IRELAND. 



province contains many tracts of beautiful scenery, 

 and one in particular which is allowed to be 

 unequalled in the kingdom the celebrated lake- 

 district at Killarney. 



The lakes of Killarney are in the mountainous 

 county of Kerry. They are annually visited by 

 travellers from all parts of the island, as well as 

 from neighbouring countries. There are three of 

 them, of unequal size, and of varied, though gener- 

 ally mountainous scenery. Lough Lane, or the 

 Lower Lake, by far the largest of the three, is 

 skirted on one side by the level and well-culti- 

 vated country surrounding the pleasant village of 

 Killarney ; on the other side rise the Glena and 

 Tomies Mountains. In this lake there are a 

 number of wooded islands, one of which contains 

 the ruins of an abbey, and another the remains of 

 an ancient castle. On the shore, towards the 

 east, is the beautiful ruin of Muckross Abbey. 

 Divided from the Lower Lake by the fine wooded 

 promontory of Muckross, but accessible by two 

 channels of level water, is the Middle Lake, called 

 also Turk Lake, from the name of the mountain at 

 whose foot it reposes. These two sheets of water 

 are beautified by their wooded islands ; by irregular 

 promontories and slopes, also generally wooded, 

 which surround them ; and by the mountains 

 towering over them in sterile grandeur, down 

 whose sides streams are flashing in foaming 

 cascades. The Upper Lake, the third of the series, 

 is three miles apart from the middle one, on a 

 higher level, and totally embosomed amidst the 

 hills. A stream descending from the one to the 

 other can be passed in a boat ; and at a particular 

 place on the passage, it is common for tourists to 

 have a bugle played, in order to enjoy the oft- 

 repeating echoes which it awakes in the neigh- 

 bouring hills. The Upper Lake, having the 

 wooded heights of Dericunighy on one side, the 

 round-headed Purple Mountains on the other, and 

 at the head, the bare many-coloured ridge of 

 Macgillicuddy Reeks, while the surface is broken 

 by a variety of silvan islets, presents a landscape 

 of enchanting loveliness. In connection with the 

 lakes, there is a narrow rugged vale named 

 Dunloe, which is usually taken in by a tourist in 

 a survey of this fine scenery. 



Amongst other beautiful places in Munster are 

 Glengarriff, a rugged and most picturesque vale 

 near the head of Bantry Bay; the banks of the 

 Blackwater, between Lismore and Youghal ; the 

 river Lee, below Cork, and the fine natural harbour 

 (the Cove of Cork} in which it terminates ; and the 

 lofty iron-bound coasts of Clare, amidst which are 

 some scenes of uncommon grandeur. 



The soil in the southern parts of Limerick and 

 Tipperary is perhaps not inferior in fertility to any 

 portion of Europe. The Corkass lands of the 

 former, and the Golden Vale of the latter, are 

 celebrated for their extraordinary richness. These 

 districts are chiefly appropriated to the feeding of 

 black-cattle. Wheat is cultivated throughout the 

 limestone districts of Tipperary, Clare, and Lim- 

 erick, while dairy-farming is followed in the moun- 

 tain districts of Kerry and Waterford. The potato- 

 culture necessary to supply the wants of an over- 

 dense population, is pursued throughout the whole 

 province ; and it is a deplorable fact, that a large 

 portion of that population have no other food 

 during the greater part of the year. Cork is 

 the great butter-country of Munster. 



Chief Towns. 



The leading towns of Munster are Cork, Lim- 

 erick, and Waterford. The name Cork is derived 

 from the Irish word Corcah, which signifies a 

 marsh. This city, the third in importance in. 

 Ireland, stands on the river Lee, 1 1 miles inland 

 from the entrance of the river into Cork Harbour. 

 The river divides at the city into several branches r 

 and forms an island, on which part of the city- 

 stands. The Lee is navigable to about a mile 

 above the city. The harbour commissioners have 

 spent above ,300,000 within the last 25 years or* 

 the improvement of the navigation. The extent 

 of the quays is now above four miles, and ships of 

 600 tons reach them. The harbour, noted for its 

 size and safety, is a basin of ten miles square,, 

 formed by the estuary of the Lee. It could contain 

 the whole British navy, and has been the main 

 source of the rise and progress of the city. The 

 entrance is by a channel two miles by one, 

 defended by batteries on Spike, Hawlbowline, and 

 Rocky Islands, which are occupied by convict and 

 ordnance depots, artillery barracks, and a powder- 

 magazine. On the shores of the estuary are 

 the towns of Passage and Queenstown, formerly 

 Cove of Cork. In 1880, 2880 vessels, with a total 

 tonnage of 728,556, entered the port ; and 2526, of 

 649,722, cleared. The exports are valued at several 

 millions sterling yearly. The population in 1871 

 was 100,518 within the parliamentary limits, and 

 in 1881, 104,496. Nine-tenths of them are Roman 

 Catholics. Cork grew up round an abbey, 

 founded in the year 600 by St Finbar. The 

 Danes in the pth century built the city walls. 

 Dermod Maccarthy, king of Cork, surrendered it 

 to Henry II. in 1172. Cromwell besieged and 

 took it in 1649 > an d it was taken by Marlborough 

 in 1688. In Cork, William Penn, the founder of 

 Pennsylvania, became a Quaker, with several of 

 the soldiers of the republican garrison. 



Speaking of Cork, Thackeray says : ' I have 

 said something in praise of the manners of the 

 Cork ladies ; with regard to the gentlemen, a 

 stranger too must remark the extraordinary 

 degree of literary taste and talent amongst them,, 

 and the wit and vivacity of their conversation. . . . 

 The Cork citizens are the most book-loving men 

 I ever met. The town has sent to England a 

 number of literary men of reputation too, and is 

 not a little proud of their fame. ... I think, in 

 walking the streets and looking at the ragged 

 urchins crowding there, every Englishman must 

 remark that the superiority of intelligence is here, 

 and not with us. I never saw such a collection of 

 bright-eyed, wild, clever, eager faces.' 



Limerick, the chief city of the west of Ireland, is 

 situated on the Shannon, near the place where 

 that noble river expands into an estuary. It con- 

 sists of the Old and New Town, respectively situ- 

 ated on the north and south sides of the river, 

 which is crossed by five bridges, one of them the 

 Wellesley Bridge a magnificent structure. The 

 division of the New Town or Irish-town, called. 

 Newtown Perry, is considered one of the most 

 elegant towns in Ireland ; but the Old Town is 

 confined, dirty, decayed, and inhabited by a very 

 miserable population. Limerick has a hand- 

 some cathedral of some antiquity, situated in 

 the old part of the city, five Episcopal churches, 

 meeting-houses belonging to the Presbyterian s, 



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