OCR Text |
Show IMPRESSIONS OLD AND NEW (Continued.) A very interesting portion of the City of Gal-way Gal-way is the Claddagh, the home of the Fishermen. It is a very old part of the city, and the houses are for the most part thatched. Irish is spoken in every home there and many old customs are stjll in use. The people have a king and laws of their own, and a great spirit of unity and charity prevails amongst them. A very pretty religious ceremony is practiced prac-ticed amongst them at the beginning of the fishing season. It is the blessing of the sea by a Dominican Domi-nican priest from the adjacent convent. The fishermen fish-ermen gather on that day in all their strength, and headed by their king they row their boats out to the open sea and when a certain distance from land they form their boats in a circle around the boat the priest is in and then the sea is blessed. It was- one of the most interesting sights I had ever witnessed, and the simple faith and piety of those poor fishermen produce an effect on those who witness it and effect that has a lasting impression. im-pression. In another part of the city is a stone which tells us that here a father hanged his own son. The son, it seems, committed some offense which in the old days was a capital crime, and his sentence was the rope. Xot being able to find a hangman, the gruesome grue-some duty devolved upon the sheriff, who happened hap-pened to be the father of the condemned. The father fa-ther did not shirk his duty, and on the day named for the execution he carried out with his own hand the sentence of the law. Galway possesses a fine bay, the only thing that militates against its becoming an important se. port being the shallowness of its waters and the dangerous rocks that abound there. Ireland has many other fine cities and towns, but it would fill a volume to speak about the characteristics of each. I will content myself with saying this: They have all wonderfully improved during late years in the matter of sanitation and industry, and a great deal of this is owing to the power which the English government placed in the people's hands through the county and district councils. The scenery of Ireland can hold' its own with that of any other country, and during late years, owing to the opening open-ing up of railroads, the facility of traveling afforded afford-ed by motor-cars and bicycles, a visit to the various vari-ous places of interest, conies within easy reach of the visitor. Wicklow has justly been called the "Garden of Ireland." There dark mountains raise their peaks, in silent scorn of time and storm and man. Xes-tling Xes-tling at their feet arc fertile, warm and pleasant valleys, romantic woods and picturesque glades. Streams wend their way through quiet dells or roll their sparkling waters down rugged precipices. "They wind about, and in and out, With here a blossom sailing. And here and there a lusty trout, .And here and there a grayling." Bray, the Dargle Powerscourt and the sweet vale of Avoca, which Moore has immortalized in verse "There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet. s Oh! the last rays of feeling and life must depart Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart" are places to see which is never to forget. 2so visitor visit-or comes away from Ireland without having seen Heaven's reflex Killarney. There you have the majestic mountains soaring aloft, and girdling beautiful lakes, ruined abbeys and castles renowmxl in song and story, every rood of earth breathes a beauty and an historic past. Muckross Abbey, O'Sullivan's Cascade, Boss Castle, Glena Bay, the , Gap of Dunloe, and Iunesfallen, who has not heard of them. As you rest on your oars on any one of the beautiful lakes and gaze around you the lines of Callanan rush hot from your lips : "In deep-vallied Desmond, a thousand wild fountains foun-tains Come down to that lake, from their home in the moun'Vuns; There grows the wild ash. and a time-stricken willow Looks chidingly down on the mirth of the billow, As like some gay child, that sad monitor scorning, -ujoui jo iimu o o ijouq sunu A'P.Si i"g, And its zone of dark hills oh! to sec them all brightening. When the tempest flings out its red banner of lightning And the waters rush down 'mid the thunder's deep rattle Like the clans from the hills, at the voice of the battle. And brightly the fire-crested billows arc gleaming " And wildly from Maolagh the eagles are scrcam-' scrcam-' ins." , A number of islands of the most picturesque forms are scattered over the surface of the lakes, some of them giant masses of rock, others redundant redun-dant in vegetation, producing plants, shrubs and trees, notably the mountain ash and the arbutus, with its tempting berries. It would occupy me too long to speak about the scenery and historic ruins on either side of the Shannon, the wild and majestic majes-tic beauty of the western sea coast, the classic and varied scenery of the land of the O'Neills and O'DonneiFs. All I will say is this tlie greatest, or one of the greatest, happiness on earth is enjoyed when gazing on the beauties of nature, and nowhere can you realize this enjoyment more completely i i than in dear old Ireland. Oh! let us hope and pray that better times may be in store for a country which is so beautiful in scenery and people. L suppose sup-pose there are no more sporting people in the world than the' Irish. They indulge in this pastime for the pure love of the thing. What a sight it is to sc Punchostovvn, the greatest steeplechase course in the world Baldoyle Fairyhouse. Cork Park and so many more. After, the love of God. home and country coun-try the love of a good horse ranks next in an Irishman's Irish-man's heart. Those who are fortunate enough to see Punchestown can never forget the scene they see there. The stands are packed with all classe of people, and there is an equality which the racing field gives amongst that immense multitude. Out before ' the stands the country people, for miles around are congregated, and all thouble and care seems for the time to be forgotten. The race track, with its sward of green and the wide river, stiff double ditch, formidable stone wall, and many more ' staclcs calculated to give the timorous heart the suivers, stretches away almost out of sight. The saddle bell rings and the horses come out on the course, and what magnificent specimens of horseflesh horse-flesh they arc. Trained to the hour, they are fit, each of them, to run the race of their lives. The flag fall: a shout goes up from the excited multitude, multi-tude, "They're off!" and the bright jackets flash past. Every spectator there has a fancy, and with bated breath he follows that fancy every inch of the journey. When the competitors are nearing home, words fail to describe the excitement that prevails. Shouts arise from all quarters "The Greek Girl wins." "Xo. no! Breemont's Pride!" "Lavender Kid in a canter!" The most stoical person per-son there feels the excitement; sticks, hats and handkerchiefs wave, the horses dash past the post, and a tumult of cheers, such as you never hear anywhere any-where else, rend the air. What is true of horse racing rac-ing is true of all other kinds of amusement, hurling, football, throwing the weights, foot raciugs and so forth. The love of sport, under all its aspects, is in the Irishman's blood, and he is the better of it. Ah, yes' Ireland is indeed a glorious old laud, with a people second to none in morals, hospitality, keenness of intellect, bravery and those other qualities quali-ties which make a people great. Ilev children scattered scat-tered over many lands follow the destinies of their mother with hearts full of love and eyes full of hope for her welfare. "Deep in Canadian woods we've met, And we never may sec again That dear old isle where our hearts are set And our first fond hopes remain. But, come, fill up another cup. And with every sup let's say, Here's loved old Ireland, Good old Ireland Ireland, bovs. hurra!" Xext week we will take our journey to the land o' the mountain and mist Scotland. BY CABIN. |