Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland (Author: Jonathan Binns)

chapter 5

Tarbert — Noticeable objects on the Shannon — Mount Trenchard — Droves of fattened pigs detained by the storm — View from near Tarbert House — Trade of Tarbert — State of the people in Lower Conello — Cabins, fuel, and clothing — Emigration — Middlemen — Prices of provisions — Blood of calves — Revengeful feelings of the peasantry, connected with the taking of land — Cabins — Conacre — The golden vein — Rent of land about Tarbert — Fuel — Mr. Maxwell Blacker — Lislactin Abbey — Listowel — Catholic devotees — Irish fights — Lixna Castle — Sir William Petty — Abbey O'Dorney — Tralee — The funeral cry — Ballyseedy — James O'Connell's estate — Castle Island — Arrival at Killarney.

From Limerick I went by steamer down the Shannon as far as Tarbert (situated at the north western corner of the county of Limerick), a distance of thirty-six miles, the fare being three shillings. After leaving the former place, the river gradually expands into a magnificent stream, its banks abounding with modern villas, old castles, and a variety of interesting objects that demand

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the constant attention of the stranger. We passed Mount Trenchard, the seat of Mr. Spring Rice, an old-fashioned building of no great beauty, but finely situated; Aghenish Point, formerly a place of security for robbers and smugglers, but battered down by cannon; Patrick's Hill, on which are ruins and a burial-ground; and the romantic village of Glyn, and Glyn Castle, belonging to the Knight of Glyn, Sir John Fitzgerald, whose estate here is said to be worth £4000 per annum. This estate was defended by a former Knight of Glyn against Sir George Carew in 1600, and its garrison put to the sword.

Opposite to Askeaton River, the Shannon, on the Clare side, expands into a large lake or bay, into which the waters of the Fergus, after leaving Ennis, and flowing in a southern direction, empty themselves. The bay averages three or four miles in width, and is interspersed with islands. Near Tarbert, the Shannon contracts to about the width of a mile, and forms a very safe anchorage; the building of a pier in this bay was contemplated some time ago.

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We landed on the north side of the Shannon amongst a drove of fattened pigs, which had been detained three days in consequence of the storm. They were in a pitiful condition; many of them could not stand, others walked on three legs, and all night long we were disturbed at the inn at Tarbert by the dismal screams of the poor animals, who adopted this vociferous method of lamenting the loss of their warm beds and comfortable meals, and of protesting against the uncivil proceedings of the people who loaded them on their flat carts, tying their legs to each end of the conveyances. The smell, the dirt, and the horrible noise, of this immense herd of swine, formed a sad drawback to the pleasure prepared for us in the romantic scenery of the Shannon.

I lost no time in making myself acquainted with the neighbourhood. I first walked to the church, a small structure on the hill, and afterwards through the town to an eminence near Tarbert House (the delightful residence of Mrs. Leslie), from whence I had a fine view of the lower part of the Shannon, expanding towards the west, and entering the sea

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between the counties of Kerry and Clare. From another eminence, many islands are visible; — among these is Iniscattery, containing a Round Tower. I had now seen this great river from Athlone to near its junction with the Atlantic, a distance of 125 miles. For a considerable portion of this distance I was tossed upon its billows amongst wild and rugged mountains; but I had also the pleasure of gliding smoothly on its silvery and glassy waters, and of witnessing its verdant and sunny valleys, its lawns and woods, its ivied castles, and its shadowy and calm retreats.

From Tarbert there is a considerable export of grain, 3,000 stones per day being sent to Limerick, and seven or eight hundred pigs are sent every week, during the season, from Kerry to Limerick, by way of Tarbert. The harbour is very safe, and is well adapted for trade. The population is scarcely 1000.

