Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Pococke's Tour in Ireland in 1752 (Author: Richard Pococke)
entry 23
We here
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enter'd the Barony of Kilmacrenan, and I was detained all the morning of the 17th by rain. In the afternoon I cross'd for five miles over two hills excessive bad roads to Kilmacrenan, on the road I saw a new kind of round fort, common here, made of loose stones well put together: the walls are ten feet thick and about eight high encompassed with a fosse and about seventeen yards in Diameter within. Kilmacrenan is a very poor village on a river called Gannon, which runs through rocks beautifully adorned with trees; and all over the Country there is an agreeable variety of Hills, Rocks, Wood and Cornfields. The church is thought to be part of an old Convent of Minorets founded by O'Donnel; over the door is a relief of a mitred head. We here came to the fine new road which is making from Letterkenny to the north west point of this Barony chiefly carried on under the direction of Mr. Wray of Ards: It leads over a very high hill, on which there is a fine lake call'd Lough Farne which is about a mile long and a quarter of a mile broad, the new road being carried on three sides of it, and the hills rise above it all round being very high to the south, and on this side is the extraordinary old road, which seems to have been very difficult as well as frightful to the traveller, being over a precipice with the deep lake directly under it: To the right of the passage down to Doe is a small lake on the side of the hill into which this empties itself and from that the river runs down into the sea. To the East coming up to this lake, I saw another about a mile in circumference it is called Lough Castle Culane. Going up the low hills to the north of the lake, I was extremely surprised at the view of the Country, consisting below of a great number of small Loughs, in a healthy country and some spots of corn to the north and east, two bays winding in and forming several strands for some miles, many
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of them appearing when the tide is in like serpentine rivers, not without many spots of corn and wood. The countries here are distinguished by general names, probably the old names of the clans, by which they are now called and also by the names of the parishes which have generally the same bounds. As the country to the East comprehending the parish of Clandevadoge is called Fanad, a parish finely bounded by the sea, by Lough Swilly by the bays and Strands, which are formed by the sea, which comes in at an opening between this and a division to the westward, call'd Rosguill named by the Lord Boyne whose estate it was Rosapenna and now belongs to Mr. Clements. This opening is mark'd in the map of Ireland by the name of the river Mullroy, and by a river in Petty's map, but neither of them show the large bays and strands which are formed by this inlet. Dr. Bedford lives in that parish, which tho' hilly is all under corn, and it is a most delightful retirement. This clergyman is greatly regarded by the people, to whom he is a father, and there being plenty of corn, he has put them in a way of exporting it, by freighting a ship and advises them in everything for their interest. Rosaquill is another head of land, the parish if I mistake not, is called Carrigart the church of which is just opposite to Rosapenna house. The next division is Doe, divided from this by another bay, which is called Ship haven, this is the parish of Claudahurky; taking in Ards Mr. Wray's and Horn Head Captain Stewart's. The fourth part is Clohaheny, which takes in all the country to the west, as far as that which is called the Rosses, and has in it the Parishes of Ray and Tullaghobegly, of all which I shall be more particular, when I passe thro' them as I determine on this most romantick prospect of these countries. I returned to Letterkenny.