Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Lewis Dillwyn's Visit to Kerry, 1809 (Author: Lewis Weston Dillwyn)

entry 7

Monday, July 24th
After an early Breakfast we set out on foot to ascend Mangerton, which excepting the Reeks is the highest Mountain about Killarney. After having walked three Miles we found a Man willing to be our Guide with whom at ½ past 9 we began the ascent. We wound up a rugged Path & in a short time enjoyed a Bird's Eye view of both the upper and lower Lakes & of all their Islands, Bays, Inlets & Promontories which with their surrounding Mountains form the finest Landscape I have ever seen. In three hours we reached a large Lake situated at the bottom of an enormous hollow near the top of Mangerton & surrounded by rocky Precipices of a tremendous height. It is said to be unfathomable and its Irish name signifies the Pit of Hell70 but it is more usually called the Devil's Punch Bowl. It is

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remarkable for its dark, translucent & very cold waters which so pleased Charles Fox71 whilst on a visit at Lord Kenmare's that he swam across the Lake. We tasted some of the Punch & hunted over the sides of the Bowl in hopes of finding some Alpine Plants but we saw none except Rumex digymens of which the leaves served as an excellent relish for some Biscuits we had brought in our Pockets. The Guide to wash down our repast pointed out a small spring that issues from beneath a Rock than which I can imagine nothing more crystalline, & it seemed literally as cold as ice. Woods & Leach climbed up the almost perpendicular Cliffs, whilst I walked round by a more easy ascent to the Summit of the Mountain which forms a dreary plain without a single Rock on the surface. Empetrum Nigrum72 is there very abundant but we could not find any other than Common Plants which with the similar disappointment of my Friends as they ascended the Reeks gave me a poor idea of the botanical fertility of the Kerry Mountains. Mangerton commands a magnificently extensive prospect of the neighbouring country, which is bounded on the South & on the West by the Atlantic Ocean, but we had hardly reached the Summit when it began to rain so heavily that the view was greatly obscured & we found it necessary to return. We must not, however, complain for it was the first time that we had been in the least annoyed by the weather since we landed in Ireland, & we found when we approached the foot of the Mountain that it had there scarcely rained at all. The Water that overflows from the Lake runs into the Streams which is [sic] afterwards precipitated down a chasm in the Turk Mountain & forms what is called the Turk Cascade. The Bed of the Stream is at present nearly dry, & the unusually dry weather, so favourable to the general purposes of our Tour, has prevented us from enjoying the sight, not only of this but also of several other noble falls in the neighbourhood & especially that of Derricunihy by the end of the upper Lake.

The People of the Country are extremely superstitious & our Guide amused us all the way with stories about O'Donoghue, Histories of Fairies, Ghosts, etc. He very gravely told us that the Devil is often seen in every kind of Shape, except that of a Lamb, but that he may always be readily known by a cloven Hoof, which he can neither alter the appearance of or hide. This Wicked One or his Imps sometimes play such pranks about the Mountains that a Priest is not

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unfrequently employed to drive him off, & on enquiry I found that ‘No pay no pray’ is a maxim with the Holy Fathers in this as well as all other matters.

Among other traditions one Guide told me that the Danes when they possessed this Country used to make a most excellent kind of Beer from the common Heath of which the natives were so fond that they by force retained two of these Invaders when the remainder reimbarked in order to compel them to teach the manner of brewing it. The two thus retained were a Father & his Son who were tempted with large promises & threatened with torture for the purpose, but the former is said to have killed the latter & then himself to prevent the valuable secret from being known to the Irish who still lament their ignorance of this favourite Beverage of their Ancestors.73

From the foot of the Mountain we walked to Mucross & again admired its venerable Abbey, & then strolled across the Domain to the Quay where we found Captain White's four-oared Boat in waiting which landed us on Ross Island at 5 o Clock. After having been hospitably entertained by Captain White we returned to the Inn on foot & were when we arrived so thoroughly tired that we went almost directly to Bed.