PREFACE
To describe all the beauties and antiquities of Ireland, an encyclopedia, instead of a volume the size of this one would be required. As one of the objects of this book is to show that Irish history is as generally interesting as Irish scenery is generally beautiful, few places are noticed that are not historic; but in a volume of the size of this, all the historic places could not be mentioned. Many books have been published during the last three-quarters of a century that treat on Irish scenery and antiquities. Some of them are very voluminous and copiously illustrated. They were, for the most part, written by persons utterly unfitted for the task they undertook. Their remarks on Irish scenery may be of some value; they may have thought Killarney more beautiful than the Bog of Allen; but wherever they touch on matters connected with history and antiquities, they are so often incorrect and misleading that the books they have published may, for the most part, be said to be useless. It is not too much to say that many of these works would be actually increased in value if the printed matter were torn out of them and nothing left but the illustrations and covers. The people who wrote them were totally unfitted to treat of Irish history and antiquities. They knew little about the history of ancient Ireland, and nothing of the Irish language or its literature. They could hardly be justified to treat of Irish architectural remains, because they were ill-equipped to do so, and were unsympathetic with the race that raised them.
If there is any country in Europe about the scenery and antiquities of which an interesting book could be written, it is Ireland. In no other country are scenery and antiquities so closely allied, for the finest remains of her ancient ruins are generally found where the scenery is most weird, most strange, or most beautiful. In no other country, perhaps, can so many places be identified with historic events, or historic personages, as in Ireland. It contains more relics of a long vanished past than any other European land. Great Britain seems a new country compared with Ireland. In spite of the wanton and disgraceful destruction of her ancient monuments that has been going on for centuries, more of such can be found in a single Irish county than in a dozen in Great Britain. Although Stonehenge is the finest druidic monument known to exist, the quantity of druidic remains is much greater in Ireland than in England. In the latter country we miss the dun, the rath, the lis, the round tower and the sepulchral mound, some of which are found in almost every square mile of Ireland. And coming down to later times, when men began to erect structures of stone, we find the remains of castles and keeps in such extraordinary numbers that we wonder for what purpose so many strongholds were erected. Counting raths, duns, lises, cromlechs, round towers, crumbling castles, and deserted fanes, Ireland may be called a land of ruins beyond any other country in Europe. To make these multitudinous monuments of a far-back past still more interesting, it will be found that mention is made of most of them even in the remnant of Gaelic literature that by the merest chance has been preserved.
The place names of Ireland are as interesting and as extraordinary as her antiquities, and to some are even more fascinating than her beauties. The bewildering immensity of Irish place names is one of the most remarkable things connected with Ireland; but like her ancient monuments, they are every day disappearing—fading away with the language from which they were formed. Even still, there are, probably, as many ancient place names in a single Irish province as in the whole of Great Britain. If it is not absolutely true when speaking of Ireland to say that, “No dust of hers is lost in vulgar mould,” it can at least be said that there is hardly a square mile of her surface where some hoary relic of the past or some beautiful object of nature can be met with that is not mentioned in history, enshrined in legend, or celebrated in song.
