Killaloe, is the pretty little town of ~Castleconnell~. The place was of
yore a stronghold of the O'Brien's, and to-day the remains of the old
castle from which the village takes the name still stand. During the
Jacobite wars the place was of importance as one of the military keys to
the Province of Connaught, and Sarsfield and Ginkel alternately
garrisoned and fought for its possession. The village is situated
delightfully beside "The lordly Shannon," and is famous as a resort for
anglers. The scenery in the immediate vicinity is unsurpassed, and the
Shannon here has been described as possessing "The majesty of the Amazon
with the grandeur of the Rhine." Taking the well-appointed Shannon Hotel
as our centre many most enjoyable excursions can be made to the
beautiful places in the adjoining district. The hotel itself is only
five minutes' walk from the far-famed Rapids of Doonass, and beside the
celebrated Chalybeate Spa. Beneath a list of excursions is given of some
of the pleasant driving and boating trips that may be made. It cannot
pretend to be exhaustive, however, and is only offered as suggestive.
Assume that the visitor has three days at his disposal--
~First Day.~--Start from Hotel, walk to Chalybeate Spa, World's
End, Old Castle and Grounds (admission by pass), cross River at
Ferry, walk to "Old Turrett," from which a grand view of the
"Rapids" may be obtained--the Scenery at this particular point is
unsurpassed--visit St. Synan's Well, return to Hotel, drive to
"Clare Glens," see the Cascades--this is one of the most
picturesque spots imaginable and well repays a visit.
~Second Day.~--DAY TRIP ON THE LORDLY SHANNON (LOUGH
DERG).--Take train from Castleconnell Station at 10.40 a.m.
for Killaloe where the Shannon Development Co.'s Steamer awaits the
arrival of the Train to convey passengers for a Cruise on Lough
Derg. Steamer returns to Killaloe about 5.30 p.m., the Train leaves
Killaloe at 6.10 p.m. for Castleconnell, arriving at 6.41 p.m.; or
take car from Hotel to meet the 8.15 a.m. Steamer at Killaloe for
Portumna, return by down Steamer to Killaloe, thence by 6.10 p.m.
Train for Castleconnell. This Cruise embraces the whole length of
Lough Derg, and affords a grand combination of lake and mountain
scenery.
~Third Day.~--A selection from the following may be made:--
(_a_) Drive to Limerick City. See its magnificent Churches,
Treaty Stone, etc, etc.
(_b_) To Killaloe. St. Flannan's Cathedral, a very ancient edifice,
Oratory with stone roof, Brian Boru's Fort, and Cragg
Hill, from which a very pretty view of Lough Derg may be
obtained.
(_c_) To Glenstal Castle and Grounds (admission by pass).
(_d_) To Keeper Hill. A splendid panoramic view of the
surrounding country afforded from the summit of this Hill,
including Lough Derg and "reaches" of the Shannon below
Limerick.
(_e_) To Adare Manor (admission by pass).
(_f_) Or take Row Boat from Castleconnell to Killaloe _via_
O'Brien's Bridge, or to Limerick _via_ Plassy.
(_g_) Take train from Castleconnell Station at 10.40 a.m. for
Nenagh, drive from Nenagh to Dromineer, take Steamer
from Dromineer to Killaloe, thence rail or car to Castleconnell.
(_h_) Or take train from Castleconnell Station at 10.40 a.m. for
Killaloe, take Steamer Killaloe to Dromineer, drive from
Dromineer to Nenagh, thence rail to Castleconnell.
(_i_) Lower Shannon Steamer Trip to Kilrush (see special programme
of Sailings).
Above a bend in the river at the Falls of Doonass the "Rapids" begin,
and eddying and whirling through the rocks run for nearly half a mile
along the surface of the river. It is to the angler, however,
Castleconnell will prove most attractive. The season commences on the
1st February, and closes on the 31st October. Trout, pike, and perch
fishing free; salmon and grilse fishing by arrangement. The fishing-rods
manufactured at Castleconnell have won a world-wide reputation for
Messrs. Enright and Sons, and Mr. Jack Enright has himself won the
record as a long distance fly caster. A writer in _The Fishing Gazette_
having dealt in an appreciative article with Castleconnell gives
valuable information as to the names and situations of the more
important pools on the river.
The fisheries in the Castleconnell district taken in rotation from
below, are: the Prospect or Clareville Fishery, on the Limerick side of
the river (this means that the fishery extends to midstream; adjoining
it on the Clare side, and immediately opposite, is the Landscape
Fishery. Both of these are well-known salmon and peel catches. A few of
the best pools in Prospect are Pinnee, Salahoughe, Feemoor, and
Commogue. On Landscape the best pools are Poulahoo, Pallaherro, and
Filebegs).
