingle. The road resembles Brunig Pass
in Switzerland more than any other I have
seen. with the Lakes of Killarney CORE
spending to Lake Lucerne. But it Is less
civilized and there are very few habita-
tions.
Tunnel From Cork to Kerry.
The coach keeps climbing until we come
to the grand divide. 1893 feet above the
sea. where the passage from the king
dom of Cork to the Kingdom of Ker-
ry." as they once were called. is made
through tunnel about 600 feet long and
two smaller ones that are cut through
the peak of the Esk mountain. Until
these tunnels were built travellers were
carried over the rocks to the other end
of the road on the backs of men.
The country improves a little after the
divide is crossed. and there Is a gradual
descent into rather good grazing coun-
try, which belongs to the Marquis OF
To HIT nxyon To-
deal of job for cow to make living.
and there Is a proverb that "a Kerry COW
never looks up at a passing stranger for
fear 1t will lose bite
The Earl of Lansdowne.
The Earl of Lansdowne, who has
been governor general of Canada, gov
ernor general of India. lord Of the treas
| ury. secretary Of war. minister of foreign
/ affairs and has held other important of
| f1ces in the British cabinet. Is one of the
largest landowners in Ireland, although
he spends very little of his time here
| He has a long list Of Irish titles inherit
| ed from his ancestors. In addition to be-
ing Earl Wycombe and Earl of Shell
| bourne. he Is Viscount Clanmaurice, Wis
| count Fitzmorris, Baron of Lixnaw,
Baron of .Dunkerrop and Viscount Cal
stone. His eldest son is the Earl of Ker-
Fitzgerald who came over with Strong
| bow. who also was the ancestor Of the
Earls Of Kildare and the Duke of Lem
ster The Lansdowne family are inter-
married with the Leinsters, the Mac
Carthys. the Desmonds, the Thomonds
and other Of the great families Of Ire
land and near or far the marquis can
claim relationship with nearly all the
| Irish nobility.
The Annals of the Four Masters relate
| that shortly after the flood Be-Yeeva
son Of Rury, assembled the throne, and
| In his time there was an epidemic among
the cattle SO severe that only one bull
and one heifer were left alive in the whole
| island and they were pastured beyond the
| reach Of contagion in deSOlate place
| called Glen Sawasge on the road We are
| travelling northwest Of Kenmare. The
glen is still called the valley Of the heller
which Is entitled to fame. because the
| from her.
Legend Of Conall Cearnach.
Some Of those ancient chiefs had queer
| ways with them. For example, Conal
lCearnach on a certain occasion slew
| in single combat a famous Leinster chief
tain named Mesgedhra. whose brains he
mixed with lime and made Of them q
hard round ball. which he always car
ried thereafter. both as a weapon and a
trophy. MacMach. Connaught chief
however. by sorcery and deception OBJ
tanned posse: sion of the curious bail and
| When Cearnach and MacMach met ir
/ hQ hA lot