romantic island (the original of which name appears to have been Hir-land-sie) was as early as the year 570 the site of a monastery founded by St. Nessan, and presided over by him till his death. The establishment was subsequently removed to the mainland, and the building was allowed to fall into ruin. Its remains, which consist of an arched doorway, formed of large blocks of masonry, and fragments of the walls of the church, are worthy of a visit, not only on account of their antiquity, but as proving the solidity of the buildings of those remote times.

TO MALAHIDE, LAMBAY ISLAND,

SWORDS, &c.

THIS trip is made by utilising the main line of the Great Northern Railway, from which the Howth branch (by which we travelled on our last excursion) diverges at the station, known as Junction.

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Malahide

(where the tourist will find a first-class hotel-the Royal, pleasantly situated in its own extensive pleasure grounds) is about nine miles from Amiens Street, whence frequent trains run during the day. It is therefore a favourite resort for pic-nic and other pleasure parties, and affords an opportunity for as enjoyable an "out" as can be desired. Indeed, considering the number of interesting objects within its bounds and its good sea-bathing, there is little room for wonder that the place advances year by year in the estimation of the travelling public. The two Churches are its only public edifices. It is famous for its oyster beds, and for its bay, extending inland for a distance of four miles, to some extent dry at ebb tide, but sufficiently deep at high water to allow vessels of considerable tonnage to lie afloat. The railway is carried across this creek by means of an embankment and a wooden viaduct of eleven arches of fifty feet span in the centre, to allow of the flow and ebb of the tide.

One of the many interesting features of the neighbourhood is Malahide Castle, the seat of the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, who derives his second title from the place. The castle was granted by Henry II., in 1174, to Richard Talbot (afterwards known as Lord Talbot de Malahide), an ancestor of the present earl; it stands on a large limestone rock, and commands an extensive prospect. The existing castle is a

modern structure, which has, however, many features of interest. Its principal entrance is by means of a splendid Gothic porch, defended by two circular embattled towers. The grand hall is roofed with Irish oak, richly carved and of ancient date, supposed to have belonged to the original edifice; and its oak chamber-enriched by carvings of Scriptural subjects, and lighted by a noble window of Pointed architecture, filled with stained glass-will well repay inspection. In the drawing-room are some very rare old pictures, notably an altarpiece of Durer's-said to have belonged at one time to Mary Queen of Scots-which add to the historical interest of the place. The castle is open to visitors daily, Sundays excepted.

The ruins of the old church of Malahide Abbey, for centuries the burial place of the owners of the castle, are closely adjacent to it. The remains consist of the roofless walls of the nave and choir, separated (nearly in the centre of the building) by a lofty arch of Pointed architecture. The east window is a splendid specimen of its class; it is large and enriched by geometrical tracery. A small ivy-covered belfry at the other end has a window with two lights beneath it; and the only monument left of those which at one time existed here is an interesting altar-tomb of the fifteenth century, bearing the effigy of Lady Isabella Plunket, the wife of a Talbot of same name as the founder of the house.

Lambay Island,

separated from the mainland by a strait about a mile across, presents what we may term a second self of Howth; its form and surface are almost identical with those of the famous "hill." It is about four miles in circumference, and it is inhabited chiefly by a few artillerymen and their families, and by the herdsmen who attend cattle conveyed to it from shore in boats-its salt marshes being found very useful for curative and fattening purposes. The few fishermen who make up the residue of its inhabitants are a hardy race; and being intimately acquainted with all the rocks and creeks hereabouts, are useful pilots for vessels bound for Dublin and the other ports on the east coast. The north-western extremity of the island is known as Scotch Point, and near it, protected by a cluster of rocks, known as the Tailors, is a small harbour, where coasting vessels may find safe anchorage and shelter from easterly gales. The island itself possesses attractive features in the rocky knolls and craggy brows with which it abounds.

Swords

is an old-world town, about two miles and a half west of Malahide station; it boasts an hotel, rejoicing in the title of Royal. Its records date from the sixth century, at which time St. Columb Rill founded an abbey, which under the fostering care of successive Archbishops of Dublin, who possessed a palace here, became of importance. The town suffered much from the conflicts with the Danes, and during the troubles which succeeded the invasion of the country by Strongbow and his associates; but it contrived to retain its ancient importance for ages. It was incorporated by Elizabeth in 1578, and returned two representatives to the Irish Parliament up to the time of the union. At present it is a busy market town, possessing evidences of its former importance in the ruins of the Archiepiscopal Palace, its ancient Round Tower, and the Belfry of the old abbey. The palace was an extensive building in the centre of a spacious court, protected by embattled walls, with towers at their angles. The round tower is seventy-three feet high and fifty-two in circumference; it is of solid masonry, and formed of "goodly" stones; and it is looked upon by some as an evidence of the importance of the town anterior to the foundation of the abbey. The belfry, of no earlier date than the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries, is closely adjacent to the tower. A modern Church, in the pointed style, has been erected close to it, and its bells still call the townsmen to assemble for divine worship.

