close to the river are the ruins of Shanacloch Castle, which was one of the defences of the Barrys in that quarter. It was a square tower, and the massive walls bade fair to defy the tooth of time; but the disregard of the neighbouring farmers for relics of antiquity was more injurious than war or wind. Several breaches were effected by the cupidity of men anxious to secure good corner-stones for building, and every year increases the dilapidations. The traditions relate, that on some one of the unfortunate occasions which have been only too frequent in our history, this castle was gallantly defended by the Barrys, and their enemies gave up the siege in despair. While on their march from Shanacloch, the English met a man on horseback with a basket full of shoes. He was questioned as to his route, and replied that he was on his way to the Castle of Shanacloch, with brogues for the Barrys. On the promise of a reward, he stated that, as he was to remain all night in the castle, he would let in the enemy in the dead of the night, which he effected, and eighteen of the Barrys were stabbed-they never awoke. The story continues, that on demanding from the victor the stipulated reward, 66 you shall have it," he said, "and a trifle over; an' when he ped [paid] the money down on the nail, he struck off the villain's head for betraying the noble fellows, whose blood flowed through every room of the castle." From thenceforth Marcach-na-Seancloch, the horseman of Shanacloch, was constantly seen with his head neatly tucked under his arm, haunting the scene of his treachery. Nearly opposite, on the south bank, is Bushy Park, a well wooded demense. Continuing our progress towards the oast, we reach a fine extent of country, diversified by such scenery as only the realms ruled by our gracious Queen can show. Vast lawns, broken by clumps of ancestral trees, giants of their kind-the streamlet winding its wild way round the mossy knoll on which the rustic cottage is erected. At the end of the spacious alley stands an Elizabethan mansion, with pointed gables and many a chimney; this is Lisnegar, Lord Riversdale's sweet abode. The south bank boasts its share of lawn, and tree, and dwelling. The superb seat of Kilshanic stretches its wide woodlands along the river's brink, and crowns the hill with the wellfinished house, said to have been designed by Inigo Jones originally. Rathcormac, the first town which lies contiguous to the Bride, is a good inland town, in a fertile and populous country. It is not of any great extent, boasting of but one street, and contains 1,574 inhabitants. In the centre of the street is a large house, formerly the barrack of the South Cork militia, of which corps Lord Riversdale is colonel. There is a neat Roman Catholic chapel nearly opposite; and a turn to the east leads to the parish church and graveyard, wherein many of the ancient families of the neighbourhood have their burial places. Previous to the Union, Rathcormac returned two members to parliament. Curran became one of its representatives at the general election in the spring of 1790, and continued until his secession in 1797. This town formerly belonged to the branch of the Barrys known as the Mac Adam Barrys, who were located in this district for nearly six hundred years. David de Barry, of Rathcormack, sat in the upper house, in a parliament held 30th of Edward I. anno 1302. To the north of the town is a range of mountain, terminating in a hill of considerable altitude, termed CairnThierna, or the Lord's Heap. This cairn consists of a huge heap of stones, with several raised elevations of stone which have puzzled the curious. Antiquaries are of opinion that this was the place where the tribes in this district elected their chiefs, when tanistry prevailed in the country; others say, the lord or chief was accustomed to preside here in judicial dignity. It then assuredly was a high court of justice. Some are strongly inclined to think these cairns were the funeral monuments of some high family of note, more especially as a few years since, on removing a number of stones from one of these heaps, a large flag-stone was reached, and underneath were two antique urns containing ashes. The men who discovered them broke one in order to ascertain if any money was deposited within. The other is in the possession of the Rev. J. B. Ryder. It is composed of a baked clay, and seems scored with a rude pattern. This hill is very conspicuous from many parts of the country, which lead persons to consider that these heaps are the remains of speculæ, or places for signal-fires, such as Virgil mentions in the Æneid, xi. 526— "Hanc super in speculis, summoque in vertice montis." But not alone is surmise confined to the searches into the records of past times. Tradition hangs its legend on the mountain's brow, and the Lord's Heap gains a sad remembrance from the narrative. LEGEND OF CAIRN-THIERNA. It was the evening of a brilliant day in the autumn of 1592. The sun had sunk behind