Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Pococke's Tour in Ireland in 1752 (Author: Richard Pococke)

entry 73

I set out on the 5th and went two miles to Carne village and Head, where one Mr. Pallasur lives, the Landlord of the place: Carnehead is the south east point of Ireland, and makes out to the south in Rocks of Granite, chiefly of the red kind, such as at the Cataracts of the Nile of which the Obelisks were made, some of it is greyish in large veins like some in Cornwall. I went on to the point which is covered with mussels, that fix to it with their beards, there are also welks and limpets on these rocks, and a boy seeing me walk on them came and grop'd for Crabs, and I observed he knew every hole tho' it was under Water; the seals also came very close to the rock and I whistled to them, to which they seemed to give attention, but when they saw me they div'd. I then went along by the sea side northward passed by Carne Church and afterwards St. Margaret's; Major Nuns being a great Landlord in these parts, then by Baley Trant Mr. Hughes's, and by an old Church; I went along the Strand for some way, and saw the seals lying out of the water on rocks about an hundred yards from the waterside, they


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took no notice of any noise I made to frighten 'em, but when I whistled their whole body was in agitation, as if sensibly affected by it, we saw the heads of others in the water near them which I took to be young ones. In another mile we came to Balihiar and at the same distance to Ballygeny, in half a mile near Kilroan Castle and saw inland Brinikan Houli, and Kilstoran Church in repair and Hill Castle and so came to Rosslare, where I dined in a Cabin on what I had brought with me; having travelled on a bank over the sea for about three miles the Coast here making such a turn that we had the sea to the north of St. Eblin's Point, we passed to the south making a great shallow bay with the land of Wells in the way to Gory. I came some part of the way on the strand, as I might have come all along but as I had no view of the country I chose to ride on the Cliffs over the sea which are a kind of blue clay with herbage on them, the sand to the southward as well as here being all white, and there is a great variety of Granite among the pebbles on the beach. I rode a mile and half farther northward on the point to Whitehouse Mr. Boyd's, where in the warren on the sandbanks I saw the dwarf withy. I observed them making ropes with rushes twisted with the same kind of instrument I described before, which is here call'd a Crook: At the end of this point is what they call the Fort, where a Custom house officer resides. We passed again near Rosslare Castle and in about a mile passed by Grange; in about two miles we came to Clonck where there was a pattern or rood, and I saw the young men playing at hand tennis: I observed the women were dressed extremely neat with their short cloaks of cloth. In a mile we had Kileny Castle at a little distance Mr. Mr. Harvey's, and in another we came to Kilau, where there is

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a rivlet, and here they dig very good Lime stone in quarries: I was told also that they are in search of a rich mine in this place: We had gone since we turn'd our faces to the East under the mountain or hill of Forth, which extends westward for seven or eight miles, the foot of it this way is rocky and I observed from this place to Wexford it consists of a reddish stone; we came in another mile to Wexford. The common people of the Barony of Forth are mostly Roman Catholicks, and I shall conclude this Barony with some account of their language which is the English of the time of Henry IId. and comes pretty near to Chaucer's. They now indeed almost all affect to speak good english, and do speak it with a very good accent, and I met but one who did not speak tolerable modern english, but they make use of some particular expressions, and many of them talk very broad. I took down some of the words and expressions.

  1. Right well: very well
  2. Broad way: High way
  3. Ichas: I was
  4. Cal: Horse
  5. Cales: Horses
  6. Kine: Cows
  7. Kew: Cow
  8. Well e new: Well enough
  9. 54 Ichas our ladies Island (Ilone) last yere or Vorn yere.
  10. Wast ere in Divline? Dublin.
  11. Ichas nere in my lieve. But if Ish live shall go to it fiste March.
  12. How old art thou? Fourscore going on five.
  13. God Almighty keep thee saf upon zee and Lone.
  14. Keep you your health and send you well abrode and better home.
  15. Just before the downing.
  16. I had a good friend going alsong with me and I did not heed it.

When they come in old age what kin is them upon 'em. This last I cannot explain tho' I wrote it down.
Wast ere upon Mountain a Forth? this is the hill I mentioned near Wexford of which they tell a story of a


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person who was going to it and had never been out of the Barony and finding it a great way, return'd, and said that such a one had been in France and Spain, but was nere so far off. And another who seeing the prospect from the top of it was struck with astonishment and said what a weid worn this is. What a wide world is this. And tho' the difference is so little, yet when I heard it spoken I could understand very little by reason of the different pronunciation.55

Between Grenon Point I have mentioned and Kane Point north of it, is the entrance to the Bay of Wexford, which extends southward like a great lake, just opposite to the entrance is an Island called [gap: extent: one word] with a Castle on it the town of Wexford is situated on the south side of the bay on the angle where the land turns from the north to the west, and a cape extending towards it from the north, it is there only a mile over, opening to the west in a large bason, which appears like a fine lake, with high ground round it beautifully improved with plantations of wood, and particularly Sir Arthur Gore's Kilpatrick to the north west, and Athtraman Mr. Stevenson's. Wexford consists chiefly of two streets, one on the flat, the court and gardens behind the houses extending to the sea, so that there are only two piers built out as quays, the other street is over it on the side of the hill: The Streets are very narrow, and there is a wall built round the town which is near a mile in length and the town may be about a furlong broad, the houses are mostly mean buildings, for it is a town of no great trade, by reason that there is a dangerous barr at the entrance of the harbour: The chief


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trade is an export of corn, and an import of deal boards and some wine, it is the nearest land to England, being about eighteen leagues from St David's Head, Wicklow is about the same distance from the head of Carnarvonshire which is seen very plainly from Bray Head and from the Mountains of Wicklow, whereas Holyhead is about twenty leagues from the Hill of Howth near Dublin, so that there have been thoughts of having packet boats from St David's to Wexford: This is the market town of the south west part of the County and especially of the Barony of Forth and Bargie: There is one church in service St [gap: extent: one word] the other old churches within the walls are St Oulak's, St Patrick's and St Marie's. Out of the town St Peter's, St Michael and St John, I saw also in the principal street St Iver's a sort of chapel with a saxon door to it. Besides these there is a church call'd Selsker with a very large tower in the middle of it, which I suppose is that of the Priory of St Peter and St Paul, de Selster for Canons Regular of St Austin. St. John is probably the Priory of St John and St Bridget founded by William Marescall Earl of Pembroke for Knights of the Hospital, of this there are hardly any remains. A Friary of Mendicants is also mention'd as founded in the time of Henry IId. There is a good Courthouse here for the Assizes which are always held at this place, it is esteemed one of the cheapest places in Ireland, and they have great plenty of wildfowl in the season, especially widgeons and that kind of them call'd wyniard which are thought to exceed the wild duck, they have also Barnacles: The reason why the market is so cheap, is that it is a nook of Ireland, and by its situation and rivers is cut off from a convenient communication with other places. The south supplies 'em with barley and oats, beans and peas, the north with wheat, and all

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the country round with tame fowl; the sea with plenty of fish, especially oysters, for which they are famous. There is a very good chalybeat spa here which purges by urine, it is at the west end of the town, and there is a walk and long room, formerly much frequented.