Ireland/Irish > Black's guide to Killarney and the south of Ireland

CAVE OF KILKEE.
95
“ 0! haste and leave this sacred isle.
Unholy bark, ere morning smile;
For on thy deck, though dark it be,
A female form I see;
And 1 have sworn this sainted sod
Shall ne’er by woman’s feet he trod.”
j In his own day he might have the satisfaction of keeping off
i fair intruders, hut all his expostulations, and even anathemas,
| would but little avail in this age of curiosity and sight-seeing.
I Kilrush is growing in importance as a watering-place, and
' from its proximity on the one hand to the Shannon, and on
| the other to the wide Atlantic, is likely to become a favourite
a place of summer residence. It is also the nearest town to
fe Killcee, on Moore Bay, a delightful watering-place, with
II the wide expanse of the Atlantic before it, nine miles distant
h from Kilrush. From a beautifully-written book called “ Two
! Weeks at Kilkee,” by the accomplished Mary J. Knott, we
| extract a description of the place :—“ The town, which com-
L mands a fine view of the bay, is built close to the sea, and
I assumes a semicircular form from the shape of the strand, which
H presents a smooth, white, sandy surface, of above half a mile in
H length, where the invalid can, without fatigue or interruption,
enjoy the exhilaratyjg sea breeze and surrounding scenery.
Tfie'ptincipal street runs nearly from one end of the village to
the other; these extend to the strand, and at every few steps
afford a fine view of the Atlantic wave dashing into foam
against the cliffs which circumscribe its power, and the rocks
of Dugarma, which run nearly across the bay.” A very fine
Danish fort in the vicinity is formed by a bank of earth 700 feet
in circumference, succeeded by a wide moat, inside of which
5 rises a platform. It is a common belief that this place is
. haunted, and, some time since, a ventriloquist threw the neigh-
| bourhood into consternation by causing sounds of distress and
1 anguish apparently to proceed from the vaults.
The Cave of Kilkee is about two miles from the town.
The better plan for visiting this cave is by oared boats, to he
hired of the fishermen. By adopting this plan, an extensive
sea view is obtained for the whole distance. “ Having cleared,”
• writes M. J. Knott, “ the rocks of Duganna, the great expanse
| of water presented a magnificent appearance; the nearest point
on the opposite shore was that of Newfoundland, 2000 miles
distant. In passing along, the dark cliffs, the Amphitheatre,