SALMON ANGLING IN IBELAND. 279 



yet to be won. Patience, a quick eye, and light hand did some- 

 thing towards the winning, when my gallant squire, seizing his 

 opportunity, rushed manfully into the iiielee and gave the coup de 

 grace to our enemy. This brought our afifairs to an end on the 

 Gweedore river. For the next five or six days we were faithful to 

 the Claddy; and as the water, though falling still, kept in good 

 trim, we did very well, bringing home each day two or three salmon 

 and more or less white trout. 



Taken as a whole, Gweedore Hotel forms an admirable sporting 

 residence from the 20th of June to the end of the season. During 

 the last eight weeks of that time, the gun may be taken into 

 partnership with the rod ; but to the sportsman who prefers the 

 angle, I may say, without fear of contradiction, he will find few 

 days in which a salmon may not be taken, either in river or lough ; 

 and when this cannot be done, close to the house he will meet with as 

 good small brown trout fishing as can be had in the three kingdoms. 



There is stiil one water in the neighbourhood which must be 

 mentioned. On the summit of the lofty mountain, in front of the 

 house, lies a tarn of ten or perhaps fifteen acres in extent (at all 

 events it does not look more), called Lough Na-Brack-Baddy, or the 

 Lake of the Saucy Trout. I never visited it but once, and then 

 during a long spell of impracticable weather. No boat, to my 

 knowledge, ever floated on its surface ; yet it holds noble fish, 

 unsurpassed for beauty of foim and excellence of flavour. The one 

 whose capture is recorded in the earlier part of this chapter came out 

 of it, and would in due time perhaps have returned, had he not 

 been taken in by your scribe, and subsequently devoured by an 

 unprincipled " mercantile ambassador." Old Dan was never weary 

 of describing its glories, and every word he spoke was true. Give me 

 a Curragh there in May and June, with a few good baits, and a cast 

 of ordinary lake flies, and I should be well content to bide the issue. 



Private and confidential : Some day we intend to try it. Should 

 the experiment fall beloiv the level of our gi'eat expectations, depend 

 on it, my dear Sir, i/oit shall immediately receive the fullest infor- 

 mation of our exploits. 



