35° [P'°c. B.N.F.C, 



A drive of a couple of miles brought the party to the ruined 

 church of Rathcolpa, now Raholp, which is one of the very 

 oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Ulster. This edifice was erected 

 by Saint Patrick, and it was the abbot of this church who 

 administered to the saint the last sacrament. The building is 

 of small size and of very primitive construction, yellow clay 

 being used in the joints instead of mortar. The eastern window 

 is splayed on the inside, and measures 4^ feet high by 10 inches 

 wide. Some effort should be made to conserve this highly im- 

 portant Christian edifice and to prevent its further destruction 

 by the growth of the bushes which infest it, and the action of 

 the wind and weather. Leaving Raholp, the return journey 

 was commenced, and driving back by the Strangford Road, the 

 party crossed the Quoile, to visit the beautifully-situated ruins 

 of Inch Abbey. 



The Abbey of Inch, or Inis-Cumscraid (signifying the 

 Island of Cumscraid (Cooscry), who was one of the sons of 

 Connor MacNessa, and succeeded his father as King of Ulster 

 in the first century) is a very ancient ecclesiastical foundation, 

 and has had a chequered history, having been plundered by the 

 Danes in the year 1001, and rebuilt by John de Courcy in 1 180, 

 and called after him Inis-Courcy. At present the ruins, with 

 the exception of the choir and east window, have almost dis- 

 appeared, but what remains shows the former extent and beauty 

 of the abbey, and with a little trouble a great deal could be done 

 towards restoring fallen portions, and saving the existing remains 

 from sharing a similar fate. In spite of the masses of hoary ivy 

 that cling around the walls, the beautiful proportions of the 

 altar windows may still be traced. Will not the generous and 

 enlightened lord of the soil come forward to rescue these lovely 

 ruins from the destruction that certainly awaits them should 

 they remain much longer in their present neglected condition ? 

 With but little expense the ruins of Inch could be made as 

 charming and interesting a spot as Grey Abbey, so widely 

 known and highly appreciated by visitors and antiquarians. 

 Returning from Inch along the beautiful wooded banks of 



