FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103  
104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   >>   >|  
chias form a thick glade, and the trunks of several of them almost defy the ordinary axe or saw. There are on the island, besides holy wells, a number of soutterains and cairns, that "Sit upon the ground To tell sad stories of the death of kings." [Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ At Valencia.] [Illustration: _Photos, Cuthbert, Valencia._ Valencia Harbour. Fishing Fleet. Entrance to Valencia Harbour.] [Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Cliffs at Valencia.] Irish is freely spoken on the island, and if properly introduced, the visitor may be able to hear many old stories of Finn and his companions, the Gabawn Saior, and other heroes of the peasants' heart. Thick as mists at morn legends hover about the island, and beyond the great Slate quarries may be seen many caves of great interest. There is a tradition on the island that St. Vincent Ferrar landed there. The harbour offers a deep and sheltered anchorage, and was formerly much frequented by smugglers, whose cave is still shown. Paul Jones often put in here, and on one occasion pressed into his service a number of fishermen, whom he took from the neighbouring fishing grounds. None of them returned except one, who had long been imprisoned in France, but he came home "with a stocking full of doubloons," and his children's children are still known as "The Paul Jones's." At ~Brayhead~, "Where the broad ocean leans against the land," there is a splendid view from nearly eight hundred feet above the sea. The rocks around the coast, encircled with white foam, make a beautiful contrast to the grey and emerald and gold of the sandy coves and green hills. [Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Cliffs at Valencia.] Dolus and Bolus Heads reach far into the ocean. The ~Skelligs~, "the most western of Christ's fortresses in the ancient world," raise their heads to the south, while northwards the Great Blasket, a mountainous island, and its eleven brothers, with Innisvic Killane, may be seen. On the 10th September, 1588, the Armada ship, _Our Lady of the Rosary_, of 1,000 tons, was wrecked in the Blasket Sound; among the many who perished was the Prince of Askule, natural son to King Philip of Spain. Around the coast line there have been many wrecks, and not a few are the pathetic stories still told of them on the island. The last wreck of importance gave another opportunity for the intrepid islanders to show what stern stuff they were
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103  
104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Valencia

 

island

 

Illustration

 

stories

 

Dublin

 
Lawrence
 

Cliffs

 

Blasket

 

children

 
Harbour

number

 
Skelligs
 

western

 

fortresses

 

northwards

 

ancient

 

Christ

 

hundred

 

splendid

 

contrast


beautiful

 

emerald

 

mountainous

 

encircled

 

brothers

 

pathetic

 

wrecks

 

Around

 

importance

 

islanders


opportunity

 
intrepid
 

Philip

 

September

 

Armada

 
eleven
 

Innisvic

 

Killane

 

Rosary

 

Prince


perished

 

Askule

 

natural

 

wrecked

 

legends

 

heroes

 
peasants
 

Ferrar

 

Vincent

 

landed