Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland (Author: Jonathan Binns)
chapter 9
Departure from Cashel — The Garden of Ireland — Urlingford and Johnstown — Round Tower of Fertagh — Castle Durrow — Brockley Park — Athy — Kildare — St. Bridget's perpetual fire — Round Tower of Kildare — Old Kilcullen — Quaker Settlement — Naas — Palmerstown — Bishop's Court — Oughterard Round Tower — Rathcoole — Account of Irish Castles — Return to Dublin — Mr. Petrie's museum of Irish antiquities — Round Towers — Vaults of St. Michan's church — Bodies preserved — Departure from Dublin — Military Road — Lough Bray — Arrival at Roundwood — Anecdote of Sterne — Glendalough and the Seven Churches — Kathleen and St. Kevin — The Conaderry Mountain — The Seven Churches — Singular tradition — St. Kevin's Kitchen — Glenmalure — Lead mines — Vale of Ovoca.
After visiting these interesting ruins I left Cashel by mail, being obliged to meet the Board in Dublin on a stated day. The moonlight afforded me a partial view of the country — just sufficient, and only just sufficient, to make me wish that I could have seen more of it. Killough Hill and its Castle, the property of Lord Plunkett, were occasionally discernible on the left, rising out of the vast bog that surrounds them. The extraordinary
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fertility of that hill has obtained for it, in the immediate neighbourhood, the name of The Garden of Ireland. It is said to produce a great variety of herbs.
For a considerable distance the road lies over a dreary bog — part of the extensive Bog of Allen. After entering the county of Kilkenny, we passed through Urlingford, a small village containing the ruins of an Augustine convent founded in 1306; and thence through Johnstown, a small post-town of Kilkenny, of about 900 inhabitants. The Round Tower of Fertagh, to the left, appears to be cylindrical, and does not taper upwards, like most of these structures. The height, according to Ledwich, is 112 feet; the width 48 feet; and the thickness of the walls, 3 feet 8 inches. The door is ten feet from the ground. From the road, the tower appears to be situated on a plain of some miles of dreary moor.
We passed the domain and fine woods of Lord Ashbrook, of Castle Durrow — the wood extending for three miles — and breakfasted at Stradbally, the country about which place is beautiful, fertile,
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and well wooded. Brockley Park, seen on leaving Stradbally, is the property of the Earl of Roden. This is one of the few places in which I could have believed myself in England. The grounds are exceedingly beautiful, with a due admixture of fine wood. Turnips in drills, good pastures grazed by handsome cattle and Leicester sheep, are gratifying sights to the agriculturist travelling through a country in which his favourite art is but seldom seen to advantage. On the left, we passed Mr. Welch's property, on which I had the pleasure of seeing a number of good Durham cattle. On the right some excellent agriculture is exhibited; drilled turnips, and drilled wheat, and hurdles made of hazel, designed for the purpose of confining sheep to eat the turnips.
The town of Athy (in the county of Kildare) stands on the river Barrow, which takes its rise about the bogs of Philipstown, flows through Carlow and Ross, and joins the Suire below Waterford. Athy has the advantage also of the Grand Canal, and passage-boats to Dublin and Waterford. The town, on the left of which stand the
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remains of Woodstock Castle, is the property of the Duke of Leinster, and contains about 5000 inhabitants. About four miles to the left, in an extensive plain of several thousand acres, is seen the town of Kildare, so celebrated for its ruined abbeys, raths, and the nunnery of St. Bridget, founded in the year 500. Within the walls of the nunnery she is said to have established the "perpetual sacred fire," the rite appertaining to which was not finally abolished till the dissolution in the sixteenth century. It still retains the name of the Fire House. The orders of the Grey Friars and White Friars were instituted at Kildare. Several famous princes of Ireland abdicated, and became Abbots of Kildare. The Round Tower in the church-yard, is, according to Leigh, 130 feet high; but Ledwich states it to be only 110. The town and suburbs, and the beautiful green slopes of the Curragh of Kildare, present a picturesque appearance from the road. The day was remarkably fine, and I could discern Croghan Hill, near Philipstown, Mount Mellick, and the Slieve Bloom Mountains. The Hill of Allen, from which the Bog of Allen
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derives its name, was very conspicuous. On this hill (the ancient Temora) is a cave, said to be the burial-place of Oscar.
