Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Journey to the North, August 7th, 1708 (Author: Samuel Molyneux)

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entry 1

Journey to ye North

August 7th, 1708.

Left Dublin, and came in 3 hours and 1/2 to Bellough, a small village, thro' a very flat, open corn Countrey, good cawsey Roads, passing thro' Santry and Swords, which Last is a Borough, and seems to have been a place of some Antiquity, for severall old Ruins that are here, and, among others, of one of the old round Steeples, which stands near the church. Having dined at Bellough, we went on thro' the same kind of Countrey, and much about the same time thro' Balruddery, Julianstown, Bridge on the Nanny water (which boards the County of Meath from Dublin) to Droghedagh. Droghedagh is a pretty Large town, Larger Houses, and every way liker Dublin than any one I have seen in Ireland. It stands on the famous River Boyne, which is navigable within Walls to Boats of 40 or 50 ton. Its Walls and Fortifications are very old and out of Repair, having suffered much, as have also most of the Houses then standing, in its Siege by O. Cromwel. Here is, on the South side the River, on a height which commands the Town, and from whence you have a fair Prospect of it, a remarkable Danes' Mount, as it seems to have been, but to which there are now built 5 or 6 half Bastions of Stone Work, with a Ditch round it, by Cromwell, as they Relate. From Drougheda we


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went up the River Boyne, on the North side, to Nouth in two hours. About half way up you pass by ye Remarkable Foard where was performed the famous Pass of the Boyne. Here yet remains a broad Foard or two; and on t'other side the River the Ruins of the Irish battery, which, with a few Sculls, are the only marks of this happy place of action.