the well-wooded lands, which were formerly monastic property.
~Portarlington~, a small town on the Barrow, has the seat of the Earl of
Portarlington. The river divides the town, and is the boundary here
between Kildare and the Queen's County. The Irish name of this place is
Coltody; but in the time of the "Merrie Monarch" it was given to a court
favourite, Lord Arlington, who here built a little harbour on the
Barrow, whence its name. In the townland of Deer Park, near the town,
there is still a colony of pure Huguenot descent. Portarlington is the
junction of the branch line running to Athlone.

~Maryborough~ is pleasantly situated on the river side. From the Rock of
Dunamaise, an old fort of "Dermot of the Foreigners" in an almost
impregnable position, there is a splendid view of the Slieve Bloom
mountain ranges. At Ballybrophy is the junction for the Parsonstown and
Roscrea and Nenagh branches. ~Roscrea~, under the Devil's Bit mountains,
has celebrated ecclesiastical remains and a modern Cistercian Monastery,
the parent house of which is the famous Mount Melleray Abbey. Among the
ruins of interest to the antiquary are the remains of Augustinian and
Franciscan foundations, and a Round Tower, about the foot of which St.
Cronan had one of the early schools in Ireland in the sixth century. A
square tower of the Butlers and a tower of Prince John's Castle will
repay attention. ~Birr Castle~, the seat of the Earl of Rosse at
Parsonstown, is surrounded by a fine park. It is remarkable for its
mammoth telescopes, one of which is fifty-two feet long, with a speculum
six feet in diameter. Nenagh, at the foot of the Silvermines and Keeper
mountains (2,278 feet), is a stirring market town, and possesses a
Norman keep in fair preservation. Birdhill brings us to the Shannon, the
attractions of which are dealt with in another chapter.

[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Birr Castle.]

[Illustration: _Photo, Lawrence, Dublin._ Lord Rosse's Telescopes at
Birr.]

[Illustration: _Photo, Roche, Dublin._ The Bridge, Athlone.]

The branch line which runs from Portarlington to Athlone, runs right
through the Bog of Allen. It is available for through passengers for
Connemara. For miles, the undulating bog land, green and brown. The
~King's County~ still remains out of the primeval forests, and its great
peat fields are the only source of wealth to the surrounding peasantry.
~Athlone~, some two miles below Lough Ree, on the Shanno