Passing through Old Kilcullen, an ancient place, once fortified with a wall and seven gates, one only of which remains, an old grave-yard and one of the round towers attract attention. The tower is only about half its original height.
Three miles north of Old Kilcullen, is the market town of Kilcullen, on the river Liffey. A lease of the abbey and lands was granted to Spenser in 1582. On the hills, north of the town, General Dundas defeated the insurgents in 1798, and a green mound on the road side was pointed out to me as the place where the slain were buried. Castle Martin, and several other seats are seen in the neighbourhood.
We passed within a short distance of Ballytore, of which Leigh remarks, "Quakers settled this rural site on the banks of the river Gris; and, as in other Quaker and Moravian settlements in this kingdom, they studied the neat improvement of hedge-row avenues, rising out of well trimmed
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quickset hedges, and surrounded their comfortable cottages with fruits and flowers. Here the eloquent Edmund Burke acquired the rudiments of learning."
The town of Naas lay in our way; it is on elevated ground, was once fortified with strong castles, and was the residence of the kings of Leinster. Its name implies, "the place of the Elders." In the vicinity of the town is a ruined castle, belonging to the Duke of Leinster. Jigginstown House is also a short distance from Naas; it was built by the Earl of Strafford. This mansion, I have been informed, was upon a splendid scale; the extravagance imputed to the Earl in erecting it, formed one of the charges against him.
Near Johnstown, about sixteen miles from Dublin, is Palmerstown, the ancient family seat of the Earl of Mayo; to the left, and about a mile further, Bishop's Court, a splendid place belonging to Lord Ponsonby. Oughterard Round Tower, which has only 25 feet in height now remaining, is also seen to the left: and a little nearer Dublin is the Hill of Lyons, rising out of a comparatively flat country,
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and necessarily commanding an extensive prospect. This hill is on Lord Cloncurry's estate.
At Rathcoole, in the county of Dublin, a poor town, I observed, as well as in many of the Irish towns, at almost every door a board inscribed with the word "BEDS," in large and distinct characters. The appearance of the houses to which this notification was affixed, was generally such as to justify a doubt whether they could supply even the fraction of a bed to the regular inmates — to say nothing of strangers.
About six miles from Dublin the Tower of Clondalkin rises picturesquely from amidst trees. The height of this tower, which appears to curve inward from the base, is said to be 84 feet. Newlands, Lord Kilwarden's, and the ruins of an old castle, we passed on the right, and reached the Dublin Post-office at two o'clock on the 4th of November.
