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CHAPTER I.

WESTWARD HO!

Have you not oft in nightly vision strayed

To the pure isles of ever-blooming shade,

Which bards of old, with kindly magic, placed

For happy spirits in the Atlantic waste?"-Moore.

T can hardly be a matter of doubt that there are in this United Kingdom a great many welleducated persons who, if they were asked to point out on the map the exact geographical position of Achill, would be unable to do so; and it is not at all unlikely that some who may be able unhesitatingly to declare that Achill is in Ireland may, nevertheless, not feel quite sure whether the name is that of a mountain, a lake, a river, or an island.

If in order to obtain information on the subject these persons consulted Brookes' Gazetteer, a wellknown book of reference published in 1831, they would be informed that Achill is an island forming part of the county of Mayo on the western coast of Ireland in Lat. 57° 7′ N. and Long. 10° 3′ W.” If, dissatisfied with the small amount of informa

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tion conveyed in the foregoing extract, they looked into Beeton's Dictionary of Universal Information, published about a quarter of a century later, they would be told nothing more than this, that " Achill is an island off the west coast of Ireland, containing an area of 35,283 acres, with a population of 4000 souls."

This is all that can be gleaned about Achill from works on Geography which contain a great deal that is deeply interesting about other places.

Achill is very little known to the world at large; and yet it has been the scene of great spiritual exploits. During the last fifty years it has had a history so thrilling, so romantic, so full of incident, that one can only wonder how it has come to pass that it has so long escaped notice.

There have been periods in its history, as we shall see during the progress of this narrative, when public attention has been in a very special manner directed to Achill and to the missionary work of which it has been the centre; but, after all, many earnest-minded and true-hearted Christians have remained sadly ignorant of the fact that under the leadership of the Rev. Edward Nangle, Achill has been for half a century the great battle-field of Protestantism in the west of Ireland.

I hope that I shall be able to make this quite clear to all who read what I have written about it. A brief sketch of the island and of the magnificent scenery by which it is surrounded, as well as

a description of the moral and spiritual condition of its inhabitants before the light of Divine Truth burst upon them, will enable us the better to realise the marvellous changes which have been effected mainly by the indomitable courage, the steady perseverance, and the unwavering faith of him whose name, to the end of time, will be associated with its eventful history.

Taking Westport as a starting-point, the traveller proceeds along a hilly and picturesque road as far as Newport.. In the distance rises to a height of 2500 feet the "mountain of pilgrimages"-Croagh Patrick. Its sides and its summit are climbed during the summer and autumn, even now, by devotees from all parts of Ireland, who "perform stations" as they ascend. From the top of Croagh Patrick a splendid view is obtained of Clew Bay, one of the wonders of Ireland. It is in shape almost a parallelogram, with Newport at its northeast corner, and Westport at its south-east. At its entrance is Clare Island, which covers 4000 acres, and rises at one point to an elevation of 1520 feet. The bay is about twenty miles long and eight or ten wide. Its northern and eastern sides are studded with multitudes of small islands. Rumour says that they number exactly three hundred and sixty-five, to correspond with the days of the year, but no one has, as yet, claimed the honour of having counted them. Some of these islands are beautifully wooded, but most of them

are sharp, bare rocks, with a very stinted vegetation of heath, lichen, or grass.

Clare Island was, in the days of old, the residence of Grana Uile, or Grace O'Malley, the daughter of a powerful chieftain, at whose death she became the leader of the clan at sea as well as on land, and eventually gained, in consequence of her piratical exploits, the title of "Grace of the Heroes." Grace O'Malley is said to have visited London by special invitation from Queen Elizabeth, who paid her a great deal of attention; but this wild daughter of the west was unable to appreciate the kindness which was lavished upon her, and she returned as quickly as possible to her island home.

Newport, or Newport-Mayo, as it is generally called to distinguish it from other towns of the same name, was fifty years ago little better than a collection of hovels. It is now a clean and comfortable-looking town with a thriving population. Few towns, indeed, on the west coast of Ireland are more charmingly situated. A broad and rapid river passes by it on its way to the sea; and Clew Bay, leaving a deposit of soft sand on the adjacent shore, makes the neighbourhood very attractive to bathers in summer. At the quay a vessel of five hundred tons burden may load or unload. The scenery the immediate vicinity of Newport is really very beautiful, but it lacks the grandeur which marks every step of the way a few miles further westward.

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A drive of fourteen miles from Newport brings

us at last to Achill Sound, which is very narrow, being fordable when the tide is out at a place called Poolranny. A ferry-boat takes us across in a few minutes, and we land at a pier built a good many years ago by the Fishery Board. The pier is kept in good preservation, and greatly facilitates the landing of goods and passengers. It is now proposed to construct a bridge and viaduct across the Sound. A Committee has been formed to carry out the project, and there can be no doubt that if the work could be successfully accomplished, it would prove an immense boon not only to the inhabitants of Achill, but to all who have occasion to visit the island; for even in the short passage between the island and the mainland many valuable lives have been lost in stormy weather.

Having landed in Achill, let us proceed to explore it. We shall find that it is bounded on its northern side by Blacksod Bay, and on its southern side by Clew Bay, that it is about 18 miles in length and 10 in breadth, that it has a coast-line of nearly 100 miles, that its area is about 46,000 statute acres, and that it contains a population of between 5000 and 6000, most of whom are engaged in farming and fishing. The western portion of the island consists for the most part of precipitous cliffs, but the eastern part is well sheltered, affording a safe refuge for fishing-boats and small craft. Many of the houses or rather huts inhabited by the natives are constructed of rough cobles and turf. Some of