| |
Union
of Kilrush, Killard, Kilfieragh, Moyferta, and Kilballyhone
V. Present
& Former State of Population, Food, Fuel, &c.
Population
The following table shews the number of inhabitants in this union, as
it was ascertained under the Population Act in December 1813.
| |
Males |
Females
|
Total |
| Parish
of Kilrush |
1,599 |
1,576 |
3,175 |
| Parish
of Killard |
1,639 |
1,568 |
3,207 |
| Parish
of Kilfieragh |
1,840 |
1,576 |
3,416 |
| Parish
of Moyarta |
2,540 |
2,186 |
4,726 |
| Parish
of Kilballyhone |
1,536 |
1,182 |
2,718 |
| Total |
9,154 |
8,088 |
17,242 |
According
to a census taken by the writer of this account, in the year 1803, the
town of Kilrush contained 1,320 inhabitants. In December, 1813, it appears
to have contained 2,460, nearly doubling its population in ten years.
Food
From the local circumstances of this place, it must have already appeared,
that it is abundantly supplied with provisions. The eastern part of the
country being remarkable for some of the best sheep-walks in the province;
and the midlands and Shannon side containing many very fine stock farms,
both for rearing and fattening black cattle. Pork is produced in great
quantities, and prepared for exportation. All kinds of fowl, both wild
and domestic, are abundant; but of late years, rising in their prices,
owing to the rapid increase of population and wealth. In fact, it may
be said of the inhabitants of Kilrush, in the language of the Roman orator:
“Propinquam fructuosamque provinciam habent quo facile excurrant,
ubi libenter negotium gerant, quos illa mercibus suppeditandis cum quæstu
compendioque demittit.”
The sea is
also an inexhaustible resource for the maintance of the population of
this union, and the neighbouring districts. The mouth of the Shragh river,
at Dunbeg, produces very fine salmon and trout. The banks of Baltard afford
turbot, cod, haddick, ling, doree, mackarel, whiting, pollock, and other
fish, in great perfection and abundance. The other bays and creeks of
the Shannon and ocean, furnish flat fish of various kinds, with crabs,
lobsters, shrimps, oysters, cockles, muscles, and razor fish.
The herring
fishery, in the mouth of the Shannon, commences on the fourth of July,
with such regularity, that these who “try their new potatoes”
on that day, usually expect the comfort of a dish of fresh herrings with
them, and to have the enjoyment of that luxury doubled by the reflection
that the poorest cottier in the barony may dine as well as the richest
man in it on that day.
Corachs
The bank on which the turbot, &c. are caught, near Baltard, is about
three leagues from the shore: the quantity of fish taken there is immense.
The boats in use are the ancient Celtic corachs, or Nivoges, a kind of
basket work covered with hides, and all others the best calculated to
live on this rocky coast, where the violence of the surf, for nine days
out of ten, would dash a wooden boat to pieces.
It has been
truly observed of the western corach, that it is not uncommon for the
intrepid navigator of it, to put his foot through the hide when he spies
a rent in it as it mounts over the broken wave in a storm, and his wig
or his breeches in a second or a third; which simple expedients oftentimes
conduct him in safety through a scene, which, to a freshwater sailor,
would be indescribably terrific. Some of these boats make from fifty to
sixty guineas in the season, on the bank of Baltard; and there is not
less than an hundred of them employed in this fishery. The fish is brought
to Limerick, Ennis, Kilrush, and the county of Kerry; and there are often,
(when a glut comes,) from one to two hundred horses with side creels,
waiting on the shore for the return of the canoes, on which occasions,
many of them come back loaded with fish to the value of ten guineas from
a single trip.
Samphire
The cliffs near the castles of Clahansevan and Dunlicky, are remarkable
for very fine samphire; these of Baltard for mushrooms, and the different
strands for dilisk and leaver; the latter of which is excellent here,
and best known by the name of slukane, or sluke.
With all
this profusion of food of the most exquisite kind, it may perhaps puzzle
the Political Economist to hear, that the greater part of the inhabitants
of this rich and populous district live upon the potatoes and milk. The
inhabitants of the town of Kilrush may perhaps be excepted; but a great
proportion of our landholders sell their oats, calves, lambs, poultry,
pork, and butter; living and thriving upon eggs, fish, potatoes, buttermilk,
and salt.
Many of these
people give their daughters marriage portions, amounting to an hundred
guineas. They ride to mass on Sundays with their wives behind them, on
good horses and comfortable pillions, wear decent frize clothes, and have
brick chimneys on their houses. The fact is, that the potato affords sufficient
nourishment to them; and any thing farther, in the way of food, whether
it be turbot or mutton, smoaked dog fish or salt, is luxury, pleasant
or necessary to those who accustom themselves to seek indulgences, but
utterly unnecessary to those who disregard them. At Christmas and Easter,
and on St. Martin’s Eve, however, a more expensive mode of living
is adopted; for on these occasions, every man in the parish and union
dines upon animal food.
