Official Organ of the Irish Tourist Association Vol. XIII.-No. 5. FEBRUARY, 1938. Threepence. An old lady from West Cork wearing her much-valued hooded cloak, which is a feature of the dress of women in her district. Handwoven from wool and gracefully fashioned and embroidered such a arment becomes a ami! heirloom ha IRISH TRAVEL February, 1938 SIX ROUTES TO· IRELAND Leave Paddington *5.55 p.m. FISHGUARD to COR K-Direct. Every Tues., Thurs. and Sat. LIVERPOOL to DUBLIN Leave Euston *6.5 p.m. Sail 10.15 p.m. Nightly (Sundays excePted). Leave Euston *6.5 p.m. Sail 10.15. p.m. LIVERPOOL to BELFAST Nightly (Sundays excepted). GLASGOW to BELFAST-Direct. S~il from Glasgow,l0.Op.m.t Nightly (Sundays excepted). via Greenock. Every Monday, Wednes­ GLASGOW to DUBLIN day, Friday and Saturday. via Greenock. Every Monday, Wednes­ GLASGOW to DERRY day, Fnday and Saturday. * Restaurant Beet Express. tSaturdays 10.30 p.m. ARDEN LOVERS visiting Ire 1and Donegal G should make a Handwoven point of seeing Lissadell Tweeds and Gardens, where a very Handlmitted large collection of Alpines StockingS, and other Hardy Plants Jumpers, etc., can be seen growing in also fine Rock Gardens, Moraines, Handmade Retaining Walls, etc. Lingerie and Hand. BANK OF IRELAND SEEDS A SPECIALITY. embroidered ESTABLISHED 1783. Goods, always in FACILITIES FOR TRAVELLERS LISSADELL IS SITUATED stock. AT ABOUT FOUR MILES WEST Head Office: COLLEGE GREEN, DUBLIN. OF THE SLIGO - BUNDORAN BELFAST CORK DERRY ROAD. AND 100 TOWN8 THROUGHOUT IRELAND. MANAGER, LISSADELL, EVERY DESCRIPTION OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE BUSINESS TRANSACTED ON ARRIVAL OF LINERS SLIGO BY DAY OR NIGHT AT COSH (QUEENSTOWNl AND GALWAY DOCKS. IRELAND. February, 1938 IRISH TRAVEL SUBSCRIPTION: Wholesale from lhe 5/· PER ANNUM, Irish Tourisl Associalion Posl Free. and from Eason & Son, Lld, COPIES FREE IRISH TO ALL MEMBERS Relail from OF THE all Newsagents and ASSOCIATION AND from lhe OF ITS ASSOCIATE Irish Tourisl Association. DEPARTMENT. Price 3d. TRAVEL ~!~-= OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE IRISH TOURIST ASSOCIATION, DUBLIN ",~.~.:y· .!..::' VOL. XIII. FEBRUARY, 1938. No. 5. Ireland has Gone More and More Big Principal Contents to Denmark PAGE Fish in Ireland T sounds like a new alignment of :he How the Celts Came to Ireland. I small nations. But the diplomatIsts By Seamus J!ac Call 98 N last month's IRISH TRAVEL are not as yet involved, so there is Some Spring Salmon Fishing I we referred to several "stun­ no immediate need for political panic. in Eire. By Laztrie Gaffey 99 ners" among sea fish caught County Kildare-Its Achieve­ Anyhow, it seems only a fair exchange in the waters around Ballycotton, that Ireland should go to Denmark at ments in Literature and in Art. Co. Cork, and officially registered la t, remembering how, to their profit, By Seamus G. 0 Ceallaigh 101 the Danes came to Ireland in boatloads Glencolumbkille, in the High­ among the returns of last year's once upon a time; .. belligerent boat­ lands of Donegal. records. loads" they were, taking in a bit of By Ctaude Wall 103 Britain in their marauding stride as well A Song of Two Ri"ers, No authenticated lists of the past By Thomas Davis 105 the near Ireland where there was land or year's fresh-water angling results Ireland has Always Helped plate to make off with from the natives. to Clothe the "'arid. in Ireland are yet available, but The" good old days," says the modern By Xancie O'Dare 106 some really remarkable catches have critic cynically, meaning the oppOsite, Radio Eireann 109 been reported. A 36 lb. salmon because, of course, we live now in the A Directory of Irish Hotels III .. brave new days," when everyman builds was captured on the Erne in June, a battleship and thirty hostile govern­ and, in the same month, a "dol­ Inents all do the right thing at the right laghan" trout of 14t lbs. was taken moment, or the left thing, or any damned thing, sincc there are enough differing on the Ballinderry River. Among political philosophies rampant to justify brown trout, the more remarkable everything. results were: a 9! lbs. item from This Irish .. going to Denmark" is, Loch Conn, a 9 lb. one at Killarney, happily, above the battle, for, of course, it i only on the pictures that a new and an 8 lbs. 10 oz. fish from Loch invasion of Europe is beginning. It is 1938 FEBRUARY 1938 Mask. for the good of all nations that we should look at each other. For want of the SUN M.ON TUES WED THU FRI SAT train and boat fares the majority of One Hundred in a Day. people can see their travel only in the cinema. So the Irish Tourist Associa­ ~ ~ 1 2 3 .4 5 The famous Corrib fishery at tion, in sending its films' to Denmark, Galway enjoyed an excellent season, is beginning to take Ireland to the world 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 one angler totalling 105 salmon in in the pleasantest way. five weeks. Yet another startling D. L. KELLEHER, 13 14 15 16 11 18 19 in .. Coming Events." individual achievement was by an angler in Waterville, who e rod [ oTE.