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