Adjoining the Prospect Fishery, on the Limerick side of the river, is
the New Garden Fishery, which contains the pools of Moreagh, Glassogue,
Black Weir, and Sporting Eddy. Next to this, on the Limerick side, is
the Hermitage Fishery, which contains some famous catches, such as Back
of Leap, Fallahassa, Poolbeg, the Commodore, Bunnymoor, and Head of
Moreagh. Still on the Limerick side, we next reach the Woodland's
Fishery, a picturesque portion of the Shannon, and here are the pools of
Panlaides, Drarhus, Thunnavullion, and Long Eddy. Next is reached the
Castle Fishery, and the pools here are Balcraheen, Lackaleen, and the
Lough, the last affording several courses of fly fishing. Still on the
Limerick side the World's End Fishery adjoins the Castle Fishery, and
the pools here are the Pantry, the Kitchen, and the Over the Weir.
Returning to the Clare side of the river the fishery next to Landscape
is the famous Doonas, the lower part of which contains the pools of
Poolcoom, the Stand, Black Weir, Faalgorribs, Franklin's Eddy, and the
Old Door, while the upper part includes Lickenish, the Dancing Hole, Old
Turf, Lurgah, Lacka, and Sallybush. Next on the Clare side we reach the
Summer Hill Fishery, part of which is opposite the Woodland's Fishery
and part opposite the Castle Fishery. The pools on Summer Hill are the
Black Eddy, Clare side of Drarhus, Thunahancha, Figar, Clare side of
Lackaleen, and Clare side of the Lough. After this the Erinagh Fishery
is reached, and here the pools are Gorribs and side of the big Eddy.
In the spring salmon fishing is pursued principally with Devon minnows
as lures, the "cullough" running a good second favourite. Phantom
minnows and the very large spinning Shannon flies are also useful. A bit
later on the prawn takes precedence, the bigger the prawn the better. As
the season advances the lure, whatever it may be--fly, minnow, prawn, or
what not--should decrease in size until October, when again they should
assume larger proportions, but not so big as in the spring. Towards the
latter end of March, and onwards for the rest of the season, artificial
flies are are almost exclusively used. Truly wonderful specimens of the
fly dresser's art are some of the Shannon patterns. Fancy a salmon fly
dressed on an 8-o hook! Yet this is at times absolutely necessary to
ensure success. The best patterns for various times of the year are--For
February, March, and April, big Shannon Blue Fly, the Black Goldfinch,
the Jock Scot, and the Yellow Lahobber; for May, June, and July, Purple
Mixture, tinsel bodied Green Parrot, purple bodied Green Parrot, Silver
and Blue Doctors, Purple Widgeon, Orange and Grouse, and Thunder and
Lightning. Towards the end of the season here, as elsewhere, strange
fancy patterns will frequently prove successful. The most suitable
patterns of trout flies (the size of which depends entirely upon the
height of the water) are--Orange and Grouse, Green Rail, Purple Rail,
Black Rail, Orange Rail, March Brown, Hare's Ear, silver-tinselled body
Black Rail, and Orange and Grouse with a sprig of Guinea Fowl or Green
Parrot in wing.
The tackle for the coarse fish is of the ordinary character.
At the foot of Lough Derg stands ~Killaloe~, an ideal resting place for
an angler. The cathedral is of some interest, and in the vicinity the
Protestant Bishop's palace stands. The bridge connecting the town with
the village of Ballina has thirteen arches, and the huge weir helps as a
breakwater. Shortly above the bridge of old time stood Kincora, the
fortified palace of Brian Boru; its glory has departed, and all that
remains is a mound, crowned with a grove of trees. Here Brian of the
Tribes held his sway; and still the peasant in Munster, wishing to
express his welcome, says in Gaelic--"Were mine the boire of the Dane or
the wine of Kincora, it would be poured for you." Here it was that the
Norse King, Magnus, wintered early in the twelfth century, and found a
wife for his son, Sigurd, in the house of Brian. M'Laig, the bard of
Brian Boru, after the death of his king in 1014, made a lamentation,
which Mangan thus translated:--
"Oh! where Kincora is Brian the Great?
And where is the beauty that once was thine?
Oh! where are the princes and nobles that sate
At the feast in thy halls, and drank the red wine?
Where! oh, Kincora.
They are gone, those heroes of royal birth,
Who plundered no church and broke no trust,
It is weary for me to be living on earth,
When they, oh, Kincora, are below in the dust.