T. O. R.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| Killarney | [1] |
| Its fame world wide—Beauty of its name—Extract from Macaulay in its praise—Comparative smallness of Killarney—Admirableproportion of its scenic features—Softness and beauty its chief attractions—Its weather often moist—Autumn the best time to see it—Itsoverpowering beauty on fine autumn days—The country round Killarney a wonderland of beauty—Its ruins; and their historic interest. | |
| Tara | [12] |
| Its antiquity its chief attraction—Beautiful view from its ruined ramparts—The most historic spot in these islands—Proofof the general correctness of early Irish history—Dr Petrie’s great work on the antiquities of Tara—His map ofit—Its adaptation for a seat of government in ancient times—Its profanation by the erection of modern buildings onit—Tracks of its principal monuments—No trace of stone buildings found—Its praise sung by Gaelic poets—Was themost important place in Ireland—The roads that centred there—The Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny; prophecy concerningit; was brought from Tara to Scotland; now under the coronation chair at Westminster; Petrie’s mistake about it; proofs that it was removedfrom Tara; the stone there now not the Lia Fail; is the Lia Fail a meteoric stone?—Tara the great political centre of ancient Ireland—TheLeinster Tribute—Slaughter of 3030 maidens—Indifference of the Irish heretofore about their history and literature—Many valuable goldornaments found in Tara—The “Tara Brooch”—King Laoghaire buried in Tara; his face to his foes, the Leinstermen—The oldfeud between Meath and Leinster not yet quite forgotten—Tara terribly uprooted—Saint Patrick’s goat—Last King that reigned inTara—Its vast antiquity worthy of credence. | |
| Loch Ree | [47] |
| One of the least known of the great lakes of Ireland—Its great beauty—Decline of population in the countryround it—Want of steam-boats on the Upper Shannon—Number of Islands—Beauty of the Leinster shore of thelake; is studded with gentlemen’s seats—Goldsmith’s house—Historicinterest of Loch Ree—The treaty of Blein Potóg—Athlone; its beauty of situation; the most prosperous townon the Upper Shannon; its manufactures—Decline of the Irish language—Improvement in the condition of the Irish peasantry. | |
| “Emania the Golden” | [58] |
| Emania a Latinised form of Emain Macha—The second most historic spot on Irish soil—Its history—Its presentdesolation—Its great extent—Denationalisation of the peasantry in its vicinity; their almost total ignorance ofits history—Emania and the “Children of Uisneach”; extreme beauty of that legend—The tomb of Deirdre—Manygold ornaments found near Emania—Long preservation of a place name—Queen Macha—The city of Armagh; itsantiquity; founded by St Patrick; ruined and plundered by the Danes; was for some years the abode of a Danish King; its picturesqueness. | |
| Queen Mab’s Palace | [71] |
| Rathcroghan, where Queen Mab lived and reigned, a very celebrated place—She was contemporary with Cleopatra,and was Queen of Connacht—Few legends about her in Ireland; an historic personage there—Proofs of the comparativelyhigh civilization of Ireland in ancient times—Extraordinarily long preservation of the legend of Queen Mabor Medb, in England; her very long reign and great age; death in Iniscloran; her fondness for cold water baths; theFour Masters do not mention her—Description of the Fort of Rathcroghan; the wooden palace that once stood on it;unlike any of the historic forts of Ireland—Rathcroghan desolate since the time of Queen Mab; its vast ancientcemetery; Queen Mab buried there—Longevity of the ancient Irish—Strong proofs that the Connacht queenwas the prototype of the Mab of Shakespeare, Drayton, Spenser, etc.; her sister’s name still preserved in anIrish place name—Beauty of the country round Rathcroghan; its fertility—Many mentions of Rathcroghan in ancient Gaelic writings. | |
| The Hill of Uisneach | [84] |
