IRELAND. 



wonderfully hard and binding was the cement with 

 which it had been constructed. Various theories 

 have been offered as to the purpose for which these 

 mysterious buildings were erected ; the only clear 

 point seems to be, that they are religious edifices 

 erected during the earlier centuries of Christianity 

 in the island. They vary in height from 35 to 120 

 feet ; the internal diameter from 10 to 16 feet, and 

 the outer circumference from 46 to 56 feet Their 

 tapering shape forms one of the most marked 

 characteristics. 



Ecclesiastical Antiquities. Under this head 

 rank those buildings which may be considered as 

 the most ancient, after the pagan remains, and 

 which bear a peculiar character, differing from 

 that of any extant elsewhere. Of these but few 

 are now in existence. The stone-roofed church of 

 St Doulagh's, near Dublin, belongs to the earliest 

 date ; its plan and style are equally uncommon. 

 The latter seems to have been a rude approach to 

 the oldest Norman ; it is low, and of great strength ; 

 the church, divided by a low-browed arch, seems 

 to have had a small choir and a somewhat larger 

 nave. There are also, strangely disposed, at 

 various heights, small chambers, apparently for 

 the residence of the clergy. A part of the building 

 is used as the parish church ; and the old tower 

 has borne the addition of a belfry, so excellent 

 was the mason-work. The beautiful and curious 

 ruin at Cashel, called Cormads Chapel, is Norman 

 in character, and was probably the cathedral of 

 that diocese previous to the English invasion. It 

 is considered to have been built in the tenth 

 century by Cormac, who was both king and arch- 

 bishop. He died about 990 A.D. It is to be 

 observed that both here and at St Doulagh's are 

 crypts placed over the churches a peculiarity 

 known in Ireland only ; the crypts in all other coun- 

 tries being underneath. Ireland cannot boast of 

 any ecclesiastical buildings of great richness or 

 beauty ; but there are some of respectable appear- 

 ance. The two cathedrals of the capital, St 

 Patrick's (recently restored by private munifi- 

 cence) and Christ -Church (presently being re- 

 stored), are at least elegant in the interior. The 

 large cathedral of Galway, and that of Limerick, 

 are both handsome buildings, as is the cathedral 

 of Kilkenny. These are all in good order, and 

 in daily use. There are numberless ruins of 

 monasteries, abbeys, knights' preceptories, and 

 churches. 



Military Antiquities. The traveller in Ireland 

 must be struck with the vast number of small 

 castles which stud the whole country. They 

 chiefly bear date about the reign of Elizabeth, by 

 whose orders they were raised, as strongholds to 

 overawe the wild Irish. They are usually high 

 and square, with towers at each corner. Besides 

 these fortalices, there are ruins of very large 

 castles, so customarily attributed to King John as 

 to shew that they were built in the early times ; 

 of these, the extensive ruin at Trim, in the 

 county of Meath, affords a fair example, as being 

 one of the largest, and often formerly the residence 

 of the viceroy or chief-governor. Parliaments 

 were held within its walls, and money minted 

 there, and sent into circulation. A few of the 

 ancient castles belonging to the old nobility still 

 continue to be inhabited, as Malahide, belonging 

 to Lord Talbot de Malahide ; and Ho-wth, the 

 Earl of Howth's, both in the county of Dublin ; 



Shanes Castle, the residence of Earl O'Neil ;-. 

 Portumna Castle, on the Shannon, that of Lord 

 Clanricarde ; and Kilkenny Castle, the seat of the- 

 Marquis of Ormond. 



THE PROVINCES LEINSTER. 



This is the largest province of Ireland, and con- 

 tains the twelve counties of Louth, Meath, Dublin^. 

 Wicklow, Wexford, Carlo-w, Kilkenny, Kildare, 

 Queen's County, Kings County, Westmeath, and 

 Longford, the whole forming a large tract of" 

 country on the east side of the island, and having 

 Dublin at a central point on the coast The 

 scenery of Leinster is much varied. The county 

 most remarkable for picturesque beauty is that of 

 Wicklow, a short way south of Dublin ; the hills r 

 glens, and valleys are here rich in natural wood, 

 and, bounded by an extensive prospect of the 

 ocean, can hardly be exceeded in beauty. The 

 principal points of attraction for tourists are Lough-. 

 Bray ; a woody ravine called the Dargle ; and the 

 Vale of Avoca, which is one continuous piece 

 of silvan pleasure-ground. Wexford, still farther 

 south, may also, to a considerable extent, be 

 described as a picturesque and fertile county ; and 

 though the county of Meath is for the most part 

 flat and tame, except along the banks of the Boyne 

 and Blackwater, it can boast there of some spots 

 of redeeming beauty ; and in a large portion of the- 

 county, the quantity of wood and the rich hedge- 

 rows give an English character to the landscape. 

 Westmeath is remarkable for expansive lakes, and 

 for the dry gravelly hills which give variety to its- 

 surface. The Queen's County, though a good 

 deal disfigured by bog, yet boasts, at Abbeleix 

 and Dunmore, of a great stretch of magnificent 

 natural oak-wood. The remaining part of Lein- 

 ster cannot be considered interesting or peculiar 

 in its general features. 



Leinster may be considered as much superior 

 to the other provinces with respect to agriculture ;. 

 and some parts of Carlow, Kildare, and Wexford,. 

 are cultivated in a manner approaching in skill to- 

 that of the agricultural districts of England and 

 Scotland. 



The counties of Wicklow and Wexford contain-, 

 an industrious and thriving population ; and* 

 because industrious, the people are able to pay,, 

 from soils not superior to those of other districts, 

 rents which would be intolerable in other parts of 

 Ireland. The Wicklow peasantry are reckoned 

 the finest in the world, and are proverbial for 

 their handsome features and fine Roman profiles, 

 and still more so as being a respectful, quiet, and 

 well-conducted people. The county of Meath is 

 remarkably fertile Leinster may altogether be- 

 pronounced a prosperous part of the country. 



Chief Towns. 



The chief towns in Leinster are Dublin*. 

 Kilkenny, Drogheda, Wexford, Maryborough,. 

 Mullingar, Carlow, Birr or Parsonstown, and 

 Trim. 



Dublin, the principal town in Leinster, and the 

 capital of Ireland, is situated at the margin of a. 

 beautiful bay, on a generally flat piece of country, 

 through which iows the river Liffey, and is there- 

 fore conveniently placed for commerce and the 

 accommodation of a large population. In external 



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