In the barony of Lower Conello, in which Tarbert is situated, the principal food of the peasantry is potatoes; they sometimes have milk, never meat. Their eggs they sell, to buy soap and tobacco;

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they eat herrings in winter, but the quantity a labourer can procure, depends, of course, upon his employment. When work is scarce, they do not obtain more than two meals a day. Here, as in other places, as I have stated before, in seasons of distress the labourer buys potatoes from the small farmer, and pays probably 50 per cent above the market price. When the stock of old potatoes is consumed, the young potatoes are eaten long before they are healthy food; and the consequence is, a prevalence of disease. Crime, in this district, is often, according to the testimony of several witnesses examined by the Assistant Commissioners, the consequence of distress: the people become reckless. Mr. Royal stated before the Assistant Commissioners, that he knew men who had committed petty thefts for the sole purpose of being transported.

According to the testimony of Messrs. Shire, Deely, and others, the cabins in this barony are in a wretched condition; the floors, which are of earth, being full of holes, and, after rain, exceedingly wet. They are, however, improved within

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the last ten years, but certainly not within the last five. The poor suffer most severely from the want of fuel and night clothing, such as bedding and blankets. As for fuel, there is but little wood left in the hedges, so generally has it been pilfered in scarce times. The labourers occasionally gather sheep's dung, and burn it.

During the last five years, emigration has been carried on to a considerable extent. About 300 went out of this barony in 1834. They consisted of a few large farmers, many small occupiers, and a great many labourers, and were for the most part good industrious men. "Last year," said one of the witnesses, Mr. Brown, "a considerable number of Palatines emigrated to America. The Palatines were originally German Protestant settlers, brought, I believe, in Queen Anne's time, and planted in villages in different parts of the country, having leases of land granted to them. They continue to this day distinct from the Irish population around them, living principally in their own hamlets, and not intermarrying with their neighbours." It was the opinion of the same

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witness, that one-half the labourers in the barony must be sent away, before 10d. per day, throughout the year, would be found for the remainder.

Middlemen are usually more severe on their tenantry than proprietors, and many instances of conspiracies, on the part of under-tenants, against the middlemen, have lately occurred. The disposition to let to middlemen is, however, decreasing; there are very few landlords now who will give leases with power to sublet. "I do not think," said Mr. Brown, "that middlemen could exist in a good state of connexion between landlord and occupier; they are not liked by either. What forms the profit of the middleman, would, of course, if he were removed, go either in rent to the landlord, or in profit to the tenant."

I may here state, in addition to what was said in a foregoing page, that almost all the surface of the mountains, to the extent perhaps of 20,000 acres, is wet, but susceptible of both draining and tillage. Here is another field for the advantageous employment of human labour.

In the parish of St. Mary's, the property of the

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Earl of Limerick, the poor are in a very distressed condition. I was informed that at least two thousand rose every morning, without knowing how or where to get their breakfasts; at a time, too, when provisions were at the lowest price — wheat being 10d. a stone; oats, from 6 1/2d. to 7d.; barley 7d.; potatoes 2d.; the best beef, from 5d. to 6d. per lb.; inferior beef, from l 1/2d. to 2d.; coals were 18s. per ton.

In the barony of Coshlea, in the southern part of the county, a witness of the name of Quinlan stated that he had often known labourers in May, June, and July, obliged to eat nettles, and the weed called prasagh; that he knew many labourers who had not more than one meal of potatoes for themselves and families in the twenty-four hours; and that they frequently retire from their work from mere exhaustion. Another witness, Denis Mahony, a butcher, stated that he had often sold a quarter of cattle, which had died of disease, for 5s.; and a policeman deposed, that at one period, when farmers bled their calves, the blood was given to labourers, who, such were

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their necessities, boiled it with their other food. This was frequently done. It has often happened that potatoes have been scarce and dear in one district, while they have been abundant and cheap in another, not twenty miles distant: and this has proved a prolific source of disturbances. The farmers who had bought up potatoes in the cheap districts, for the purpose of disposing of them at an increased price in the district where they were scarce, have been waylaid, their property stolen and carried away, and many lives lost in consequence; yet the peasantry, in the very places where these outrages occurred, are considered to be patient, their sufferings being taken into account.

