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| BRAY HEAD, COUNTY WICKLOW.- The striking headland shown in the foregoing picture is one of themost prominent natural objects on the eastern coast of Ireland, and rises 800 feet above the waves of the Irish sea, which roar at its base with thunderous voice. The summit is approached by a driveway, shady and windling, and, when the apex is reached, the traveller is amply rewarded for his pains. Not alone is the splendidly varied mountain scenery of Wicklow and Dublin countries plainly visible, but, on a clear day, the rugged peaks of Wales can be discerned, rising like dark blue clouds on the eastern horizon. It was from those peaks that Fitzstephen and Strongbow first beheld Irish soil and were tempted to its conquest. The magnificent Elizabethan residence of Lord Meath is situated near the base of the Head, and shows to advantage along the slope of the lower Sugar Loaf mountain, which, in Gaelic parlance, now almost forgotten in Wicklow, anciently bore a much more heroic and romantic name. One of the main charms of the view from the summit of Bray Head is the constant change of shapes and coloring, as the observer turns his eye toward the different points of the compass. In this effect, the changeful Irish sky greatly aids the tourist. |
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