Ireland as a Tourist Resort. 5 1 



Railway Hotel in Galway, which is leased by Major Hackett, 

 who is a model and genial host. This gentleman has purchased 

 the hotel at Clifden, and is rebuilding it. The railway company 

 are also building an hotel at Recess, where there is a fine 

 salmon fishery, just in the heart of Connemara. There is also 

 a first-class hotel at Leenane, most picturesquely situated on 

 Killery Bay. A country possessed of all these varied attractions, 

 with the pure air of the Atlantic fresh from nature's laboratory, 

 should not have much difficulty in attracting visitors. Why 

 had travellers been so scarce in the past ? Some of the 

 reasons had been already given — the difficulty of travelling and 

 the absence of good hotel accommodation. These wants had 

 now been supplied by the light railways and new hotels. But 

 Ireland had suffered in the past from another cause, and that 

 was the absence of the Royal Family. Royalty had not 

 patronised Ireland or the tourist traffic would have been as 

 large as it was in Scotland to-day. A royal residence and more 

 frequent visits from members of the Royal Family would tend 

 to alleviate some of the ills from which this country had 

 suffered. The welcome given to the Royal Duke and Duchess 

 last summer in every part of this country, by every class and 

 section of the Irish people, showed clearly that the policy which 

 kept Royalty from these shores had been a mistaken one. The 

 Shannon route was opened to the public on the occasion of the 

 visit of the Duke and Duchess of York, the Lower Shannon 

 from Limerick to Kilrush, as well as the Upper Shannon from 

 Killaloe, in Clare, to Dr9mod in Leitrim. The Steamer from 

 Killaloe passes Kincora, the site of Brian Boru's palace, into Lough 

 Derg, which contains many islands, one of which, Inniscaltra or 

 Holy Island, is the site of an ancient Celtic monastery. There 

 are the remains of seven churches and a round tower on the 

 island. The principal ruin was the earliest Romanesque church 

 erected in Great Britain or Ireland, even before Canterbury 

 Cathedral. The steamer in going up the river passes another most 

 ancient ecclesiastical site, that is Clonmacnois. Here are two 

 Round Towers and ruins of several churches and sculptured 



