href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@46223@[email protected]#LETTER_XXX" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">LETTER XXX.

Donnybrook fair. The lovers. Powerscourt. The Dargle and The Lover’s Leap.
The waterfall. Galopade, with the guide behind me. Inn at Bray. Sketch of
English manners. Grand Duke of S—— W.——. Advantages of a humble mode
of travelling. Activity of beggars. Kingston. Construction of the harbour. Machinery.
The Spectre ship. Tasteless and appropriate monument in honour of
George the Fourth. Fine road to Dublin. Catholic association. English horse-riders
and admirable clowns. The dance of Polypi.

340

The young parson. Journey with him to the West. Connaught. Singular country.
Visit at Capt. B——’s. Life of a true Irishman. They are not over fastidious.
Divine service in Tuam. Service of the Church of England. Galway race.
Resemblance of the Irish people to savages. The town of Galway. Want of books
there. The race. Accident of a rider. Indifference of the public. The fair African.
Athenry, a bathing place, like a Polish village. King John’s castle. The abbey.
Popular escort. Whisky. Castle Hackett. The fairy queen. She carries off a
lover. Splendid sunset. Definition of ‘Good temper.’ Cong. Irish wit. The
Pigeon-hole. Subterranean river. Meg Merrilies. Illuminated cavern. Enchanted
trout. Lough Corrib, with its three hundred and sixty-five islands. The monastery.
Irish mode of burial. Hearty kindness of the old captain.

345

‘Hors d’œuvre.’ German Character. Adventure with a gipsy. How we acquire a
soul. State of the Irish peasantry. Stupid rage of an Orangeman. Beautiful
park and disposition of water. Picture gallery at M—— B——. St. Peter with a scarlet
wig, by Rubens. Winter landscape, by Ruisdael. Magnificent Asiatic Jew, by
Rembrandt. Irish hunters. Departure by the Postman’s cart. The obliging Irishman.
Desert country. Poverty and light-heartedness of the people. Sure revelation.
“The cross bones.” The Punch-bowl. Lord Gort’s park. Desire of my
horse to stay there. Irish posting. Its characteristics.

357

Limerick. Antique character of that city. Catholics and Protestants. Deputation,
and offer of the Order of the Liberator. O’Connell’s cousin. Cathedral. I am
taken for a son of Napoleon. I substitute my valet and make my retreat. Conversation
in the stage. The Shannon. Its magnificent size. New sort of industry of a
beggar in Lisdowel. Twelve rainbows in a day. Killarney. Voyage on the lake in
a storm. The dandy and the manufacturer. Some danger of drowning. Inisfallen
island. O’Donaghue’s white horse. His history and apparition. The old boat,
man and his adventure. Journal des Modes of the infernal regions. Mucruss Abbey.
The large yew-tree. Influence of the Catholic priests. O’Sullivan’s waterfall. Young
Sontag. The wager. Ross Castle. Two Englishmen ‘de trop’. Bad taste of quizzing.
The Knight of the Gap. The “madman’s rock.” Brandon Castle. A bugleman.
The eagle’s nest. Coleman’s leap. The dinner. Fresh salmon boiled on
arbutus sticks. Voyage back. Melancholy thoughts. Christening with whisky. Julia
Island. Journey to Kenmare. Shillelah battle. Ride to Glengariff by night. Extraordinary
road. The intelligent poney. Beautiful bay of Glengariff. Colonel
W——’s park a model. Family of the possessor. Lord B——’s hunting seat. Bad
weather. Rocks, storm and apparition of ——.

367

Kenmare. Irish messenger. Road to Derrinane. Bridge of the black water. Chaos.
Terrific coast. Perplexities. Aid from a smuggler. Mountain pass at night.
Derrinane Abbey. O’Connell the great Agitator; Father L’Estrange his confessor.
O’Connell as chieftain giving laws to his subjects. His intolerance in matters of
religion. Departure from Derrinane. Danish forts. Leave-taking. Irish modes of
conveyance. Amiable character of the lower Irish. Example of it. Sorrows of
Werther. Opinion of it. Faust. The Innkeeper’s daughter at Kenmare. Hungry
Hill and its majestic waterfall. O’Rourke’s eagle. The modern Ganymede. Seals
under my window. Their love for music. English family worship. Theological
discussion on the deluge, the day of judgment, and the Apocalypse. Extraordinary
beauties and advantages of this spot.

380

Wild honeycomb. Egyptian lotus. Visit to an eagle’s nest; their romantic dwelling,
and wonderful instinct. The wild huntsman of the South of Ireland. The
caves of the Sugar Loaf. Track of the fairy queen’s carriage wheels. Dangerous
hunting in these mountains. The fogs, bogs, and wild bulls. Manner of taming
one.

393

Idolatry of Sunday in England. Wonderful conversion of a Protestant to Catholicism.
Riding in a car. The Whiteboys. Macroom. The naïve mamma and the
spoiled child in the gingle. The strong king of the Danes. Cork. Voyage to
Cove: beautiful entrance from the sea. Folko’s sea castle. Monkstown. Remarkable
appearance of two perfect rainbows at once. The amphitheatre of
the town of Cove. Disappointed expectation of fish. Illuminated night-scene.
The stars. Departure in the