further approach of the shipping, whose slender masts and swelling canvas seemed mixed "the woods among."

Higher still, above tide-end, bridges of curious form rendered facility of intercourse to that exemplary and useful portion of our community, the Society of Friends-the soul and centre of the Waterford trade; and should they leave Clonmel, that business town, a bill might then be well stuck up, "A toon to let," as the bra' Scotchman said of LONDON, if his countrymen should leave it!

Rattling through Clonmel left little time for making notes; but prevailing on our post-boy to vacate his saddle for the driving-box-in which I joined him—I succeeded in drawing forth, as we moved along, more than one tale connected with the wild locality upon which we soon entered.

Expressing my admiration of the Cathedral Rock now seen in front, the ready, "Well, your honour," of my new companion, made me all attention." Well, your honour,” said he, "it's maybe you never heer'd the ra-al truth about that same Rock of Cashel, that we're looking at forenenst us?

“There was an Irish joyant, in the ra-al ould auncient times, one Fin-ma-Cool; a prence or king he was, afar away there in the county Clare; a wise and great man too, be all accounts, and when he died (Lord rest his sowl) the people, by his biddin', tuck him to the highest mountain-top, and berrid him: so that when his sperit left them, only lookin' up, they might remember all he towl'd them, and be ever minded of his coorse in life, for pattern.*

"It so happened in his lifetime-at laist the story's towl'dthat the divel" (and my Jehu blessed himself) "made bowld to venthur in upon his paiceable dominions; so the joyant, *Note at end of Chapter.

'quiet' as a lamb when let alone, ris in earnest out agin him. Then the battle and the blows, 'tis said, was terrible, ontil the divel, hard-pressed (the Lord be betune us and harm!) was obleeged to show his wings, and fly across the Shannon; but Fin-ma-Cool detarmined still to folly him up, and not having wings to cross the river, heaved rock on rock into the flowin' wather, ontil he made a foord for himself, where the bridge is now, at Killileu, that wasn't then; and it's plain to see the wathers stopp'd to this very day, for twenty miles above it!

"Well, the joyant came at him all so suddent, that in spite of himself, he had to keep to the wings in airnest (for if he would, you know, he'd never like to be so noticeable), at all ivints, not darin' to rest himself agin; he was so jaded when he kem to Barnan Mountain, that, though he done his best, be sure, he couldn't rise right over it, and so, in very madness, he tuk the bit you now see out of it, and thinking to dhrop it on the joyant, who druv him off and folly'd him so bowldly up, he let it go at Cashel, and it was the Lord that saved the joyant and the town; but the king of Munster, that was then a Cormack, and a ra-al ould Irish king, I'm towl'd, detarmined (with the Bishop's help to bless it) to build the Grand Cathedral on the Rock we all see there, that the divel nor his people might never again come next or nigh it; and there it has remained till now, and maybe his honour in the inside might wish to take a look at it."

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NOTE. From Montgomery's "Native Poetry of Ireland," page 25. M'Glashen, Dublin, 1846 :—“ A.D. 254. The reign of CORMAC ULFADA, or, as he is variously termed by different writers, Mac-Art and O'Con (that is, Son of Art and grandson of Con), forms, perhaps, the most brilliant period in our pagan annals. This royal sage, who ascended

CORMAC ULFADA.-FIN MA-COOL.

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the throne as supreme monarch of Ireland, about the middle of the third century, was possessed of every princely quality that could give lustre to the crown. The nobility of the man eclipsed the dignity of the monarch. Losing the sight of one eye, he became incapacitated from holding the reins of government; he, therefore, vacated the throne, and, like Charles V., in later time, spent the remainder of his life in philosophic retirement. . . . Cormac's own writings, &c. leave a lustre round his age, which has been heightened by the contemporary renown of FIN MA-CUMBAL, or MA-COOL (the Fingal of Macpherson), who has figured as a sort of hero demi-god, in the legends of subsequent times. The names of Finn and his son Oisin, or OSSIAN, are intimately connected with the subject of Irish poetry. .

Finn was instrumental in founding the colony of Scoti, in Argyleshire, from which Scottish historians themselves acknowledge was derived the royal line of the Stuarts. (See Sir W. Scott's "History of Scotland," vol. i., ch. ii., &c.)

JAMES THE FIRST, in a speech which he made at Whitehall in 1613, said, that "there was a double reason why he should be careful of the welfare of that people, (the Irish,)—first as King of England, and also as King of Scotland; for the ancient Kings of Scotland were descended of the Kings of Ireland."-Cox's HIBERN. ANGLICAN, in MONTGOMERY'S FOETRY OF IRELAND.

There is every reason to believe that FIN-MA-COOL was really buried on the summit of Slieve-Gullion. The fact, if it is so, and if not, the traditionary desire that it should have been so, affords a strong adhe sion to Oriental customs. Amongst other corroborating circumstances it is recorded, that the Kings of Persia were buried on a high hill outside Persepolis, for reasons very similar to those given by our amusing Irish charioteer.

CHAPTER II.

MULLIGAN OF MEALIFFE MUNSTER FESTIVALS-MARRIAGE

IN THE MOUNTAINS.

As advised by our charioteer at Cashel, we took a glanceI regret it was necessarily so hasty-at the venerable buildings on the Rock, of which a general view is given.

The founding of these noble structures, by Cormac O'Con, or Ulfada, supreme monarch of Ireland, dates so far back as the third century.

These splendid memorials of so early an age are still in such a state of preservation, as to well repay a visit; but their architecture and their ornament have been so minutely described by others more capable of doing them justice, that I have the less reason to regret my inability, at the time, to take more particular notice of them. I shall only observe here that, some years since, the well-known antiquarian, Dr. Petrie, presented to the Royal Irish Academy an elaborately-finished ancient crosier, discovered not very long before amongst the ruins on the "Rock," and of which the doctor has given a very interesting description; showing that, even at that early date, the Irish had arrived at a very high degree of art in the manufacture of metals; the

ANCIENT CROSIER.

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crosier being of copper, superbly gilt, exquisitely worked, and adorned with precious stones.*

As the carriage with fresh horses awaited us, and our journey was to close with the dusk, reluctantly we left this interesting locality, and parted with our loquacious driver, who had made himself so entertaining.

Although late in autumn, the afternoon being fine, and my appetite for information and for anecdote unabated, I had begged that long reins should be provided for our new conductor; still it may be right to observe, that in permitting him to dispense with his saddle and to drive from the box, we gained but little in the way of safety; for, although the Irish postboy, as postilion, conducts his horses and carriage with singular adroitness, certainty, and safety, he is not so sure in the more dignified position of a coachman ; and therefore, except in a case where a wayside tale may be gathered, he had better be left to drive in the customary way.

While my friend in the inside of the chariot was now occupied with his meditations, my skill was exercised in drawing on my outside friend, the driver, and in learning his propensities.

Ere long I ascertained, that, as my recent box-companion had dealt in the wonderful and superstitious, this apparently good-humoured fellow, however full of fun, had evidently the pugnacious tendency so common to the Irish character

Our chat, which commenced in a series of short questions and ready replies, not destitute of pungency and wit, led *See "The Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," and Description in full in the Appendix.

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