of the other and more valuable ore, have been long worked, and over which Slieve Kimalta, or the Keeper Hill, lifts its huge domical head 2,278 feet. Near the village is Kilboy House, the fine seat of Lord Dunally; and various handsome seats are scattered throughout this naturally fertile, beautiful, and would that we could add, well cultivated portion of the county of Tipperary.

CHAPTER XIV.

WATERFORD, KILKENNY, AND CARLOW.

I. LIMERICK TO WATERFORD.

HE railway from Limerick to Waterford crosses Tipperary, and brings us to two towns in that county, the notice of which we have reserved for the present opportunity-namely, Cahir and Clonmel, the latter of which is the capital of the North Riding. The town of Tipperary we have already disposed of, because it lies near the main line from Dublin to Cork.

Cahir is beautifully situated on the river Suir, laid out with taste, cleanly kept, and having a respectable appearance. The castle stands on an island in the river. It is now the property of the Hon. Colonel Charteris, married to the heiress of the late Earl of Glengal, under whose management a discontented and turbulent tenantry have been made comfortable, contented, and grateful to their landlord, and to his most benevolent lady, whom the poor speak of as an angel.

The demesne of Cahir House stretches for two miles alongside of the Suir. It is beautifully wooded, and it need scarcely be added that the land is very rich. The two churches, Protestant and Catholic, are handsome buildings, in keeping with the scenery. A ruined abbey stands a short way up the river; and Cahir Castle occupies a bold site on an island, with a bridge on each side. It is of con

siderable extent, but irregular. It was taken in the reign of Elizabeth by Sir George Carew, and in 1650 by Cromwell. In 1543 Thomas Butler, of Cahir, was created Baron Cahir; and in 1816, Richard, eleventh Baron, was made Earl of Glengal. There are many flour mills in the town; and owing to the number of roads meeting here, and passing through rich districts, the business transacted is considerable. Population, 2,977.

Clonmel is situated eleven miles from Cahir, and about twenty-eight miles from Waterford. The population is II, 190. The town is built on both sides of the Suir, and on Moore and Long Islands, which are connected with the mainland by three bridges. The borough sends one member to Parliament; constituency, 291. It has the usual public buildings for an assize town, but there is nothing remarkable about them in an architectural point of view. There are six or seven Protestant places of worship, of different denominations, and three Catholic churches, two convents, and a number of schools. The Friends have for a long time been the leading business men in the town as mill-owners and manufacturers; and the Messrs. Malcomson, of Portlaw, have branch factories here for cotton and linen.

In 1650 this town stood a memorable siege, when Hugh O'Neill, at the head of 1,200 men, hastily levied, so gallantly defended the place that even Cromwell, who commanded the besiegers, was driven to despair, until, as the story goes, he picked up a silver bullet, and sagaciously drew the conclusion that the ammunition of the garrison was exhausted, since they were obliged to melt their plate. The grandson of Thomas Scott, one of William's officers, became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and was made Baron Earlsfort, and afterwards Earl of Clonmel.

The railway from Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir nearly follows the course of the river through the beautifully-diversified and picturesque scenery of the valley lying between the Slievenamon Mountains on the north, and the Commeragh Mountains on the south. Six miles from Clonmel, to the right, is Gurteen, formerly the seat of Richard Lalor Sheil, and now belonging to Mr. de La Poer, M.P. for the county Waterford.

Carrick-on-Suir, as its name imports, is situated on the Suir, to which it runs parallel, in one long street, east to west, with some short ones leading down to the river. Here once stood a stately castle, in the midst of a park belonging to the Dukes of Ormond. It was erected on the site of the Priory of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Here the great duke was living when he heard the report of the rebellion of 1641, in which he took a leading part. In this town there are several woollen manufactories, the trade of which has, of late years, been very prosperous.

WATERFORD CITY.

Waterford is situated on the south-west bank of the Suir, and is connected with its north suburb of Ferry Bank, in county Kilkenny, by a wooden bridge of 39 arches, 832 feet long. The population is 23,293, about 2,000 less than it had been in 1851. The corporation consists of the mayor, ten aldermen, and thirty councillors. It returns two members to Parliament, the constituency being 1,383. The harbour is formed by the channel of the Suir, from the city to its confluence with the Barrow, and thence, by the estuary, to the sea, a distance. of 15 miles. The entrance is two and a half miles wide, lighted by a bright fixed light on Hook Tower, 139 feet above the sea, by a red light on Dunmore Pier, and two lights at Duncannon. Vessels of 2,000 tons can discharge at the quays.

