We are told by Sir James Ware, that in the year 1639, an urn full of the coins of this monarch, were discovered in a Druidical cave, in the county of Wicklow. These coins were of silver, and as large as an English shilling: on one side was the impression of the monarch's head, and on the reverse, Hibernia bearing in her hand the wand entwined with a serpent. (Vide page 314.) Some of these coins are preserved in the cabinets of the antiquarians, and two of them are to be seen in the muscum of the university of Dublin.

In 1812, some men who were digging in a field in Glanmire,* a fairy valley, in the county of Cork, found an ancient gold coin, as large as a guinea, which, by the inscription, appeared to have been coined in the reign of CATHAIR, who was monarch of Ireland, A. D. 151. The impression on one side was a human head encircled

"The massy gold and silver chalices, candlesticks, plate, utensils, ornaments, and images of saints, seized by the crown, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in the Irish abbeys, brought more than one million sterling to the exchequer." CAMDEN.

"In ancient times, gems must have been abundant in Ireland, as some golden crowns lately found in digging in bogs, were enriched with large rubies, topazes, amethysts and sapphire pebbles of great value." Irish Geology, London edition, 1797, page 59.

Long before the birth of Christ, the Irish had stamped money, and their artists seem to have been as unrivalled in the fabrication of metals, as they confessedly were in lignarian architecture, and martial music." BISHOP NICHOLSON.

Having occasion to speak of the romantic vale of Glanmire, in the text, we think we will enliven the interest of historical narrative, by giving a topographical sketch of it to our readers. The pastoral valley of GLANMIRE is situated three iniles east of the city of Cork; a meandering rivulet, after gliding smoothly through its flower-spangled meadows, drops its tributary streams into the harbour. In this secluded glen, where Byron would love to woo the epic muse, and Petrarch to whisper the soft words of passion to his Laura, are interspersed two rural villages, upper and lower Glanmire, the latter of which, seated on gentle acclivities, rising above the head of the creek, at the distance of a mile from its conflux with the harbour, present landscape features which a Poussin might contemplate with delight. Surrounded on all sides by an assemblage of verdant bills, garnished with wood, they form every rural and picturesque variety that can unite in the composition of a pleasing sylvan scene. In some places appear narrow glens, the bottoms of which are filled with pellucid water, whilst the steep emerald-banks are draped with an umbrageous tapestry of variegated tints, that throw a foliaceous shade over these grassy sofas, which the solar beams cannot penetrate. In other parts, the vale opens to form the site of a pretty cheerful village, over hung by impending hills and undulating woods, from whence the green shore gradually rises into large enclosures, speckled with white houses, like pearls set in emerald. In this charming retreat, where a pilgrim might give up his soul to holy musings, and a hermit look with contempt on the vanities and pleasures of the busy world, are several elegant villas, especially Lota, which stands at the termination of a fine vista, looking towards Cork, formed by rows of elm and beech trees. Before this solitary Tusculanum, is a fine, flower-gemmed lawn, fringed by a 'garniture of groves,' while the improved pleasure grounds in the rear, consisting of a domain of one hundred acres, add a new and attrac tive beauty to the tout ensemble of the landscape, and form a fine and imposing accompaniment to the sylvan woods and lawns of Dunkettle, Richmond, and Ballyroshien, on the opposite banks of the creek.

The town of Glanmire contains about fifty houses, and a church, which was originally built by John Roche, A. D. 1349. In the cemetry of this church, which serves for the sepulchral ground of the deceased of the whole parish of Caherly, is an elegant monument of white marble; commemorative of the virtues of Arch-deacon CORKER, who died rector of this parish, in 1789. On the sarcophagus of the tomb, in full bassorelievo, is a female figure weeping over a sepulchral urn placed on a Roman pedestal, the dodo of which bears a medallion of the Arch-deacon; under this, on a shield, are the arms of the deceased, beautifully sculptured, and above, in an oval compartment, within a wreath of laurel, is the inscription.

Glanmire and the whole district of country thence to Youghal, belonged originally to the Irish sept of the O'Lehans, who were dispossessed of their patrimonial inheritance, by the Barries, who were officers under Strongbow.

with a knight's helmet, and on the reverse, a war-horse gorgeously caparisoned. We believe that this valuable antique is at present in the hands of the Earl of Shannon. Every writer since the days of Gerald Barry, who visited our country, has admitted that her soil is stored with the most precious mines, and minerals. In ancient times, it will be seen, these mines were industriously explored and worked with unwearied spirit; the cause of their long neglect is owing to the studied misgovernment, and aggressive system of monopoly, to the evil sof which England has doomed Ireland for ages;-but we hope that HE who broke the chain of religious restriction, will still farther entitle himself to the ETERNAL GRATIUDE of his country, and form a new epoch in her history, by instigating a research after the treasures that are immured in her mountains and plains, and draw from the bowels of the earth, those hidden sources of national wealth, to enrich the proprietary of the soil, extend commerce, promote the arts, give a spirit to industry, check emigration to strange climes; and to supply the exigencies of the empire. This glorious task, we fondly hope, DANIEL O'CONNELL is destined to accomplish.