Ledwich thus accounts for the abundance of castles in Ireland — "The colonization of this Isle by English settlers was a scheme steadily pursued for many centuries, and particularly by
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the ministers of Queen Elizabeth, who obliged every grantee to construct a castle, fort, or bawn, for the protection of his family and tenants." A bawn is described as a close fast place, and often a fort, from the Teutonic bawen, to construct and secure with branches of trees. "On the escheating of Ulster by the flight of Tyrone and Tyrconnell in 1606, King James, treading in the steps of his predecessors, bound each undertaker to the performance of these conditions. If, for instance, he had 2000 acres, he was expected, within two years, to build a castle with a strong bawn or court about it. If 1500 acres, he was to erect a stone or brick house, with a court or bawn; if less, merely a bawn. Thus Lord Aubigny had 3000 acres; on these he made a strong castle of lime and stone, five stories high, with four round towers for flankers; the body of the castle was fifty feet long, twenty-eight broad, and the roof was slated. Adjoining it was a bawn of lime and stone, eighty feet square, with two flankers fifteen feet high. The castle stood at the junction of five public highways, and kept the neighbouring
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country in subjection. William Hamilton had 1000 acres; on these was a bawn of lime and stone eighty feet square, with two round towers for flankers. Within the bawn was a house of lime and stone, thirty-six feet long, and twenty broad. In consequence of these resolutions of Government, there were constructed, in the six escheated northern counties, in the space of a few years, one hundred and seven castles with bawns; nineteen without bawns; and forty-two bawns without either castles or houses. The grantees of escheated land in every other part of the kingdom were bound to build in like manner. Speaking of Lord Strafford's administration Borlase observes that 'multitudes of British were brought in and planted even in the most barbarous places; many corporate towns were erected, and some walled towns built; and castles, stone houses, and villages, daily made in every part in great abundance.' By these means castles multiplied prodigiously, there were more in this island than perhaps on an equal surface in any other part of the world. I can reckon the remains of eighty in
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Queen's county, and am sure there were more; so that probably there were not less than three or four thousand in the kingdom: the most decisive evidence of the rude manners and bad policy of the times. These castles appear to have been large and well fortified, and so strong as to bear a long siege, and the assault of artillery. Most of them remain, though in ruins. As for the battlemented houses and bawns, increasing civility has levelled most of them. The common square castles, the residence of English undertakers, are by far the most numerous. All these are existing monuments of the infelicity of former ages; when cruel and domestic wars convulsed and desolated the island, leaving little more than one million of miserable beings to occupy this beautiful and fertile country."
At Dublin I obtained my release from the Board, and had an opportunity of making myself more particularly acquainted with some of the details of that interesting city. I was fortunate also in being introduced to several scientific and well-informed persons of different professions, one of
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whom, George Petrie, Esq., a celebrated artist and antiquary, has imposed upon me a debt of gratitude which I cannot easily discharge. This gentleman, who possesses a valuable museum consisting of numerous specimens of ancient Hiberno-Phoenician weights and money, musical instruments, weapons of war, rings, urns, &c, gained the prize offered by the Dublin Society for the best essay on Round Towers. This essay, I am sorry to say, is not yet published.
According to Ledwich, Ireland contains sixty-five of these remarkable structures; but several others, which he has not particularized, might be added to the number. They are from 70 to 130 feet in height, and from 41 to 55 feet in circumference, outside; the thickness of the walls varying from 3 to nearly 5 feet. The doors are generally from 10 to 20 feet from the ground, and cannot be entered without stooping. Volumes have been written upon the subject of these extraordinary enigmas; each writer starting his own favourite conjecture, pursuing it with zealous enthusiasm, and surrounding it with as much learning and ingenuity
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as he was able to bring to the investigation of the topic. Hitherto, with the exception of Mr. Petrie's researches, the learning and labour bestowed upon what may be called "The Irish Puzzle," have failed to discover a satisfactory solution. The learned and accomplished author of the prize essay alluded to, is understood to have clearly ascertained that the Round Towers are of Christian origin, and designed for the two-fold purpose of belfries, and towers, in which were deposited the books, sacred vessels, and other property, of the religious communities which erected them. The names of the builders of several are known: they are of various styles of architecture, and of similar workmanship to the adjoining churches; and the date of their erection is ascribed to the period included between the sixth and the twelfth centuries. That of Clones, the most ancient of any, is of the sixth century. The current assertion, that they invariably contain four windows at the top, and that these windows correspond with the cardinal points of the compass, is altogether a mistake; the fact being,
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that the number varies from three to eight. The top windows, (for there are occasionally others) are the largest, and are six feet in length. The towers had always floors — frequently possessed double doors — and some of them were capable of containing one hundred and eighty persons. They were sometimes set fire to, and the inmates burnt. The Round Towers at Abernethy and Brechin in Scotland, resemble those of Ireland, and are of corresponding date.
