The South of Ireland

The South of Ireland. BY T. L. HATCH, PRESIDENT OF THE IRISH CONFERENCE.

Ireland is a country of more than passing interest for the active-minded traveler. It is only in the south and west, however, that one gets a proper view of the "rale paddy," and the most beautiful scenery which the island affords. Many of the inhabit- ants of these parts still speak the Gaelic, or native Irish, language. The Gaelic tongue is extinct in the north, and is fast dying out in the south, but the Catholic church and the National party are making strenuous efforts to have the learning of the mother tongue made a compulsory part of education. It is held by en-

thusiasts, who are contending for Home Rule, that if Ireland is to be a prosperous nation it should have Irish rule; and that Irish

An Irish farm house in the country, at Kellswater, County Antrim. People from left to right: President T* J. Bennett, Jane Mcllvene, H. R. Merrill, Sister Mcllvene and William D. Head.

THE SOUTH OF IRELAND. 1.-

patriotism cannot lie properly maintained if the Irish language be allowed to die. Cork city, the capital of Munster, is the metropolis of the south, and the third city of Ireland, in point of popula- tion which numbers about one hundred thousand. About ninety per cent of its people belong to the Roman Cath- olic church. The Church of Ireland (Anglican) has a large following here. It

owns half a dozen places of worship in the city; its cathe- dral (St. FinnBarre's) being the finest church building in Cork. St. Ann's, Shandon, is also a noted building. It

was erected in 1722, on the site of a very ancient church

which was destroyed by fire

during the seige of Cork, in 1690. The steeple of Shan- don is unique in structure, and is a prominent object from all parts of the city. It

consists of a towei and a Shandon Church, Cork, Ireland. l ailtem of three stories each, ,

and is one hundred and seventy feet high. In this tower are the sweet-toned ''Bells of Shandon," of which poets have sung and novelists written. Cork is supposed to have originated in the sesT enth cen- tury, in connection with an abbey founded here by St. Finn Barre, in 623 A. I). In the eleventh century the Danes established a trading post here, and enclosed the place with walls. They were found in undisturbed possession of Cork at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion, in 1172. The city's principal industries are^the manufacture of whisky

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16 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

and beer, cloth and dairy products. There are also iron foundries, and the city is a seaport of considerable importance. Some four or five miles north of here is the famous Blarney Castle, built by Cormac Mc- Carthy, fourth Lord of Mus- kerry, about the middle of the fifteenth century. It is

a wonderful piece of work, and was no doubt an admir- Blarney Castle. able defense for its owners; ''The splendid old ruin of Blarney but it was badly damaged by Castle is situated in the midst of a the shells of Cromwell's country exceedingly beautiful. It is five miles from Cork City, and is the forces, who besieged and easiest and favorite excursion from took it, in 1646. At the Cork. northeast corner of the castle "The Castle stands upon the. steep is. an opening in the solid slope of a hillside overlooking a stream which winds away through a lovely rock of the castle base, which and well wooded valley. leads to the prison, consisting "Hard by is the neat little vil- lage in which the famous Blarney of two chambers dug out of tweed is manufactured. The world- the rock. This prison is as wide reputation that Blarney has ac- "atrocious an enclosure as quired is not due to the magnificent ruin of mediaeval days and the lovely was ever devised by bar- scenery around it, but to the 'Blarney baric tyranny or malice for Stone.' This stone, fixed into the the punishment of its un^ northern battlement, has the reputa- tion of giving to all who kiss it the happy victims." To enter gift of a soft and persuasive manner; this cavern is unpleasant and it is the main object of the multi- enough, but to think that tudes who yearly visit Blarney to see this stone and if possible touch it with human beings were com- their lips." pelled to remain in such a place, in chains, is heart-sickening. Thousands of tourists visit

Blarney every summer. The object which has gained notoriety for the castle is a certain stone near the top

"That whoever kisses, Oh! he never misses to grow eloquent. 'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber, Or become a member of Parliament,

THE SOUTH OF IRELAND. 17

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."

Photo by Leonard S. Miles.

Blarney Castle, 120 feet high.

Standing on the top of the battlement are W. W. Dummer; at his right, A. C. Black, at his left, T. L. Hatch, W. S. Beatie and T. J. Bennett. The latter is president of the Irish conference, the others are traveling elders.

It is a novel undertaking to kiss the Blarney stone, and one which most people would not attempt just for pastime; but the desire to be daring usually overcomes timidity at Blarney; and the stone is being slowly worn away by the lips of those who covet the gift of charming eloquence.

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18 IMPRO VEMENT ERA

About a mile down the river Lee from Cork, stand the an- cient ivy-covered ruins of Dundanion castle, from which William Penn embarked to found the colony of Pennsylvania. About twenty-five miles east of Cork, on the estuary of the Blackwater, (sometimes called the Irish Rhine) stands the quaint old town of Youghal, one of the oldest in Ireland, and a summer resort of considerable import- ance. It was originally a Dan- ish settlement, and has wit- nessed many stirring scenes. It received its first charter from King John, in 1209. In 1588, the brave and enter- prising Sir Walter Raleigh was chief magistrate of the town. Sir Walter and the

Myrtle Grove, poet Spenser were among the English adventurers who Sir Walter Raleigh's house at shared in the forfeited pos- Youghal. sessions of Gerald Fitzgerald, sixteenth Earl of Desmond, on the failure of the Geraldine rebel- lion, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Spenser lived in Ireland for several years, and held several important government positions. His home was burned in 1598, when the Tyrone rebellion spread into Munster. Raleigh's home is still in a fine state of preserva- tion, and is used as a private residence by the present owner. It

was in the gardens at Myrtle Grove (as his home is called) that Sir Walter planted the first potato in European soil; and under the four yew trees immediately in front of his home this favorite knight of Queen "Bess" puffed the first tobacco smoke that tainted Britain's air. Until recently, the bench on which he sat, the pipe which he used, and the bucket from which his servant poured water on him when he was thought to be on fire, were all exhibited at Myrtle Grove; but the present owner does not allow visitors on the inside of the gate. We were obliged to climb to the top of the stone wall which surrounds the property and view the house as best we could from that position.

Cork, Ireland.