Healthful islands--Old age in--Land Commission in Aran--Aran fisheries--Letters, 1886, from Sir Thomas F. Brady, fishery commissioner, on; from C.T. Redington, J.P., D.L., on public works in islands; from Rev. William Killride, on employment and on timber--"Many places in the islands covered with trees" fifty years ago--Poverty of fishermen--Baltimore fisheries--Baroness Burdett-Coutts--Irish Reproductive Loan Fund--Bounties given by Irish Parliament, in 1787, to encourage deep sea fisheries--Trawling 65 CHAPTER VI. Re-afforesting Aran--Dr. Lyons--Dermot O'Conor Donelan, J.P.--Forest industries in Germany--Supports 300,000 families--Paper from young timber, etc. 82 CHAPTER VII. Superstitions of the grove--Concerning the oak--The ash--The mountain ash--The aspen--The pine--The holly--The ivy--The hawthorn--The blackthorn--The rose--The fern--The fairy flax--The hazel 88 APPENDIX A. Conversant with the O'Briens--Bryan Boroimhe--His descendants Kings of Thomond--and their descendants Lords of Inchiquin, junior branch of Kings of Thomond--Marshal MacMahon--Also junior branch, O'Briens of Ballynalacken 105 APPENDIX B. Statistics of Aran 110 THE SOUTH ISLES OF ARAN. CHAPTER I. "Oh, Aranmore! loved Aranmore, How oft I dream of thee, And of those days when by thy shore I wandered young and free; Full many a path I've tried since then, Through pleasure's flowery maze, But ne'er could find the bliss again I felt in those sweet days." THOMAS MOORE. [Sidenote: POPE GREGORY THE GREAT]