Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The Miseries and Beauties of Ireland (Author: Jonathan Binns)
chapter 16
Departure from Darrynane — Ride to Cahirciveen — Kerry pony — Wild Irishman — The Skellig Rocks — Monkish cells — Sea-birds — Magnificent sea-views — Arrival at Cahirciveen — Buildings and trade of the place — Valencia — Inattention of Irish landlords in the winter season — Employment — Birth-place of Mr. O'Connell — Character of Mr. O'Connell's father — Journey to Tralee — The Dingle Bay — Singular appearance of the sea — The Blasques — Lord Headley's estates — Bianconi's cars — Gorgeous sunset — The Bridge of Castlemain — Arrival at Tralee — The Hotel — Principal proprietors — Price of provisions — Education at Tralee — Dr. M'Henry — Improving state of the town — The export trade — Bead manufacturers — Sir Edward Denny's residence — Old castles — Rocky coast — Barnacles — Wretched instances of destitution — Tarbert — Sail down the Shannon — Innis Scattery — Kilrush — Improvement of the town — The Steam Company — Remarks on the advantages of public spirit and energy.
On the Monday morning I left Darrynane, mounted on one of the celebrated Kerry ponies, a sluggish stupid animal, with a shaggy coat resembling that of a bear. I had to pay four shillings (the regular price) for my ride to Cahirciveen, a distance of nineteen miles, the road lying all the way over wild and rugged mountains. The owner of the pony set off early in the morning, for the
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double purpose of carrying my carpet-bag and bringing back the pony (an usual custom I believe.) The day was wet, windy, and disagreeable, but my pony heeded not the weather, accustomed as it was to travel the mountain districts, and neither by words nor blows could I succeed in stimulating the sluggish brute to a brisker pace. I discovered that it exactly corresponded with the description given of these animals by Dr. Smith in 1756, who says, "the little hobbies of the country are the properest horses to travel through it; and a man must abandon himself entirely to their guidance, which will answer much better, than if one should strive to manage and guide their footsteps; for these creatures are a kind of automata, or machines, which naturally follow the laws of mechanics." When I had accomplished half the journey, and was upon a desolate mountain, a tall, wild-looking man, with long hair floating in the wind, without shoes and stockings, and nearly without clothes, made his appearance, and came running up; but, as he spoke nothing but Irish, I remained ignorant of his wishes or intentions.
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He accompanied me the whole of the way, running opposite the pony's head; and by this means inducing the animal to bestir himself. By the use of signs I at length succeeded in making the uncouth stranger understand where I wished to go, and he became useful in inquiring the way for me.
After the heavy driving rains of the morning, the atmosphere fortunately became remarkably clear, and I had an extensive view from the mountainous road I was traversing. The most interesting objects were the Skellig Rocks. The Great Skellig rises in a very extraordinary and abrupt manner out of the Atlantic, at a distance of about twelve miles from the shore. It resembles an irregular and sharply-pointed cone. A little plain of verdant land, elevated about two hundred feet above the level of the sea, was anciently chosen as the site of buildings devoted to religious solitude and devotion; and the time-worn fragments, and the ruins of many monkish cells, still remain to attest the piety and enthusiasm of by-gone days. Two holy wells, several stone crosses, and the ruins of
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the cells, are regarded by the inhabitants of these solitary districts with veneration. The ruins are of very early date, and are roofed with stone, but without cement, and are impervious to rain. Upon these rocks Government has built two lighthouses; that upon the great Skellig is elevated 372 feet above the surface of the sea at high water.24 In the erection of these lighthouses, and in making communications by roads across the rocks, the sum of £300,000 is said to have been expended. The islands are a mile apart. The middle Skellig is frequented by numbers of gannets and other seabirds, that breed among the cliffs; and, in consequence of the fishy food these birds live on, says Mr. Wright, "their flesh is permitted to be eaten during Lent." "The feathers," continues the same authority, "afford a handsome remuneration to the nest spoilers; and with these inducements, the rock is visited by numerous bird-parties in spring and summer."