Lo, of Kincora."
From Killaloe, northwards for twenty-five miles, Lough Derg at times
expands in width over eight miles, where its distant shores form a sky
line--hedged in with Tipperary and Clare Mountains. The lough loses none
of its picturesque attractiveness to the sportsman, who is informed that
the whole of the fishing is free.
From Limerick as centre, as we have said, tours may be made into North
Kerry.
To the average tourist North Kerry is a _terra incognita_, and yet from
the pleasant pasture lands around "Sweet Adare" in Limerick to where the
distant mountain of Caherconree sees his regal head reflected in the
sea--there lies a beautiful land. Beyond Patrickswell, on the Maigue, is
the little village of Adare, once the camping ground and stronghold of
"those very great scorners of death," the Desmond Geraldines. Still the
ruins of Desmond Castle, and of three abbeys, tell the tale that here
once, beside a citadel of strength, were places of religion and refuge.
Now, in the depth of the retreat of sylvan splendour, the Earl of
Dunraven has his noble mansion.[1] At Adare, as well as at Ballingrane,
six miles away, still are many evidences of the Palatine plantations,
which were effected here in the eighteenth century. In 1709 a fleet was
sent to Rotterdam by Queen Anne, and brought to England some 7,000
refugees from the German Palatinate. Of these, over 3,000 were settled
in this part of the County Limerick. They were allowed eight acres of
land for each man, woman, and child, at _5s._ per acre; and the
Government engaged to pay their rent for twenty years, and supplied
every man with a musket to protect himself. Industrious and frugal, the
exiles throve in the land of their adoption; many of them emigrated to
America, and only a comparatively small number of families still remain.
These, however, preserve, besides the names, many of the characteristics
of their predecessors--as Dr. R. T. Mitchell, Inspector of
Registration in Ireland, testifies in his survey of this very
district:--"Differing originally in language, though even the oldest of
the present generation know nothing of the German tongue spoken or
written, as well as in race and religion, from the natives amongst whom
they were planted, these Palatines still cling together like the members
of a clan, and worship together. Most of them have a distinctly foreign
type of features, and are strongly built, swarthy in complexion, dark
haired, and brown eyed. The comfortable houses built in 1709 are in
ruins now. The original square of Court Matrix in the ruined wall can be
traced, and also, in the very centre of this square the foundations of
the little Meeting House in which John Wesley occasionally preached to
them in the interval, 1750-1765. Modern houses stand there now, but not
closely grouped together. They are all comfortable in appearance, some
thatched, some slated, some with one story, others with two; nearly all
have a neat little flower garden in front, and very many have an orchard
beside or immediately behind the house. There is all the appearance of
thrift and industry among them." From ~Ballingrane~, a branch line
passing Askeaton, with its ruined Castle and Abbey ruins, to ~Foynes~, a
good harbour, from which passage can be made to Kilrush, and thence per
rail to Kilkee. From the junction the main line runs by ~Rathkeale~ and
~Newcastle~, where there is a ruined castle of the Knights Templars, and
by Abbeyfeale and Kilmorna, where Mr. Pierce Mahony bred and kept his
stud of famous Kerry cattle, to Listowel, an old market town which
figured in the Desmond rebellion.
[Illustration: _Photo, Roche, Dublin._ Adare Abbey, Croom.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin_ Adare Manor.]
From Listowel the Lartigue railway, unique in the British Isles, runs to
~Ballybunion~, a beautiful watering place, remarkable for its sea-caves
and old castle. ~Ardfert~ is remarkable for its ruined Abbey and
Cathedral, both dedicated to St. Brendon, the story of whose voyage to
the New World was one of the subjects mentioned at the court of
Ferdinand and Isabella by Columbus, when inducing them to assist him in
his mission of discovery. ~Tralee~ is the largest town in the Kingdom of
Kerry. It is one of the most thriving towns in the south of Ireland, and
is situated in the vicinity of marine and mountain scenery. Those
interested in the revival of industry in Ireland will do well to visit
the Kerry Knitting Co.'s Factory, as well as the fine bacon-curing
establishment of the Wholesale Co-operative Society which has been
erected under the management of the well known Mr. Joseph Prosser. At
Spa and Fenit there is good sea-bathing, and on the Dingle Promontory
the ascent of Mount Brandon may be made. From Dingle excursions can
easily be taken to Slea Head, by Ventry, and under the Eagles' Mountain,
and within sight of the Blasket Islands. ~Smerwick~ has in its
neighbourhood a coast line of mighty cliffs, the most remarkable of
which is called the ~Three Sisters~. Smerwick was the scene of the
massacre of seven hundred Spaniards, who had surrendered in the
sixteenth century to Lord Deputy Grey's forces. The bloody affair is the
blackest stain in the careers of the gallant Raleigh and the gentle
Spenser. Between Smerwick and Ballydavid Head the well preserved remains
of the ~Oratory of Gallerius~ may be seen.
