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

Entry 13

[August] 25 Tralee
A new Jail now building here seems very ill contrived — the staircases of timber — the lower rooms dungeons with little light or air, too large for one, too small for many. No communication between the Jailers house & the Jail. The windows of the cells open to the Street. Yet Mr Jerom has approved this plan of Mr Lorby a Carpenter who built {Ms 4030 page 31} it by Contract.

We walked into Sir Barry Denny's house116 which is much better than it appears outside. The grounds behind are well wooded &


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have a pretty walk round them. After breakfast my companions set out in their Cabriole for Killarney where I was to follow after paying two visits. My first was to Mr Blennerhassett117 of Elm grove, whom I found now to be the Collector118 & to live in the town opposite the Inn. When I called he had been gone to Elm Grove some hours. I ordered my chaise & followed but on the road was stopped by Col. Blennerhassett119 of Arbela & Counsellor Frankland120 who knew me and as they were going to see me at [?Ardarty] they turned back to the Grove, where the Collector has almost finished an immense house,121 in a low situation, close to the river Leigh [Lee] tempted by two small offices to prefer this to a noble situation just above it. Here the Colonel made it such a point that I should stay {Ms 4030 page 32} all night at Arbella — & asked the Collector to dinner etc. — that I consented, mounted my horse & rode with them to see several dippings of the River Leigh, and farther on a great Cavern under a ledge of huge rocks, with an open, or window as they call it, upon a perilous abyss. This is called McElligott's prison.122 The lawn at Arbella [is] beautiful verdure — without seeds in one year [commanding] a fine horizon of great Mountain tops – Musher, 2 Paps, Mangerton, Tork, the Ricks etc.

At dinner were the Collector, Counsellor & Mrs & Miss Frankland, Mrs Letitia Blennerhassett, Miss Leplant & Miss


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Trench from Cork, Mrs Spring & her son Frank123 who was a lieutenant in the Navey & in all the battles with Suffrein.124