The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-10-05
THE IRISH SYMPTOM
Fine Road and Grand Scenery Known
to Few Tourists.

There is a wonderful Irish road
Which II it existed almost anywhere
else would be far more familiar to
tourists than it now is. Motorists
are beginning to find it, however, and
before long the Irish Simplon'' will
be as famous as it deserves to be, FOR
the grandeur of the scenery through
which it passes is hardly surpassed IN
the British Isles.
Every schoolboy has read of the
roads constructed by Marshal Wade
to facilitate the pacification of the
highlands of Scotland after the Jacob
lite rising of 1715, says the English
Queen. Wades engineering triunpns
are recorded in the historic bull:
Had you seen these roads before they
We're made
You would lift up your hands and
bless General Wade.'
which was inscribed on an obelislz
which formerly stood on the road pc
tween Inverness and Inverary.
Wade employed 500 soldiers in the
work, who received sixpence day ex :.
ira pay and whom he facetiously
termed his highwaymen. Few if any
histories, however. record the fact that
similar works were undertaken in Ire
land in connection with the suppress
sion of the rebellion of 1898. The most
remarkable of these Irish military
roads traverses the central line of the
Wicklow Mountains.
Until the close of the eighteenth
century there were only three passes,
Wicklow Gap. Sally Gap and Glen.
malur, by which the retreats of the
great Wicklow chain could be ap-
preached. and each was almost impas-
sable. After defeat in the open field
the rebels of '9S retreated to these wild
businesses. where for several months
they defied the efforts Of the Govern
ment to dislodge them.
So vexatious and formidable did
this mountain warfare become that the
idea Of taking a leaf out or Marshal
Wades book suggested itself to the
Lord Lieutenant, Lord CORVALLIS, Hs
ordered the construction of what is
known as 1.-THE Great Military Road"
IN order to lay open the most mac
cessfble tracts. AS it was deemed ex-
pedient to station troops at certain
strategic points four extensive bar
racks were erected upon the road.
The main road begins four miles
south Of Dublin and terminates in the
southwest Of the County Wicklow.
The distance between the two extcem-
tiles as the crow flies is about thirty
miles, but owing to the spiral windings
round the contours of the mountains
the total distance traversed is much
greater. In addition there are branch
roads running up minor valleys and
circling hills which sheltered outlaws
and desperadoes.
This fine work was executed be-
tween the years 1899 and 1901 by regi-
ments of Highland militia. With the
exception Of the level in one valley
called Glenmacness the engineer was
not enabled to take advantage OF a
single vale. AS rule the glens in
these mountains run from east to west.
while the direction of the road is from
north to south, hence the latter keeps
for nearly the whole distance a soli-
tary mountain course at the height Of
1000 or 1.70O feet above the sea and
but seldom descends to any of the
valleys
The road was most skillfully en-
Sineered as regards gradients In order
to render 1t passable for artillery.
There are but few parts of it which
are not rideable by the cyclist mount
ed on a machine equipped with three
speeds. That the work was effected
IN the most durable manner is clear
from the fact that although very little
has been spent on maintenance during
the last half century, the road sttr
presents through boys and morasses a
smooth and level surface and a sub.
stratum perfectly strong and well
The great military road is sometimes
called the Irish Slmplon" and the
comparison with Napoleon's splendid
Alpine thoroughfare which this implies
Is not so far fetched. The road speed
lily fulfilled the chief object for which
1t was undertaken, viz: the restoration
Of complete tranquility to the country.
and the latter rendered the barracks
quite unnecessary, though a sergeant.s
guard continued to be quartered in
each till about fifty years ago. At
present one Of these barracks ia a
reformatory, one is a shoot
Ing box ono ia Il, rr,i,,o ~ ~. e>,,.A,