I had a splendid view of Ballynaskellig's Bay,
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Scariff and Dinish Islands, and Bolus Head; the beautiful green sea, with its circling waves, appearing, as I passed along, at a great depth below. For several miles previously to reaching Cahirciveen, the Bay of Valencia, Valencia Island, and the bold headlands of rock which diversify and characterize this coast, against which the waves dashed in foamy mountains, lay before me. The pleasure of this mountainous ride is confined, however, to the magnificent sea-views; for the district over which I passed had but little to recommend it to one's interest. The country is thinly peopled, and badly cultivated; the land wants draining and fencing, and not the least symptom of agricultural improvment is discernible.
At the end of five hours I alighted, extremely fatigued, at Cahirciveen, with more real pleasure than I ever before dismounted from any beast, and delivered him to his master, with a determination never, if possible, to ride another rough Kerry pony. The poor creature who had accompanied me as my running footman, though uncivilized
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and wild in his appearance, proved most obliging, and when, on arriving at the inn, I gave him a few pence, he testified as much gratitude as if I had bestowed upon him an estate. His eyes sparkled with delight, and he instantly called for whiskey! The inn at Cahirciveen is kept by a Mr. O'Connell; this name is very common in Kerry; and most of those who possess it, claim relationship with him who has reflected such celebrity upon it. Cahirciveen belongs principally to that celebrated individual — that is, he has a lease for ever from the College in Dublin. The town, whose population is about 1500, is in an improving state; fifteen years ago it contained only four slated houses; now there are few thatched ones, and those only cabins in the suburbs. As infallible signs of increasing prosperity, a new chapel has lately been erected by private subscription; an Infirmary also has been recently established; the annual subscription to this institution and to the Dispensary, amounts to £150. Besides these, there are several schools, endowed by private individuals. The exports, consisting
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of slate and flags, the latter being sent from Valencia to London, have much increased. Cahirciveen, once famous for smuggling, is beautifully situated on a gentle slope by the side of a river, which runs through a narrow valley between lofty mountains, only a short distance from an extensive and interesting bay surrounded by romantic rocks and caverns, and the ruins of the Castle of Ballycarberry. At the mouth of this bay are Valencia and other islands.
Valencia, which owes its name to the Spanish, has obtained some celebrity on account of being one of the places proposed by Captain Evans, Mr. Vignoles, and other engineers, as the terminus of a railway across the island from Dublin. Most of the island, which is about five miles long, by one wide, belongs to the Knight of Kerry (joint tenant with Mr. O'Connell in the College property). The island is said to be about five miles long; the sea, which runs between it and the main land, being half a mile broad, and sufficiently deep for vessels to sail through at any time of the tide. Cromwell, as stated by Smith, had forts
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erected at each end of the island. In Queen Anne's war, this harbour, from the facility it afforded of ingress and egress, was said to be much frequented by French privateers. The Hotel at Cahirciveen contained few of the conveniences or luxuries usually met with in places of entertainment; and indeed I found it to be a regular practice in this part of Ireland, to leave the windows and doors unrepaired, till a convenient season, when the glazier or joiner might happen to travel that way. There is frequently a scarcity of useful furniture, in the shape of bellows, warming-pan, &c. The deficiency of paint I could excuse, but the want of cleanliness is unpardonable. In consequence of the absence of scrapers and mats, the lobbies and rooms are a mass of dirt, which is left to be trodden out as it is trodden in, when the street is the cleaner of the two. The favourite sports of hunting, shooting, and fishing, in these mountainous districts, divert the attention of the masters of the hotels from paying attention to the ordinary concerns of their houses, and, having so rarely any guest in the winter, it is
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considered superfluous care. I hope that in the summer season their energies are exerted in proportion to the total absence of them in winter. Several of the cabins opposite to the hotel had a very picturesque appearance, from being clad in a complete suit of green, both walls and thatch. The latter was covered with a luxuriant crop of navelwort, and the walls were richly decked with beautiful green lichen, whose growth was promoted by the moisture of the climate.
