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

entry 6

Tuesday July 11th
I rose about 7. {MS page 14} I was sadly disappointed to find that the Mail arrives every day in the week except Tuesday so that the Letter which I should otherwise have received will not reach this Place till tomorrow & must then be forwarded to me at Cork. At 10 we set out & walked for 21/2 hours along the Sea Shore where I gave most of my attention to Shells & collected several of which Mya truncata24 is the most rare. Woods by the side of a Road which leads to the Sands about a Mile from the Town gathered Erodeum moschatum25 & Mr. Leach made some discoveries in the Molluscae. He shewed me the most elegant Actineai26 I ever saw & which he believes is nondescript but its long flower stalk was so securely seated in the Crevice of a Rock that we in vain endeavoured to procure it. On the shore we saw a number of what are called Bathing Boxes, which resemble Bathing Machines except that they have no Wheels & are carried into the Sea by two Poles in the manner of a Sedan Chair.27

At Youghal the Potato is said to have been first introduced into {MS page 15} the British Dominions by Sir Walter Raleigh to whom the Town principally belonged. The Inhabitants when the Plant came to maturity imagined that the Apples were the part to be eaten & were of course much disgusted nor was it till they afterwards accidentally turned up the ground that they discovered their mistake.

Youghal is a neat & rather large Town pleasantly situated under a Hill close to the Mouth of the River Blackwater. The Town hall is a handsome Building & is surrounded by a public walk called the Mall which is built in the River Banks & well planted with Trees.

After an early Dinner we set out for Cork about 2 O'Clock. The road as far as Killeagh is uninteresting but about that Village the Country is better wooded & becomes more pleasant. We next passed thro' Castle Martyr. The Town is small but by far neater than any other thro' which we have yet passed for which it is probably indebted to the Earl of Shannon who has a fine Seat & extensive Park close adjoining it.28 Castle Martyr is about 8 Irish Miles from Youghal.

As we drove {MS page 16} along Pat who had never before travelled this Road frequently called out to People whom we met, indiscriminately without any regard to their age, ‘Lad, is this the right Road to Cork?’ The answer generally was ‘Aye, right all the way’. Pat then rejoined ‘I see’, & drove on.

After travelling five more Miles we came to Middleton where we stopped to feed our Horses. When we had had some Tea Leach & Woods amused themselves at a Billiard Table

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& I took a walk about the Town. I returned to a small House about the Door of which as we passed by we had observed a crowd of Women sitting on the Ground. I heard on enquiry that three Children were just dead of the Small Pox & the fourth & last of the young Family was dying. I was at first pleased with an idea that these poor Wretches were come to condole with the distressed Parents, but on closer inspection I found the utmost indifference painted in their Faces, & they were only waiting till Death had finished his work {MS page 17} to give a Howl. They were all muffled up in Cloaks with the Hoods pulled over their Faces as is customary on such occasions, & went into the House one by one in rotation.

The Protestant Church is kept by far neater than any I had seen in Ireland & is surrounded by stately Trees of which there is also a handsome Avenue from the Entrance of the yard to the Door. It adds much to the beauty of Middleton which consists principally of one very wide street & gives title to a Viscount who resides in the immediate neighbourhood.29 Public Houses are by far more numerous in this Country than in England, & at Middleton as well as every other Town & Village thro' which we have passed ‘Licensed to sell Spirits & Porter’ is painted over about every third Door. Among the dead30 Letters in the Post Office window I observed one with the following singularly vague direction ‘To the Widow Murphy, County of Cork, Ireland’. Except Yorkshire, this County is, I believe, the largest in the British Dominions, & is very populous, {MS page 18} We set out from hence a little before 7 & reached Cork 12 Irish Miles distant at 1/2 past 10 O'Clock. The road passes thro' the most beautiful country which we have yet seen in Ireland, & the latter part of the way by the Riverside is particularly handsome. The Grounds at Dunkettle & Lota31 are charming, & command some delightful views. Near the latter place the Road winds close by the edge of a broad Creek between two fine hanging Woods. The entrance into Cork is over a handsome new Bridge32 into a very wide street, both bearing the name of St. Patrick, & being well lighted they convey an idea of opulence well suited to such a large commercial City. We drove to M'Dowells Hotel which is the principal Inn & as soon as we had supped being well tired we went to Bed.