THE COLOUR OF THE WEST 



and on its banks what is called "the hidden garden" a 

 stretch of fairy beauty. Words are poor things to de- 

 scribe the vision which breaks so unexpectedly upon the 

 eye. Everything that gardening art can do has been 



accomplished 

 at Loughcool. 

 YOU have ter- 

 races and a 

 glory of roses 

 overhanging the 

 water even this late Sep- 

 tember/ and there are "Auratum" 

 Lilies rising in splendid groups on each 

 side of a grass walk that runs grandly into the 

 woods between stately trees. The lady of Lough- 

 cool is fighting a hard fight to make Azaleas and Rhodo- 

 dendrons grow in the limy soil / but it is a question whether 

 the struggle is worth while. 



"We have given it up/' says the sensible chatelaine of 

 Kilcoultra. 



We smiled privately. Villino Loki has at least some 

 points of superiority. 



We made another expedition, over the border into County 

 Clare. A white plastered pillared house this, dating from 

 the terrible neo-Italian period of the end of the last century. 

 There dwells an eccentric gentleman, one of the chief 

 instigators of the Young Ireland movement / but he was 

 unfortunately away. We visited the house, and were 

 entertained by his housekeeper. This lady's name was 



285 



