Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Rev. Daniel A. Beaufort's Tour of Kerry, 1788 (Author: Daniel A. Beaufort)

Entry 10

[August] 22
Having come in so late it was near two before we got to bed last night. We rose late therefour this very wet morning. We could not get a ride it rained & blew so hard but about 2 it cleared up enough for a walk about the town & round by the shore of the Harbour

p.197

which is stony not sand. We saw also another great Stone a mile West of the town.75 Paid a visit to Mrs Hickson & walked about Lady Anne Fitzgerald's improvements, which never were much & are now much neglected.

Dingle

A long street on a rising hill, with one cross down to the Quay. Several good houses & some new ones, but all look délabrés. All the antient buildings mentioned by Smith76 have been pulled down within 30 Years — but I suspect that what they called balconies were only large stone windows as in Galway {Ms 4030 page 22}.

The inlet into the harbour between two high points is very pretty. That on the East side is called Nancy Browns parlour77 from a small cave in it, dry at low water & into which the sea flows. Near it were dug out of the sand some years ago 3 very long Cannon which are set up as posts for lamps at the Knight of Kerry's Gate.78 They probably belonged to the Spanish armada of which a great ship was wrecked on the coast.79 Fewer shops in Dingle in proportion to its size than I have seen any where else. A Barrack here for 2 Companies.

The Church80 was very large & consisted formerly of two long paralel Aisles. The East end of the South aisle stands & has a very fine window — the rest is destroyed, and the East end of the North aisle is also cut off by a wall with a mean window which bounds the present church. The South side of it has the Arches which communicated between the two aisles barely stopped up. The Roof is

p.198

new but not close at the Bellfry. Inside there are neither Rails nor Desk nor Pulpit nor floor nor ceiling nor plaister on {Ms 4030 page 23} the walls — but 3 large fine Canopy seats, supported by Corinthian columns — one for Mr Mullins81 & two for the Knights family, which are still hung with black (for Lady Anne continued to live here after his death till some ill treatment drove her away). The windows are all broke & there is no door to the Church Yard, but the passage is the filthiest part of the whole town, over shoes every where. In short this is the worst Church I ever saw. Mullins is Rector & — [sic] Vicar;82 Mr Goodman83 curate.

At this town is a bleach green & some linnen weaving carried on by Mr Moriarty.84 Dominick Trant85 has an Estate here. Market on Saturdays. Fish very plenty — I bought a great Turbot [of] 15 lb for 4s./6d. The borough belongs to Townsend.86 50 or 60 freemen [reside] in Co. Cork — not one resident here.87 No Magistrate or any thing else — 2 only at an Election.88 The borough belonged formerly to the Mullins family {Ms 4030 page 24}.

Vast quantities of Herrings are caught here. The Gourdet89 exists, & we might have had some but for the bad rough weather. Their excellence Alexis vouches. Ti-vouria90 is a little village larger than Ventry. So is Smerwick.