These labourers, said a Mr. Adamson, are constrained to use the cheapest food, in order to accept the lowest wages. Corn food of course can never be introduced amongst the peasantry, so long as rents are raised, and wages depressed, by an unlimited competition for land and for employment. Yet grievous as are the effects of the employment of strangers, no cases of violence have resulted from the practice; though a few may be traced to causes

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connected with the taking of land. Houses have been burned, and goods and cattle destroyed, in consequence; but these crimes, said one of the witnesses, upon whose estates some of them had occurred, are generally to be attributed to the destitution to which tenants and their families are reduced, by losing their farms. Indeed, whether reduced to entire destitution or not, the expelled tenants were stated to be likely enough to resort to violent measures; for it is considered so great a hardship to be turned out, under any circumstances, that they would most probably be instigated to revenge, and even assisted in accomplishing it, by their friends and fellow-labourers. It appeared in evidence, that crimes connected with land-hiring are often perpetrated by those who have themselves suffered nothing from the persons they injure. A feeling prevails amongst the peasantry that the ejected tenant should not commit the crime himself, as it is supposed he would be subjected to the penalties of the law, whilst others would be exempt. Several instances of engaging others to commit outrage, have occurred in this

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district. It was proved that the murderer of Mr. Millar received 2s. 6d.; another man, who was hanged for shooting a post-boy, confessed that he received 10s. for doing it. Before the year 1822, since which period this part of the country has been quiet, it was generally believed that the smaller landholders were incited to violence by persons of superior rank to themselves; but this could never be legally proved against them. It does not appear that rents are affected by intimidation; but the apprehension of disturbance has considerably prevented the investment of capital in land.

The generality of cabins in the barony of Coshlea, contain no bedding, but straw or heath, and it is usual for several of the same family, sometimes as many as six, to sleep in the same bed. The furniture for the most part consists of a table, a stool, and some seats, called "bosses," made of straw.

The principal reason for taking conacre, or quarter ground (as it is called here), is that the occupier can grow his own food by his own labour,

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instead of paying money for it. This mode of growing food for the labouring population prevails throughout the barony, but in no case has the labourer as much ground as will produce potatoes for the whole year. In consequence of a practice, now generally adopted by the farmers, of demanding £1 per quarter in advance, a less quantity is taken. Fifteen hundred stones, per Irish acre, is an average crop; 1920 stones, an abundant one. The rent is paid, partly in money, and partly in work, and, when deficient, it is not unusual for the farmers to seize the crop and sell it, and then prosecute the labourer for any arrears that may still remain. Serious consequences frequently result from attempts, on the part of labourers, to dig potatoes before the rent has been paid. In 1834 a man of the name of Daniel M'Inerney went, under these circumstances, to dig potatoes for one meal; the farmer resisted his doing so, and poor M'Inerney's life fell a sacrifice in the struggle. The majority of the witnesses considered that the conacre system is useful to the labourer, as supplying him with the means of employing the spare time

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of himself and his family in growing their food; nor did they think that any great advantage would result from the introduction of money payments of wages.

The people here, like the people in almost every other part of Ireland, are addicted to early marriages — the destitute and the comparatively well provided for, equally so; indeed, when a man gets a quarter of an acre of potato-ground, although obliged to borrow money to pay the preliminary expenses of the wedding, he reckons on having enough to keep a wife. "A man or woman," said one of the witnesses, "who has possession of land, can always command a great choice of spouses." One main inducement to marriage is the prospect of having a person to prepare their meals, and the still more remote prospect of assistance from children, when age comes upon the parents.

In this barony, Coshlea, there is a wide undulating plain of land, of the first quality, bounded on two sides by high mountains. The rich low land is chiefly occupied by dairy farmers, who

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plough no more than is necessary to supply the inhabitants with potatoes. The best land supports, during the summer at least, one heavy cow to the Irish acre; and on farms of an average quality, two acres will support a cow, both winter and summer. Most of the rich land is wet, and grows rushes and "flaggers" plentifully, though there is a sufficient fall for the water; and it is matter of surprise that more attention has not been paid to the draining of such superior soil. A part of the district has long been called "the golden vale" (more correctly the "golden vein"). On this great extent of fine pasture, but few beasts are fattened — butter-making being more profitable. The chief part of the grass has been ploughed in its turn within a few years, and the richness of the land produces a good sward immediately, though grass seeds are rarely sown. The course of tillage in the small quantity ploughed, is excessively severe, but any liberties may apparently be taken with the land, without doing it serious injury — such is the richness of the soil. When broken up, two crops of potatoes are taken in

