GARRYHUNDEN, distant from Carlow four miles, is the antient mansion of Sir Richard Butler, Bart.

BORRIS CASTLE, the superb seat of Thomas Kavanagh, Esq. is distant from the town of Carlow about twelve miles, towards the south. This is, in every respect, the finest and most interesting residence in the county of Carlow. The estate of Borris would appear to be formed by the hand of nature for the site of a baronial mansion. The extensive demesne abounds in inequalities of surface, and is richly wooded. The river Barrow flows along its borders, and a mountain-stream penetrates the interior, rolling over a bed of broken rocks. The Black-stairs mountains, which terminate the prospect towards the south-east, form a boundary, in that direction, of unusual grandeur.

The house, originally a large and square but unornamented building, was erected by the grandfather of the present proprietor, and the chief architectural alterations were carried into effect by the late Walter Kavanagh, Esq., his elder brother, the architects employed being the Messrs. Morrison. By those gentlemen it was correctly perceived that a mansion of modern features would bear no affinity of character to the bold, august, aud picturesque scenery of this demesne. They adopted, therefore, as the model of their improvements, the English baronial mansion of the sixteenth century, turretted and rich in detail, examples of which style may be seen at Hatfield and Burleigh. Without disputing the judgment of these tasteful and able architects, it may, perhaps, be doubtful whether, considering the prevailing tone of the surrounding scenery, and the high antiquity of the family seated through almost countless generations on this demesne, a model of a date still more remote might not have been selected, with an increased degree of effect in congruity of keeping. The abode of the Kavanaghs, placed amidst the natural grandeur of Borris, must have appeared congenial to the family and the country, if castellated in the magnificent taste of the third Edward. Still, the building, as altered after the designs of the Messrs. Morrison, is so very splendid a specimen of the order of mansions which it is intended to represent, that few

spectators will fail to rest contented with the efforts of the architects. Convenience, in this noble residence, is carefully blended with ornament; and, contrary to the perverse custom in many decorated dwellings, it may be safely affirmed that the genius of the builder is most forcibly displayed in the interior. The principal apartments are spacious, appropriate, and chastely, although sumptuously, adorned.

The demesne of Borris has constituted, for numerous successive ages, the chief residence of the senior representatives of the posterity of Donald Kavanagh, natural son of Dermod Mac-morough, the last King of Leinster.* The descendants of that distinguished personage have performed prominent parts in the affairs of Ireland, at many eventful junctures. Owing to the troubled state of the country, and the antient claims of this potent race, we chiefly, until recent more settled and pacific ages, recognise the name in conjunction with scenes of turbulence, but are often constrained to admire instances of individual heroism. Happily, for several generations, the same ardour of family feeling has been employed in genuine patriotism, and such acts of local beneficence as fall more peculiarly within the sphere of the topographer's consideration.

We forbear from following the varied fortunes of this very antient and illustrious family through the centuries briefly succeeding the introduction of the Anglo-Normans by King Dermod, and observe that, on the 4th of November, 1550, Charles, or Cahir, Mac Art Macmorough Kavanagh, of Polmonty, chief of the name, in the great council-chamber of Dublin, and in the presence of the lord lieutenant, Sir Anthony St. Leger, and other official and distinguished persons, submitted himself, and publicly renounced the title and dignity of MAC MOROUGH, as borne by his ancestors. Upon which occasion, as was usual in those times, he "parted

The reader will recollect that in our notice of Ferns (County of Wexford) we have presented some remarks of the Chevalier De Montmorency, showing that in Ireland, from the earliest periods down to a date so recent as the sixteenth century, illegitimacy was, for many political reasons, not viewed in a humiliating light.

with a portion of his estates." Four years subsequent to his submission, this chieftain was created by Queen Mary a peer for life, by the title of Baron of Balygan, in the county of Wexford.

Notwithstanding this increasing amity between the chieftain and the English government, we find different members of the sept engaged in ambitious struggles for power at various subsequent periods. In the year 1552, Hugh Mac Morough claimed the discarded chieftainship, and repaired to arms in support of his pretensions. The assumption of this title had now ceased to be merely a subject of contention between rival individuals, and the hand of government interfered to crush so serious an effort at independence. Sir Nicholas Bagenal, knight-marshal, marched a body of troops against the aspiring Hugh; and a desperate conflict ensued, which, we are told, was 66 so well fought on both sides, that the loss, as well as the victory, is uncertain."

Donald-Spaniagh (the Spaniard) was a turbulent personage of the sept of Kavanagh, in the latter part of the sixteenth century. In the year 1595, this Donald, in conjunction with Pheagh Mac Hugh O'Byrne (often noticed in our description of the County of Wicklow) ravaged the entire country from Wicklow to the gates of Dublin. His aggressions remained for some time unavenged, but, in the year 1600, Sir Oliver Lambert, the British general, invaded the lands of Donald-Spaniagh, and made a prey of 1000 cows, 500 garrons (small horses), and a great store of sheep. This daring toparch died at his castle of Clonmolin, in the year 1631, or 1632, and was succeeded in the family domain by his son, Sir Morgan Kavanagh of Borris.

