Least bard of the hills, were it mine to inherit The fire of thy harp, and the wing of thy spirit, With the wrongs which like thee to our country has bound me, Did your mantle of song fling its radiance around me. Still, still in those wilds may young liberty rally, And send her strong shout over mountains and valley, The star of the west may yet rise in its glory And the land that was darkest be brightest in story. I, too, shall be gone, but my name shall be spoken When Erin awakens, and her fetters are broken; Some minstrel will come in the summer eve's gleaming When Freedom's young light on his spirit is beaming, And bend o'er my grave with a tear of emotion, Where calm Avon Buee seeks the kisses of ocean, Or plant a wild wreath from the banks of that river O'er the heart and the harp that are sleeping for ever."
Two of the most famous men in English literature have passed unstinted praise on the beauty and charm of the southern Irish coast.
If one looks at a map of the southwest of Ireland, it will be seen that its whole coast-line is broken into serrations, making harbours, islands, bays, and coves. If he should go to the coast itself, he will have revealed to him a wondrous kaleidoscope,--alternate scenes of sweet, pathetic gentleness, and stern and rugged grandeur, all full of engrossing charm.
Leaving the coast and going inland, as there is every facility for doing, one finds the finest lakes in the United Kingdom; and, if there are no Mont Blancs or Matterhorns, there are, at least, beautiful hills and mountains with no less charm and none of their difficulty of access. The great Atlantic waves beat against the wild rocks of the south Irish coast; but the Gulf Stream gives warmth of an almost subtropical mildness to the fresh sea air, and the lowlands are enriched by the soft rains which wash the hills and fall into the great arms of the sea, called Bantry Bay, Kenmare River, and Dingle Bay.
Farther north is the ample estuary of the river Shannon and Galway Bay, each with much the same characteristics. To take a steamer from Cork for a tour of the southwest coast will form a unique experience in the itinerary of most folk. Rounding Cape Clear, the small coasting-steamer makes the first stop at the little village of Schull, which stands at the farther extremity of an almost landlocked bay. Here the land on three sides gently shelves to low ranges of verdant hills, while the harbour is speckled with its fishing craft.