scholars, or any rabblement on the part With humble commendations, From my Preceptory, Whatever might have caused this sudden revolution in the sentiments of Mr. O'Leary, it evidently excited much pleasure in the person in whose favour it had occurred; and on learning that one of O'Leary's academicians, or "larned runagates," awaited an answer, he sent back a verbal one, intimating his intention of riding over immediately to the Preceptory of Monaster-ny-Oriel, after he had taken his breakfast. On passing through the town, on his way to O'Leary's, the Commodore was struck, not only with the antiquity, but with the Spanish character of its architecture. Many of the better sort of houses had stone balconies, with windows and door frames of dark marble. The church was dedicated to St. Jago de Compostello, and was raised (as an inscription on the gate indicated) by Florence Macarthy, Earl of Clancare, on his return from a pilgrimage to Galicia: it was called in Irish the church of the vow, and was afterwards largely endowed by a company of Spanish merchants, who had settled in Dunore, in the reign of Elizabeth. It was afterwards the protestant parish church, and became much decayed and ruinous. A stone inscription over a little pot-house, with a rose, carved in relief, gave the follow ing quaint information: "At the rose is the beste wine." "Anno 1563." The castle, raised on a rocky eleva tion, and looking down upon the town, had, in the course of centuries, lost nothing of its feudal character. Massive and heavy, this ancient edifice formed a perfect parallelogram, with five flankers: its battlements, beltings, and coignes, were of hewn stone; and its strength and magnitude were, as far back as Elizabeth, so formidable, that the queen was induced to think it too considerable an hold to belong to any Irish subject; and the lords of the English council transmitted an order to stop the works, which the Macarthy More of that day was carrying on for its completion. Shortly after, the chief of that family, with many of its immediate branches, were placed under the ban of royal displeasure. Forfeitures and deaths followed: some took refuge in Spain, the usual retreat of the persecuted Irish, and some in the less distinguished castles of their ancestors. The castle, town, and manor of Dunore, were given to Hildebrand, first Viscount of Dunore, a connexion of the great Lord Boyle's, by grant of James the First. This English lord completed the ramparts, which, under his jurisdiction, were no longer causes of jealousy. He also planted the ancient bawn,* made a stately avenue of trees from the town to its portals, and placed above the arch of its entrance, in letters cut in the stone, and still perfectly legible "God's Providence Is my inheritance." He had also, like his great kinsman, Boyle, endeavoured to turn the ancient catholic town of Dangan-na-Carthy (now called Dunore, or the "golden fort") into a protestant colony (7). But *The BAWN was an inclosed piece of ground, reserved for purposes of recreation and exer. cise, answering to the modern lawn. Swift's | Hamilton's bawn was the remains of this Irisk verger. the inquisitorial zeal with which this attempt was pursued defeated its intent, and persecution produced fanaticism where it meant to effect conversion. He had also expelled the friars of Monasterny-Oriel, one of the communities, which, like many others, still subsisting in Ireland, had never been suppressed, and devoted its revenue for the pin-money of his daughter-in-law;* but still, from time to time, some of the order were · found congregating among the ruins of the building, in obedience to the rules of , the order, which forbid the entire dispersion of its members. The first Viscount Dunore was the last of his family who had resided in the inheritance bestowed upon them by God's providence. One of his descendants, William, second Earl of Dunore, had visited it in a tour to the * A similar act was committed by Boyle, Earl of Cork, and for the same purpose. |