horn, reminds the visitor lingering lovingly over the shores at
Cahirciveen that the coach for the coast tour is ready. With a crack of
the whip that would do credit to Will Goldfinch, in the coaching days
of old, the driver urges on his team, and the blooded four-in-hand cut
their way clear of the town. The tour along the Atlantic between
Cahirciveen and Kenmare is nearly fifty miles, and passes through the
most diversified country. The eleven miles as far as Waterville is first
inland, passing through dreary stretches of moorland, where the small
black Kerry cattle manage to thrive, until Ballinskelligs Bay suddenly
comes in sight. Bolus Head reaches out its great arm into the sea, to
shelter the Bay from the winds. At one side may be seen the little town
of Ballinskelligs, with its white Cable Station; and in at the head of
the waters, beyond where the Inny river joins the sea, Waterville
spreads itself out around the long shore. Here it lies on the little
streak of land which protects Lough Currane from the embrace of the
ocean. Coming down the hill, out of the town, the delusion is that this
great fresh-water lake is but itself a bay, the mouth of which is
concealed from view, but not so, for its waters run clear and fresh, and
as fishful as the Erne. It is the best free fishing lake in Ireland.
Just outside Waterville the Commercial Cable Company (Mackay-Bennett
system) have their extensive offices.
[Illustration: _Photos, Cuthbert, Valencia._ Gannets on Little Skelligs.]
[Illustration: Southern Hotel, Waterville.]
The road leads across the Inny, and we enter the little town by the
pleasantly-situated Butler Arms Hotel. On going further, fronting the
shore line, we pass the Bay View Hotel, and, following a bend in the
hill, come suddenly in view of the beautiful Lough Currane, beside
which, in the midst of plantations, more like a home than a
well-equipped hostelry, which it is, the ~Southern Hotel~ is built.
Lough Currane is eight miles in circumference, and its shores are
fretted with thousands of inlets. Through the windows of the Hotel, a
charming view is had of the mountains which encircle the lake. On one
side green slopes and pleasantly wooded heights meet the eye, and on the
other, old familiar grey-faced mountains, with their heads raised on
high among the clouds, shining, changing, and fading in the silver
mists. The surface of the lake, calm-faced and deep-welled, here and
there lifts up to be admired beautiful islands. Here a saint made his
temporal home, and in Church Island is the beehive cell where St. Finian
prayed, "in whose orisons were all our sins remembered." The ruins of
the sixth century church deserve the attention of the antiquary. Away at
the head of Lough Currane is Coppal, where sea trout and small brown
trout abound. It, too, has charms all its own, in parts wild and
untamed, but again, calm as the race of a sleeping child. Full
information as to the flies suitable for the lake, and the places well
to troll, may be had from the best known angler in Kerry, Teigue
M'Carthy. Like Sir Roger de Coverley's friend, Will Wimble, he can tie
a fly "to a miracle," and he is an enthusiastic devotee of the "gentle
art." Besides the attractions for fishermen, there are thousands of
acres of shooting in the vicinity. There is plenty of opportunity and
accommodation for bathing by the bay, and a new Golf Links, laid out
under the best professional advice, affords a further source of
healthful amusement. Over the hills from Waterville the pre-historic
remains of Staigue Fort may be visited. It is the best example of
cyclopean stone forts that remains in Ireland, and by authoritative
antiquaries is said to be at least 2,000 years old.
[Illustration: _Photo, Cuthbert, Valencia._ Lake Currane.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Cuthbert, Valencia._ Raheen, Lake Currane.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Cuthbert, Valencia._ Arbutus Rock, Lake Currane.]
EXCURSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF WATERVILLE.