On the northern side of the river, the suburb of Ferry Bank, in which are the principal ship-building yards, extends for a considerable distance; and the bank, rising to a considerable elevation behind the suburb, is adorned with handsome villas, and their accompanying plantations.

This city has been peculiarly distinguished by its relations with English Royalty, and there are many points of general interest in its history. It is supposed by some to have been founded in the year 155, and probably there was a town of some sort here at a much earlier age, as the neighbourhood abounds in heathen monuments. Indeed, the very name of the place indicates its heathen origin. It was originally

called Cuan-na-Grioth, which signifies the harbour of the sun. There is a tradition, that on festal days the people of the town went out in procession to a high conical hill in the adjoining county of Kilkenny, and offered sacrifice to the sun upon its summit. It is now called Tory Hill, but in the Irish language it is only known as 'the Hill of the Sun.' The city, however, as it exists at present, was founded by the Danes sometime in the eighth century; and down to the time of the English invasion it was inhabited by Danes, Ostmen, or Easterlings, as they were usually called; and as the natives were very hostile, there was not much intermixture of races. The modern name of the city is decidedly Danish. We believe the proper origin of it is that which is given by Mr. Hansard in his valuable History of Waterford, recently published. It is 'Vader-fiord,' which in the Norse language means the Harbour or Haven of Vader, a Scandinavian God. The Northmen seem to have had four stations on the east coast, to which they gave Norse names, Vader-fiord, Wess-fiord (or Westhaven, Wexford), Carlin-fiord (Carlingford), Strang-fiord (Strangford in the county Down). They fortified Waterford by three castles, one of which, Reginald's Tower, still remains, a very interesting monument of the past.

There are many other towers and castles about the city, some of them built by individuals. The Danish towers on the walls were semicircular, the Norman castles being always square.

Among the ecclesiastical foundations were the Priory of St. John the Evangelist, founded by the Earl of Morton; the Monasteries of the Black Friars, and of the Dominicans. The old cathedral dedicated to the Trinity was built by the Ostmen in 1996, when they first embraced Christianity. It was taken down, however, in 1773, and the present cathedral was erected on its site and opened in 1779. It was constructed to a large extent from the materials of the demolished building, and without the slightest regard to the sacredness of antiquity. Instead of renovating in scrupulous or superstitious imitation of the old church, they had adopted a plan of their own better suited to Protestant worship.

There are several other Protestant churches in Waterford worth seeing: St. Patrick's, St. Olive's, St. Thomas's, and the French church, which was originally used by French refugees, whose minister had an endowment. The last incumbent survived all his congregation. There are six Roman Catholic churches in Waterford. The principal, the cathedral in Barronstrand Street, supposed to be one of the largest churches in Ireland, is capable of accommodating 11,000 people. It was built in 1793, at an expense of £20,000, which was raised chiefly by collections at the chapel door.

The Suir, as formerly stated, rises in Tipperary, and after a course of about forty miles it passes Clonmel, and is navigable for boats to Carrick-on-Suir. From Waterford it flows by a circuitous course, and after three miles it is joined by the united Nore and Barrow, after which it expands into something like an arm of the sea, twenty miles in length. Since 1816 the harbour has been improved, under an Act of Parliament, by deepening the channel, at a cost of £22,000.

There was no bridge erected on the Suir till 1794. The present structure was undertaken in 1793, by a company who subscribed £30,000 for the bridge, and for the purchase of the ferry. It was a good speculation, for the debentures now sell at a high figure. The present bridge was built of American oak, by a Mr. Cox, a native of Boston, who also erected the magnificent bridge over the Slaney, and also those of Derry, Portumna, and Ross.

On the 18th October, 1171, Henry II. sailed into the harbour of Waterford, and landed here with 500 knights and 4,000 soldiers. At Lismore he met the chief men of Ulster, as well as the bishops and abbots of Ireland, who recognised his rights as lord of the island. Waterford was then enlarged, by the addition of new streets and walls, while its castles and towers were repaired and strengthened. In 1185 he sent over his son John to keep down the turbulent Irish, whose chiefs his courtiers insulted, by laughing at their beards. John, then only nineteen years of age, was ill-fitted for the task imposed upon him.