I was desirous, before leaving Dublin, to visit the vaults under St. Michan's Church, situated in Church-street; and, being politely furnished by the Rev. T. R. Shore with a note to the sexton, who has the custody of the keys, I proceeded, in the company of that dignified official, who provided lights, to survey one of the most extraordinary exhibitions that can be presented to the curiosity of a stranger. On each side of the cold and dreary passage along which we walked, vaults are ranged; some of these are securely locked by the owners; of others my companion possessed the keys, and into several we entered. The sight was an astonishing
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one. Scarcely could I believe that I walked amongst corpses. The bodies were laid on the floor — some having the bottom of the coffin only, others part of the sides, and some without even a remnant of a coffin about them. The extraordinary state of preservation exhibited in these bodies, excites the ingenuity of the scientific, no less than the curiosity and wonder of the uninitiated. The skin is as firm as parchment, and the form of the features well preserved; the sinews and joints, and the finger and toe nails, are perfect. Bodies deposited here some centuries since, it has been said, are still in so high a state of preservation that their features are discernible, and the skin and bones quite perfect. The floor and walls of these vaults are perfectly dry, and the atmosphere apparently as pure as that of the best ventilated apartment. In one vault are shown the remains of a man at the advanced age of 111. This corpse has been thirty years in its present silent abode, and although there is scarcely a remnant of the coffin, is as completely preserved, with the exception of the hair, as if it had been embalmed. In the
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same vault are to be seen the bodies of two Roman Catholic clergymen, which have lain fifty years there, even more perfect. The bodies of the two ill-fated brothers, the Sheares', who were executed for the part they took in the rebellion of 1798, had been removed, on the very day I visited these silent and solemn abodes, from the vault they had previously occupied, to another vault; and there they rested, one upon the other, their heads lying near them. The jail shells in which they had lain, had crumbled to dust. These ghastly relics, far from producing an unpleasant feeling, were invested with a sort of fearful and riveting interest; and I experienced an emotion somewhat resembling that of regret, when obliged to leave the awful chambers to which they were consigned.
On the 21st of November, 1836, I again left Dublin, and took a car to Roundwood, a distance of about twenty-six miles, the charge for which was 20s. — the driver's fee being usually from a penny to three halfpence an English mile. We took the military road through the centre of the county of Wicklow, over a most dreary district of
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bog and moorland. For many miles scarcely a cabin or a house of any sort is to be seen. This road was formed on scientific principles, having a suitable convexity, and being lower at the part adjoining the rising ground, with a small ditch, moreover, which prevents the water from the hill running over the road. This, as well as transverse drains, of sufficient capacity to carry off the water freely during heavy rains, is an important matter to be attended to in the formation of mountain roads.
The Rev. Mr. Wright informs us, that the rebellion of 1798 disturbed the industrious habits of the country so materially, that government thought it expedient to erect barracks, and place garrisons in the very centre of the fastnesses of Wicklow, in order to prevent the outlaws from keeping possession, and to hold the mountaineers in awe. The sites chosen were Glencree, Laragh, Glenmalure, and Aughavanagh. The buildings once raised, it became necessary to form modes of approaching, of a more practicable nature than the mountain pathways; to effect this, a regiment of Highland fencibles was directed in 1799 to encamp
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on the summit of the mountains, in the chain already mentioned, and perform the required task, of cutting a road, upon very improved principles, from the village of Rathfarnham to the barracks at Aughavanagh. The Rev. Mr. Wright further states "that after the completion of this work of utility, beauty, and ingenuity, it was proposed to the Earl of Hardwicke, the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to colonize the mountainous districts through which the road runs, with the hardy and industrious race who executed this great work; and, in all likelihood, it would have been accomplished, but from the difficulty of securing to the improving tenant an equivalent for his labour upon a bishop' s lease."