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succession, without any manure, and are followed by wheat, and a crop or two, or perhaps three, of oats. The ground is then allowed to rest, and form its own sod. All these crops are said to be heavy, and the oats and barley of good quality, but the wheat is coarse. Ten or twelve pounds per Irish acre, is paid for land for planting potatoes on, for the first and second year, the labourers tilling it themselves. During winter, when the weather is open, the milk cows are kept out in the rich grass land, both night and day. The hardihood of the Irish cow is assigned as the reason for the exclusive use of it, in preference to any English breed; but no breed that is eligible in this country can be unsuitable to the finer land and milder climate of Ireland.

The rent about Tarbert is from 25s. to 30s. per acre. Some good land about Glyn lets for 50s., in farms of from fifty to one hundred acres. The cess is more equal here than in many parts. The churchwardens call a vestry, and appoint thirteen of the parishioners, applotters, to value the land; the tithe-bill being taken as the basis.

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No coals are sold here; turf, which is abundant, being exclusively burnt. In my bed-room a large turf fire was piled up on the hearth, just before going to bed, without a fender or guard of any description.

From Tarbert to Tralee I travelled by a car which runs regularly between those places. A great extent of the land near the former town is occupied with grain. About four miles from Tarbert, near Ballylongford, is a large tract of college-property, leased by Mr. Maxwell Blacker, a barrister, and brother to Mr. William Blacker, of whom I have had frequent occasion to speak, and who may justly be designated the poor man's friend. Mr. Maxwell Blacker is a good landlord, and, finding the rents too high, he employed a valuer, and directed him to fix such a price on the farms as the tenants could afford. He pays for any improvements that may be made in draining and building. The cottages have a neat appearance, but the land is in wretched condition, and wants the assistance of his judicious brother.

About four miles to the west of Tarbert is Lislactin

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Abbey, founded in 1664. Four miles further, Pierce Mahony, Esq., has a considerable estate, on which he employs a Scotch agriculturist, who is also an engineer. Mr. Mahony allows for building and for lime, applied to the land, and his property exhibits conclusive proof of the wisdom of his arrangements.

In the interval occupied by the changing of the horse at Listowell, I had an opportunity of taking a hasty survey of this neat little town, a great part of the road to which, by the bye, was over a barren and moorish country, but in the vicinity of limestone, and capable of improvement. Listowell contains an ancient castle, which in 1600 was taken by Wilmot; and its garrison, who fought for Lord Kerry, were put to the sword. This was the last castle that held out against Queen Elizabeth.

I walked into the Catholic chapel, where several persons, male and female, were kneeling at their devotions, and appeared so attentively engaged as not to be aware of my approach. The chapel and the castle are situated at the west side of a spacious square, from which the road descends to a handsome

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new bridge, of five arches, over the river Feal. The banks of this river afford fine scenery, and an old church in ruins is seen in the distance. Near Listowell the soil is good, and lets for 50s. per acre. The population amounts to 2300.

The Rev. Mr. Sands, the curate of Listowell, whom we overtook on the road and took up, informed us that party fights were very common in that part of Ireland, and very frequently occurred without any particular provocation. A short time ago, fourteen men were killed in one of these fights, and on inquiring of some of the others the cause of their hostilities, they assigned as the reason that their fathers and grandfathers had fought before them! Upon such slight and absurd grounds are contests based, that frequently end in the loss of many lives.