Three or four miles south of Malahide is a famous Irish ruin, known as the

Church of St. Dolough.

It was--so the legends tell us, for its history is somewhat apocryphal-erected by the Danes; but some antiquaries claim for it a more ancient origin. In its vicinity are a carefully preserved Holy Well-possessing, according to popular belief, many wonderful virtues-and a stone Cross, the whole forming as interesting a group of relics of hoary antiquity as one often meets with.

Finglass,

situated about midway between Swords and Dublin, is thought to have derived its name (Fioun Glass, "the fair or pleasant green ") from its fertility and salubrity. It was a

favourite dwelling-place of St. Patrick, and has since been the abode of several eminent persons. The national saint is said to have conferred upon it many gifts,-among others a Well, of miraculous powers, one of which was that of curing blindness. Its waters are chalybeate, and a pump-room was in more recent times built over it by a man, named Achmet; for some time it was very much resorted to, but it has latterly fallen into disrepute.

The place is rich in historical reminiscences. It was here that the battle was fought between Strongbow and King O'Connor, which resulted in the capture of the monarch and

Here,

the kingdom being attached to the English crown. too, William III. mustered his army after the battle of the Boyne, following hard after his father-in-law, who, so his lovers tell us, had on the previous day "stopped to take breath at Finglass Wood." Mrs. S. C. Hall, writing in 1842, discourses pleasantly about Finglass Cross. She says:-

"The parish stands in the barony of. Nethercross, so called, it was said, from a cross of great antiquity which stood there, but which had disappeared. The tradition was that a detachment of Cromwell's soldiers going to the siege of Drogheda, in passing by, had dashed it down, as an emblem of superstition, intending to break it into pieces on their return; but the inhabitants, to protect it from further profanation, buried it, and when the soldiers came back, it was not to be

found. The rumour of the circumstance induced the Rev. Dr. Walsh, curate of the parish, to search for it. After long and fruitless inquiries, he met with an aged man, who told him that his grandfather had pointed out to his father the place where it had been buried. Taking the old man for his guide and some labourers to assist him, he began to dig and actually found the cross where it had been buried nearly two hundred years. It is of granite, with the arms issuing from a solid circle; curiously but rudely sculptured, and weighing with its plinth several tons. It now stands in the old churchyard; but it is the intention of the discoverer to have it erected on the area in front of the new church, now building, as an appropriate ornament."

TO GLASNEVIN CEMETERY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS, &c.

A VISIT to Glasnevin, the site of the Roman Catholic cemetery for the city, may be made by tramcars which run every twenty minutes during the day; it will afford a very agreeable afternoon's excursion. Starting from Nelson's Pillar, a ride of about two miles, in a north-easterly direction, conducts us to the cemetery gates.

In the "ould ancient times" Glasnevin was the scene of repeated encounters between the Irish and the invading Danes. Later on, we find the natives engaged in conflict with the Norman knights, who eventually subdued them, on the same spot; while in more recent times its pastoral shades formed a favourite retreat for Swift, Addison, Sherridan, Parnell, and other celebrities. The village is built on elevated ground, gradually rising from the river Tolka.

Glasnevin Cemetery,

which was first formed in 1832, is enclosed by a wall, at each of the angles of which is a watch-tower. It is laid out with great taste. The tomb of Mr. Ruthven, O'Connell's colleague in Parliament, is near the entrance; and that of Curran, a model of the sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatiens and formed of immense blocks of granite, is close to it. But the chief object of interest it contains is the famous monument to Daniel O'Connell, formed like one of the round towers of Ireland; it marks the position of the cemetery when viewed from various directions. It rises to an altitude of 160 feet, and is surmounted by a cross eight feet high. The monument rests on a round mound, surrounded by a moat; in a vault, opening into this moat, Steele, O'Connell's staunch supporter, lies buried. His epitaph is simplicity itself; it consists of the words, “Honest Tom Steele.” Near the base