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Lartique Railway, Ballybunion.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ At Ballybunion.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ At Ballybunion.]
For information as to Sport to be had in the Limerick District, see
end of this volume, where particulars are given as to Golf, Fishing,
Shooting, Cycling, &c.
[Illustration]
The Shannon Lakes.
DUKE OF YORK ROUTE.
The Shannon Development Company run during the season a service of
steamers between Killaloe and Dromod (county Leitrim). The whole of the
journey from ~Killaloe~ to Dromod--about one hundred miles--is
interesting and full of variety, the shores and lakes of the lordly
river presenting an ever-changing panorama of beautiful scenes. About
Killaloe the views are very fine. The mountains of Clare and Tipperary
shadow the town on either side, and away to the north for twenty-three
miles stretches Lough Derg. Going up the lake, the first stopping place
is at Scariff, which overlooks the beautiful Inniscattery or Holy
Island. The reach from here to Portumna is crowded with islands, and on
both shores are ruined castles and finely wooded demesnes. Dromineer, on
the opposite bank, four and a quarter miles from Nenagh, is the next
station. Nearly opposite Portumna, with its ruined and blackened castle,
are the ruins of the monastery of Tirdaglass.
[Illustration: Sailing on the Shannon.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Kincora, Killaloe.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Shannon Steamer.]
The ancient city of Portumna was once the chief pass and means of
communication between Connaught and North Munster. Between Portumna, at
the head of Lough Derg and Banagher, are the rich meadow lands of
Galway, along which the river winds tranquilly, passing beautifully
wooded islands; its banks green with rich, low-lying pastures. A few
miles from Shannon Bridge is Clonmacnoise, over which hang many ancient
memories of learning, of wars, and of worship. Near Athlone is a point
in the river where the Counties of Westmeath, Roscommon, and King's
County meet, and the waters of Lough Ree wash the shores of County
Roscommon on the one side and of Westmeath and Longford on the other.
Lough Ree is but little known to the tourist; and yet this lake, with
its rocky shores full of indentations, and its shoals of sparkling
islands, is one of the loveliest in Ireland. King John's Castle, on the
Roscommon side of the lake, is a magnificent Norman ruin, and the town
of Roscommon--which is not far from the brink of the lake--also contains
the remains of a fine castle and of a Dominican Friary. The castle,
which is flanked by four towers of massive masonry, was built in the
thirteenth century by Sir Robert de Ufford, and afterwards suffered many
changes of fortune; it is now the property of The O'Conor Don. The abbey
is chiefly interesting as containing the sculptured tomb of Phelim
Cathal O'Connor.
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Lough Ree, Shannon Lakes.]
Circular tourist tickets for one day trips are issued by the Railway
Company. Details will be seen on summer time tables.
[Illustration]
Cork and District.
CORK.
Enshrined in song and _saga_, set in the beautiful valley of a romantic
river, Cork is one of the pleasantest places within the four shores of
"the most distressful country." It is the capital of the rich Province
of Munster, "the wheat of Ireland," says a Gaelic proverb, and while it
preserves the characteristics of an old Irish town, here, too, the
traveller, familiar with the quaint cities of the Continent, will meet
with much that is suggestive of foreign scenes.
Cork sits snugly at the foot of, and leans her back up against, high
hills that shelter her from the north, and the breeze that blows up from
the sea is fresh and mildly bracing. From a height to the north
overlooking the city a bird's-eye view can be had of the entire
surroundings, and of what the poet Spenser called--
"The pleasant Lee, that like an island fayre
Encloseth Cork in his divided flood."
Away to the west the eye can easily trace the river, winding with haste
to the sea, through the barony of Muskerry, "the fair country," from its
fountain home over the hills and far away.
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Patrick-street, Cork.]
More than halfway along the Mardyke Walk there is a sidepath leading
down to a ferry across the Lee. Here a good view may be had of the river
looking towards the city, with Sunday's Well, Blair's Castle, and
Shandon standing high on the hill.