the purple range of Nagle's Mountains, and his parting rays yet lingered, sending a stream of light along the course of the Awbeg, that, reflected by the mirror-like waters, shed effulgence through the valley, and gilded the tall keep and battlements of stately CastletownRoche. The air was heavy with the heat of the day; but, at intervals, the sighing of the evening breeze awoke the slumber of the wide old woods stretched to the water's side. It was a sweet and tranquil hour, when the mind, undisturbed by external objects, looks into itself, and, like a glassy lake, unruffled by the wind, gives back the images, with fidelity, by which it is surrounded. In a tastefully-erected Gothic summer-house, within view of the graceful river, since celebrated in Spenser's song, sate Lord Roche and his lady. They listened to the sounds of glee and youthful merriment which rung from one of the turrets; yet, as the laughter came upon their ears, a cloud of anxiety seemed to darken the brow of the nobleman, and he hurriedly brushed away the tear which had fallen on his cheek. "My dearest lord," said the lady, "wherefore this depression of heart? All nature smiles around us. Be hold those lovely flowers vieing with the stars in brightness. See the sparkling river hastening to an eternity of water." Lord Roche shuddered, and cried- 66 me!" The lady looked up amazed"What means this, dear Maurice? Mournfully repeating the last words, the noble would have risen; but gently laying her fairy fingers on his doublet, the lady restrained him. "Maurice," she exclaimed, with tenderness," since I left my father's halls at Ashby, and sailed the sea with thee, I have ever studied to bear myself towards you as a fond wife should." The noble pressed her hand to his lips with fondness. "When 'leagured by the kern, I never blenched; when taken by the gallowglass, I cried boldly till came to the rescue. At thy bidding, I braided my hair with pearls, and wore my brocade stuffs at the court of the lord deputy, though I fain would content me in this castle of thine. But why recur to these thoughts? I ask-nay, I demand your confidence, dear husband. The wife should be to man as the ivy round the tree, clinging the closer when the wind blows keenest." Lord Roche rose to his stately height, and clasped his fair wife to his breast. "Faithfully and fondly, dearest Eleanor, hast thou ever comported thyself to me," he replied; "and, did evil of mortal kind haunt me, to none would I confide it more readily than to thee, or from none would I gain clearer counsel, or sager advice, to help me through the strait, be it ever so sorely beset. Alas! no kern or gallowglass threatens our fortunes now. Would that it were so! My men-at-arms and gallant knights would soon scatter them like chaff before the wind." "Nay, then, I must know the secret that robs thy bosom of its The lady resumed her place by her lord's side, and he continned "At the last parliament of the Pale, I heard much concerning a man learned beyond all others in occult sciences, and surnamed Nathan the Astrologer. His fame was whispered in the court; but no one of our lords could induce him to disclose the secrets of futurity, no matter what guerdon they offered, for Nathan is rich beyond belief. Impelled by curiosity to behold the famous soothsayer, I left the lord deputy's table one afternoon, and strolled by the Liffey's banks in the direction of the ruined preceptory of the Knights Templars, at Kilmainham -among which, I understood, Nathan had chosen to reside. The shades of evening closed over me ere I left the city's walls, and the watch-fires cast a lurid blaze upon the distant hills; but the moon arose, and, as her silver beams fell upon the proud pile of the Templars, methought I never witnessed a grander or more solemn spectacle. I had taken a seat almost unconsciously on the prostrate columns of the entrance, and was suffering my eyes to glance from broken tower to fallen battlement, my thoughts ever recurring to thee, dearest, and to our only child, when the toll of a bell from the distant city came to mine ear. Its tones, muffled by distance, were so meet for the hour, that my feelings kept time to their chiming, and it was not until roused from my reverie by the presence of a stranger, that I recollected the knell was for a parted soul. "The stranger appeared a man evidently past the prime of life, for grey locks fell down by the side of features furrowed by the ploughshare of time. His aquiline nose, black eyes, and thick lips denoted an eastern origin, to which the turban on his head added confirmation. For the rest, he wore the long white mantle of the Templars; but instead of the heavy, double-edged sword, the terror of the infidels, wore a light sabre, resplendent with jewels. "Who art thou that thus intrudest on my privacy?' demanded the stranger. "I briefly stated my name-that, tempted by the beauty of the night, I had prolonged my walk, and ere I returned, paused to admire the ruins. "I feared the low, base-born feeling "The fate of my boy-how long to live, and how to die?' "Oh, fatal question!