Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Pococke's Tour in Ireland in 1752 (Author: Richard Pococke)
entry 29
On the 23d. I set forward and in less than a mile passed over the river Slady on a bridge, which runs beautifully down the rocks and here they have a salmon fishery, we now entered into the Country called the Rosses, or as I suppose the heads, probably an old word derived from the Arabick Ross a head or cape of Land, and it is the parish of Temple Croan, here the rocks are of the same red Granite as that of Egypt, of which the Obelisks are made. We then went a mile and half and came to a Strand called Trakern Bay, and in a mile more to Molah Durack and in two miles to strand Bernientileh, having all the way a most agreeable variety of Strand, rocks and little Loughs and views of Strands or Bays, with rocky Islands in them. We had also Islands in the seas all along on this coast—a little farther south is Colain, then Ennisboy, farther south Enisurnak and then Enniskoul left dry by the tide, here I was to have crossed over: The mountains from Doe westward are Muckish, Iacca, Altam, behind which is Glenveagh, then Mulock, then Errigal, a most beautiful pointed mountain the highest of all, as some think, and the top when seen above some hills appeared like the great Pyramid: Then Slieve Snaghta (snow mountain): And the low chain of hills running
p.66
west of these and to the south are called Carantricanah. Having passed the Strand we came to Kedu, and had in our view to the left a long beautiful Lough called Wellan, appearing like a serpentine river. We passed by Temple Crowan Church, which is a mean low, thatched building; this Living of £80 a year is in dispute and is lapsed to the Crown, and is most desolate and I may say uninhabited part in the world. We came on to a boggy part of the Country, and having past some difficult places, the guide desired me to walk a short way to Glasbegginmill and went in search of a good pass but could not find any and was obliged to come back and go in the common way near a rivlet which turns that Mill, which I passed with great difficulty on foot; I saw they were obliged to come to it; the Miller came to meet us, and I asked him if there was a door or a board to lay for the horses to pass; he said there was not; but the guide went to the mill and brought a board and an Oxes skin; so laying sods and heath the skin and the board on that, and sods on each side of it to keep the horses from slipping in, we cross'd on them safely, and passing on still over bog, when we came to any narrow passes, the horses leap'd them; And taking another guide we came to Letter McWard, a hamlet of three or four houses. I observed they chose to go on the edges of hanging grounds over rivlets or low places which are driest. We had this morning the Isle of Arran to the west, which is about two miles long and a mile broad, and some other Isles south of it, and passed the rivlet called Cloghnehich (The grey stone) on which there is held a yearly fair for Cattle: Before we came to Letter McWard, we went two miles on a Strand called Trianah into which falls the river Goninesh. And when we had pass'd over the hill of
p.67
Letter McWard we came to a strand and the river Gubarrow, which is crossed in a Curragh and the horses are led in and swim across. This river rises to the North east and directly west is a high hill, on the side of which is Lough Finn, out of this lake the river Finn rises: Then there is a chain of hills between that and the Swilly: The mountain to the north of Gubarrow is called Dirliaconnel, then going north, follow Croiveh, Craheh, Carvan Trianch and Bloody Farrel. This country being entirely unknown I have been the more particular in relation to it, for my own satisfaction. From the Ferry I went westward along the Strand, and passed under an old Church called Kilkenny, a chapel of Ease to Inniskeel", a mile farther I came to a village called Balyaristan: and having a letter to Mr. Stewart the Minister of Inniskeel I came in two miles to his house, the first half on the strand and the remainder within the sand banks; opposite to it is a small Island called Keel or Inniskeel (Island Red) in which are two churches, about one the Protestants bury, and at the other the Papists; at low water they ride over to it. This Parish extends for near thirty miles from the western point as far as Lough Finn; near that Lough there is a road from it to Strabane; and all that country on the Finn and the Swilly, is called the Lagan. There is a voluntary division made of the parish for this turn, there being a chapel to the west served by a clergyman who has half the profits.