Six or seven miles from Listowell, on the right of the road to Tralee, stand the ruins of Lixna Castle, formerly the princely residence of the Earls of Kerry, and now the property of the Earl of Listowell. On the right is a monument raised in honour of one of the Earls of Kerry, and

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on a neighbouring green eminence stands a mausoleum, belonging to the Marquis of Lansdowne, that being the only part of the estate remaining in the family. The history of Sir William Petty, the grandfather of the present illustrious Marquis, who has large estates near Cork, and property in nearly all the Irish counties, exhibits a remarkable instance of the establishment of a noble family from the united efforts of ingenuity and industry in one man. From a small beginning, that individual realized for himself a handsome fortune, and at his death left his family £65,000 per annum in land, above £45,000 in personal effects, and a plan of demonstrable improvement in his estate to produce £4000 per annum in addition. On this road are also seen the ruins of Abbey O'Dorney, a celebrated abbey built in 1154, and near them, Grotto, a fine mansion, belonging, as well as the ruins, to the Ponsonby family. On the left of the road are some quarries of black and variegated marble, and near them, a very humble manufactory of chimney-pieces; the prices being forty or fifty shillings each. Dr. Smith, in his History of

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Kerry, states that the ingenious Sir William Petty was the first person who thought of raising and manufacturing the marbles of Tralee.

The distance from Listowell to Tralee is thirty-six miles, and the fare was only four shillings. Tralee, the county town of Kerry, has a population of 10,000, and is an improving place. There are some excellent streets, and the shops generally are handsome and well stocked. The land about the town is most of it in grass of the finest verdure, and although the limestone rocks appear in many places above the surface, the rent is from three to four pounds an acre. In descending the hill into Tralee, the bay, Kingshead, and the Amethyst Cliff, are seen to great advantage. From the bay, a fine valley or trough extends to the town; and through this valley a canal was in course of being cut, as no vessels, in the absence of such an artificial navigation, could approach within a mile of the town. The gentlemen of the neighbourhood of Tralee are said to be remarkable for their opulence, respectability, and public spirit. The castle here (lately taken down) belonged to the

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Earls of Desmond, and was granted to the Denny family.20

Here, for the first time, although I had been in Ireland three months, I heard the far-famed Irish funeral cry at a wake. I was passing the house in a car, and as soon as the vehicle stopped at the inn, I returned to the spot. The "keening" was up stairs, above a shoemaker's shop. The shouting — one of the most extraordinary combinations of noises I ever heard — only occurred when any fresh person entered the apartment, and, after a few minutes' duration, was suspended. The intervals between the vociferations were devoted to the discussion of whiskey and tobacco.

From Tralee we travelled due east to Castle Island (formerly called the Castle of the Island of Kerry), about ten miles. Ballyseedy, now occupied by Sir Edward Denny, is a wooded domain to the south of the road, and belongs to the Blennerhasset family; near to Ballyseedy is one of the

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ancient square castles. The next object worthy of remark is an estate belonging to James, brother to Daniel O'Connell, Esq.; and here the traveller is greeted with comfortable, clean-looking houses, and cottages with gardens and orchards, lately made. Lime is spread on a considerable tract of new land, and the fences are improved. Mr. O'Connell is evidently enabling his tenants to exert their industry to advantage. Not far from this estate is that of John O'Connell, another brother of "The Liberator." About Castle Island the land is flat and fertile: and I may state here, to prevent, on the part of others, a mistake into which the name of the town led me, that its situation bears no resemblance whatever to an island; but its former name is sufficient explanation. The castle, of which extensive ruins exist, was built in 1226, was taken in 1345 from the Earl of Desmond, and, according to the cruel system of warfare pursued in those times, the garrison were put to the sword. The lordship of Castle Island was granted by Queen Elizabeth to the Herbert family.

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We were now within twelve or thirteen miles of Killarney, a name with which are associated, all the world over, images and scenes of beauty. The road is uninteresting almost all the way, but this, so far from being a disadvantage, probably gives a keener relish for the delightful scenery that awaits the stranger. About two miles from the town of Killarney, the mountains that encompass these celebrated lakes first burst upon the view. We saw them to great advantage. The evening was remarkably clear; the sun had sunk behind Mac Gillycuddy's Reeks (so called, from an ancient chieftain family in the neighbourhood — still resident there), and their rugged outlines lay softly and yet distinctly traced upon a cloudless twilight of extraordinary tranquillity. This twilight was succeeded by the radiance of a lovely moon, and I enjoyed a ramble by its light among the new and interesting objects that surrounded Killarney.

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