Ireland, which was once as distinguished for her agricultural operations, and excellence in the cultivation of the arts, as for her renown in arms, and fame in literature, has, by a fatal concatenation of internal discord, and English policy, been thrown back a century behind many countries which were immersed in barbarism, at a proud era, when she was the great emporium of commerce-the luminary of science, and the school in whose splendid focus were concentrated those radiant beams of philosophy and religion, which dispelled the darkness that brooded over European intellect, in the fifth and sixth centuries. We trust, however, that English policy, can no longer wield the arms of injustice against the prosperity of Ireland, or bring the repercussive lever of monopoly to bear upon her interest and welfare. Too long, alas! it has been her fated and marked destiny, to be, in most public concerns, either cajoled by pretenders, defrauded by knaves, or distracted by chimerical demagogues, in the delusive guise of prudent patriots. But at last, thank Heaven! the able, skillful, and disinterested pilot, O'CONNELL, has steered the storm-shattered bark out of the shoals and quicksands of 1798, and the breakers and eddies of the disastrous epoch of 1803. In addition to the metallic and mineral productions, on which we have already descanted, Ireland is pregnant with coal, iron, lead, and copper mines, and the celebrity of her noble quarries of marble is known to every intelligent reader.

The most beautiful specimens of this architective and sculptural material, are found in the counties of Waterford, Kilkenny, Galway, and Meath. Blocks of great magnitude, of jet black marble, susceptible of the finest polish, are raised out of the quarries of Waterford: the characteristics of the Kilkenny marble, are hardness and brilliancy of streaks, which peculiarly adapt it for the purposes of ornamental architecture; the Galway production is distinguished for its pure whiteness, as well as for the massy magnitude of the pondrous pillars it has furnished to some of the most elegant colonnades in the kingdom; the Meath marble, of the famous quarry of Ardbraccan, near the town of Navan,* is esteemed the best in the kingdom for building; it is of a beau

* NAVAN, a considerable town in the county of Meath, 29 miles from Dublin, is pleasantly situated on the conflux of the rivers Boyne and Blackwater, in the midst of a rich and picturesque country, whose scenery is diversified with baronial castles, monastic ruins, and waving forests.

Navan was a place of great note in ancient times. Malachy, king of Meath, erected an abbey here, A. D. 1008, and after the invasion, Hugh De Lacy erected and endowed another monastery in this town, which is now a heap of ruins, as is that which was built by Jocelyn Nangle, and dedicated to the holy virgin, in the twelfth century. In the cemetry of the latter, are the remains of many ancient tombs, whose sculptural decorations present several figures in alto-relievo. On every side of this domain-encircled town, the romantic banks of the Boyne and Blackwater are embellished with the castles of Ludlow, Liscarton, (the birth-place of the celebrated Lord Cadogan) Athlumny, Dun

tiful dove colour, and when polished, it developes a variety of tints and veins. Kildare House, formerly the princely residence of the Duke of Leinster, but now the Royal Dublin Society house, the Provost's mansion at Trinity College, and the Richmond Asylum, are the Dublin edifices built of this marble.

But it is high time that we should conclude our episode and resume the thread of our historical narrative.-The brilliant reign of EADHNA II. which was faithfully devoted to the patriotic task of promoting the happiness and prosperity of people, terminated in its twelfth year, when the monarch fell a victim to the plague. The death of this wise and beneficent Prince, was deeply bewailed by the whole nation, which regarded him with reverential affection and enthusiastic devotion.

OSSIANIC FRAGMENTS.—Ño. VIII.

NAISI AND DEIRDRE. (A Historical Tale continued.)

[SCENE-a grove of venerable oaks in the valley of Fincarn (Killeman) in the county of Armagh. Deirdre is seen reposing under the shade of a spreading tree; and the sons of Usnach appear conversing with Illan and Buini, the sons of Fergus. Timesunrise.]

NAISI. (Coming towards her.) Deirdre, my beloved! awake, as already the sun-beams tip the mountain cliffs in ruby tints, and the joyous lark salutes my Princess with his congratulatory carol, while the morning zephyr is subserviently offering her the sweet incense of the dew-drooping valley flowers. Rise, my heart-pulse! and let us hence to the palace of Emania!

