Dublin Penny Journal

Ballymoon CastleSource: The Dublin Penny Journal, Vol. 3, No. 136 (Feb. 7, 1835), pp. 249-250Published by: Dublin Penny JournalStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30003424 .

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THE

DUBLIN PENNY JOURNAL CONDUCTED BY P. DIXON HARDY, M.R.LA.

Vot. III. FEBRUARY 7, 1835. No. 136.

A. Duncan, Esq. del. Clayton, r, BALLtYMOCN CASTLE, COUNTY OF CARLOW.

A. Dtulcan, Esq. del. Clayton, so. View of the South-East and South-West sides of the interior of Ballymoon Castle, County of Carlow, with

Mount Leinster in the distance, VOL, III,---NO, 32. 249

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950 THE DUBLIN PENNYY JOURNAL. BALLYMOON CASTLE.

BallyrTFoox Castle, situated in the parish of Dualeedney, barony o( Edrone East, and county of Carlow, is supposed to have beehtbbtilt about the year 1096. The ruins are very spacious. They form a square, mepsurifig about one hun- dred and twenty feet on each side. It was formerly sur. lounded by a moat, now almost filled up. The interior has totally fallen into ruins-some traces of cross.walls re- maining here and there, and the bases of a few pillars, scarcely distinguishable. There are two square towers-- in the south, one, and in the north, another. The win- dows, mere loop holes, are in good preservation, about five feet in height, four inches broad, and of a crucifix form attop. The entrance is on the west, by a cut-stone arched gateway,,the upper part of which has fallen from its place. The

,main walls, which are about 31 feet in

height, arpe not less than eight feet thick, and are covered with earth and grass. The centre appears to have been at all times an open, uncovered area. The architecture is of great strength and durability. To the right, on en- tering, is a paqted arch; Iaside which, and in the main sorul, are some rtonesteps leading to a loop-hole. From this circumstanc, some idea may be formed of -the extraor- dinary solidity of the structure.

Cromwel a*onagst other similar depredations, is said to have battered is4own; although, from its low situa- tion, and *er *qt surroundia;, it could never have been vnryf~~mt to an invading enemy, So9pe ca- rious spec ps of aWnoar, &c., *an4a beautiful 4et 4f dia- mond beads**round someyears w ack, in dligingsqsongsi the ruins

In 1sa, writteo as is supposed, yOsia about tejr@t, i.

s tbhllowir passage: But thi intrjddlIw onn, wa n'ot at this bloody btitle; fa going tt rtion ofte trnA the preceding Msy, was ctjt b le teroops, though he h t rLt gle k=gt[ his body lies interrd e the po rt

qsi0- of t, idrearyw mounttin "ICMsn, and over 4ag is his naine inscribed in"the Ogiam.' --The Ogham was a character sacred to the Drpills, the alphabet of which is still preserved. The tomb of Conon was discovered in 1785, by the Right Honorable W. B. Conyngham, in company with Mr. O'Flanagan, who was sent from Dublin for tat purpose, by the Royal Irish Academy. The tomb is placed on a kind of tumulus, and lies on an eminence above a small lake. This stone has long been celebrated in the county of Clare: it is of granite; and the inscription is interpreted-" Beneath this flag isinlterred Conon the turbulent and swift-footed." Caltan mountain is in Irish, " Altoir na Goiene," or altar cf th sun. The Irish names of places have always some reference to locality or historical facts; changing their names is therefore injudicious, as it destroys the records of the past.

Saint Piers founded a church and bleased a well at Llanberis in North Wales. The well now bears his name, and miraculous qualities were attributed to it. But tae Mostrtngular circumstance connected with its history i: iy04 %lmaes is, that here a large trout ha contionue fot

,at _, Stwenty years, and become so familiar, that NMIl "'riA from the hand of a poor womau, who

sse$m , adopted that privilegeas her own.

ON RINGS. tl* eon ts

ofthbe heathen mythology, 4W d'vered

from the chains by which to MoilnIt Caucasus for stealing

*qor duowledgment

of the ro Jupiteri, made

himself of ong o u .. ro g,w i. hse c hllt he represented the

ofigur ag\ v where Aggl kn &eW40,ed;

or, as

P reites, set in it a bit of the same rock, and placed it oh his fiver. But we otherwise learn that the use of rings is very ancient, and that the Egyptians we' e thrsatja, vet4oA of them, and had in them the figures of their gods,

or other hieroglyphics. Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, wore a ring, reputed inestimable on account of its agate, which naturally represented an Apbllo holding his iyrq and seated in the midst of'tbe us. This king avnjneen conquered by the Romans, they kept his ring in the tem. ple of Concord, as the most precious article they had belonging to him. It was thought that this ring wasa. talisman. Polycrates, king of the isle of Samos, pOs.sWes ed a ring with an invaluable emerald set in it. This king having been during his whole life favoured by fort e, was willing to make a visible trial of it, by throwing ,his ring into the sea; but by a very surprising incident,4 he found the ring in the stomach of a large fish 'that as the next day served at his table. This ring was also re- puted a talisman, and was reposited at Rome in the rTal treasure in the temple of Concord,owith that of P"us. The Roman knights were distinguished from the ses0 rs by their gold rings. In the time of the war between Qar- thasp and Rome, Hannibal, as a token of the signa4v ry he 'hd gained over the Roman army at Cannae, sent to lar- tha hree bushels of rings, taken from the fingeirs$4 he sob es and R6man knight~ who were slain old of battle, Though the first inhabitants of Ireland, and Scotland, and the ancient Gauls, w0ac cuptoed to wear their rings on the middle f 4nse at last prevailed amonga all ations, to place them I the finger gext to the little owe of the left hahheta ich t t c a the name 6of nomlong, or ring finger se, as W lauobis in his Satuaa, Appion inIs ýUns an4 sfter bin Gellino, say, that there isa sij4 -ve, acmordins to the opiniobn f the Egyptians, w h, pro- ceeds from the heart to thi figer. Thumb ri wliere foa ti worm, and portraits of Anne Bullen, sIa i.the great

E3.Ne41 arl

eof TyroPe, are r reseted

w4 btm.

THE CRO4OU AND COUCWO,

A cuckoo once, as cuckoos use, WVent out upon a winter's cruise, Return'd with the returning spring- The birds abou$ him form'd a ring, As fluttering from his foreign flight, They saw him formally alight, With pride elate, with travel stifl Upon the top of Dover cliff. They bid him welcome 'cross the main, T old England safe return'd again; When, eying scornfully the strand, " Old England I yes, the land's a land I But believe me, gentlemen," says he, 4"We passage fowl that cross the sea, Have vast advantage over you, That keep your native shores in view. The season passed I took a jaunt Among the isles of the Levant. Then 'twas my chance some weeks to be In that choice garden, Italy : But, underneath the sky's expense, No climate like the south of France! You've often ard,

I dare to swear, HoUw plenty ortalons are there; 'Tie true; and more delicious meat, Upon my word, I never eat: Thei eggs are good-it was ill hit The day I had not ten to suck. Yet, notwithstanding, to amy goat, The bir4's the sweeter of the two." Thus prating, malapert and loud, A dry old csough, among the crowd, Stopp'd short his insolent career With, "What a chattering pie is here P You travell'd, Sir; I speak to you Who've paes'd so wanny co

tries thro~wtg Say, to what purpose is't you roam, And what improvements bring you home ? Has Italy, on which you doat, Changed your monotony of note i

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