| One of the most historic of Irish hills; its peculiar shape—Magnificence and beauty of the view from it—Knockcosgrey—Decayof rural population—Uisneach peculiarly adapted for a stronghold—Aill na Mireann, or rock of the divisions; now called the “Cat Stone”;its very peculiar shape; was supposed to mark the geographical centre of the island—Great Synod held in Uisneach in A.D.1111—Moat of Ballylochloe; its extreme beauty; supposed origin of its name. | |
| Clonmacnois | [97] |
| Strangeness and uniqueness of its situation—Love of the strange and beautiful among ancient Irish Churchmen—TheShannon—Views from Clonmacnois—Small size of its remaining ruined fanes—Its round towers and crosses—Wondrousbeauty of its smaller round tower—Petrie’s theory of the origin of round towers—Destruction of Clonmacnois—Vandalismmanifest—Occupation by the Danes—The nunnery—Clonmacnois founded by St Kieran—DeLacy’s ruined castle—Beauty and diversity of scenery of the Shannon; historic interest of so many places on its banks. | |
| Knock Aillinn | [111] |
| Third most historic hill in Ireland—Beauty of the view from its summit—On it is the largest fort in Ireland—Ancientlythe Residence of Kings of Leinster—The hill of Allen; Finn’s residence according to all authentic documents;but no trace of earthworks on it—John O’Donovan’s opinion about it—Probable confusion of the names Aillinnand Allen—Probability that Aillinn was Finn’s dun—Immensity of the folk-lore about Finn; as widespread inScotland as in Ireland; extraordinary way in which he impressed himself on his age; does not seem to have been a lovable personage—DermotO’Duibhne—Real name of the Campbells of Argyle—Finn, the most powerful man in Ireland in his time—His name incorrectly spelt Fionn. | |
| “Kildare’s Holy Fane” | [126] |
| Not much scenic beauty about Kildare—The Curragh—Few ancient remains in Kildare—Its round Tower—Kildareonce a large place; famous on account of St Brigit—Its “bright lamp”—Moore’s noble lyric, “Erin, O Erin”—StBrigit’s life in the Leabhar Breac; extracts from it—Her benevolence and charity; her love of the poor and the sick; she was buried in Kildare. | |
| Glendaloch | [138] |
| Its weird situation—A good central point from which to make excursions—“Sugar-loaf” mountain; its horriblemodern name, and grand ancient one—Glendaloch the most celebrated place in Wicklow—St Kevin; his youth; his piety; he did not drown Kathleen;he only whipped her with nettles—Kevin the most popular of Leinster Saints—“St Kevin’s bed”—Glendaloch an almost utterruin—Ancient Irish monasteries; their great wealth—Antique gold ornaments—The evils of Danish raids—How well theIrish fought the Danes—Round towers—Their uses—Books destroyed by the Northmen—Halo of legend and romance that is round Glendaloch. | |
| “Lordly Aileach” | [157] |
| The second most historic spot in Ulster—Sublime view from it—Noble work done in its partial restoration—Itsearly history—Its destruction by a Munster King—A funny rann from the Four Masters about it—Its great antiquity—Thegreat Circuit of Ireland made from Aileach—Quotations from an ancient poem on the Circuit—A great poem totally ignored by the Irishcultured classes—Muircheartach MacNeill a great prince—His capture of the provincial Kings—His tragic and untimely death. | |
| “Royal and Saintly Cashel” | [172] |
| Peculiar situation—Ancient Irish churchmen’s appreciation of the beautiful in nature—Superb beauty of the siteof Cashel—A wonder that so few poets have been inspired by it—Sir Aubrey de Vere’s Sonnet on Cashel—Marred bythe erection of new monuments—Long the seat of Munster Kings—Antiquity of Cashel as a centre of Christian cult—Wondrousbeauty of Cormac’s Chapel; the most remarkable of early Irish churches—The ancient Irish had no castles; they were introduced by the NormanFrench—The city of Cashel—Cashel, Glendaloch and Clonmacnois the most interesting places of their kind in Ireland. | |
| Loch Erne | [186] |
| Loch Erne, Loch Ree and Loch Derg compared; the former the most peculiar of all Irish Lochs—Its innumerableislands, and the great beauty of its shores—Want of proper passenger steamers on it—Tourists must have goodaccommodation—Ireland’s beauties can never be fully known until good hotels are provided—No other countryof its size has so many lakes and rivers as Ireland—Historic attractions of Loch Erne—Devinish Island. | |
