Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Pococke's Tour in Ireland in 1752 (Author: Richard Pococke)
entry 69
On the 18th I went from Waterford to Tramore Bay, passing by Balinemona the seat of Mr. Carew. Tramore Bay is about two miles broad, and has an exceeding fine strand, a rivlet falls into it at the east end where the tide coming in, makes the north strand, divided from the other by a strip of land and some sandy hills, and it contains if I mistake not near 2000 acres, and when the tide is in, it appears like a fine lake. There is a great Concourse of people of late to this place, in the summer to bathe, and to drink the salt water: and My Worthy friend Dr. Thomas Archdeacon of Lismore and Vicar General of the Diocese, has built a turret here, in a beautiful situation, with one large room up one pair of stairs, and great conveniences under it.51 At this bay are a great variety of curious granites, marbles and jaspars, that have been rolled from the sea; some of which I have had polish'd
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and are very beautiful; and to the west is a little bay called, if I mistake not, Carol's Bay, in which I have been informed are many curious pebbles. There is a bed of excellent oysters in the river which falls into the bay, but they are very scarce. On the other side of this rivlet, on the north side of which is a harbour for small craft, Mr. Wyse has a small country house, to which one fords the river; on the sands near it, I have seen Asparagus grow wild, as Eringo does also in great plenty. Going along the sea coast towards Waterford Harbour are several caves from the sea, with openings from them to the surface above: one of the finest of them is called the Bishop's hole; a little within the mouth of the harbour is a very small bay, called white house bay: on one side are the remains of an old Castle and opposite to it, is a pleasant box call'd Nymph Hall belonging to Dr. John Alcocks Dean of Ferns and left him by Mr. Henry Mason: Beyond it is Dunmore Castle, and a little further Woodstown the seat of Mrs. Motloe, from which there is a strand to Passage; but before one comes to it in land is Crook Castle and a church that belonged to the Templars. Passage is the place where ships lie that wait either to go up to the town or sail out of the harbour. The little town is situated on a narrow slip under a steep high hill. Further on is Faith leg Mr. Bolton's house and estate, on it is Cheek-point hill, from the top of which is a glorious prospect: The Nore and Barrow joined above Ross fall into the Suir. Opposite to this place, having made [gap: extent: one or two words] what is called the Great Island, tho' it is only a peninsula; going on towards Waterford is Ballymakill the seat of Mr. Dobbyn, a very ancient family, opposite to which is the little Island, a fine spot of ground of about an hundred acres, there is a Castle on it, but no spring. Inland
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Killure a Preceptory of the Knights Templars, and Bishops Court a ruined Country house of the Bishop of Waterford. Passing Waterford and continuing up the river first is Grace Dieu where there is an house on a height, a most pleasant situation and beyond it a good house by the water side which belongs to Mr. Anderson. About two miles further is Skilloteran, a very neat church on a rivlet, and opposite to it is the Charter School for forty children, founded on the encouragement given by the city of Waterford and neighbouring Gentlemen. Near this is a very fine slate Quarry, and about half a mile farther in a bottom on a small rivlet is Whitfield, a seat of Mr. Christmas's, a small house with a handsome Apartment added to it; the gardens are pretty and a proper advantage is taken of the great command of water; Mrs. Christmas made a beautiful shell-room of a Summer house, in which there are a great number of fine shells, Corals and pieces of Statuary and Grotesque China. Near Lisnekil church in an ancient Danish fort were found two urns of Coarse earth, in one there was a black earth or Ashes, in the other a bracelet of pure gold, weighing about five ounces. At the mouth of this rivlet on the Suir is a pleasant box, late Mr. Ivies, now the habitation of Mr. Southwell. To the south east of Lisnekil is an old Castle called Butlers Castle. It is to be observed that all along on this side of the Suir there is no lime stone, but plenty of it on the other side, except that about Kilmeaden they find it in a marle they have there, some of which is in large lumps: but this marle is of such a nature, that tho' it has been tried every way, they cannot find it does any good to the land. At Kilmeaden just over the water is a small house of Lord Doneraile's, now inhabited by Mr. Usher; there is also a spa water at Kilmeaden: and Mr. Wyse has