DEIRDRE. (Rising from her grassy couch.) Oh! my Naisi! how fearfully frightful were my dreams-how terrible the visions that disturbed the broken slumbers of my rest!

NAISI. Oh dearest Deirdre, these illusive visions, that cast such gloomy clouds over the serene sky which should always illumine the dreams of angelic innocence like thine, are but the shadowy impressions of your waking thoughts. Banish all idle suspicions from thy gentle bosom, and be happy.

DEIRDRE. Would to heaven I could, love!—But the visions of last night are too deeply engraven on remembrance, to be obliterated by thy voice of comfort. Oh! the evil-boding phantoms that menaced me with the visitation of the most dreadful calamities! Some of them held a mirror before me, in which I saw you -Oh yes, you! spring and joy of my existence! a mangled corse, transfixed by the spear of Connor, and thy gallant brothers weltering in their gore beside thee! After sickening and shocking my soul with this horrid sight, they dashed the mirror on the pavement; when other terrific fiends then came towards me, bearing blazing torches in their hands, which after flashing in my face, they flung into a yawning abyss that suddenly opened at my feet, exclaiming-"Behold! woman of fatal beauty! the emblem of thy approaching fate:-"You stand on the precipice of the gulf of death, and like those torches which we have thrown into this abyss, shall the bright hopes of thy husband be extinguished!" Then vanishing, they left me enveloped in dreary darkness: but shortly after, meteorolic scintillations flitted through the gloom, which enabled me to discern at a distance, Illan the fair more, as well as several other mansions, among the most elegant of which is the palace of the Bishop of Meath, at Ardbraccan, which combines with classic taste, the beauty and lightness of Ionic architecture. The marble that composes its pillared portico and lofty pediment, was raised out of the famous quarry in its vicinity. This superb structure was built by Bishop Maxwell, in 1799, on the ruins of the old cathedral, for Ardbraccen was a Bishop's see, until the tenth century. The modern cathedral of the Bishopric of Meath, stands near the prelate's residence; but it is a plain building of no architectural grandeur.

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streaming with blood, coming towards me, without his head: this horrifying spectacle so terrified me that I awoke. Oh! I shudder with fear and dismay when I think of it!

NAISI. Oh, damsel of incomparable beauty! it affects my soul to see thee thus the victim of imagination. Summon thy fortitude to thy aid, and chase away those groundless apprehensions, which dim the brightness of gladness in thy loveenshrined heart, and damp the vivid lustre of those blue eyes, which are the guiding stars of my felicity. Behold yonder, the turrets of Emania's palace, and the lofty pinnacles of the castles of the Red-Branch, glittering like rubies in the sun-beam.

DEIRDRE. My eyes, Naisi, recoil from contemplating the domes of Emania, as those of the devoted victim do, from the burning altar of his destined immolation. Ah! it is not the goal of triumph that rises in the perspective; it is, I fear, the land-mark that points out the boundary of our existence! When I turn my eyes towards Emania, I see an ominous cloud, empurpled with blood, hanging over its sombre towers. Naisi, on my knees I implore thee, in the sacred namne of our love, and by the sympathy of devoted affection which amalgamates our hearts, to abandon your intention of going to Connor's palace. Do, beloved of my soul! relinquish that design, or at least defer it until after you have a conference with the hercic Cuchullan, of sage counsel, at his castle of Dundalgan.* Let us fly, then, to the brave warrior, and he will protect us from the vengeance of the royal tyrant.

NAISI. As a lover, my charming Deirdre, I should fondly obey thee: but as a chief of the Red-Branch, I am sworn never to shrink from danger. Fear or cowardice cannot shake my heart, nor divert me from my purpose. When glory beckons, even love cannot detain an Ultonian knight.

DEIRDRE. Ah, Naisi, in the first spring of love, when our joys were blooming and budding, you would not, in those rapturous moments of delight, have refused me any request; no! if I even asked you to open your breast, that I might see my image enthroned in your heart; but now, alas! you can justify yourself with a plea of chivalry, and disregard the supplication of wedded affection, because your passions are no longer its listening auditors.

NAISI. Reproach me not with apathy of passion, my dearest Deirdre, for I vow, before yonder celestial throne of Bel, that the chilling ice of death must cover my heart, before its ardent and glowing love for you is extinguished. But would you have me subject myself to the imputation of pusillanimity; would you not yourself be my conductress in the solar path of honour and glory?