TOUR 1.--The conveyance will leave the Hotel at 11 a.m. for a
drive to Derrynane, the historic home of the Liberator, On reaching
Coomakista Pass--the highest point of the road--a gradual descent brings
the party to Derrynane House, and further on to Derrynane Hotel, close
to the remains of the old Abbey. Those who wish to walk can get off the
car at Coomakista, and walk one and-a-half miles to Lord Dunraven's
cottage, where they can meet the cars. The path winds along the shore of
Derrynane Bay, and well repays those who follow it on their way to the
Abbey, The party can lunch at Derrynane Hotel, and may return by the
path, and meet the car at Coomakista, or drive the whole way back to
Waterville. Fare for four persons, _12s._
TOUR 2.--The conveyance will leave the Hotel at 11 a.m., and
drive along the northern shore of Lough Currane. Crossing the Coomeragh
by the Ivy Bridge, the road leads us as far as Isknamaclery Lake. At
this point a unique view is obtained of Isknamaclery Lake and Lough
Nabrackderrag on the right, and Loughs Namona and Cloonaghlin on the
left. The party can have the option of proceeding on foot to Derriana
Lake, or returning and driving along the Coomeragh to Derriana Lodge,
and from thence returning to Waterville, or they can cross the Dromad
Hills, and return by the river Inny. Fare for four persons, _12s._
TOUR 3.--The conveyance leaves the Hotel at 11 a.m. for Saint
Finan's Glen. Before entering the Glen, a fine view is obtained of the
Iveragh Mountains, and even the M'Gillicuddy Reeks, and later, the Lemon
Rock and the Skelligs. After luncheon in the Glen, the party will return
by Bolus Head, visiting the old Abbey of Saint Michael's and
Ballinskellias Castle, and (with the permission of the Superintendent)
the Atlantic Cable Station. For sea and mountain combined this view
cannot be surpassed. Fare for four persons, _16s._
TOUR No. 4.--The conveyance will leave the Hotel at about 11
a.m., for the remarkable fort of Staigue-an-or. The route lies along the
southern shore of Lough Currane for about six miles, (passing the
Waterfall) as far as Isknagahenny (Coppal) Lake, and good views are
obtained of both lakes. At Isknagahenny Lake the party alights, and
proceeds on foot for about four miles to the fort. When the highest
point of the ascent is reached, a magnificent view is obtained of
Kenmare river and the islands off the coast of Beara Peninsula. The
descent to the foot is easy. After luncheon the party may return either
by West Cove and Derrynane to Waterville, or again ascend the mountain
and return by Lake Road. Fare for four persons, _16s._
Shorter excursions can be arranged.
HIRE OF BOATS
Boat and one man, _1s._ per hour, _5s._ per day. Boat and two men, _2s._
per hour, _10s._ per day.
In no case will the charge be for less than two hours.
POSTING ARRANGEMENTS.
Hire by Time (Driver's Fee included).
Two-horse carriage. One-horse car.
For the first hour, _7s. 0d._ _3s. 6d._
For two hours, _14s. 0d._ _7s. 0d._
For each additional hour or
fraction of an hour _3s. 6d._ _2s. 0d._
Hire for Fixed Distances (Driver's Fee included).
Two-horse One-horse car.
carriage.
Waterville to Caragh Lake, -- _25s. 0d._
" " Caherciveen, _15s. 0d._ _8s. 0d._
" " Valentia, _15s. 0d._ _8s. 0d._
" " Portmagee, _18s. 0d._ _10s. 0d._
" " Derrynane, _15s. 0d._ _8s. 0d._
" " Parknasilla, _30s. 0d._ _16s. 0d._
Fifty per cent. additional for return journey.
[Illustration: Coomakisteen Hill.]
The coach road from Waterville, following the outskirts of
Ballinskelligs Bay, insinuates itself up a dizzy height. Looking
backwards, Waterville, "standing with reluctant feet" between the sea
and the lake, seems to wonder which is more bewitching. Forging ahead
through the mountain gaps, we pass under ~Coomakiska~, 1,500 feet, and
~Beenarourke~, 1,000 feet above the sea level. Clearing the gates of the
mountains, we come into the open highlands above ~Derrynane~, watching
out from its post over the sea. Truly the home for a chief. Here
O'Connell spent his happiest days, within the roar of the Atlantic
billows, but far from the turmoil and stress of the great agitation in
which his figure looms large as a giant form. Here his hospitable door
flew open wide to the passing stranger, and across the hills, with the
fleet-footed hound, he enjoyed the most delightful of sports, coursing!
Several interesting relics of the Liberator are shown at the house of
his descendant, the present proprietor. The ruins of ~Derrynane Abbey~,
in the vicinity of O'Connell's home, stand on a small peninsula, at some
seasons transformed into an island by the divorcing rush of the high
tides. It was a foundation of the monks of St. Finbarr, called
Aghermore, such a place as that described in the life of St. Brendan,
who, first of the old-world mariners, discovered the great Land of the
West.
I grew to manhood by the western wave,
Among the mighty mountains on the shore;
My bed, the rock within some natural cave,
My food, whate'er the sea or seasons bore.
And there I saw the mighty sea expand,
Like Time's unmeasured and unfathomed waves;
One with its tide-marks on the ridgy strand,
The other with its line of weedy graves.
And, as beyond the outstretched waves of Time,
The eye of Faith a brighter land may meet;
So did I dream of some more sunny clime,
Beyond the waste of waters at my feet.
