Catoctin clarion., 1917-11-15

M trip out from Cork, Ireland,
" to Blarney Castle, be sure
to turn a cold shoulder up
on the modern tramway and upon the
motor car. The only way to go
ts by the "outside car" or jaunting
car, for this Is so entirely Irish.
Up you will Chamber to the rather
rickety step of the car, thence to
the swinging platform for the feet, up.
on which you must maneuver in some
way to turn about and take your seat.
Probably you and your neighbor-if
you have one on your side of the car
will laugh a great deal and clutch each
other eXcitedly; II you have the seat
to yourself, you must curl one knee
up before you, in somewhat the way
woman does in riding sidesaddle,
brace yourself against the iron end to
the seat and cling tightly. There's u
knack In riding on an outside car which
1t needs little time to acquire. But
no matter, you are Off-Swingins
around corners and jolting over the
cobblestones. through the city, across
q river and out into the sweet green
valley Of the Lee which leads to the
village of Blarney. If 1t Is spring, the
trees are all daintily, tutily pale
green, the yellow prlmroses are begin
ming to show themselves and, perhaps,
there is here and there II hedge of bril-
liant golden gorse. Birds are singing
all around you, too, and the river rip
Piles gently over its stones: but the
probabilities are that your driver will
talk so much that you will not hear
the music of the river.
He will tell you all about how it was
Cormac MacCarthy, back in the tif
teepth century, who built Blarney cas-
tie; and how, although the place now
belongs to a local landowner, all the
MacCarthys of the countryside still
feel that they own the place and are
certain that II will one day come back
into the hands of the family. Every
MacCarthy who plows n field, within
sight Of the Old jagged keep of Blar.
ney castle, looks up at it with pride
and sense Of rightful ownership.
Kissing the BIarney Stone.
OF course, everyone knows that he
who kisses the Blurney stone is sup.
posed to gain the gift of eloquence.
The legend goes that the original Cor.
mac Mccarthy the Strong one day res
cued woman from the lake; and this
woman was SO grateful that she Of
fered, by way of showing her thanks,
to give Cormac golden tongue. But,
she made one condition; in order to
get 1t, he must kiss particular stone,
five feet below the top of the parapet
of Blarney Castle. Naturally Cormac
leaped up the winding steps of the
keep, two steps at time, ran around
the path which encircled the inner
court, lowered himself to where he
could reach the stone which the won.
an had indicated, and hastily kissed 1t.
Presumably he was afterwards pos.
sessed of marvellous eloquence, and this
Is the reason why all other visitors to
Blarney have wanted to kiss that
stone, toO-if they are both daring and
steady-headed. For this feat Is not al
together an easy one.
But, by this time, your driver has
put you down by the little Blarney
railway station, bidding you cross the
tracks and take path through the
woods, close by a tiny stream. In
few moments you come out into an
open field, where, sure enough, Mac.
Carthy Is hoeing the rows; and there,
before you, looms the great keep of
Blarney Castle. The keep Is practi
cally all that remains today, though
around Its foot there huddle numer
GUS crumbling walls and archways,
which show that there were other
buildings, too. Not far away Is Blar
ney Lake, about which the man hoeing
the rows tells you curious story.
1.-TWO O. the gentry" he Is saying
'war one while jist afther dlscussin'
how deep was Blarney Lake. Wan o
thin said 1t was bottomless, an the
other wan he allowed how that was
noways possible at all. SO they agreed
they'd sind down two divers. This
thing they done prisintly, the gentry
thimselves a-standin' by the lakeside
and awatchip'. Down wint them div.
ers, but they niver come up at all;
and though the gentry kipt a-watchin
and a-waitin', niver did they see thin
divers again. But, afther eight weeks
1t was, they had letter from thin,
and they was in Australia. They were
sow
Up on the Castle,
And 80 you leave the MacCarthy, 80
full Of wonderful and mysterious
tales. and wend your way to the cas-
tie. You take your time climbing the
spiral, uneven stone steps of the keep,
for they are very steep and long. But,
at last, you reach the top and stop to
look east, west, north and south, at
the charming views; little green and
brown fields, marked off by hedges,
dark clumps OF woodland, here and
there sparkling blue lake or daz.
cling clump Of gorse. But you soon
hear stifed shrieks and exclamations
from the other side of the parapet, SO
You make your way to the spot Yea