The labourers here are employed, on an average, three days in the week throughout the year, and receive, as wages, from 6d. to 8d. per day, without diet. The rent of an acre of land, with a cabin, is £3, and of one rood of land with a house, £2: the labourer builds the cabin, and keeps it in repair. A few of the gentlemen in the neighbourhood have made trifling attempts at green crops, but the system is not much practised. I took a walk to Carhan, about a mile from Cahirciveen, the birth-place of Mr. O'Connell, which curiosity prompted me to visit. Nothing remains of this residence but the walls, from which it would seem
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to have belonged to a country squire of some fifty or sixty years ago. The situation of the house is picturesque; it faces the bay, which here assumes the appearance of a lake, and commands a view of the mountains opposite. Near the house, a mountain stream that falls into the bay, is crossed by a rustic bridge; and behind the bridge is some wood, and the ruins of gardens, that have been ornamented with shady walks and terraces. Mr. O'Connell, I was informed, inherited this estate from his father, of whom the landlady said that "he kept an open house, and had good breeding without pride. There was not a more plentiful house in any part of Ireland: he has had as many as sixty-five at dinner, and if he got a houseful of company he would never part with 'em; his hospitality was rale nature, not the stand off that people have now a days."
Thankful to travel once more over roads on which a wheel-carriage could move, I took my place by the mail-car to Tralee, passing through the estates of the Marquis of Lansdowne and Lord Headley, and Killorglan and Castlemain. Mr.
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Charles O'Connell, son-in-law to Mr. O'Connell, has built a house on the right, about a couple of miles from Cahirciveen. From the road, it seems to be a good house in a bad situation, for, at that distance, nothing is to be seen about it but dark and gloomy mountain and bog land. After leaving Cahirciveen, the cottages on the O'Connell property appear clean and comfortable dwellings, and some plantations have been made in the neighbourhood.
From this road the Dingle Bay is seen to great advantage, its peculiarly fine green waters contrasting beautifully with the brown and sombre hue of the surrounding mountains. The scene is one of more than ordinary interest; beneath the high cliffs over whose edge the way lies — and at a depth of from three to four hundred feet — the waves, rendered diminutive by the distance, fret and break against the feet of the unmoving rocks; and the white sea-fowl, floating through the intermediate abyss, have the singular effect of pearls set in emerald. This may sound somewhat fantastic, but it could scarcely fail to strike
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any one who should gaze into the fearful depth. Twenty-five miles off are the Blasques, a series of islands, the largest of which is Innismore. These islands are fertile, and contain several curious chapels; they form the most westerly part of Europe. For a considerable extent across this bay, the Castlemain bar, a vast and dangerous sandbank, stretches. Vessels are frequently lost here; ten days before I passed along the road, the "Liverpool" had been wrecked upon the bar. In 1588, the memorable year of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, one of the vessels, containing 503 men, was lost in this bay.
In this part of the country Lord Headley has large possessions. He has planted extensively, and has greatly contributed to give an aspect of civilization and beauty to a district previously barren and unattractive. Lord Headley is an excellent landlord, and a good man. He is in the habit of giving leases, and of assisting his tenants in making improvements.
I travelled by one of Bianconi's cars, and was delighted with the conveyance; something similar —
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something at once so cheap, so safe, and so expeditious — might, I think, be established with advantage in this country. A Bianconi, for instance, would be useful in England, for conveying passengers for short distances to the several railways, but particularly for jaunting parties in the neighbourhood of the lakes. The carriage is a light one, the number of horses depending of course upon the number of passengers and the nature of the road. For this journey, (a distance of fifty-five miles), I paid 6s. 6d., and a shilling to the driver.
I think I never witnessed so gorgeous a sunset as I did this day. Upon the top of the sombre Broghall ridge of mountains, a long bank of perfectly grey clouds rested; above these, and extending almost to the zenith, was a suffusion of the deepest crimson: to these rich and delicate colours, the brown hue which prevailed in the foreground and the distance, formed an imposing contrast. The picturesque ravines, with their rivulets and waterfalls, all partook of the glory of this grave and gorgeous radiance.
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At Killorglan we crossed the river Laune, the limpid water of the queen of lakes flowing through Castlemain harbour and Dingle Bay into the sea. The bridge here has ten arches. The town is on a steep hill, and has an appearance of antiquity. The bridge of Castlemain, over the river Main, is the most ancient in the country. It formerly had a castle upon it, and divided the property of the chieftains of two districts, the Mores and Desmonds, and each had guards residing upon it alternately. Its present appearance denotes that buildings have been formerly erected upon it..