-The films referred to are some 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 of those made by the LT.A. Film Unit­ killed 233 trout in a week-of .. Treasure Ireland" and .. The Irish 21 28 "'0.- I"'Ov ~ ~ which one day accounted for one Riviera "-which have been very well """'" received in cinema circles.] hundred fish ! 97 IRISH TRAVEL February, 19:.33 IRISH LEGENDS By SEAMUS MacCALL How the Celts Catn£~ to Ireland Hereunder, .lb. Seamus 1I1acCall gives the story of the Celtic invasion of Ireland, which had such far-reaching ejfects on the race and culture of the Island. N the grass-covered slope of Slieve .Riach, looking out on the majestic portal of the Glen O of Aherlow, there once stood the Tara of the South. Early in the fourth century, B.C., its ruler was Scoriath, an estimable man, but one who owes his immortality in legend only to a young and beautiful daughter, Miria. To the h0u,)~ of Scoriath there came Labhraidh Maen, an exiled king of Leinster. He was young learned from him that her husband had taken service and he was handsome. In addition, he had a tale with a king of Gaul and had risen to very high rank. to tell of tragedy and cruelty and the usurpation of Miria thereupon called in the assistance of the his kingdom by a thoroughly wicked uncle. And Bard who had been Labhraidh Maen's tutor. She composed a long poem in which she reminded Maen so Miria fell 1n love with him. of their plighted love, and with her protestations of This did not please Scoriath or his queen; but undying affec.tion she mingled a recital of the miseries with the help of the exile's tutors-a Druid famed which Maen's own people were suffering. She ended for his wisdom and a Bard famed for his music­ with a stirring appeal to his manhood, and begged all obstacles were overcome, and the young couple him to return and lead his people in one more effort had their way. to rid themselves of the tyranny which had so long As a marriage gift Scoriath lent his new son-in-law oppressed them. an army with which to win back his kingdom. But The Bard then set her poem to music, and when it was due to the ability of hiS tutors rather than to that was done, he, too, went off across the sea, with the army that Labhraidh Maen triumphed over the instructions from Miria to sing her lay of love usurper. throughout Gaul until he came upon her lover. The triumph, however, was short-lived. And after This mission was soon crowned with success, and a second encounter with his uncle's forces Labhraidh Labhraidh Maen was so moved by Miria's lay of Maen was again driven out. love that he went to the king of Menapia, under This time he did not go to Scoriath. He feared whom he had served during his exile, and asked that that to do so would embroil his wife's people in a his services should be rewarded by the gift of a war with the usurping king of Leinster, and so, with legion of soldiers. his tutors to take care of her, he sent Miria back At the head of these "two and twenty hundreds to her father while he went to seek other fortune of lance-armeri Gauls" Labhraidh Maen landed in overseas. Ireland one dark night, and by a forced march took Several years passed. And then one day a trader his tyrant uncle by surprise.. The royal house, on from Gaul came to Scoriath's court, and Miria a dun beside the Barrow, which is now known locally as Ballyknockan Moat, was surrounded and set on fire, and the usurper and his under-chiefs were burned with it. Maen, reunited with the faithful Miria, then reigned undisturbed for thirty years. His victorious Gauls settled down in the present province of Leinster, wh~ch takes its name from their iron-bladed spears. It is t? t?em that Ireland owes its introduction to the Celtic iron-age culture of the Continent. And it is to Miria, therefore, that Ireland owes it~ first invasion by the Crlts. 98 February, 1938 IRISH TRAVEL Some Spring Salmon • • Fishing in Eire • • ON THE RIVERS BOY NE, SUIR,,NORE AND BARROW BY LAURIE GAFFEY, Secretary, Irish International Angling Association.