146 LIFE IN IRELAND 



from antiquity, and the reverence which superstition 

 bears to anything of notoriety. Thus there are Saint 

 Mary's, Saint Catherine's, Saint Dennisses, Saint Jen- 

 nings, and Saint Murdoch's, which are holy wells ; at 

 all of these people congregate in thousands, for the 

 purpose of washing away their sins. 



I am not aware why these wells have been termed 

 holy, unless it may arise from their issuing from a hole 

 in the ground; 'tis no matter, a dip is accounted by 

 Pat sufficient licence for him to commit with impunity, 

 for the ensuing year, any crimes he chuses. The 

 morning was fairly a wet day, when our heroes set off 

 on a hired jaunting-car for Balbriggan, accompanied 

 by Pat Mooney. The drive down by the Skerries is 

 fine, and the fishing smacks on the ocean appear superb 

 objects to those who are so far off as to be unable to 

 distinguish colours. Behind the charming little village 

 of Balbriggan lay a long valley, called from its beauty 

 and heaven-like appearance, ' The Devil's Drawing- 

 room ' ; and strange as it may appear, here the Virgin 

 Mary has established a bath. The time is very doubt- 

 ful when this streamlet was decreed to issue from the 

 turf bog; but the Psalter of Cashel attributes its exist- 

 ence to the very identical day and hour when Joseph 

 of Arimathea planted the Glastonbury thorn. Such 

 authority cannot be doubted— it is as true as the Rights 

 of Ma?t, or Hotie^s Gospel. 



Surrounded by an elegant circle of Irish trees, and 

 bramble bushes, is discovered this little halloived wash- 

 hand basin ; on one side of it runs in eccentric meander, 

 a fine heavy gutter, well stocked with frogs, pigs, and 

 ducks; right in its front a sibean house hangs in terrific 