From Cahirciveen to Killorglan, the face of the country is bog and mountain; near the latter place the land improves. The rocks are generally slate, but near Killorglan the limestone appears, and is seen again at Milltown, where the land is good; but between Milltown and Tralee, it is wet and boggy, and the people are poor. Limestone appears again as we approach Tralee. The inhabitants of this wild district are exceedingly peaceable and orderly, with the exception of occasional cases of sheep-stealing. Some degree of this
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peaceableness may perhaps be attributed to the police-stations, fixed at intervals of a few miles, but principally to the laudable means used for employing the people..
At Tralee I took up my quarters at the Hotel, accounted a good inn. The landlord was gentlemanly, both in appearance and manners, but I found here the same negligence which had disgusted me in other places..
The club-houses were said by a gentleman to whom I had a letter of introduction, to have knocked up the inns, but their lamentable and most disreputable condition may be more properly attributed, I suspect, to the inattention of the innkeepers, who are much fonder of hunting and shooting than of looking after the duties of their calling. If my accounts of some of the Irish inns be found to differ materially from those of writers who have preceded me, the disparity may be accounted for on this ground; most tourists visit Ireland in the summer portions of the year, and find the houses of public accommodation in some measure prepared for their reception; whereas it
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was my lot to travel through a considerable part of the country at a time of the year when the absence of company enables the national peculiarities to be more openly exhibited..
The principal proprietors are absentees. Lord Fitzwilliam's income is understood to be £80,000 a year, of which, I was informed, he takes only £34,000 out of the country. Lord Headley resides: Lord Kenmare, a Roman Catholic, has the largest property in Kerry; at present his rental is only £36,000 per annum, but when the leases expire it will amount probably to £100,000. Lord Listowel has an income of £20,000; Lord Ventry,an equal amount: Lord Lansdowne £8000; Mr. Locke £7,000; and Lord Cork £6,000. Kerry (formerly the Kingdom of Kerry) is said to be the greatest absentee county in Ireland, which may in some degree account for there being no Agricultural Society in it. Many of the labourers were in a state of great destitution; being employed about two-thirds of their time, at wages averaging eightpence a day, without diet. Provisions here were, however, cheap. Potatoes, which
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had been much injured by the wet, sold at 3d. per stone; coals were generally 18s. per ton throughout the year; beef from 2 1/2d. to 4d. per lb.; mutton 4d.; pork 3 1/2d.; fowls 1s., turkeys 4s. 6d. per couple; eggs, three for 2d.; butter 10d. per lb.; milk 1d. per pint; salmon 4d., cod 1d., turbot 5d., and herrings and eels 2d. per lb. Hay, in ordinary years, sells for from £2 to £2. 10s. per ton. In 1836, however, it was £3. 15s. The coral sea-sand, of which I have spoken in a previous chapter, is free to any who choose to gather it, and is considered a valuable manure. Lime at the kiln costs 1s. 6d. per barrel of 2 cwt.; manure in the town, 1s. for 13 cwt. Land, used for farming purposes, four miles from Tralee, lets for from forty to fifty shillings per acre; for prime land near the town, as much as £4 will be given. The population of Tralee is 10,000.
About 2,000 children are educated by the Roman Catholics at Tralee, and they and the Protestant children go to school together — a fact that indicates a friendly and charitable understanding to prevail between the members of the different
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churches. Dr. M'Henry, a Catholic priest, built, at his own expense, the school in which the children meet; he built also an alms-house for poor widows. This excellent minister is, as may be supposed, greatly respected by all parties. A few of the National Schools are established in the neighbourhood, and four or five others were in contemplation. Tralee, though an improving place, abounds with pauperism, and is destitute of that which almost every town in Ireland should possess, in the absence of some legislative provision for the poor — a Mendicity Institution. Drunkenness has greatly abated, owing in some measure to the operation of a Temperance Society; and since the establishment of Petty Sessions, litigation, at one time so frequent in this community, has diminished to the extent of at least twothirds of what it was previously. The improvement in the conduct of the people corresponds with this diminution. Indeed, the condition of the people generally, notwithstanding the many distressing cases of destitution met with in the streets, is greatly amended within the last few years, more
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especially within the last five. The population during the last ten years has increased 30 per cent. These are cheering signs — cheering proofs, perhaps I ought to say. Tralee contains a circulating library on a small scale; the want of a public library is in part supplied by a number of clubs (supported by private subscription) to which libraries are attached. Two newspapers are published in Tralee, one of each party; the liberals, however, are said to compose the majority of the educated and reading classes. Here, as in other places, the idea of manufacturers or machinery being exposed to any danger from the violence of the people, was ridiculed as absurd — "That day," said some of the inhabitants, "is gone by." It appeared certain, on the contrary, that any attempt to establish factories of any sort — or any other means likely to afford employment to the population — would be hailed with thankfulness, and receive a general and cordial support.
