Ireland: Its Ancient Civilisation and Social Customs. 41 



a sinuose coast line, pierced by bays and fjords ; its lakes, 

 rivers, mountains, glens, all contribute to make it one of the 

 most charming countries in Europe. Those who possess an 

 antiquarian turn of mind have a great choice of ancient monu- 

 ments, including round towers, Celtic churches, beehive huts, 

 and other vestiges of an early Christian period. The monu- 

 ments of pre-Christian times, duns, raths, and cashels, which 

 were the homesteads and stronghold of the Celtic people, that 

 remain as landmarks in every corner of the island, indicative of 

 the large population that once resided in it. Ireland is the 

 most western part of Europe, a fragment of a great continent 

 that in pre-glacial times stretched westward for several hundreds 

 of miles, which the poetic imagination of the Celt still points to 

 as the fairyland, Tyrnanoge, which may be seen sometimes 

 beneath the waters of the western ocean as the sun sinks beneath 

 its surface. The brilliant green of its fields in summer, and the 

 purple of its heath-clad hills in autumn, have a charm for all 

 who are lovers of the beautiful in nature. I shall only have 

 time to skim the surface of a subject brimful of interest. It is 

 gratifying to know that an effort is being made to revive the 

 ancient language and music of Ireland, which for the past century 

 and more have been slowly dying out. Scholars who are competent 

 to torm a correct opinion state that it is most important that Irish 

 should be preserved, that it is in some respects more interesting 

 than either Greek or Latin, and probably an older member of 

 the Aryan group than either. In addition to the great store of 

 Celtic manuscripts, we have a collection of antiquities in the 

 Royal Irish Academy that illustrates our ancient civilisation 

 from the most remote times. Ireland is now a comparatively 

 poor country, but it would seem to have been a rich country 

 in the early ages, if we take into account the great variety 

 of ancient gold ornaments that still remain. No other country 

 in Europe possesses a tithe of the ancient gold ornaments 

 that Ireland has, dating back to the most remote times. 

 The exquisite workmanship displayed on the very oldest of 

 these is a proof of a very high order of artistic skill of ancient 