From Cahirdaniel village, the site of a Danish fort, the route extends
directly along the Kenmare Fiord, under the foot of Crohan Mountain. The
Slieve Misk and Cahar Mountains separate themselves out to win our
admiration the better. They recall Lady Dufferin's words, addressed
to other sweet mountains, where
"The sunlight sleeping
On your green banks is a picture rare,
You crowd around me like young girls peeping,
And puzzling me to say which is most fair;
As though you'd see your own sweet faces
Reflected in that smooth and silver sea
O! my blessing on those lovely places,
Though no one cares how dear they are to me."
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Sneem.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ At Sneem.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ At Sneem.]
On the road beneath Crohan, a mile north from Coad Church is St.
Kiernan's Cell, eaten into the face of the sheer rock. In this district
formerly the mines were worked and copper smelted. As the road winds
along we can see Staigue-an-or, with its cyclopean mounds, lying low and
dwarfed on the hillside. By the high mountains, where the coach-horn
sounds sweet and awakens echoes, the road comes down into the lowlands,
and from the bridge is seen beautiful landscape, with ~Sneem~ spread out
in the foreground. Under lovely beechen boughs, and through a glade of
oak and first we are ushered into
PARKNASILLA,
An ideal residence, hidden from the summer sun by a variegated veil of
the rocky garden foliage; sheltered from the winter's blast by the
Askeve Mountains and the kind shores that button themselves around its
inlet sea, of which Mr. A. P. Graves has written:
"Ocean before, the summer sky above
Who could pourtray the mountains' purple smiles--
And all the opal hues of earth and heaven,
Foam fringing forests, heather-tufted Isles;
The roseate dawn--purpureal pomps of even--
And young Atlantic's petulant, shifting wiles?
Who could do aught but mar the true expression
Where all is change? Then why a record shape
Of scenes whose nature glories in succession
From wood to wave--from wave to distant cape--
Like the young poet's dream, fair beyond all possession."
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ At Parknasilla.]
Here in the demesne lands of a Bishop's Old Palace, the ~Southern Hotel~
new palace has been built. The green turf of its lawn extends down to
the water's edge. It is a land of arbutus and myrtle, of glades laden
with the pink and white blossoms of oleander and rhododendron, and thick
with bells of fuschias, the fair daffodils of Shakespeare and Herrick,
that fade away too soon:
"Daffodils that come
Before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty."
Derreen, away in the lap of the landscape, found favour of Froude, and
at Kilmackilloge he found material for his novel. The beautiful
~Garinish~ Island is like a little paradise, lost in a land where all is
lovely. Around the shores, and in the sandy caves, the beautiful seals
cluster, and at times are so tame as to answer the shrill whistle of the
boatman, and show their lovely forms on the water's surface near at
hand. We live in sceptical times, when
"The powder, the beauty, and the majesty,
That had their haunts in dale, or piney mountain,
Or forests by slow stream, or pebbly spring,
Or chasms and watery depths--all these have vanished.
They live no longer in the faith of reason."
But still here, along the old-world shores, where daylight dies, the
superstitions and traditions of the pagan past still linger among them,
and there is none more interesting than that which teaches the fishermen
to regard these beautiful-eyed, plaintive-voiced creatures with
tenderness. The souls of the dead, drowned at sea, who die out of
friendship with God, go into the bodies of the seals, and there through
the ages await the Trump of the Archangel to call them before the Great
White Throne.
[Illustration: Southern Hotel, Parknasilla.]
"Parknasilla is situated on the northern shore of Kenmare Bay, a bay
rich in beauty, and with singularly-indented coast lines. Its
well-sheltered position amidst a number of islets, thickly wooded down
to the water's edge, has endowed it with unique advantages. This
protective area gives to Parknasilla claims of a special character, and
prevents the access to it of all winds except those coming from the
warmer points, viz., south and south-west; these winds, before reaching
the southern coast of Ireland, having travelled over the Gulf Stream,
and being thus subjected to its moderating and balmy influence. We all
recognise what elevation of the land will do for any place, particularly
if it shelters that place from winds blowing from the cold quarters.
Thus, mountain protection is of supreme importance in the choice of a
health resort, more especially in the winter and spring seasons of the
year. In this regard Parknasilla is exceptionally favoured, a
mountainous range closely guarding and protecting it from the northerly
and easterly winds. The combination of mountain, wood, and water gives a
special charm to this locality; and a convincing evidence of the
mildness of the winter and early spring here is the forward character of
the vegetation, the early budding of the trees, shrubs, and flowers--all
bearing testimony to the mildness of the climate. Temperature rapidly
tells its tale on the vegetable world, and there can be no more
reassuring proof of the equable and balmy character of the climate of a
district than the early growth of flowering shrubs, plants, and table
produce. The position of this favoured and sheltered sea inlet upon the
isothermal map shows it to have a mean annual temperature of 52 degrees,
being similar in this regard to its neighbour, Glengarriff, and
registering a higher mean annual temperature than Ventnor or Torquay.
