Mollie and Norah clapped their hands.
"We must go to Ross Castle, that's sure. And of course you want to visit Muckross Abbey and hear the echo below the Eagle's Nest," the farmer went on.
"Castle Lough and Glenna bay,
Mountains Tore and Eagle's Nest;
Still at Muckross you must pray,
Though the monks are now at rest."
So sang the girls in answer.
You must know that Killarney is the most beautiful part of the beautiful country of Ireland. One day is not enough to see all that is worth seeing.
No one could blame the children for not wanting to spend any of their time in the little dirty town at the end of the lakes.
The horse was driven close to the shore of Lough Lean, or the Lake of Learning. This is the name given it by the people of the country because two universities once stood near its shores.
The party got out of the jaunting-car and sat down at the water's edge to eat their lunch. There were no cakes or pies, but nothing could have tasted better to the hungry children than the thick slices of bread and butter, the home-made cheese, and the rich goat's milk.
And then, every time they lifted their eyes they could see the green meadows on one side, and on the other the mountains covered with purple heather and thick forests.
Out on the clear waters of Lough Lean were many little islands, looking like so many emeralds set in the silvery bosom of the lake.