The history of the foundation of Cork City, and its progress through the
centuries, is well authenticated. Towards the close of the sixth
century, the place was founded by Lochan, son of Amirgin, the great
smith to Tiernach M'Hugh, the proud chief of the O'Mahonys. Lochan has
since come to be called St. Finbarr. His feast day is a retrenched
holiday in the diocese of Cork, and his patron day is kept by the
peasantry at the shrine of Gougane Barra, by the cradle of the river
Lee. The Irish name, Cork, signifies that the locality was a marsh, and
in the life of its founder it is described as a "land of many waters."
[Illustration: _Photo, Roche, Dublin._ The Marina, Cork.]
For less than three hundred years the little city throve, and then came
the Sea Rovers, hungry for spoil. In 820 they burned down Cork, carrying
away as pillage the silver coffin wherein St. Finbarr was buried.
Shortly afterwards they returned, and seized on the marshes lying
beneath Gill Abbey Rock, fortified them, and founded another little
city--but their own. There they sang their "Mass of the Lances; it began
at the rising of the sun," and, as the Four Masters assure us,
"wheresoever they marched they were escorted by fire."
But in time the Rovers were absorbed, and race hatreds died out. They
paid tribute to the MacCarthys, and were married and given in marriage
to the Irish. Merovingian Kings came to buy and sell in Cork, and the
Sagas of the North tell of many a hardy Norseman who fell captive to the
maidens of Munster. To this day the Danish blood moulds the nature of
many in Cork, and among the men especially the passionate affection for
the sea is a characteristic. When the Normans invaded Ireland they found
Cork a Danish fortress. They broke the power of the Danes in a sea
fight, and won over the allegiance of MacCarthy, the old King of Cork,
through the wiles of a woman. The strangers had not been long in the
city when they, like the Danes before them, were absorbed, and became
more Irish than the Irish themselves. As their island city grew in
opulence, they began to assert an independence similar to the free
cities of the Continent. A historical writer of repute points out that
they were practically independent of external authority. Their edicts
had nearly the force of laws. They levied taxes, and regulated commerce.
They judged, pilloried, and hanged offenders. To suit themselves they
modified the English laws of property. They set up a mint of their own,
and their money had to be declared by the English Parliament to be
"utterly damned."
Their audacity can be imagined from the part they played in Perkin
Warbeck's rebellion of 1492. They decked him out "with some clothes of
silk," and John Walters, the Mayor, insisting that the poor Fleming was
son to the Duke of Clarence, demanded that the Lord Deputy should
declare him King. Failing in this a number of Cork merchants sent him to
France, where they duped the King, and induced the Duchess of Burgundy
to give them armament and money. They then sailed for Kent, and having
landed there, proclaimed their foundling "Richard the Fourth, King of
England and Lord of Ireland." But the sequel of all this bravura
behaviour was not so happy, as Warbeck and Walters lost their heads, and
Cork lost its charter.
In 1847 the city suffered fearfully from the ravages of famine and
famine fever. The failure of the potato crop drove the unfortunate,
hunger-stricken peasantry into the city for sustenance; and it has been
estimated that upwards of a million of people emigrated in these unhappy
years through the port of Cork. During the Fenian movement, 1865-67,
Cork was a hotbed of treason, and more prisoners were sentenced from
there than from all the other parts of Ireland put together. Thus, in
the nineteenth century, the name of "Rebel Cork," which was earned so
far back as the time of Perkin Warbeck, was still deserved.
The manners of the people, gentle and simple, rich and poor, are
perfect. There is, perhaps, too often a tendency to adopt your view of
anything or everything with the most accommodating agreeableness. This
is very pleasant, if not always sincere, but in this respect a thing
never to be forgotten is that Cork is only a few miles from Blarney, and
"There is a stone there, whoever kisses,
Oh! he never misses to grow eloquent.
'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber,
Or become a Member of Parliament.
A clever spouter, he'll sure turn out, or
An 'out-an'-outer' to be let alone;
Don't hope to hinder him, or to bewilder him,
Sure he's a pilgrim from the Blarney Stone."
Thackeray, like many another man before his time and since, has paid
tribute to the loveliness of the girls of Cork. There is a graceful
charm about them before which the most inveterate bachelor succumbs. The
accents of the Siren singers were never so insinuating and caressing as
the Munster brogue as it slips off the tongue of a gentlewoman. Blue
eyes predominate, but are excelled in lustre by what Froude has been
pleased to call "the cold grey eyes of the dark Celt of the south of
Ireland." Edmund Spencer, when he was not busy "undertaking" Rapparees,
or smoking Raleigh's fragrant weed--"than which there is no more fair
herb under the broad canopy of heaven"--wooed and won and wedded a fair
woman of Cork; not of the city, though, but of the county. She was a
country lass, as he is at pains to point out to the Shandon belles who
fain would vie with her:--