Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Lewis Dillwyn's Visit to Waterford, Cork and Tipperary in 1809 (Author: Lewis Weston Dillwyn)

entry 4

Sunday July 9th
Yesterday we hired a Chaise, pair of Horses & a Driver for our intended Journey of a Mrs. Murphy, who is the very ugliest of all the Women I ever saw, & the Group of which she formed part would have made a most ludicrous picture. We agreed besides every expense to pay a Guinea a day for the use of the Carriage & to give 3/9 1/2 to our Driver {MS page 8} whose

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name is Pat. Pat, tho' not hideously ugly in the Face is tall, thin, raw boned & knock kneed & is totally unlike any Postillion I ever saw in England. We heard an excellent character of his capability to drive & of his civility & fidelity and when we had finished our Bargain an arch looking fellow covered with Dirt & Rags cocked his Chin in my Face & whispered ‘Your honour's in great luck for there isn't such another Driver as Pat in the Nation’. We agreed with Mrs. Murphy that if we didn't like either the Chaise or Horses we should be at liberty to send them back whenever we chose & the same Terence7 as soon as he heard this immediately whispered me ‘I'm sure your Honour'll keep them all the way for the sake of keeping Pat. Och, there isn't such another Driver in the Kingdoms’.

At 1/2 past 4 in the morning I awoke & roused my Companions by reminding them that we were going to Kill-mac-thomas. This is the name of a Village at which we intended to Breakfast, but being very hungry we stopped short at a place called Newtown Inn where we found that the {MS page 9} only Parlor was occupied by a Gentleman who had before passed us in a Curricle.8 The Landlord told us that he was Counsellor Hobson9 & we found him a truly polite & remarkably pleasant Breakfast table Companion.

As soon as Breakfast was over we went to Kill Mac Thomas (2 Miles) where the lofty appearance of the Monavullagh Mountains on our right tempted us to ascend them altho', when we left Waterford, it was our intention to have gone as fast as possible to Dungarvan. We wished our Driver to take us to the foot of the Mountains which were four Miles distant, but he assured us that the Road was ‘not properly navigable for a Carriage’. Pat, however, politely added that we might try, if we chose & he only wished us ‘to see the sense of it’. We therefore set out on foot from Kill Mac Thomas & reached the base of the Mountain in about two hours. On our way we found Pinguicula lusitanica10 in the Bogs & Spergulas pentandra11 among the Corn in great plenty. When we had ascended about half a Mile we separated & each took a different direction, in order that thereby we might explore the Mountain {MS page 10} more thoroughly. Woods ascended a sort of Gulley in the expectation of finding a Pool beyond it, whilst I climbed up to a ridge of lofty & broken Craigs on the right. The side of the Mountain was very steep & being entirely covered with Heath made the walk very fatiguing. Saxifraga umbrosa12 is extremely plentiful both in the highest Craigs and by the side of a Rill nearly to the foot of the Mountain.13

We left the foot of the {MS page 11} Mountain about 1/2 past 5 & at 7 reached Kill Mac Thomas where at a small Inn we ordered some Mutton Chops, but Pat begged us not to wait for them as it was getting late & the Country was ‘not quite as it ought to be’. We had been before informed that the Counties of Waterford & Tipperary had not, since the grand Rebellion, been so unsettled as at present,14 & therefore thought it more prudent to content ourselves with some cold half famished Ducks & set off as fast as possible. We washed away our fatigue with a little Whiskey which we tasted for the first time since our arrival in Ireland & thought it excellent. It was after 10 when we reached Dungarvan where at the best Inn we ordered Supper. I was kept in a roar of laughter by an old drunken true Hibernian Chamber Maid who came into our Parlor & openly avowed that Woods had stole her tender Heart.