The Calumet news., 1912-09-25
PANORAMA OF
GREAT BEAUTY
Fine View of Killarney 1000 Feet
Above Sea Level

Killarney has been so
pften and Sd viyidly described by po-
cts and other literary lights, and its
beauties SO often reflected by the
painter, that attempts to say anything
original about It would be almost an
impossibility.
When one speaks or writes OF XII
larney II means to those who have
travelled extensively that practically
the last word has been said In defini' <
natural beauty or artistic surround
tngs. Set amid series OF surround
ing hills, the highest of which rises to
more than 5000 feet above the sea
level, the scene of which the ancient
town rs the center forms q regular
panorama of beauty.
Mountain, lake, moor and meadow
combine to make picture rarely seen,
even by those who have travelled in
many lands. A climate mild as It is
possible to conceive, sunshine and
showers, or as a distinguished poet
has described 1t, smiles and tears"
alternating. the wind from the noun
talns tempered by the milder breezes
OF the lakes, Killarney is not alone a
beauty spot In nature, but health re-
sort as we'll
The traveller walking down to the
waters edge from the neighborhood
OF the Victoria hotel at the lower end
of the lake, when the sun rises In the
morning or sets in the evening, will
see unfolded before him picture
which will linger In the memory while
he lives.
A mile or so across the lake from
1nnisfallen, Ross castle is in view, one
of the most picturesque of the ancient
ruins around Killarney. Its tall quad
Iangular tower, or keep, was origin
ally inclosed by outworks, built by one
of the family of O'Donoghue Ross and
believed to date from the fourteenth
century. It's spiral stair of stone
leading to the top commands an inter
esting view of the lower lake, the is
lands and the mountains all around.
Almost beneath II are the remains of
the old Abbey of Muckross, founded
in 1440 by the Mccarthy family on
the foundation of much older church
destroyed by fire In 1892.
The ruins of the church and con.
vent, measuring about 100 feet In
length. and consisting of choir, nave.
transept, tower and cloister, still re-
naming nearly perfect, despite the
lapse of centuries, with a beautiful
quadrangle of arches, some with point
ed and some semiclrcular heads, con-
stitute one of the most picturesque
of all the Irish ruins. In the center of
the square within the abbey Is yew
tree, said to be as old as the abbey It.
self
One of the quaintest OF the tradi-
tions connected with the mountains
environing Killarney is associated
with the Devils Punch Bowl and
Mangerton mountain
Rowed through the lakes by one OF
the veteran boatmen OF the town, he
enlivened the excursion by a series
of stories which several of his lis
tensrs felt would not have done any
great discredit to the late Baron Nun.
chausen.
His version of what the Devils
Punch Bowl meant, as contained In
the legend still credited In the local
ity. his own country gets too hot
when his own country gets too hot
for him, goes up to the punch bowl
and takes his whisky hot there, or,
as the old oarsman said, "Or maybe
a Tom and Jerry as we used to
call 1t when lived In Boston,"
When the traveller has rowed across
the lakes. and listened to one Of these