Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-03-12
LIEUT. WHAlEN
VISITS IRELAND
Sends Most Interesting Letter to
Father Hogan. Visite' With the
Latter's Mother arel,l or
in Ireland L
SAYS LAKES OF KILLARNEY
ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL
Went to Paris From Ireland and
Visited T. f. ConnOr, a DecoraI-
ian, Who Has Big and I'm.
portant Job Over There


in Sunny France, at least that il
what 1T is called. am sure that
some Of the boys who spent much
time in Brest would name it other
wise, for it is stated on the best
authority that it rains there $50 days
in the year.
While was on my furlough l had
a very delightful time. On Jan. IA !
went to London and from there took
the train for Holyhead, Wales, and
from there took the boat for Kings
ton. Had breakfast in Dublin ami
then went to Limerick. While on the
train got into conversation with a
Mr.. Portly who has four sons in AM
erica. He belongs to the city council
and took me to dinner to Mrs. Nc
aCarthy's hotel. After that / got a car
and went out to your mothers place.
On my way out | saw the Shannon,
and as we went along We enquired
the way. At one place we asked a
man and he enquired who we were
and he shook hands with me three
times in five minutes. HIS name was
Mr.. Kelly, who lived several years in
America. Your brother had told him
i was coming. Then we arrived at
Hogan's and surely was received
with the greatest welcome. 1 saw
a turf fire for the first time and
some of the neighbors came in and
we played As. l never saw two peo
your brother. The next day your
brother and | started up Kilbane
mountain. We stopped in at Pat
O'Neill's and he went with us. His
wife and all his boys were there, and
when your brother asked who would
go with us, Mr.. O'Neill said, "Well
all CO." While going up the noun
tain side we ran into a snow storm
and sought shelter for a while and
then went on our way. Finally we
arrived at the Terret of Crag, the
highest point of Kilbane Mountain.
The sun was just going down over
the western hills and the rain was
falling, just little, and there saw
the whole Of rainbow and stood
exactly in the center of it, l often
saw part of the circle of a rainbow,
but never saw a whole rainbow be-
fore The view from that place is
wonderful. You can see the lordly
shannon from away up in Galway as
it flows along down to the mouth Of
the river. believe six counties may
be seen from there, and I counted
something like 20 lakes. 1t was
most fascinating to hear Mr.. O'Neill
and your brother point out the diff
ferent places of interest and tell the
history of those famous places.
The next day I said au revoir and
your brother and I went to Liner
ick, where took the train for Kill
larney. My but the lakes of Killarney
are beautiful. 1t was not the best
time in the year to see them, but at
that was delighted. FROM Killarney
j went to Cork, and from there out
to Blarney. I don't know whether
You ever kissed the Blarney stone or
not, but it surely is difficult task.
From Blarney went back to Cork
end again took the train for Dublin.
/ said Mass in the cathedral there
and went all over the city. The next
day went to Belfast and after see
ing that city l took the boat for
Glasgow. l went out to Lake Lom-
ond, which is beautiful place. From
Glasgow / went to Edinburgh. That
is very much like an American city
After seeing Edinburgh / took the
train for London, and there was a
wire there from France telling me to
report at Bordeaux. l packed up all
my belongings at Salisbury Court
and took the boat across the chan
mel. 1t was the same one crossed on
with the regiment when we first
went to France. On the boat / met
1t. Goinard, past Grand Knight OF
Chelsea Council, Massachusetts,
where Peter Collins, the celebrated
lecturer, lives. 1t. Gainord hadsthree
brothers killed az Chateau Thierry
and he was sunk three times. He
was on the President Lincoln, Ant'
les and the Rochester when -nes
We're SUM.
An amusing incident occurred
when was in a jaunting car doing