DEIRDRE. I shall say no more to dissuade you from your purpose; but I remember the time, when Mananant brought me the cup of " powerful property,"

DUNDALGAN, now Dundalk, the capital of the county of Louth. As Dundalk was the scene of many memorable events, we shall soon give a comprehensive topographical and historic description of a town, that is endeared to recollection, by all those pleasing associations of memory, that spring from the reminiscence of school-boy days, into the sensations of the heart. Dundalk is a wealthy and flourishing town, situated on a fine bay of the same name, at the distance of 51 miles from Dublin. The port is very safe for shipping. It was in this town, Edward Bruce was crowned king of Ireland. The ruins of Cuchullan's castle, which was despoiled of its treasures, and afterwards burned, by the Irish Semiramis, Meilha Cruachna, Queen of Connaught, in revenge for the death of the sons of Usnach, are still to be seen at Calga, near this town.

Mananan was a famed Carthaginian merchant, who often brought sweet wines and spices from the east, to Ireland, in this age, and lovers were then in the habit of presenting a cup of spiced wine to their mistresses, as a pledge of eternal constancy. Every classical reader will recollect, on reading Deirdre's sentiment, Jupiter and Juno's intercourse and conversation on Mount Ida; but in ancient Irish compositions there is nothing borrowed from Grecian story. Our bards gave true pictures of nature, and gracefully veiled modesty in the beautiful garb of enchantment.

that you vowed never to disobey me. I now attend your footsteps to Emania Down-down in sorrow, sink my prophetic heart!

[SCENE-a Hall in Barach's house, at Donaghadee, in the county of Down. BARACH alone, in a meditative mood.]

BARACH. There is a charm in magnanimity that subdues the most determined Thus virtue disarms villany, and snatches from its grasp, the poisoned bowl. my wicked purpose. To-day I was resolved to infuse deadly arsenic in the convivial cup, and defile the very altar of hospitality, by the murder of the generous and unsuspecting Fergus; but my soul, yielding to the touch of compunction, revolts with horror, from the remembrance of the atrocious deed, which I had meditated, to please the king, and worlds could not at present tempt me to injure the noble minded and chivalric Prince, who has honoured my hall with his presence, and enlightened my mind with his conversation ;-but here he comes!

[Enter FERGUS.]

FERGUS. Barach, all is ready for our departure to Emania's palace; but I cannot bid you adieu, without first expressing a grateful sense of the warm kindness and attentive politeness, with which you have treated me and my suite. Here, Barach, take this ring, as a small token of my gratitude, and retain it, and when I am seated on Ullin's throne, show me that gift; and the king of Ulster will instantly recognize the talismanic pledge, and recollect the hospitality which Prince Fergus enjoyed at Donaghadee.

BARACH. My Lord, your highness overrates my humble duty, and attention, which hospitality, the proverbial virtue of an Irishman, would insure to you even if you were a stranger. Your highness will give me credit for sincerity, when I assure you, that I shall reckon the honour of your visit amongst the proudest occurrences

* "The ancient Irish, like the ancient Cretans, carried hospitality to the most generous perfection. It was their custom to entertain their guests for many days, before they inquired even their names. In each of the courts of the supreme, and provincial kings, were two apartments; the first of which was for the entertainment of strangers, who were always served before the king or nobles. Hence hospitality became an object of state policy; and laws and regulations were made by the national council, for its conduct. Lands, in every part of the kingdom, were allotted for its support; and the Biatachs, or keepers of open houses for the entertainment of strangers, were the third O'HALLORAN. order in the state."

"Even at this day, (1793) there is no nation in the world so generously hospitable as the Irish. Their houses are open for all strangers. As soon as one enters and places himself by the fire, he looks upon himself, and the people look upon him, as one of the Young's Travels in Ireland. family."

"Ireland is the only country in the world, where, if a stranger is shipwrecked on her shores, he can travel from north to south, and enjoy every comfort and luxury, without Sir Francis Burdett. being asked for a shilling of money."

"The rites of hospitality among the Irish, are deemed sacred. The stranger is treated on all occasions, with the utmost attention and respect, with a courtesy and po→ liteness, which more elevated society consider as belonging exclusively to themselves. Never, indeed, did a stranger visit the "green isle," without experiencing the hospitality of the people. Even the poor labourer, who has only potatoes for himself and his children, will give the best in his pot to his guest, from whatever quarter he may come: he Unlike the peasbestows his simple fare with a kindness that has often delighted me. ants of some other countries, who frown at the wandering intruder, he seems to feel a real pleasure in giving food to the hungry; for he gives the hearty welcome of his country, to all who approach his humble cot, Cead mile failte duit,' or, 'one hundred thousand welcomes to you!' Vide Dewar's Observations on the Irish, London, 1816.

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