courteously received by the managers. The Irish banks are managed
on the branch system, Belfast and Dublin being the headquarters
for the parent corporations. Belfast for the most part takes care
of the northern part of the island, and Dublin the southern. These
institutions are very prosperous and are conservatively managed by
intelligent men. Banks are established in all towns of any importance,
and where the population is large they usually number half a dozen.
At Queenstown we went on board the Cunard steamer _Etruria_, on Sunday
morning, bound for New York. The company's popular agent, Mr. E. Dean,
obtained the captain's cabin for me on the upper deck, and in many
other ways "killed me with kindness." On looking back I find that
my highest expectations of the trip were all fulfilled, and I have
nothing but pleasant memories in connection with it. There were, of
course, some bad moments, and for that matter, bad days; but they are
all forgotten in the recollection of the kindly Irish people and the
interesting land in which they live. I cannot recall a single cross
word or hard look given me by any one during the entire trip, excepting
in the Derry Customs, and that doesn't count. We traveled over three
hundred and fifty miles on jaunting-cars, making use of twenty-three of
them. We traversed the counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, and
Clare, and used some ten different boats and steamers in completing our
journey.
[Illustration: THE KETTLE IS BOILING FOR OUR TEA]
To the readers of this very imperfect sketch I would say that should
they ever think of following in our footsteps, they should fully
consider the drawbacks and inconveniences incident to the journey
before deciding to start. They will meet with wet days, some cheerless,
damp hotels, and sometimes poor cooking; they will probably not be
able to get on as quickly or conveniently as I did, for I was born
in Ireland and know the ways of the country and its people. But if
they have in them the innate desire to see some of the finest natural
scenery in the world, and by all odds the greatest display of verdure
in all its varying shades and colors, then perhaps they may risk the
many disappointing conditions that must be overcome if they would see
Ireland at its best.
"Immortal little island! no other land or clime
Has placed more deathless heroes in the Pantheon of Time."
THE END
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Otherwise, the author's
original spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been left intact.
End of Project Gutenberg's On an Irish Jaunting-car, by Samuel G. Bayne