Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Pococke's Tour in Ireland in 1752 (Author: Richard Pococke)
entry 56
27th. In the way to all these buildings is a Holy Well with a circular enclosure. From this place I came again into the high road at Crusha two miles from Gort, where there is a tolerable Inn. At Tuberin we crossed a stream from the County of Galway in Connaught, to the County of Clare in Munster, we came to Loughed Bridge which I conjecture to be the river which in part forms those Loughs that are to the west of Crusheen: Half a mile farther we crossed another stream and in half
p.111
an hour more came to Crusheen on an eminence where there is a very good Inn, at which I dined: Till we came to the County of Clare the face of the country is all rocky being a greyish marble as I conjecture; about Galway it is full of cockles and the Conchae anomiae, and in almost all parts the petrified coral more or less. But here the face of the country is entirely different, all in little well improved hills, not without wood and something like Northamptonshire. We went on and immediately crossed a stream and had a fine view of Lough Inchicronan, we passed three streams in a mile and came to Brincastle, and crossed three more below, I came to a village called Span . . . Hill, where the road strikes out to Ennis which I had formerly gone in. This place is three three miles from Crusheen, we soon came to Molieth Mr. Macnamarrah's, well improved and a fine situation, and at the end of three more came to Quin, having had a view of Colonel Hickman's house and of the plantations of Mr. Burton and Sir Edward O'Brien we had passed in our former journey through this country. Here I saw fine lime stone with much of the coral in it entirely consolidated with the marble. We had also in this road a view of the pleasant bay beyond those Gentlemens' seats, which extends to the north from the Shannon and is full of Islands. At Quin is one of the finest and most entire Monasteries I have seen in Ireland, it belonged to Franciscan Minorites, and is called in Ware Quinchy; it is situated on a fine stream, there is an ascent of several steps to the church, and at the entrance one is surprised with the view of the high altar entire, and of an altar on each side of the arch to the Chancel; to the south is a chapel with three or four altars in it, and a very Gothick figure in relief of some Saint probably of
p.112
St. Patrick on the north side of the Chancel is a fine monument of the Macnamarahs of Ranace. On a stone by the high altar I saw the name of Kennedye in large letters; In the middle between the body and the chancel, is a fine tower built on two Gable ends. The cloister is in the usual form with Couplets of pillars, but particularly in that it has buttresses round by way of ornament there are apartments on three sides of it; what I supposed to be the Refectory, the Dormitory and another grand room to the north of the Chancel; with vaulted rooms under them all; to the north of this large room is a closet over an arch, which leads to an opening, that seemed to be anciently a private way to go down in time of danger, in order to retire to a very strong round tower, the walls of which are near ten feet thick, tho' not above seven or eight feet from the ground; it has been made use of without doubt since the dissolution, as a pidgeon house, and the holes remain in it: In the front of the Convent is a building which seems to have been a Forastieria or apartments for strangers, and to the south west are two other buildings: On the other side of the river is a parish church, with a tower built to the corner of it . . . Half a mile to the north east is a beautiful turret of a Castle. We went on three miles further to a small town on a fine Rivlet.