-imprudent curiosity! Slowly and mournfully the astrologer repeated the following lines, which tears, like biting acid, have graven on my memory: "Twenty times shall Avonmore The noble gazed anxiously on his lady as he repeated these lines; but though her heart swelled with agony, her presence of mind never deserted her, and no outward or visible sign betrayed the maternal solicitude. He continued "The moment the last words of the astrologer died away in the night breeze, and I had recovered from the stunning effects of his sad prediction, I found myself alone. Where Nathan had departed I could not discover, though for hours I rambled amid the venerable pile, to ascertain if there was no way of averting the doom. How desolate felt the tenantless walls, now silent and deserted. I remembered well, on my first appearing at the Court, the superb banquet that was given in the hall I wandered in that night, sad and heart-broken. Then it blazed with jewels, and the proud array of chivalry. The hum of many voices seemed again present at mine ear; but all were dead or banished. looked on the stalls of the knightstheir seats were vacant, and their banners torn with ignominy from the scene of their gorgeous blazonry. The evening had given way to night; and, as the dew fell heavy and cold, I thought of our dear boy's watery I grave, and hurried back, fearful at being alone. "Thenceforth, as you remarked, life has become a blank to me. I absented myself from the council on plea of indisposition, and mingled no more in tilt-yard or banquet. I returned hither at the close of the session, fearful of presenting myself sooner, lest it should alarm thee, sweet one; and oh that I should bear such dismal tidings-that, after a lapse of a few short years, our dear boy must cease to exist that his sunny smile will greet us no more-his accents cease to answer our call-his eyes be closed in death. What have I done, oh, God! to draw down such a calamity on our house?" "Maurice," said the lady, her voice struggling with sorrow, "you have told a tale of woe; but who can vouch for the truth? Predictions have been often unfulfilled, and this may be a false one." "Heaven grant it may, dearest. never thought of that." I "No, Maurice! I perceive you only looked at the dark side. Have confidence in the Almighty- our child's life is in his hands. He gives and takes away-blessed be his name!" "But the prediction hangs over him," observed Lord Roche. "The time stated for its accomplishment is far distant," replied the lady. "Gerald is barely thirteen, and no danger threatens for seven years." "Meanwhile, then, I will select a site, and build a tower for his residence," said her husband; " and when he passes his twentieth year, he shall live where no water can come nigh him, to wet his ancles, and we shall have him safe and sound." Thus mutually comforting and solacing each other, as is meet in all domestic trials, the lord and the lady returned to the castle. Years rolled swiftly on-not unmarked, however, in Castletown-Roche. The story of the prediction got abroad; and many an aged head shook doubtingly on hearing the great preparations the lord was making to avert the fate of his heir. As the time approached for the fulfilment of the prophecy, Lord Roche resolved to try and avert the accomplishment, and selected the eastern oxtremity of the Nagle's Mountains as a spot remote from the element which was predestined to deprive his son of life. Here he collected materials and skilful workmen; and, before the heir of the title and estates of Maurice Lord Roche completed his twentieth year, a spacious tower looked from the top of Cairn-Thierna over the vast extent of country beneath. The twentieth birth-day came, and Gerald Roche was all that father could wish the son who was to inherit his wealth and name, or mother's care could form. Manly, yet gentle-accomplished in all that befitted his rank, Gerald was not only the darling of his parents, but the delight of all who knew him; and there was not a lip of man or woman, as he rode by his father's side to enter his new abode, but prayed for the safe return of young Gerald Roche. The youth rode by his father's side. He was separated from his mother for the first time, and there is something at all times in parting from those we love that brings sadness to the heart, and depresses the spirit. We miss the accustomed features that ever met us with the kindly smile, the voice that greeted us with the softest toneand what smile or what voice ever reached us like our mother's ! For a time Lord Roche and his son rode on in silence; but the sorrows of the young are of brief duration; their elastic spirits quickly recover, each object affording novelty serves to dissipate their grief. They pursued their journey over the Ballyhooly mountains on a pleasant day in spring. The winter had been cold and desolate, and nature seemed