The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through IrelandNorah
History
The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through Ireland
Norah
Ireland -- Description and travel
We got up among the bleak mountains at last, high and bare, except where
their rocky nakedness was covered with ragged heather. Silent and awful
their huge bulk rose behind one another skyward. After we had long
passed sight or sound of human habitation, we suddenly came to a
whitewashed cosy police station in the shelter of the mountains, with a
pretty garden in front, and a pleasant-faced constable came down for the
mail. It was such a lovely place for a man to wear a cheerful face in,
that I could not help saying, "You have a nice place here, sergeant."
"Yes," he smilingly answered, "but lonely enough at times." The car man
was very sullen, and seemed eager to pick a quarrel with the policeman,
which the other evaded with dexterous good nature, while another
policeman, pipe in mouth, hands in pockets, gloomed at the driver from
behind him.
I should not wonder if my driver resented me speaking to the policeman,
for feeling runs high against them in these southern counties for a long
time now; he was still more sullen, at all events, after we passed the
station. I was told that from these Knock-me-le-Down Mountains, I could
see a glimpse of the Galtees, but the mountains began to array
themselves in, what the sullen driver called fog, cloaks of gray mists
that fell in curling folds down their brown sides. Up and up we climbed,
along a road that twisted itself among the solemn giants of the hills
sitting in veiled awfulness. We passed a boundary ridge that separated
the Duke of Devonshire's lands from the next landlord, and I thought we
were at the highest point of the pass, and here the storm came down, and
the mountain rain and mountain winds began to fight and struggle round
every peak and through every glen. I have never ventured among the
mountains yet without rousing the fury of the mountain spirits. The
jaded horse got himself into a staggering gallop, and so, chased by the
storm, we threaded our way about and around on the downward slope of the
mountains. It grew very dark, and we jaunted along a bit in one
direction, and then turned sharp and jaunted off in another, the driver
informing me that this was the V of the mountains, and miles
immeasurably spread seemed lengthening as we hurried on.
We reached at length, at the foot of the hills, the "town of nate
Clogheen, where Sergeant Snap met Paddy Carey." As far as the darkness
permitted us to see, Clogheen is still neat Clogheen. A little further
west is the classic little town of Ballyporeen, which has danced to
music that was not wedding music more than once during late years.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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