The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-09-07 00:00:00

bashing and re7passin,

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seem but as white specks in the distance.
The early part of the day being showery and rather gloomy,
we relinquished our intention of attending, with the ladies of
the family, the church at Kildysart, a village belonging to
the estate, a few miles to the north-eastward ; but, after
prayers in the library, Mr. S. and myself mounted two fine
animals, and rode towards the village, diverging, on our way,
to the tops of some of the highest hills on the north side of
the high road. The views from these were truly magnificent,
embracing a vast extent of the Shannon and its shores, and,
in addition to objects before seen less distinctly, the islands
forming the archipelago of the Fergus, and far to the north
Mount Callan, the highest land in Clare. We also obtained
a glimpse of the Shannon, like another lake, as far down as
Kilrush, a distance by water of 20 miles. From several of
these eminences Limerick may be seen in a clear day.
Westward at a considerable distance, we saw a fine lake on
the estate, gleaming in the sun. It covers an extent of 25
acres, and abounds with trout, many of which weigh 71b.
The dwellings of the peasantry on the domain are for the
most part of stone; whitewashed, and much superior to the
clay-built huts common in that part of Ireland. They were
erected by the proprietor with a view to introduce domestic
neatness and comfort amongst his small tenants. I was told,
when on board the steamer, an amusing anecdote connected
with this praiseworthy improvement. A tenant had been
inducted into one of them, who had all his life domiciled, in
one of the mud cabins, from which the superfluous smoke of
a turf fire struggled through a hole in the roof, or overflowed
by the door, when the apartment was filled to the floor.
Some months afterwards the landlord met him, and inquired
how he and his family were getting on in their new habita-
tion. " Blessings be to God," he replied, "we 're all well
and hearty at the present time ; but, yer honour, when the
winter comes on, the childer 'll be all starved wid could and
kilt entirely." " How so, Patrick ?" inquired the landlord.
"Is the house damp, or do wind and water get in ?" " Oh,
not the laist, yer honour; but we can't get it to smoke a bit,
yer honour!! " The popular belief amongst the cutters that
there is much warmth in smoke, was thus ludicrously exem-
plified. An English cottager, on the contrary, eschews a
smoky house, from its being not only uncomfortable, but
liable to give colds.
One of the smaller islands at the mouth of the Fergus,
and belonging to Cahircon, was pointed out to me as being
exceedingly productive of fine herbage, although exposed to
the buffettings of no inconsiderable seaway during gales from
the southward. It is called Innis Murray, contains only
about 4 acres of land, yet fattens no fewer than tell head of
cattle at a time ! It is based on limestone, which has a pe-
culiarly warm and fertilising influence on the soil.

KILDY SART

Is a neat, clean little village, containing one principal street,
on an eminence overlooking a little bay or creek for boats.
There is here a large new Catholic chapel, and in the out-
skirts a very small Protestant church, with a square tower.
The houses are for the most part whitewashed, and have au

air of comfort seldom observable in remote Irish hamlets—
at least in this locality. The dwellings of those in easier
circumstances resemble good English cottages, with gardens
and enclosures; and in the immediate neighbourhood are
several comfortable houses of even higher pretensions. Ross
Hill, and the seat of Coppinger, Esq., a wealthy proprie-
tor, both finely wooded, are a few miles distant. Beyond
them, towards Ennis, lie near the Fergus some of the most
fertile lands in Ireland. It being Sunday, the streets of the
village and the adjoining lanes were crowded with country
people in their holiday attire, reminding one of a fair, or the
" wakes" still kept up in many rural parts of England. We
rode through it, and, after enjoying some further views on
the other side, returned by another road. We passed one of
the "holy wells" common in many parts of Ireland. Not
a stone, not a bush round these wells is disturbed by the
peasantry, who regard them as sacred relics, and never visit
them without offering up a prayer. We rode back to the
hall at a smart pace, stopping only when my friend met or
overtook some of his neighbours or tenants on the road, all
of whom (almost exclusively Catholics) saluted him with the
greatest respect. With those who had any communication
or suggestion to make, he conversed in the most affable
manner, entering into their views and feelings in a manner
which shewed that he had at heart the welfare and happiness
of all who were under him.

I was pressed by Mr. S. to prolong my stay, but being
anxious to visit (if possible) the remarkable bathing place of
Kilkee, and to return via Kilrush to Limerick by the Garry
Owen on the following day, I was constrained to forego the
kind invitation. After an early dinner—kindly ordered on
my account, a handsome Irish car was drawn up to the door
of the hall, driven by one of the men-servants; and having
bid farewell to my worthy entertainer and the amiable
ladies of his household, we drove off through the park,
and taking a westward direction, soon lost sight of the hos-
pitable mansion of Cahircon. The road at the commence-
ment of our journey occasionally skirted the margin of the
Shannon, and afterwards took a sweep to the north-west, in
order to avoid Clounderlagh :Bay, which stretching inland
from the river to the north-east, resembles an arm of the
sea. We passed the interesting village of Labeshida, in a
bay of that name, with its church and white-washed houses,
—leaving it on the right. The country here is for the most
part rather uninviting, but objects of interest occasionally
present themselves. I observed several gentlemen's seats,
one of them romantically situated on a wooded ridge, with an
old rookery, and near it the ivy mantled ruins of a castle.
The distance we had to travel was about fourteen Irish miles,
a pretty long stage ; but the horse was a fine animal, and
trotted along at good speed, without turning a hair. For
some miles before coming within sight of Kilrush, the road
passes through a sterile boggy country, with here and there a
mud cabin, and occasionally a more comfortable dwelling.
The process of burning the superstratum for manure was go-
ing on in several directions ; the smoke from the ignited
heaps of the material, frequently covering the ground to a
great extent, so that the country would seem to a stranger
to be on fire. Its appearance in the night must be singular.
As we approached the town the bleak moor gradually gave
way to cultivated fields. Before entering it, I observed on
the left, the fine seat of J. Vandelean, Esq., on a woody
eminence commanding an extensive and interesting pros-
pect. This gentleman is the mayor of the town and lord of
the manor, and is highly respected by both rich and poor.