Kentucky Irish American., 1912-02-17
New Railroad WillProye VaIu-
able In the Connemara
District.
New York Girl to Have Home
OF the Coast of
Sligo.
CONNEMARA MARBLE QUARRIEs


0rangemen and their failure to pre-
vent Winston Churchill, First Lord
Of the Admiralty, and John Red
mond from speaking at Belfast,
quiet again reigns and the people of
ireland are turning their attention
to other matters pertaining to the
betterment of conditions throughout
the Green Isle. Nothing is more
indicativei Of the revival OF Irish
hope and industry than the keenness
with which both town and country
dwellers are seeking to better the
education of their children. Per-
haps this is best seen In the winter
schools for budding farmers. These
have been extending in Ireland for
nine years and are based on the
are about a hundred classes and
nearly two thousand students.
Glasses are held morning and after
noon, two or three days week
from November to March, free OF
charge, and students living more
than four miles away from the in
struction center are allowed a rail-
road rate of two cents mile. In
struction is given as to soils,
manures, stock management, farm
bookkeeping, surveying, elementary
science and stock and crop raising.
| Practical agriculturists declare there
has been a very marked advance in
| deed in the methods of agriculture
employed by Irish farmers in the
last ten years, the intelligent
handling of holdings having kept
pace with the greater incentives
provided by the opportunities to pur-
chase land from the owners under
recent land acts. The problem of the
| national schools is slated for i'm
mediate attention when the Irish
Y k9aEliement-ix--n --n.esta1al shed Ia Coll
Nege Green.
After prolonged negotiations be-
| tween Irish engineers and English
and American financiers the outlook
| for the Connemara marble quarries
has materially improved. In spite
Of the popularity of their products
they have always been handicapped
through lack of railway communica-
ton. This difficulty has now been
removed by the formation of a
| syndicate with the support of
Eugene Zimmerman, father of the
| Duchess OF Manchester, who has al
ways taken warm interest in the
development of this wild and pic
turesque locality. A light railway
will be constructed, which will bring
the quarries into communication
| with the city of Galway. The
favorable prospect of Galway be-
coming, in the near future, trans
Atlantic port, has stimulated the
| enterprise of the Cincinnati million
aire, who can see strong possibilities
| In front of these quarries imme-
| diately they are brought into direct
touch with the American continen'
During the holiday season this ne,,
line of railway will prove valuable
acquisition TO tourists who desire to
do" the Connemara wilderness and
IN this way also II is calculated that
Zimmerman has made a sound in
yestment. Incidentally the railroad
will provide better and easier
facilities for reaching Kylemore
Castle, the Galway residence of the
Duke and Duchess of Manchester.
When Edith Allen, daughter OF
NJ and Mrs. Walter Brooks, Of New
York. comes to Ireland as the wife
OF Arthur Nutting. of Dublin. her
home will be pitched in most TO-
mantle surroundings. A derelict old
mansion situated on an island in the
Atlantic ocean. off the coast OF
Sligo. is at present in the hands OF
the builders with the view of making
1 II fit TO be the Irish residence OF
the popular New York girl. Innish-
murry has within recent times
earned for itself considerable
notoriety. II has become known as
the Defiant Island" through the
determination of its inhabitants to
resist the invasion OF tax collectors
The island is a mile and half long
by half mile wide. and the dozen
families who live there view all
strangers from the mainland with
unnatural suspicion. Their food
consists OF barley, fish and potatoes
with perhaps a bit OF fat Chicago
pork at Christmas time to relieve the
monotony. The old mansion that Il
now In process OF reconstruction had
until recently the reputation OF bo.
Ing haunted, but the idea has beer
removed by the temerity of an old
fisherman, who has sheltered there
| ra0nlar for tha last vaar or fwo