fully armed, and holding the bridles in their hands. One of them lifted his head, and asked, 'Is the time come?' and when he received no answer for the intruder was too much frightened to reply-dropped back into his lethargy. Some of the old folk consider the story an allegory, and interpret it as they desire." This legend has inspired a beautiful ballad on Inishowen. "God bless the gray mountains of dark Donegal ! And fair are the valleys of green Inishowen, From Burt the tourist should proceed northward to visit the Inishowen district. Inishowen is the peninsula of Eoghan,† one of the sons of the famous Niall of the Nine Hostages, and founder of Kinel Owen, or the O'Neil family, who possessed it down to the fifteenth century, from which time the O'Dohertys, descendants of Conail Gulban, were lords of the district till the death of Sir Cahir O'Doherty in 1610. Leaving Burt, the road keeps along the shore of Lough Swilly, in view of the large island of Inch, passes Glebe House, Glen Col* Hon. C. G. Duffy. + Pronounced "Owen." lan, Fahan House, and crossing the beautiful valley of Fahan, often mentioned in the ecclesiastical records of Ireland, enters BUNCRANA, (Hotel, Commercial,) "a pleasant and pretty little bathing-place, situated on the shores of Lough Swilly, between the embouchures of two rivers, the Mill and Crana."* Buncrana is a capital head-quarters from whence to explore the bold headlands at the entrance into Lough Swilly. Here, also, there is good sport for the angler. It has a harbour in which the imperial fleet might ride, but no trade, unless what is done in one mill for flaxspinning. It is the chief of the artillery stations guarding Loughs Swilly and Foyle, and one of the quarter-sessions towns of the county. "It was a place of comparative importance in the time of Elizabeth, but after the confiscation of Ulster, fell into great decay, but was restored and laid out in its present form by Sir John Vaughan, in 1717.”+ Near the present town was a castle of the O'Dohertys, which is now incorporated with a modern building, and, with its approaches and gardens, is a picturesque object." The visitor will get fine views from the summit of Meenkeeragh Hill, or the top of Mouldy Mountain, both of which are in the neighbourhood. 66 * Murray. + Lewis's Topog. Dict. Murray. EXCURSION TO DUNREE HEAD. Keeping along the base of Aghaweel Hill, (1106 feet,) pretty near the shore, and passing Linsfort and the ruin of Ross Castle, at Castleross bridge, the road (at the seventh mile) runs out to Dunree Head, (329 feet,) where there is a fort commanding the entrance into Lough Swilly. It will repay the pedestrian to proceed along the coast to Dunaff Head, (682 feet,) a noble headland defending Lough Swilly from the Atlantic. There is fine coast scenery all the way, with the Urris Hills close on the right; but the Gap of Mamore and the view from the top of Raghten-More, (1656 feet,) will especially interest him. From Dunaff Head the coast trends to the east, and affords abundance of exciting scenery along the shores of the Doagh and Trawbreaga Bays, which last runs up to within three miles of Carndonagh. BUNCRAUNA TO MOVILLE. Leaving Buncrana, the road turns inland, keeping along the left bank of the Owen-Crana for some three miles, after which it runs into the heart of the mountains, holding its way by Mintiagh's Lough, with Slieve Snaght, (2019 feet,) (which is not to be confounded with the mountain of the same name above Lough Barra,*) and the Urris Hills on the left, and at the end of the twelfth mile reaches CARNDONAGH, "a neat little town, which chiefly supplies the commissariat of the Inishowen district. There is, however, but little to see here save a fine cross in the churchyard."+ From Carndonagh the tourist should proceed to Malin, a village situated at the head of Trawbreaga Bay, in which is Doagh island, having out at its north-western extremity the remains of Carrickabrahy Castle, one of the O'Doherty's fortalices. The lover of cliff scenery should explore the coast from Malin on to Malin Head, eight and a half miles from the village, keeping along the cliffs from the Five Fingers to the Head, where there is a lighthouse and a coastguard station. From Malin Tower, which stands 226 feet over the waves, the cliffs trend to the south-east, forming a line of grand mural precipices, running some eight miles to Glengad Head. "The cliffs are very magnificent, being upwards of 800 feet in height, and resembling those of Moher in County Clare, though not presenting the same sheer wall of precipice." From Glengad Head the pe destrian had better return to Malin. Leaving Malin, after travelling about four miles * Page 163. + Murray. Ibid. of a good road, the tourist will cross the peninsula to Culdaff, where a river of the same name, a stream rising a few miles off in the mountains to the south, joins the sea. "See the bountiful Culdah,* careering along A type of their manhood so stately and strong— So they share with the stranger in fair Inishowen." + From Culdaff, the road traverses for some miles a wild but not uninteresting district. After the sixth mile or so it enters into a broad valley, with Squire's Cairn on the right, and Craignamaddy on the left, from which it emerges upon Lough Foyle, reaching at nine and a half miles MOVILLE, (Hotel, Commercial,) "a wateringplace which the citizens of Derry love to frequent in the summer," and it were hard to find a more lovely sea-side resort. It is situated near the entrance to the Lough, so that all the shipping of Derry, which is an active port, passes under the windows. Northward, the blue Atlantic bounds the horizon; while eastward there is a fine view extending from the coast away to the County Derry mountains, showing a fine range behind Newton-Limavaddy. Immediately beyond Moville are the Squire's Cairn to the south-west, and Craignamaddy to the + Ballad-C. G. Duffy. Murray. * Culdaff. |