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at the monastery. Although he was greatly aided by a train of artillery that had come to him by sea from Galway, O'Donnell's men pressed him so hotly that he soon resolved to retreat from Tyrconnell. One morning at early dawn, leaving his military stores behind him, he contrived to cross the ford a little above the Fall, but not without a large loss in men, who were carried in great numbers down the cataract. In the settlement between Rory O'Donnell and James I., in 1603, Ballyshannon and one thousand acres of the surrounding territory were reserved to the king, from which time the old castle often changed masters, till, after its capture by the Earl of Clanrickarde in 1652, it ceased any longer to be the habitation of human beings. Of this famous castle not a vestige now remains, save a piece of the old walls incorporated with some back building attached to the premises of Mr Stephens, a merchant in the town.

Distances.-Ballyshannon to Bundoran, 4 miles; to Kinlough, 6 miles; to Garrison, 9 miles; to Ballintra, 61⁄2 miles; to Donegal, 131⁄2 miles; to Pettigo, 17 miles.

I. EXCURSION TO Bundoran, Kinlough, Lough MELVIN, AND GARRISON.

Leaving Ballyshannon for Bundoran you cross

the Erne, and emerging "nothing loath" from the narrow dilapidated street of the Purt, you pursue your way over a road that has nothing in its immediate neighbourhood to interest you, but from which, as you proceed, you begin to gain fine views of sea and mountain in the distance. To the right, down amidst a waste of sandhills, are the remains of the church of Innismacsaint, from which the parish takes its name, the site of which is supposed to have been an island before the drifting of the sand. At the end of the fourth mile you arrive at

BUNDORAN, "the great north-west bathing-place, to which the rank and fashion of Ireland have been of late resorting."* The principal hotels are Hamilton's and Gallagher's. Bundoran has a commanding position on a bold coast, an extensive strand, breezes fresh from the Atlantic, good scenery to drive to, and fine views to look at in the distance, to recommend it. The place is, however, bare, and the hills too far off for the enjoyment of bathers. The view across the Donegal Bay, with its promontories of Doorin Point, and St John's Point and intervening inlets, backed up by a noble range of mountains terminating in the steep cliffs of Slieve League, is fine. A marine cave called the Fairy Bridge is

* Murray.

worth a visit. It is a narrow causeway over a natural arch twenty-four feet in span, under which the waves rush in angry tumult. From Bundoran the road is enlivened by an occasional pretty cottage as far as the Drowes river, (2 miles,) the county boundary at this part of Donegal. On the coast here is the ruined Drowes Castle, or more properly Duncarberry Castle, a stronghold built by Isabel MacClancy in the reign of Elizabeth. Beyond the Drowes, our tourist turning to the left leaves the Sligo road, to pursue that which leads up to

In

KINLOUGH, a small town occupying a charming situation at the west end of Lough Melvin. the immediate neighbourhood is Kinlough House, the residence of J. Johnston, Esq., and a short way off, on the southern bank of the Lough, is Mount Prospect. To the south-west, rising abruptly from the sea, is Benbulben, the foster-home of Conall, the famous patriarch of the clans of Tyrconnell; and joined to it is Truskmore, which, stretching far inland, forms that striking mountain range that skirts the southern bank of Lough Melvin. Lough Melvin is a middle-sized lake, stretching from Kinlough seven and a half miles in an eastern direction, with a slight deflection to the south. "It contains a

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spring impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen." "There is good salmon until the middle of May, after which grilse comes in; also splendid troutfishing, especially of the sort named gillaroo."† Leave to fish must be had from Mr Johnston of Kinlough House. There is a sprinkling of islands of small size. One close to the southern shore contains the remains of the castle of Rossclogher, which gives its name to the barony, and another on the eastern shore contains "the ruins of the ancient chapel of Rossinver, supposed to have been that of the nunnery of Doiremel, founded by St Tigernach for his mother, St Mella." The tourist may proceed by a road on the northern side of the lake, or, if he prefer it, by that on the south, which is the more striking but the longer road, to Garrison, a small village with no attractions save as a restingplace for the angler, and proceed from Garrison, by Belleek, or by the direct road (9 miles) which traverses a bare high ground to Ballyshannon.

II. EXCURSION TO KILBARRON CASTLE.

The tourist may enjoy some good coast scenery and at the same time gratify a very meritorious

* Murray.

+ Ibid.

Lewis.

antiquarian curiosity by a visit to Kilbarron Castle, "an ancient fortress of the O'Clerys, renowned in their day for their skill in science, poetry, and history." This castle stood on a cliff overhanging the sea, about four miles north-west of Ballyshannon, commanding a magnificent view to the north of Donegal Bay, its inlets, and its mountain barriers against the ocean, and to the south and west hardly less magnificent views of the mountain ranges of northern Connaught. The end of the lords of Kilbarron Castle, "long distinguished for hospitality, wealth, and erudition," is given by the late lamented Mr O'Donovan in the Introduction to his edition of the Four Masters, the leader of which "illustrious quartett" was Brother Michael O'Clery of Kilbarron. Peregrine, or Cugory O'Clery, the head of the sept, was also one of the associates. In the records of the Inquisition at Lifford, in May 1632, it is stated of this O'Clery, "that being a mere Irishman, and not of English or British descent or surname, his lands were forfeited to the king." The lord of Kilbarron found a humble shelter in the county of Mayo. An extract from his will (1664) is worth repetition: "I bequeath the property most dear to me that ever I possessed in this world, namely, my books, to my two sons, Dermott and John. Let

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