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lately made a rivlet navigable from the Suir about half a furlong [gap: extent: one word] to Mills he has built for rowling Copper, smiteing Iron and several other works. Going further up the river, close to it is Mayfield, the seat of Mr. May built adjoining to Rochet's Castle; near this the river Clodugh falls into the Suir, on which about two miles higher is Curraghmore, the seat of the Earl of Tyrone, situated in a bottom. The house is grand and commands a view of the mountains to the south west. To the west of it, is a fine artificial Serpentine river and walks are cut through a beautiful wood of well grown oaks. Lady Tyrone is making a fine Grotto near it, in which there is a grand profusion of curious shells and Corals. They have a piece of Chrystal in this family of which the country people have a notion, that if is put into the water which the Cattle drink, it will cure the Murrain, it is sent for even from distant places for this purpose.52 In a bog near this place, two of those brass heads of an ancient offensive weapon call'd Celts were found, of which so many have been dug up in several parts of England. Lord Tyrone has rebuilt in a very elegant manner the parish Church of Clonegam. Following the course of the Suir above Mayfield is a ruinous house in a pleasant situation over an height called Montpelier, and belongs to the Bolton family. We then come to Carrick-beg opposite to Carrick in the County of Tipperary; here was a Minoret Convent, the tower of which is remarkable, it is built on the side wall of the Church from one point as in the middle of the wall below. At this place is the church of >Killmolleran, a parish absorbed in that of Desert, from which it is called the Prebendary and Vicaridge of Desert and Killmolleran; but
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the bounds of the two ancient parishes are not known tho' probably it was the stream at Coolnemuckey: At Carrickbeg is a large stone bridge over the Suir. In a quarry of soft stone above this place are many Dendrites, formed by the shooting of some minerals, but they easily wash out. To the south at a distance from the Suir, is the large parish of Mothil; near the parish church are remains of an old Convent of Cistertian or Augustinian Monks. Coolnemucky on the Suir is an old Castle of Mr. Wall's, to the East of it I saw formerly an oak standing called the Blahoge, the trunk of which was about ten feet diameter, and the boughs spread as it is said, over near an acre of ground: On the side of the hill to the south of Coolnemucky, is a fine plantation of 20,000 firs, which thrive much: A little further is Churchtown the seat of Mr. Disney on the river where there is a ford, and there is another about three miles higher, and on a river a little beyond the Church of Desert is Glyn a house belonging to Mr. Congreve, formerly a Castle of the Everards: At Bolenhendeport upon the mountain, says the Author of the County of Waterford, was an Abby, rather a Convent of St. Madock for Canons Regular of St. Augustine. On the first mountain are the houses of several gentlemen farmers, who have small estates here, mostly the Powers. This flat on the top of the hills is a pretty good country, and extends two or three miles to the high mountains of Cummora, which stretch near as far as Dungarvan: on the top of them I have been informed, is a large Lake. This country and the eastern part of the Barony of Decies, is called the Powers' Country because it was mostly inhabited by people of that name. Within two miles of Clonmel is an old Castle, if I mistake not, called Tuchencore, belonging to Sir William Osborn: about two miles
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above Clonmel on the Suir, they find excellent marle, and from it the estate of Mr. Moore is called Marlefield. As I have before given an account of this country, as I travelled through it as far as Drumanna and Villerstown, I shall go on with it to the south from those places. And first on the west side of the Blackwater. To the west of Tallon is the Castle of Lisfinny formerly belonging to the Earls of Desmond. Towards Youghall on a rock over the river is the Castle of Strancaley, from which there is a passage cut through the rock to the river; there are traditions of the Earl of Desmond confining people here, leaving them to perish, and seizing on their Estates, on which part of the Castle and rock were blown up. Lower are the Castles of Temple Michael and Rhincrow alias Kilcrow, of which there is a tradition that it was the place of the Knights Templars. Near this is Balyntray, the house of Mr. Smith, opposite to which is an island called Der Inis and sometimes the Isle of S. Molanfioe or Molanna, from a Convent there of Regular Canons founded by that saint in the 6th Century. Here they say Reymond le Gross was buried, who in the time of Henry IId. had a great share in the Conquest of Ireland. Near this is the bounds of the County of Cork round by a rivlet to the south: Going on the other side of the river we met with a large Castle, said to be built by King John, and is called in Irish Clough, I should before have mentioned that on the Phinisk north of Drumanna is Bewley, where there are ruins, said to be an house of the Templars, but there is no account of it. At Ballina Multina there is a quarry of good slates. About Clashmore the river Lichey falls from the east into the Blackwater, on which is the Castle of Balyheny; At Clashmore there was a Convent of Canons Regular founded in the 7th Century by St. Cronan Mockoa.
