The Angling Excursions of Gregory Greendrake, Esq. [Pseud., I.e. J. Coad] in the Counties of Wicklow, Meath, Westmeath, Longford, and Cayan, With Addi

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1832 edition. Excerpt: ... chap. vii. "The cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it; and be shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow." Isaiah. There is nothing that gives to the mind of man a more contemplative and salutary direction, than when viewing "the habitations of man made desolate," or when "looking for the place thereof." It is then that he is made sensible of the vanity of human cares and wishes, the brevity of his existence, and convinced that his "little life is rounded with a sleep." How finely and awfully descriptive is the picture of desolation above quoted! It is only in the inspired book of life that we can, indeed, find the highest strains of poetry combined with the inestimable philosophy and consolations of religion. In our last, we left our contemplative and observant angler at the entrance of the valley of the Seven Churches--now hear himself: --G glendaloch. "Less than three miles more brought us to the entrance of the valley of the Seven Churches, or, as anciently named, 'Glendaloch;' literally, the Glen of the Two Lakes. On the right is Lara barrack, erected immediately after the rebellion of 1798, to keep that part of the county, which was very lawless and disturbed, in subjection. It observes the approaches by three good roads, that to the right being a branch of the military road leading across the mountains, until then impassable, into the counties of Dublin, Kildare, and Wexford. The difficulty which was found in transporting troops, cannon, and ammunition, against the rebels, in their recesses and fastnesses among the mountains, suggested to government the...