52 LOUGH KITTANE. herty and his son had, during our absence, caught a tolerable number of fair-sized trout; the largest weighing nearly a pound. Turk Lake is considered the best for trout-fishing; and, on any tolerable day, three or four dozen may be easily killed here. But, I must confess that, wherever I can have salmon-fishing, I take little pleasure in slaying these minor denizens of the deep. I was however induced, by the accounts of the size and quality of its trout, to drive over one morning to Lough Kittane, about four miles from Killarney. The large fish here, as everywhere else, will only take the troll; and therefore our first object was to catch some small trout for bait; which we at last did, by the assistance of a sharp young lad, named Cournayne. I never saw so adroit a youth at catching small fry. We had been trying in vain for half an hour before he came; when in a moment he dammed up the streamlet that issued from the lake, LOUGH KITTANE. 53 ran the poor little trout into the shallows, and, if they got into the weeds, pounced on them with his hands, or, if under a flat stone, "let drive at it with a lump of a two-year old," and generally succeeded in so stunning them, that he easily picked them up. The poor little devils had no chance with him "at all, at all.” Our baits, however, proved of little service: for the day turned out misty, and rainy, and cold; and we had no success worth mentioning. I caught a few tolerable trout with the fly; but we had only one run at the troll, although we twice circumnavigated the whole Lake. At the same time, I am satisfied that there are very large trout in Lough Kittane; which will on certain days take the bait well. Exactly in the centre of this Lake is a single island, which has a curious effect; but the scenery at its head seemed very wild and romantic : and, I feel convinced that Glen Kippock, as it is called, must be well worth exploring. We had just given up fishing, and were 54 DEXTERITY OF AN IRISH LAD. leaving the Lake, when we observed young Cournayne running after us, with a large fish in his hands, still alive. This turned out to be a perch, of about three pounds in weight: and, singular to say, the only one of that species ever known to be in the Lake. Cournayne himself did not know what it was. His account of the mode of capture was, that, just as he was mooring the boat, he saw something splashing in the weeds by the bank; and, approaching quietly, hit it as hard as he could with an oar, and then, instantly dashing into the water, secured the fish with his hands. This feat completed our idea of Cournayne's sharpness and adroitness. CHAPTER III. Ascent of Carrân Tual-View from the Summit - Irish Story connected with that Mountain-Beggars and Tourists— Old Gandsey, the Piper - The Church-Excursion to Mucruss. THE only other excursion in this neighbourhood, that I think it at all worth while to record, is one that I made to Carrân Tual. Carrân, in Irish, signifies both a jaw-bone and a reaping hook; and Tual signifies inverted, or turned upside down: either sense being, of course, allusive, and by no means inappropriately, to the form of its summit. It is the highest point, not only of M'Gillicuddy's Reeks, but of Irish ground;* and having been * Having been favoured with an extract from the great Ordnance Survey, I can now state with confidence the height of Carrân Tual to be 3394 feet above the sea at low water, in spring tides; and that it is decided to be the highest point in all Ireland. 56 EXCURSION TO CARRÂN TUAL. on the highest Scotch, English, and Welsh ground, I had long been anxious to complete my catalogue of altitudes, by accomplishing this ascent; but had more than once been obliged to put it off, as it is useless to make the attempt except in the finest and clearest weather. At length, on Monday, August 26th, the morning was so temptingly beautiful, that I determined to avail myself of it, although unfortunately unable to persuade any companion to join me. I took a car as far as Mr. Blennerhasset's Lodge, nine miles from Killarney; and there sent it back, intending to descend by the other side of the Reeks to the head of the Upper Lake, where Doherty's boat was to meet me. Near the Gap of Dunloe, I took up one Cornelius Moriarty, who had been recommended to me as by far the best guide for Carrân Tual: he was a stout, honest, well-meaning fellow, very civil, and very obliging, and seemed to possess a tolerable |