BEAUTY'S HOME-KILLARNEY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 954, 22 October 1910, Page 11

BEAUTY'S HOME-KILLARNEY.

[Br Amum Ruthehfobd.]

ITS ECHOES OF ROMANCE.

We went by rail, down to Bantry, a ' run of some eight' Lours, including a : two-hoiks' wait in Cork; for a connecting train. From Bantry we motored to Glengariff, at which place we arrived at eight o'clock; a dark wet night, an inferior hotel—the lesser of two evils— and'ill-kept bedrooms, to say nothing of tlie table d'hote! Morning brought brightness in the shape of a fine view from the windows, and, after breakfast, we went for a long walk to a beautiful water-fall. Early in the afternoon we left for Killarney. The motor bus carTied twelve passengers, five New Zealander's and. seven Americans, and although we had several breakdowns and the weather was, as usual, uncertain, we all thoroughly enjoyed the trip. After leaving Parkrasilla—l remember we had a most refreshing cup ;o tea there—the hill Toad rises to a height of about a thousand feet, and it was a fine rid.-} up the mountain, swinging ;along at—well, the regulation speed

limit.is twelve miles an hour, but.after one of the numerous mishaps our driver informed us .that..he. was "making time".T-an. avorage of fifteen;miles.an hour, 'over the. stony moorland, road.; The uplands of Kerry are as barren and stony.';as'the: valleys and/lakes.are verdant/andrioK ,/ '.-.-, !./.,.:; ;;.w. Kate Kearney's , Until the bus' reached the summit the r/>ad passed;.'through l , a wild. ." region, Where a few goats,'arid fewer .sheep and horses, contrive to find enough to support life among the stones and gorse. Onoo through''the Windy Gap, ;the. scene changed; with .startling suddenness; and. we' saw the beautiful region of. Killarney' spread beneath us; with the, lakes shining .against the .dark, green of'-the trees, ;and/ above all,, the fine outline of the purple mountain. From that point downwards- into 'Killarney the scenery-. was characteristic of the district. •' Almost at -every,: turn; there ■■ were views from one side of the road of the: lake, and on the other/side, steep little glens where the paths were almost hidden _ by foliage, and. the light was struggling through over-hanging masses of leaves and foliage. '- We spent- three .'days .at the- Lake Hotel, which is on the waters edge, and on each' of those;three, days wo energetically "exciirsioned". On' the. .first day' we were driven towards the 1 Gap of Dunloe;. the mountains in, all their glory,' with their pimiacle : like tops,; !grouped round Carrantual (the highest peak in Ireland) were spread before us. j An object'of interest on the. way was. Kate Kearney's cottage, inhabited by a descendant of that famed Irish beauty of the olden time—l should say several generations back. \' Here we mounted lean ponies and rode eight miles over the: pass. I was astride a beast which' could neither' walk nor ; canter, but which had quite a' respectably fast trot.; ■-. ' ■ ' - Brigands. Every,'foiv.hundred yards we' were bailed up by elderly female brigands, who offered whisky or milk to the pretty lady; or hand-knitted socksat one shilling a pair to the nice-looking young man, who remarked that (being in Ireland) , he . "wore only green socks I" Able-bodied men fired cannons, and wouldn't lot us-pass until we had given them the cost'of the powder. Others sold white leather, shamrocks, postcards, and lace. Every vendor had kissed the Blarney stone, and we had the sweetest things said, to us. Indeed, if it were not for stupid mirrors we would all be convinced that we were the handsomest beings on the face of the earth. . At Gorhamene, the hotel boat, with lunch on board, met us; the mountains continued to.form a prison for the beautiful lakes, studded with green islands, wooded slopes and glens alternating with tho bare, wild, rocky mountains, thus forming a splendid panorama, as the boat glided along. Castle and Convent. As we passed boneath the Old Wier Bridge we were told to dip our hands into the water, rub our gums, and toothache would be a thing of the past. Then we Teached the "meeting of the waters," and landed at Dine's Island, whore tho magnolia and other tropical plants grow luxuriantly in tho open air. Reaching Ross Castle—another ivy-covered ruin—we wore driven back •to our hotel. I) for one, felt stiff and

tired, in fact we all grumbled about the dreadful horses which, the guide-books ■told us' were "hardy ponies." On the second day, roe drove over Lord Ardiluan's estate, and visited Muckross Abbey, and the last day was spent at Lord Kenmare's and the convent. Lord Keurnare, like all other land-owners, charges a shilling gate money, and then tourists are allowed to drive within cooing distance of the houso; ho has a fine home, and well-kept grounds. . At the convent we looked at' some beautiful lace, I think I only took a pound with me, and I know I came away owing seven to various members of our party. The sister was most kind to us, and I think s!ae was grateful for the few pounds which we had left behind. The poverty; is deplorable; it makes me.weep to-write of it. \ We were told of ,-Miss. Seddoii's kindness to the village people,, and it made us glad to think that people's good deeds sometimes live.. The Pretty Girls of Ireland. One-evening, in company with our American friends, we all went to a village ball. I mention this because we were all'struck with the orderly procedure, also the pretty, girls, the smallness of their feet, and, most of all, with the dainty way in which they danced. We only stayed a short time, and saw a set of' lancers—not a bit like our kitchen lancers—a .waltz,, and a national dance. . It was with regret that we took our departure from Killarney. Britishers annually leave these shores ( by' the thousand, in order to view, the natural attractions of foreign. lands, when all the while-scenes not less fair, picturesque beauties not less entrancing, lio .unheeded at their-own doors. If Ireland's charms were adequately appreciated, .these things would not be. In Hibernian phrase, why should we not seek the delights of "scenery in .our. own language!"'