| Mellifont and Monasterboice | [195] |
| They are the most interesting ecclesiastical ruins in Louth—Great beauty of the site of Mellifont—Terrible andwanton destruction of its ruins—Its name not Irish—Was generally known as “the Drogheda Monastery”—Size ofthe building—Was founded in 1142—Renaissance of Irish ecclesiastical architecture; it began when Danish plunderingceased—Effects of the Anglo-French invasion—Dearvorgil, wife of O’Ruarc, buried in Mellifont—Antiquity ofMonasterboice—Its glorious ancient crosses—Its round tower—Became a ruin many centuries before Mellifont—Beautyand historic interest of locality—Drogheda—The burgs of the Boyne, New Grange and Dowth. | |
| Trim Castle | [207] |
| It is the largest of Irish Castles—The Anglo-French great Castle builders—Hugo de Lacy—Many Castles erected byhim—He was the greatest of the invaders of Ireland—He wanted to be King of Ireland—Distracted state of thecountry in his time—Trim once an important place—Claims to be the birth-place of Wellington; an anecdote abouthim—The country round Trim most interesting and historic—The Boyne the most historic of Irish rivers. | |
| Cong Abbey | [218] |
| The most interesting ruin in Connacht—Roderick O’Connor; Moore’s opinion of him—Cong founded by StFechin—Was endowed by O’Connor—Description of the Abbey—Its sculptured stones—The Cross of Cong—Cong never plunderedby the Danes—Peculiarities and beauty of the country round Cong—Loch Corrib—The Joyce country; a land of giants; anecdote about one of them. | |
| Loch Derg | [231] |
| Its great size—Want of islands its principal drawback—Its hilly shores—Little traffic on it—Iniscealtra—StCainin—Killaloe; its ruined fanes—The Palace of Kincora; no vestige of it remaining; totally destroyed by TurlochO’Connor in 1118—MacLiag’s Lament for Brian and Kincora—The rapids of Doonas; their great beauty. | |
| Holycross Abbey | [243] |
| Its beautiful situation—One of the largest ruined churches in Ireland—When founded—Its ruins not muchmarred—Was inhabited until the suppression of monasteries—Beauty of one of its sepulchral monuments—Founded too late to be plundered by the Danes. | |
| Dunluce Castle | [247] |
| The most remarkable ruined Castle in Ireland—From its situation it is the finest ruin of the kind in Europe—Thenarrow causeway by which it is entered—Unusual thinness of its walls—Was evidently erected before cannons wereperfected—An awful place in a storm—Giant’s Causeway—Dunseverick Castle—Meaning of the name Dunluce—Notknown by whom or when it was founded—Was once owned by the MacQuillins—Sorley Boy—Terrible catastrophe thatonce happened at Dunluce—Must have been built before the fifteenth century. | |
| Boyle Abbey | [254] |
| Not much known to the general public—Its limpid river—Rivers of muddy water an abomination—Irish riversgenerally clear—Extraordinarily luxuriant growth of ivy on the ruins; their effect marred by the erection of a new building close tothem—Vandalism in Ireland—Ancient name of Boyle—History of its monastery—Loch Key; the burning of its cranniog—Loch Arrow. | |
| The Lakes of Westmeath | [263] |
| Few in search of the beautiful know anything about them; are best known to fishermen—Not many places ofhistoric interest in Westmeath—Loch Ouel—Turgesius, the Dane, drowned in it by Malachy the First—Legend aboutMalachy’s daughter—Lover’s poem about her—Quotation from the Book of Leinster about Turgesius—Loch Sheelin;beauty of its name—Beauty of Celtic place names—Beauty of the name Lorraine. | |
| Kells in Meath | [271] |
| Its ancient name—Its great antiquity—Fertility of the country round it—The tower of Lloyd—Tailltean; its immenseantiquity—The Irish Olympia—Proofs of the general authenticity of early Irish history—Sir Wm. Wilde’sopinion of Irish chronology—Assemblies held in Tailltean in recent times—Early Christian Monuments—Kells oftenburned and plundered by the Danes—The Book of Kells and the Tara Brooch. | |
