Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Description of England and Ireland under the Restoration (Author: Albert Jouvin)

section 3

DUNDALK

Dondalk is a small town, consisting almost of one great street, situated near the bank of a small river, which at high water has sufficient depth to bring vessels nearly up to the town, if the sands did not choke the entry. Near it are to be seen a chain of high mountains, which run out into the sea, where they form a promontory, seen in front on leaving the town after passing this river, over which there is no bridge. I never saw finer fish, and so great a variety as in the market of this little place. It must be owned that the coasts of Ireland and Scotland are the most abundant in fish of any in Europe. Water-fowl are frequently here taken in such quantities, and sold so cheap, as to take away the pleasure of sporting for them; for my part I will say that I could never have believed it, however it might have been affirmed to me, if I had not seen them in flocks on the seashore, and sometimes the air for leagues together darkened by these fowl. There are besides, in the interior parts of the country, several large lakes and pools full of fish. Among these in the province of Ultonie, that of St. Patrick's Purgatory is remarkable; it has a little island, where, near a convent, the voices of divers persons may be heard under a rock, groaning and lamenting like the souls of persons suffering in purgatory; therefore the inhabitants of the place say that St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland, besought


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God that He would cause the cries of the souls in purgatory to be heard here in order to convert the people to the Christian religion, whence this lake has been named St. Patrick's Purgatory, or the Purgatory of the Island.35 One may from this judge, that in general fish is as plenty in the middle of the island as on the sea-coasts which surround it. It is saying everything to relate that navigators who frequent these parts complain that their vessels are sometimes obstructed by the quantities of fish they meet with in their course.

It is a peculiarity in this island that there are no venomous animals, not even frogs, toads, lizards, spiders, nor any other kind, which is a mark of the purity and goodness of its air. Some persons have tried the experiment whether any creatures of this sort brought from other places would live here, but it is a certainty that they die as soon as they arrive in the country; and farther it is said, that the touch of a native of Ireland proves mortal to any of these animals in any foreign country whatsoever, and that a circle being made about any venomous creature with a stick which grew in this island, the animal will instantly die. Let not, then, the island of Malta boast of being the only island in the world which neither nourishes nor suffers any venomous animals, since we have that of Ireland so near to us which has this natural virtue, enjoyed by Malta only some little time, and that by a particular miracle of St. Paul, as the sacred history informs us, and as we have related in the voyage to Malta.

After having passed the little river at the end of Dondalk, you must ascend the high mountains which enclose the small town of Carlinfort;36 these I left on my right, and on the left hand Armagh, distant about twenty miles from thence. It was formerly the capital town of this kingdom, and in Catholic times had an archbishopric, one of the four which are in this island, with over nine-and-twenty bishoprics: at present it is only a village, remarkable for the fine


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antiquities of an abbey and its handsome church, equal in size to the largest in all England. The way by these mountains is through a desert strewed with flint and other stones, from whence one sees on the left hand some valleys filled with cattle, where I passed a river, and farther on came down over a large wooden bridge, and arrived at Newry. A great gulf is formed here that brings vessels up to the town, which is situated on an eminence, extending to the river's side. Here I feasted on fish, which made me halt here for the space of two days, during which time I diverted myself with walking and visiting the environs. From hence I set out for the mountains by a desert road, covered with flint stones, to Braklen.37 Continuing still by the mountains, I came to a river, from whence I arrived at Dromore, upon a river. They pretended to me that it was a good town, and had formerly a bishopric,38 but there is no appearance of it. I remember I eat of a salad made according to the mode of the country, of I know not what herbs; I think there were sorrel and beets chopt together; it represented the form of a fish, the whole without oil or salt, and only a little vinegar made of beer, and a quantity of sugar strewed over it, that it resembled Mount Etna covered with snow, so that it is impossible to be eaten by any one not accustomed to it. I made my host laugh heartily in the presence of a gentleman, a lord of the town, on asking for oil to season this salad, according to the French fashion, and after having dressed it, I persuaded the gentleman to taste it, who was pleased to hear me speak of the state and customs of France. He had studied at Dublin, and told me he was extremely desirous of seeing France, and that before he died he would certainly make that voyage. He begged me to stay only eight days in his house, promising that I should pass my time in all sorts

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of pleasures and diversions, both of walking and the chase; that he rarely saw any strangers or Frenchmen pass through those parts, and he was still more astonished when I informed him that I came only out of curiosity, after having visited the most southern parts of Europe. He showed me many curiosities in his cabinet, as well as all the apartments of his castle, which were well furnished, and hung with tapestry. He knew not how sufficiently to entertain and make me welcome, in order to induce me to remain with him some days; but as I had resolved to prosecute my journey, I was obliged to thank and take leave of him. He conducted me a mile on the way, after which I got to Hilbara,39 otherwise Tilburg, where there is a large castle, one of the finest in Ireland, situated on a river which runs out of a large pool, where I passed over a great causey, which finished where the mountains begin near Lenegiardin,40 whose large castle and its garden are filled with wonders, like many others in the same town, which is on an eminence, the foot whereof is washed by the river. After this the country is but ill-cultivated, and corn dear.

Few windmills are to be seen in Ireland. They eat here, as well as in some parts of Scotland, cakes called kets, which they bake on thin iron plates over a fire; being sufficiently baked on one side, they turn them on the other, till they become as dry as a biscuit. They are made without leaven, and sometimes so ill baked that a person who is not used to them cannot eat them; nevertheless throughout all the inns on the road no other sort of bread is eaten; however, they do not spare to cover them with butter, and thick cheese, here very cheap, costing only a penny per pound. The common people live chiefly on this, especially in places distant from the rivers and lakes. Afterwards I arrived at Belfast, situate on a river at the bottom of a gulf, where barks and vessels anchor on account of the security and goodness of the port; wherefore several merchants live here who


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trade to Scotland and England, whither they transport the superfluities of this country. Here is a very fine castle, and two or three large and straight streets, as in a new-built town. One may often procure a passage here for Scotland, but as I could not meet with one, I went to Knockfergus, which is at the entry of this gulf, and within eight miles of Belfast.