A Tour in Ireland | Page 6

Dundalk.
In conversation with Lord Longford I made many inquiries concerning
the state of the lower classes, and found that in some respects they were
in good circumstances, in others indifferent; they have, generally
speaking, such plenty of potatoes as always to command a bellyful;
they have flax enough for all their linen, most of them have a cow, and
some two, and spin wool enough for their clothes; all a pig, and
numbers of poultry, and in general the complete family of cows, calves,
hogs, poultry, and children pig together in the cabin; fuel they have in
the utmost plenty. Great numbers of families are also supported by the
neighbouring lakes, which abound prodigiously with fish. A child with
a packthread and a crooked pin will catch perch enough in an hour for
the family to live on the whole day, and his lordship has seen five
hundred children fishing at the same time, there being no tenaciousness
in the proprietors of the lands about a right to the fish. Besides perch,
there is pike upwards of five feet long, bream, tench, trout of ten
pounds, and as red as salmon, and fine eels. All these are favourable
circumstances, and are very conspicuous in the numerous and healthy
families among them.
Reverse the medal: they are ill clothed, and make a wretched
appearance, and what is worse, are much oppressed by many who make
them pay too dear for keeping a cow, horse, etc. They have a practice
also of keeping accounts with the labourers, contriving by that means to
let the poor wretches have very little cash for their year's work. This is
a great oppression, farmers and gentlemen keeping accounts with the
poor is a cruel abuse: so many days' work for a cabin; so many for a
potato garden; so many for keeping a horse, and so many for a cow, are
clear accounts which a poor man can understand well, but farther it
ought never to go; and when he has worked out what he has of this sort,
the rest of his work ought punctually to be paid him every Saturday
night. Another circumstance mentioned was the excessive practice they
have in general of pilfering. They steal everything they can lay their

hands on, and I should remark, that this is an account which has been
very generally given me: all sorts of iron hinges, chains, locks, keys,
etc.; gates will be cut in pieces, and conveyed away in many places as
fast as built; trees as big as a man's body, and that would require ten
men to move, gone in a night. Lord Longford has had the new wheels
of a car stolen as soon as made. Good stones out of a wall will be taken
for a fire-hearth, etc., though a breach is made to get at them. In short,
everything, and even such as are apparently of no use to them; nor is it
easy to catch them, for they never carry their stolen goods home, but to
some bog-hole. Turnips are stolen by car-loads, and two acres of wheat
plucked off in a night. In short, their pilfering and stealing is a perfect
nuisance. How far it is owing to the oppression of laws aimed solely at
the religion of these people, how far to the conduct of the gentlemen
and farmers, and how far to the mischievous disposition of the people
themselves, it is impossible for a passing traveller to ascertain. I am apt
to believe that a better system of law and management would have
good effects. They are much worse treated than the poor in England,
are talked to in more opprobrious terms, and otherwise very much
oppressed.
Left Packenham Hall.
Two or three miles from Lord Longford's in the way to Mullingar the
road leads up a mountain, and commands an exceeding fine view of
Lock Derrevaragh, a noble water eight miles long, and from two miles
to half a mile over; a vast reach of it, like a magnificent river, opens as
you rise the hill. Afterwards I passed under the principal mountain,
which rises abruptly from the lake into the boldest outline imaginable.
The water there is very beautiful, filling up the steep vale formed by
this and the opposite hills.
Reached Mullingar.
It was one of the fair days. I saw many cows and beasts, and more
horses, with some wool. The cattle were of the same breed that I had
generally seen in coming through the country.
July 5. Left Mullingar, which is a dirty ugly town, and taking the road

to Tullamore, stopped at Lord Belvidere's, with which place I was as
much struck as with any I had ever seen. The house is perched on the
crown of a very beautiful