to rejoice at its departure. The snowdrop was seen, with its round white blossoms, and the yellow primrose gleamed from the tender blades of green. The birds seemed to enjoy a holiday, and piped merrily like boys released from school. These sights and sounds had their effect on the youthful heart of Gerald. He talked with his father on the sports he would enjoy in the vicinity of his mountain castle. The hills was full of hares he was told, and his greyhounds were remarkable for fleetness. Then he would practice with long and cross bow, and win the President of Munster's prize at the next archery meeting. The master of the stable was to entrust the breaking in of a young colt of great beauty entirely to him, for amusement, and his mother promised to spend the entire summer with him, as soon as her apartments were ready; for, owing to a delay in the drying of the plastering, only one sleeping apartment was sufficiently aired for safety. With such converse they whiled away the road, until the castle of the mountain loomed against the skies. "Oh, how noble !" exclaimed young Roche, as high in air, piercing the clouds, he beheld the tower he was about to inhabit. His father said nothing; for his heart was full of the fatal prediction, and he wound up the steep ascent mournfully and thoughtful. "This is glorious," said the young man, as they paused mid-way to give the horses breath. Already they had ascended considerably above the plains, yet the tower was as high again as they were from the spot where they diverged from the level road. Whichever way they looked, the eyes took a vast and varied prospect. Beneath lay mountain and moor, valley and plain dotted with villages and habitations of peasants, rivers flashed in the far distance. Lord Roche shuddered as he saw the waters, but considered the distance, and thought of safety. The cool breeze of the mountain soon caused a chill which invited motion, and the pair continued their ascent. Arrived at the castle, they were received with cheers by the workmen, who were engaged finishing some work on the outer walls, and the young man rapidly hurried through the various portions of the dwelling with the eagerness of youth. His father could not keep pace with him. The topmost window commanded a splendid view. The sight embraced a rich line of country, enclosed between the Bride and the Blackwater rivers, with the waving trees of numerous forests stretching along the banks. The lofty Galty mountains seemed a wall to the north; while the waters of the distant sea, near Cork harbour, glimmered with reflected sunshine to the south. The day was uncommonly calm, and not too bright, and objects were seen at an almost incredible distance. Perfectly engrossed in the splendour and variety of landscape, Lord Roche for some minutes absolutely forgot the purpose which led him thither; and He when he awokę to, consciousness, his son was no longer by his side. called "Gerald," but no Gerald answered. He summoned his attendants; their young master was not with them. They called the workmen; he was not with them. Breathless, Lord Roche descended, running into each chamber, and calling out his son's name. The portal was reached, but no Gerald; the scrutiny of the detached towers was equally fruitlesshe was not to be found! A large vat stood at a distance, a huge black funereal object, used, during the building, to hold water for the making of mortar; it was nearly full, from the winter rains, and something like a bird floated on the surface. Lord Roche approached. Gracious hea What ven!-it was an ostrich feather, such as his son wore in his cap. He looked closer-Oh, God !-the green and stagnant contents held his beloved son, secured in the gripe of death! induced him to climb the slipperyside? whether the reflection of his figure in the water tempted him to venture in, is unknown, but he was drowned, and fulfilled the prediction. The castle soon went to decay, and the vast heap of stones on the brow of Cairn-Thierna attests the truth of the tale. Resuming our ramble along the Bride, we leave on the north bank the handsome house recently erected by Dr. Barry, and continue along the Middleton road. The river flows through a fine tillage country; but the high lands in the neighbourhood called Gurtroe, are of light poor soil. The name of Gurtroe signifies Red Field, which is appropriate, if from no other cause, from an unfortunate tithe affray which occurred here in December, 1834; here nine unfortunate human beings were shot by the military attending with the magistrates. There is a place near Holly Hill, where fairs are held in September, called Bartlemy's Well, which, it is presumed, is a corruption of Bartholomew. A friend of ours once asked a woman, with a child in her arms, "What is the name of that fine boy?" "Why, then, sir," said she, "his name is Bat, but for brevity's sake we call him Bartholomew !" Bartlemy sounds somewhat shorter. The fairs are very amusing, principally consisting of traffic |