| Cuchulainn’s Dun and Cuchulainn’s Country | [281] |
| Scandalous desecration of his dun; its situation and vast size; its existence another proof of the general truth ofIrish history—Cuchulainn, the Irish Hercules—Origin of his name—Nothing told about his size or stature—Totalignorance about Cuchulainn in his birth-place; immensity of the literature in which he figures—Literary industry ofearly Irish monks—Cuchulainn loved by women; his abduction of Eimer; his liaison with Fann; the tractabout him in the Book of the Dun Cow—Fann’s rhapsody—“Cuchulainn’s Death” from the Book of Leinster; beautyof the view from his dun—Numerous antiquities of the County Louth—The Cooley and Mourne mountains—Neglect of the scenery of Louth and Down. | |
| The Wild West Coast | [299] |
| Its magnificence; comparison between it and the coasts of Norway; its mild climate—Bantry Bay—The cliffs ofMoher—Half Ireland has been swallowed by the sea—Constant erosion bythe waves—Killary Harbour—Clew Bay, the queen of Irish Sea lochs; comparison between it and other bays—Croagh Patrick—Achill and itscliffs—Antiquities at Carrowmore—Loch Gill—Sligo—Slieve League—Loch Swilly—Grandeur of the scenery from CapeClear to Inishowen; its wonderful variety; its mild climate and wild flowers—Ten people visit the coasts of Norwayfor one that visits the west coast of Ireland—Want of passenger steamers on the west coast; its beauties canonly be seen to advantage from the sea—Few safe harbours on the Donegall coast. | |
| Dublin and its Environs | [325] |
| Dublin not sufficiently appreciated by some of its inhabitants—Its history—Its long Gaelic name—Danishdomination in it—Many times taken and sacked by the Irish—Battle of Clontarf—Canute made no attempt toconquer Ireland—Dublin has not suffered from a siege for one thousand years—Its rapid growth in the eighteenthcentury—Greatly improved during the last twenty-five years—Its improvement undertaken under enormous difficulties—Itseducational advantages—Its libraries—Its museum of antiquities; disgraceful management of it—Dublinsupposed to be a dirty city—Its situation—Its public buildings—Its environs; their supreme beauty—GlasnevinBotanic Gardens—Dublin Bay; poem on it—Variety of scenery round Dublin—The Dargle—Howth—Fingall—Dublinsituated in a land of flowers—Abundance of wild flowers in Ireland—Phoenix Park—Three round towersclose to Dublin; error in its census—What the author has said in its praise is true. | |
| Belfast and its Environs | [357] |
| Its rapid growth, and beauty of its environs—Its linen trade—Business capacity of its inhabitants—Its history and meaning ofits name—The Giant’s Ring—View from Davis mountain—Belfast Loch—Hollywood—Scenic attractions of the country round Belfast. | |
| Cork and its Environs | [366] |
| Its ancient name—Its history—Its situation—Is not growing as it should—Prophecy about it—Its fine publicbuildings—Its noble harbour—Cork should be where Queenstown is—Environs of Cork—Its antiquities—Its sufferings from the Northmen; theirravages; Lord Dunraven’s theory about them; they met stranger opposition in Ireland than in any other Country; what the Irish suffered from them; the Northmen notbuilders-up of nations; gruesome revelation of their cruelty found at Donnybrook—The author’s theory as to the cause of their invasions. | |
| Galway and its Environs | [388] |
| Its history—Was once a place of large trade—Frightful decline of its population—Its splendid situation and noblebay—Its environs—The Isles of Arran; their gigantic cyclopean remains the most wonderful things of their kind in Europe. | |
| The Cloud Scenery of Ireland | [394] |
| Ireland the land of cloud scenery; its situation far out in the “melancholy ocean”; its moist climate; its sunsets;their gorgeousness in fine weather; not often seen in perfection but in autumn. | |
| Something about Irish Place Names | [396] |
| Ireland a peculiar country; its abundance of place names as compared with Great Britain—Its ballys, kills, raths,duns and lises; their immensity—Dense rural population of Ireland in ancient times—Antiquity of Ireland. |