Borris Castle, in the year 1642, was garrisoned by the parliamentarians; and the building then experiencing a siege by the Irish, Sir Charles Coote, with some difficulty, threw into it a reinforcement of men and provisions. After the restoration of King Charles II. Bryan Kavanagh, Esq. was suffered to remain in

* The epithet of Spaniagh was frequently applied by the old Irish, not because the person so termed was born or bred in Spain, but on account of his having a yellow or sallow complexion, resembling, as was supposed, that of the Spanish people.

unmolested possession of his estates, which comprised the barony of St. Molin's, and now form the inheritance of the representative of this distinguished family, Thomas Kavanagh, Esq. brother-inlaw, and maternal cousin-german, of the late marquess, and of the present earl, of Ormonde.

During the insurrection in 1798, this part of the country was exposed to many of those excesses which must be expected to stain the annals of factious contention. At that time the house of Borris was placed in a state of defence, and successfully withstood a tumultuous attack and a formal siege from the insurgent party.*

KELLYSTOWN, or KELLETSTOWN, is distant from Carlow about five miles towards the south-east. The more antient name of

The events connected with the attack of Borris Castle are thus stated in Mr. Hay's Hist. of the Insurrection of 1798. "As the insurgents had not a sufficiency of gunpowder to undertake any new attack, they remain, ed inactive in their several encampments for some days; but in order to obtain a supply of that article, it was resolved to make an attack on Borris, the seat of Walter Kavanagh, Esq. in the county of Carlow, where, it was supposed, lay a great quantity of arms and ammunition. A detachment accordingly proceeded from the camp on Vinegar-hill to that on Lacken-hill, where, receiving reinforcement, the united party moved forward to the attack of Borris, where they arrived after a night's march, early on the morning of the 12th. The cavalry stationed there fled on the approach of the insurgents, but a party of the Donegall militia, who had taken up their quarters in the house, defended it with great bravery, keeping up a constant fire from the upper windows, and losing but one man in the course of the contest. The cannon the insurgents had brought with them were too small to have any effect on the castle, as the only ball discharged by one of them, rebounded from the wall, and an attack by musketry was of course considered ineffectual. As no hopes then remained of taking the mansion by assault or battery, considering the strength and thickness of the wall, and that the lower windows were also lately built up with strong mason-work, the assailants set the outer-offices on fire, in hopes of forcing the garrison to dislodge themselves for their protection; but this manœuvre proving ineffectual, and the insurgents having expended all their ammunition in useless efforts, and having burnt some houses in the village, returned to the several encampments from which they had been detached in the county of Wexford."-Hist. of the Insurrection, &c. p.p. 190-191.

this place is Cill-mna-ur-iosal-na-moen, the church of the poor mourning Munster women; allusive to a sanguinary battle fought here, in, or about, the year 478, in which the Momonian warriors were defeated and slaughtered by the Lagenians. We are told by the Irish annalists that this battle was fought between the men of Leinster, headed by Lughaidh, the monarch, grandson of King Niall of the nine hostages, and Eocha, King of Munster, and his forces.-At Kellystown are the remains of a pillar-tower, standing in an elevated situation. This structure is formed of the grit stone of the country, and measures internally twelve feet diameter. Near the tower are the ruins of a church; and both fabrics were dedicated to St. Patrick, who has the credit of having been their founder. The church is, likewise, built of grit-stone, and the arches are plain and semi-circular. Here is the place of sepulture of the Mac Cumins, or Cummins, a subordinate sept, formerly seated in this part of the country. The tombstones to persons of this name are numerous, but the most antient inscription now remaining is to " Hugo Mac Cummins, A.D. MDCIII.”* The antient baptismal font still remains in this ruined church, and is rudely cut from a single stone, in the shape of an ill-designed vase.

TULLOW, TULLAGH, or TULLYOPHELIM, a small town, seated on the river Slaney, near the eastern borders of the county, presents the remains of a monastic building and a castle. Concerning the religious house at this place little is now known, except

* The following remarks may be useful, in conveying to the English reader intelligence concerning the derivation of the names of several Irish septs. St. Cumineus, bishop and abbot of Endrom (Antrim) died A.D. 658. Another sainted personage of this name (founder of the monastery of Kilcuimin, in the modern barony of Clonlish in the King's County, formerly called Disert-Cuimin) died A.D. 668. No doubt the sept to which we have alluded above, bearing a peculiar veneration to one or other of those saints, chose him for their patron, and adopted to his honour the name of Mac Cumin, or rather Mac-giola-Cuimin, the son of the servant of Cuimin; which, like the Mac-giola-Patrick of the dynasts of Ossory, and others, continued to be the hereditary surname of that particular race. MSS. of Chev. De Montmorency.