Passing the little cottage or lodge, and a road that leads to Lough Bray, fifteen miles from Dublin, we ascended the military road for a mile; when, on turning round to halt — no uncommon practice in walking up long and laborious hills — we unexpectedly discerned the Lough, and had to retrace our steps down the hill. We entered the grounds of Mr. Latouche, close by the small neat
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lodge previously mentioned, and pursued the side of the lake, till we came to his Gothic cottage, pleasantly situated near the head of the Lough. The beauty of Lough Bray is enhanced, near the head, by the surprise accompanying the discovery of its hidden retreat. Except for evergreens and shrubs that cluster about the house, the character of the scenery is wild, rocky, and bare. There are indeed two lakes here. The lower one is deep, and dark, and covers about sixty-three English acres; over it impends the Eagle's Nest, at the height of some hundred feet.
On approaching the borders of Wicklow, the soil becomes moory, and, proceeding southward, there is scarcely a vestige of cultivation. The subsoil is principally a sandstone gravel and clayey sand, mixed with pieces of quartz of the purest white. At the meeting of four roads beyond Lough Bray, we left this smooth military road, to encounter unexpected difficulties; we took a south-easterly direction, by a road that in many places was merely the bare bog, into which the horse and car sunk, and there
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they must have remained, had we not lent our assistance in extricating them. The difficulty was increased by several rapid rivulets which crossed the road, with as rough and stony beds as could well be imagined. Night, accompanied with mist, snow, and sleet, came on, and we were so long in escaping from this road, that the driver, as well as ourselves, suspected we were at fault. At last, however, to the great satisfaction of all parties, we were set down at the inn at Roundwood. The parlour (in which two gentlemen, who had just arrived, had succeeded in producing a tolerably good turf fire) was the only part of the hotel that exhibited signs of cleanliness. The kitchen, where we at first repaired to take off our dripping cloaks, was a wretchedly uninviting spot. Roundwood is within twenty-five miles of the metropolis, and being situated in a district equally remarkable for its picturesque beauties, its antiquities, and its mineral treasures, might afford a more comfortable and respectable inn. On the road to Roundwood, we passed the east end of Lough
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Tay and Luggelaw; but, on account of the dense fog, only the nearer banks of the lake, and a small portion of the lake itself, were visible.
In the morning, we took advantage of the car on which our companions at Roundwood came the preceding day, and at their recommendation retraced their route. Passing through the hamlet of Anamoe, we crossed the river which flows from Lough Dan. It is related of Lawrence Sterne, that when a boy, he fell through the mill here, when the wheel was going, and was taken out unhurt. We next passed the barrack of Laragh, to the vale of Glendalough and the Seven Churches. At a small inn, close to the Seven Churches, we put up our car, and took a guide, who hurried us along the north side of the lake, pointing out St. Kevin's bed, in the opposite rocks of the lake, in the Lugduff Mountain.
With the saint's bed an affecting story is connected. Kathleen, a lady of noble birth, had formed a tender attachment to St. Kevin, who withdrew from Luggelaw to avoid her visits. Rambling one day on the mountains in the neighbourhood
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of Glendalough, she fell in with his favorite dog Lupa, which led the way to the saint's cell. St. Kevin, according to the story, threw Kathleen into the lake. A beggar woman from one of the cottages, when we were there, pretended to personate the fair and unfortunate lady! St. Kevin was born about the year 498; the see of Glendalough was united with that of Dublin in the reign of King John. We visited a school close by, called St. Kevin's National School, the scholars in which average seventy. There are only twenty-four Protestants. The master has a salary of £10; the mistress one of £6 a year. No jealousy exists between the Catholics and Protestants. They are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, but much learning cannot be expected when the salaries of the teachers are considered.
The Comaderry Mountain, 1500 feet above the lake, and 2268 above the level of the sea, is seen from the valley on the north side of the lake: the mica was so abundant in the rocks of clay slate, as to give to them the appearance of silver.