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Kinsale beg is opposite to Youghal, where the church was roofed and covered by Bishop Milles, but all the Protestant inhabitants leaving the Parish it was not finished. Near it is Prospect Hall, the seat of Mr. Bernard, from which there is a fine view of Youghall on the river which is built up the side of a hill, a little like the situation of Constantinople, to the south west was a fine Strand four miles long, but by some accident was spoiled for riding: Pilestown is the estate of the Walshes where judge Walsh lived, who is supposed to be the author of the forged Commission in favour of the Irish Rebels, in the time of King Charles the First, according to the Author of the County of Waterford. We now leave the river and turn eastward along the shore and soon came to Ardmore, the great (head or height) from a head of land at this place; It was anciently the See of a Bishoprick founded by St. Declan of this county who was the first Bishop, about the time of St. Patrick: They say, he founded a Monastery here, which might be at the old church over the Sea-cliff; where there are remains of a very ancient building; the Cathedral probably was where the present parish church is, at the west end of which are some curious old reliefs of Saints, of Adam and Eve, &c. the chancel only is covered for the Parish church. Near it is a small square building where St. Declan is buried: there is the finest and best built round tower here in the Kingdom, fifteen feet in diameter and above a hundred high, it is divided into five parts by four water tables, there are at top two or three beams of timber for hanging a Bell, for which use it certainly served, there being very plain channels in the stones at the bottom of the door worn by the ropes. There are also remains of an old Castle here; on the head of land were formerly lead
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mines, and searching of late for ore they found they were worn out, This parish extends a great way into the mountains to the north and four miles to the eastward. There is a great Pattern held here on St. Declan's day and penances are performed by creeping under a stone, concerning which they have some strange tradition: old mines also are seen over the mountains, which if I mistake not, are said to have been Iron mines. They have a fine Strand here and a pretty good fishery: Between this and Dungarvan is Rineogonah parish, from which one may pass over the Strand to Dungarvan: but the more common way is over very dismal mountains, which are near on a level with the ground towards the sea, but there is a great descent from them to the vale in which Dungarvan is situated on a Bay into which the small river of Colligan and Briskey fall, the latter is a great torrent after rains. It is situated on the south side of the river and is a good fishing town, and famous for an export of potatoes to many parts of Ireland, and I am told they export the yolks of eggs boiled hard and salted for Spain to be eaten as sauce with their salt fish; there is a bank about ten leagues from Dungarvan, where they catch quantities of Hake and Haddock, Cod, Ling, and many other kinds of Fish. They have also a bed here of very large oysters. There is a barrack built in the old Castle, of which there was formerly a Constable: on one side of Dungarvan is Shandon, the seat of the Hores, and on the east side Clonkasteran, Mr. Nugent's; opposite to the town on the north side of the river is an old Convent of Augustinian Eremites, founded by the MacGraths in the thirteenth century. Going along the coast eastward, Clonea is a flat country, and under the Strand is a bog, the turf of which is disagreeable to the smell when it is
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burnt within land, in Killrossanty are the Castles of Barnakill and Baleykeroge. In Stradballey at Ballivony is a large building and two remarkable wells, which communicate with each other and they are fed by water, brought by a Subterraneous passage: There is a descent by steps to one of them: it is thought to have belonged to the Knights of Jerusalem. At Kilmacthomas is a strong Castle of the Powers, and a little farther about two miles from the sea is Newtown, laid out in Streets, and paved and a few houses built, but now ruined all by Mr. Greatrakes. Going along the Coast is Killarimeden, where on Lord Ranelagh's estate some lead mines have been discovered, which did not answer, but on Knockanmaham the Bishop's estate they have worked some copper mines with good success, tho' now they say the vein is grown very small and hardly worth pursuing. I saw some ore which look'd like glass and like broken bugles and some pure native copper: Between this and Tramore is nothing remarkable, but Island Ikane, so called from very small Islands opposite to it, about two miles from Tramore bay.