Gossipings about the Parish of Saul. 49 



in the waters. The surroundings of Saul will bear favourable 

 comparison with any scenery in the North of Ireland. There 

 you have wood and water, mountain peaks, and lovely valleys, 

 stretching far away in the distance, till we can clearly define 

 upon the horizon the stately towers of Scrabo, Helen's of 

 Bangor, Slieve-Croob, and the Mourne Range. Over against 

 the north-east corner, bordering on the lake shore, stands the 

 high embattled tower of Myra Castle, frowning down upon the 

 peninsula of the Ards, like a mighty sentinel as in days of yore, 

 keeping watch and ward over the most fertile and highly 

 cultivated tract of country in the world. Saul seems to have 

 been the centre of a great ecclesiastical district, even at the time 

 of the Druids. I am led to form this conclusion in consequence 

 of the abundant evidence which the district presents. I find 

 that Slieve-na-griddle (Slieve-gridiron), '' Mountain peak of the 

 sun," which is crowned with a large flat stone, is in direct line, 

 or rather at right angles, with Slieve Donard and Slieve Croob ; 

 so, to complete the figure, we have Slieve-gridian in the east, 

 Slieve Donard in the south, and Slieve-Croob in the west. 

 There is a most perfect Druidical temple close to the ancient 

 abbey of Erinagh, or Carnig, in a field at (Laig-na-madda) 

 Ligamaddy (the dog's hollow). The above-named abbey, as 

 you will remember, was demolished by De Courcey, who atoned 

 for his crime by building the abbey of Inch (Inis Courcey), the 

 island church of Courcey, formerly called Iniscumscraidh. He 

 translated all the property of the former to the latter — the 

 three circles — those on the outside for the bards, the second for 

 the priests, and the third for the Archdruids, can be distinctly 

 seen, together with the guard stones, or " bowing stones," in the 

 fields around the temple. I counted forty-eight stones as 

 belonging to it. There is a second temple near at hand on the 

 farm of Mr. Cleland, Ballyalton (" the Httle cliff"), besides 

 innumerable items of interest, which I must pass over. At 

 Slieve-Croob (" the hill of the cairns") are twelve cairns, upon 

 which the Archdruids stood when proclaiming the " Brehon," 

 or unwritten law of Ireland. In more modern times Down- 

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