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Lead mines are extensively worked in the mountains to the northward of the lake. I was informed by a gentleman well acquainted with the works, that the Luganure Mine yielded a profit for the year ending June, 1836, of £ 1,982, on 408 tons. An excellent road, composed of quartz, and glittering with small particles of lead ore, leads to these mines. On the plain in this secluded valley, are scattered monuments of the ecclesiastical greatness of former times — the ruins of the Seven Churches, within a short distance of each other. As clocks, observes the Rev. G. N. Wright, were unknown in early times, the hours of labour were regulated by the rising of the lark, and the lying down of the lamb. The early rising of the lark left so little time for rest, as to cause lassitude. St. Kevin's prayer that the lark might never be permitted to warble on the shores of the dark lake, was granted. Moore commemorates this tradition in the well-known song —
- By that lake whose gloomy shore
Skylark never warbles o'er.
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The valley in which this dark lake is embosomed, is between two and three miles long, being a deep ravine surrounded by impending and gloomy rocks, and heath-covered mountains, except at the eastern end, where the river flows from the lake, and by which access is gained to the romantic valley.
Of the ancient buildings in the vale of Glendalough, St. Kevin's kitchen is the most entire. The roof is of stone, the under part is arched, and a space is left between it and the outer steep and pointed roof, which is lighted by a narrow aperture. Upon the western gable rises a tower, fifty feet high, measured from the ground, having a conical roof of stone. The tall Round Tower of Glendalough stands alone, conspicuous above the rest of the buildings, and, according to Mr. Wright, is 110 feet high. Time, it is presumed, has divested it of its conical summit. The four windows at the top correspond with the cardinal points of the compass.
From Glendalough we proceeded to Glenmalure, "The Glen of much Ore," a few miles
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prom Glendalough. The glen is several miles in length, flanked by high mountains. The hill at the end of the vista has the appearance of being inaccessible, and seems to oppose all attempts at proceeding. On the south side are the mountains of Drumgoff, Drumkitt, Clonkine, and others; on the north, Carriglinneen, Lugduff, Barnagoneen, Ballynafinchouge, and Ballinabarny.
The Avonbeg, a limpid stream, runs through the centre of the valley, and a waterfall of considerable magnitude flows down the mountain, near the head.
Previous to the rebellion in 1798, Glenmalure was one of the passes by which the favourite haunts of the rebels in Wicklow could be approached, and was a scene of disturbance and bloodshed. The military road terminates near Glenmalure; four large barracks, unsightly enough as buildings, but rendered absolutely hideous by association, are placed near the road, at Glencree, Laragh, Drumgoff, and Aughavanagh. The tranquillity of the country, under a system of conciliatory government, renders them useless, as regards the
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purpose for which they were originally erected. They are now, happily, nearly empty, and are, I believe, on sale to any person who can find a use for them.
Extensive lead mines, of which an English gentleman of the name of Hodgson is the proprietor, are situated at the north-east of the glen: the Earl of Essex has the royalty. The level extends to 250 fathoms, the shaft being 90 feet below the audit level. Upwards of 140 hands are frequently employed in the mines, the ore from which is sent to Swansea, to be there smelted. In its raw state it is sold for from £12 to £15 per ton. Coal is obtained from Whitehaven, at a cost of from 18s. to 20s. per ton. Turf is sometimes used for smelting. There are two lead mines in the county of Wicklow; one at Glenmalure, the other at the Seven Churches, before mentioned.
From Glenmalure we soon entered the celebrated vale of Ovoca. The moon had risen before we passed the Meeting of the Waters, to which the beauty of the night invited us to
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return, after being set down at the Ovoca inn. We found this inn strikingly superior to the one at Roundwood, and it has attached to it a tasteful and extensive garden, close by the side of the river Ovoca. My chamber looked upon the stream, whose soothing murmurs were interrupted by the clanking of the engines of the copper mines of Cronebane and Ballymurtagh.
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