Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Pococke's Tour in Ireland in 1752 (Author: Richard Pococke)
entry 12
On the 5th I walked two miles to Balywilly church of which Mr. Cuppaige is Curate whom I had met at Ballycastle,
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I preach'd for him, and Mr. Stewart near invited me to dine with him, but I excused myself; and a person who showed me some civility by accompanying me home: dined with me; I saw in the way a low rocky hill called Cregahullen-Craig where there are pillars as in the Giant's Causeway, some sides of which I measured and found them to be large; there is another a mile further, and I observed even near as far as Solomons Porch, six miles beyond Coleraine that the rocks have some little resemblance of the Causeway, but not in true pillars. In the afternoon I went down to the strand to see grottoes and caves in the Lime stone white cliffs, which begin from Dunluce and extend to the strand of Portrush, and they are the most extraordinary and beautiful I ever saw, some in open grottoes, others in large narrow caves going in a great way, having beautiful stalactites in them; one of them exceeds the rest in beauty, being about thirty paces wide and 70 long, with three pillars of rock on the east side, the white colour of the rock and the flints intermixt, and in many parts Belemnites add to the beauty and curiosity of the sight. Portrush is a little creek encompassed with sandy banks, which gain on the land as the sands do in Cornwall: tho' it is well sheltered yet there runs such a sea, that it is not safe for the boats in winter; at some distance from this Creek is an Island called Skerries, and in the map Portrush Island, which makes the sea to the south a pretty good road to ride in during the summer-season, but it is only a shelter to the north, the lands on each side being some little covering to the East and West. This little town is of so little consequence that there is not a publick house in it for the accomodation of travellers; they have but one Merchant in the town, who deals chiefly in shipping off corn and kelp. I took a walk also to Lord
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Antrim's house close to Baleymagarry, which was burnt down about two years ago; it is a fine situation commanding a view of the sea of Inishowen to the north west and of the sea coast to the east. The house was built of the pillar stones of the quarry I have mentioned near, and I saw one there of nine sides. Lord Antrim had thoughts of building an house on a spot near, but it is said has altered his purpose. From the high lands there is a view of the Island of Ila, where it is said is the famous Abbey called Columkil, in which the ancient kings of Scotland are buried; and to the north of this one sees the Island of Jura, appearing like three remarkable hills. There is an ancient cairn at Ballimagarry consisting of ground raised five or six feet, it may be 100 feet in diameter, there are some large stones in the middle, they have the name of the person to whose honour, as tradition says it was made. They have a method in the north of weeding their corn with what they call a Clip, it is a pair of pinchers made of two pieces of wood, and handles standing like those of a pair of sheers, and they pull up the strongest docks with it.