The principal export trade of Tralee is in grain, cattle, and pork; they are sent to Cork by land. The harbour is exceedingly bad and dangerous,
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and, at the time of my visit, a ship-canal was in process of cutting from the bay. By some men of intelligence and experience, a railway was considered preferable.
There are two bead-manufacturers here: one of them, James Boan, I visited. This man, some of whose goods I purchased, expressed great desire to know the destination of his articles, and was anxious that I should recommend him when I had an opportunity, so that he might be enabled to realize his hope of changing his present dirty little cabin for a more respectable and a larger shop.
Sir Edward Denny, to whom Tralee mainly belongs, has a residence near the town, and through the domain which environs it he has recently formed a beautiful walk, to which the appropriate name of the Castle Walk (an old castle having stood here) has been assigned. This walk is open, I presume, to the public. At any rate, the gate being open, I took the liberty of walking in and inspecting the place. The day (the 21st of December) was warm and genial —
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the birds were singing as if it were a spring morning — and I was induced to believe that Irish winters were mildness itself.
The castle alluded to in the foregoing paragraph was taken down a short time ago, and out of its materials Denny-street was built. The street certainly does credit to those who projected and designed it; and, considered with a view solely to utility, is infinitely to be preferred to the ancient ruin it has supplanted. At the same time I cannot contemplate, without regret, the destruction of those venerable and generally picturesque structures. The times which rendered them necessary, are doubtless gone for ever; and surely they might be permitted to remain, not merely to delight us by their beauty, but to instruct us, by teaching a lesson of gratitude for the security and peace we possess, and of admiration of those great principles by whose agency alone peace and security have been obtained, or can be secured.
This coast up to Kerry Head, and the Shannon mouth, is rocky, and full of indentures and
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caverns, which are frequented by numberless seabirds. In winter, barnacles appear in such numbers as to darken the air; they are principally caught in Tralee Bay, are about the size of a small goose, and in other respects similar to the wild duck. Although birds, they are, as food, (according to the statement of a gentleman at Tralee) accounted fish by the Roman Catholics. Eagles abound all along the Kerry coast, and may frequently be seen soaring amongst the mountains.
Whilst the car (a miserable concern) by which I was to travel to Tarbert, was waiting at the door of the hotel, some of the most wretched objects imaginable surrounded us. One poor creature in particular attracted and merited attention. With scarcely the aspect of a human being, this wretched man was mounted on the shoulders of another; — his body was nearly quite naked, his limbs were shockingly distorted, and he continued to utter the most unhuman sounds. I shudder, even yet, when I remember this deplorable sight. About a dozen others, exhibiting
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various degrees of suffering — lame, old, and wretched, stretched out their withered hands for charity.
During this journey (a distance of only thirty miles, which we were no less than seven hours in performing), the horses must have stopped, resolutely refusing to draw, at least twenty times. At Listowel, where a fair had been held, we were accompanied out of the town by fifty or sixty men and boys, who succeeded, by shouting and flogging, in stimulating the pace of our sluggish and miserable horses. A more uncomfortable ride I never had, and would willingly have stayed at Listowel, had there been accommodation. In the absence of this, I was obliged, though far from well, to proceed to Tarbert, where I arrived at ten o'clock that night. Tarbert, as I have stated before, lies on the south bank of the Shannon, and on the borders of the counties of Limerick and Kerry. Another and more respectable car, I ought to add, travelled the same road; but by some mistake I was directed to the one I went by.