The mildness of the climate in the earlier spring months is of such a
character that exercise can be freely partaken of in the open air daily,
without risk of chill; and this to the invalid is of paramount
importance. No record has, as yet, been regularly taken of the daily
sunshine, or of the rainfall, but so far as could be ascertained, the
rainfall does not appear to be excessive. To sufferers from chronic or
recurrent affections of the respiratory organs, Parknasilla, in the
winter and early spring months, would appear to be indicated as a most
desirable place of residence. I have had the advantage of two recent
visits to this district, and feel convinced that, when it becomes better
known, Parknasilla will prove a veritable haven of health and rest to
the chronic invalid and the convalescent, as well as a delightful
retreat to the busy man of the 'world's mart,' who may need a temporary
repose from the worries and cares of daily life. Parknasilla is about a
two hours' drive or thereabouts from Kenmare, the drive being one of
exceptional beauty and interest."--_Dublin Journal of Medical Science_,
May, 1896.
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Garinish Island, Parknasilla.]
DRIVING AND BOATING EXCURSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF PARKNASILLA.
No. 1--Car to Sneem, and by Killarney Road to Letterfinish; thence
to Tahilla Chapel, and return by Dunquilla (ancient fort), or
direct. _8s._
No. 2.--Car to Sneem and Letterfinish; on to Geragh Bridge, and by
Blackwater Valley and Coast Road to Tahilla, returning by
Dunquilla, or direct, _12s._
No. 3.--Car to Sneem and Coomyauna Bridge, pony (cost _5s._, to top
and back not included), or walk to summit of Beoun Mountain, view
of Glencar and M'Gillicuddy Reeks, Cloon, Lakes, and Coomlumina
Glen with Dingle Bay in the distance. Return same way. _12s._
No. 4.--Car to Sneem and Glorah, pony (cost _5s._, to top and back
not included), or walk to summit of Finnavagough, view of
Foylenagearough, Cloonaghlin, Derriana, and Waterville Lakes.
Return same way. _12s._
No. 5.--Car to Staigue Fort and back. This ancient round stone
Fort, in a wonderful state of preservation, is well worth a visit.
_16s._
No. 6.--Car to Blackwater Bridge and Waterfall; along the
Blackwater Valley to Lough Erin, view of Ballaghbeama Pass,
returning by Geragh Bridge, Sneem Road, and Tahilla. _16s._
No. 7.--By boat to Reenkilla, car to Glanmore Lake, and by Furniss
to Killmakillogue, skirting Derreen, Lord Lansdowne's demesne (fare
_5s._, not included). Return by boat (four-oared). _20s._
No. 8.--By boat to Ormonde's Island; car along shore of Clonea Lake
to Inchiquin, Glen and Cascade, thence by Derreen or coast road.
(Fare, _10s._, not included.) Return by boat (four-oared). _20s._
No. 9.--By boat to the Caves, and into Ardgroom Harbour; car by
Eyeries to Castletown-Bere, Dunboy Castle, and back (fare _10s._,
not included). Return by boat (four-oared). _20s._
Excursions by Steam Launch will also be organised to the Caves,
Ardgroom, Derrynane, and other places of interest on the Kenmare
River.
[Illustration: Cycling at Parknasilla.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Blackwater at Kenmare.]
The demesne around the hotel comprises one hundred acres of beautiful
land, where tropical flora flourish all the year round. The meadows
trim, with daisies pied, there are on every mossy bank the dewy lips of
_"Violets dim, But sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes, Or Cytherea's
breath."_
The road to Kenmare lies high above the sea. Ardgroom is hiding under
the Caha mountains, with Glenbeg Lake behind, in the little valley.
Beneath Derrenamackan the lashing seas wage perpetual warfare against
the rocks. By the Eskdhu, or Blackwater Bridge, amid the dense foliage
of the trees, a waterfall bleats from the thicket with plaintive murmur.
Then it breaks itself free, and amid rocks, and briars, and tangled
underwood, rushes wildly towards the sea. Between us and the ocean is
Dromore Castle, the residence of one of the heads of a sept of the
O'Mahony clan. In the demesne are the ruins of Cappacross, a stronghold
of the O'Sullivans. Dunkerron Castle, on the shore, gives its name to
the islands in the bay.
[Illustration]
County Clare.
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Dromoland Castle.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Ennistymon.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Lisdoonvarna Spa.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Kilkee.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Amphitheatre at Kilkee.]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Look-out Cliff, Kilkee.]
[Illustration: Golfing at Lahinch]
[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Golfing, Lahinch.]