On a former occasion I had sailed down the
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Shannon, from Shannon Harbour, in King's county, to Tarbert; the progress of this great river, twelve miles further down, is equally interesting, and presented, among other things worthy of note, a view of Carrig-o-Guncel and Carrig-foile Castles. The latter, seated on an island, was the stronghold of O'Connor of Kerry, and was taken by the troops of Queen Elizabeth in 1580. From this part of the Shannon, the river expands into a large bay, affording a view in a direct line to the Atlantic. The lighthouses of Kilkredane and Rehy Head, elevated upon lofty cliffs, are seen on the Clare side of the river. Here part of the French fleet anchored. At Money Point, on the Clare side of the river, some excellent flag-quarries are extensively worked by the Dublin Steam Company, which owes its prosperity in a great measure to the spirited exertions of Mr. Williams of Liverpool. Flags are sent from hence to London and other places. Proceeding on our way, we sailed close by the island of Innis Scattery, which contains the ruins of seven churches, and a conspicuous Round Tower, useful as a land-mark. From the
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hotel of Kilrush, there is an excellent view of the tower, the diameter of which is the same throughout, and the height 120 feet. It retains its conical top, and has a rent, supposed to be caused by lightning, extending the whole length. The island of Innis Scattery contains 98 acres; a hundred years ago it contained 100 acres, but two have been washed away during the interval. The rental is £100 per annum. This island was granted by Queen Elizabeth, to the Mayor and Corporation of Limerick, and their successors.
Kilrush belongs to Crofton Moore Vandeleur, Esq., of Kilrush House, who is lord of the manor. His property extends about twelve miles along the Shannon side, east of Kilrush, and, westward on the road to Kilkee, about five miles; and his income is said to be about £15,500 per annum. He is a young man, and is an excellent landlord, giving encouragement by granting longer leases, and ground for building on, and is ready to join any Company that may be established for the benefit of the country. Within the last five years, the town and neighbourhood have undergone an
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astonishing improvement, mainly attributable to the establishment of the steam navigation. The trade of the place is rapidly increasing; several stores are building; branches of the National and Agricultural Banks have been established; a patent slip has been constructed; and the Steam Company are about to extend the pier 200 feet. These are unequivocal signs of increased prosperity. Nor are advantages resulting from these changes confined to the town. The agricultural interest is benefited to a very considerable extent, by the opening of the trade of Kilrush: the farmers, for instance, who formerly were obliged to take 2d. or 3d. a stone less than the Limerick prices, now sell their grain within a farthing of those prices. As in most cases when extensive alterations for the public advantage are contemplated, the Company had at first to contend with formidable opposition; but they succeeded in buying up the other boats on the river, and prudently employed their captains in the steam-boats. This politic line of conduct at length prevailed, and they now ply twelve steam-vessels on the river, besides a number
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of lumber-boats. Acting in the same public-spirited manner, they sent down two cars to Kilrush, to run between that place and Kilkee as public conveyances.
It was highly gratifying to witness the animation that prevailed in Kilrush, — the neatness of the little shops, the flagged pathway, and the absence of accumulated dirt, so prominent and offensive a peculiarity of most small towns in Ireland. The people about Kilrush (whose population is 5000) are handsome, and appear considerably more intelligent than in many other places. The whole town, indeed, presented abundant proofs of the advantages that result from a spirited and enlightened policy, which, whilst it largely benefits the community, extending its influence wider and wider, like the increasing circles of agitated water, is the occasion of corresponding profit to the enterprising individuals who may have advocated its adoption. Truly despicable, on the other hand, is the low and narrow policy, entertained too often both by individuals and companies, which would postpone
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the interests of the many to the good of the few, frustrating designs of incalculable importance, for the purpose of preserving some private, and, most probably, injurious monopoly. That which conduces to the general prosperity of trade, and promotes the permanent benefit of the great majority of the inhabitants of a town or district, must, in the end at least, if not directly, contribute proportionately to the interest of individuals: yet, as if this doctrine were a false one, or as if, though true, it was regarded with contempt, we constantly see the proprietors of Sailing Vessels oppose themselves to Steam; Turnpike-Road Trustees and Canal Companies to Railways; and the proprietors of Coaches to Omnibuses, and all other means of public convenience that may seem to militate against their "own peculiar."
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