Fuel
The fuel here is excellent turf, with bog-fir, which latter serves for
light as well as heat. It has been already mentioned, that this union
supplies great quantities of fuel for the consumption of the county and
city of Limerick.
Appearance,
Diseases
The general appearance of the people here is pre-possessing; they are
as tall and as handsome as any other inhabitants of Ireland, and their
comfortable slate blue frize cloathing, is highly ornamental to their
graceful persons. Inguinal Hernia is very common among the labouring classes
here. From the dampness of the climate, a dysentery also prevails in wet
seasons; and a low kind of continued fever sometimes prevails among the
peasantry in autumn. Children are here, as usual, subject to measles,
small-pox, and chincough, with individual instances of persons escaping
all these diseases, and being proof against the action of variolous, or
vaccine infection. Scarlatina, and other eruptive fevers called rashes,
or hives, are common, but not often fatal; as are also the complaint called
aphtha, or the thrush, and the eating hive, or burned holes, the last
of which has been frequently cured by the application of elm bark.
Longevity
This neighbour hood abounds with instances of longevity. The late Mrs.
Borough, grand-daughter to Mr. Vanhoogort of Querin, died a few years
ago aged nearly an hundred years, retaining her faculties, and a remarkable
degree of penetration and ability to the last. Mrs. Ward, the daughter
of Anthony Hickman of Ballykett, Esq., died a few years before at the
age of ninety, and talked of her nephew, Mr. George Smyth, till he was
eighty-four years old, as a boy. She recollected almost every remarkable
paper in the Spectator, and often talked of them with rapture; and here
it may be observed, that this old gentlewoman was one of the many instances
of the deep and salutary impressions made on the minds of the upper and
middle ranks of the Irish people, by this popular and fascinating work;
eight large editions of which had been sold in Dublin, between its first
appearance and the year 1728, when the ninth edition was published by
George Grierson, at the Two Bibles in Essex-street: the spectator may
therefore be said to have educated more of the Irish gentry, than all
the public schools have done. Opposite to Mr. Paterson’s seat in
Kilrush, lives “Old Nanny,” who is now considerably above
an hundred years of age, and never was confined a single day of her life
by sickness. Mr. Michael Brew, of Leadmore, sen. is another instance of
longevity. In the early part of his life he was rather dissipated; he
was then one of three lives in a large farm, held under Mr. Scott of Cahircon.
Leave was requested to change his life for that of another of more temperate
habits, and it was granted. These three lives died, and the lease was
renewed for three more, at a considerable advance; these three lives also
dropped, (Walt. Archer, Esq. was the last of them) and the farm was lately
set by Mr. John Scott, at an advance of a thousand a year, and Brew is
still alive. The late Murtough MacMahon of Clonina, Esq. (another instance
of longevity in this neighbourhood) obtained a similar favour, with the
same result, respecting the castle, demesne, and extensive farm of Carrigaholt,
which he, and his father and uncle, had held for many years under the
Burton family. His tenure was for three lives; viz. his own, his brother
Andrew’s, and his sister’s, the late Mrs. England of Cahircalla.
His family consisted of two sons and one daughter, who was afterwards
married to O’Donoghue of Killarney; and he considered it an important
object to get their lives substituted in place of his own, and those whom,
in the common course of nature, his children might be expected to survive.
His wish was accomplished; great would have been his disappointment, if
his worthy landlord had refused to gratify it: but, oh the vanity of human
wishes! The young MacMahons, and Mrs. O’Donoghue, all died before
their father, their uncle, or their aunt. The acquired interest in the
beloved castle, and fascinating fields around it, was as unexpectedly
and irrecoverably lost to the family, as the fee simple of them had been
two centuries before; and Carrigaholt, for some years previous to Mr.
MacMahon’s death, was set to solvent tenants, at the advanced rent
of eight hundred pounds a year.
Back to
Union of Kilrush,
Killard, Kilfieragh, Moyferta, and Kilballyhone
V. Present & Former State of Population, Food, Fuel,
&c.
Population
The following table shews the number of inhabitants in this union, as
it was ascertained under the Population Act in December 1813.
| |
Males |
Females
|
Total |
| Parish
of Kilrush |
1,599 |
1,576 |
3,175 |
| Parish
of Killard |
1,639 |
1,568 |
3,207 |
| Parish
of Kilfieragh |
1,840 |
1,576 |
3,416 |
| Parish
of Moyarta |
2,540 |
2,186 |
4,726 |
| Parish
of Kilballyhone |
1,536 |
1,182 |
2,718 |
| Total |
9,154 |
8,088 |
17,242 |
According to a census taken by the writer of this account,
in the year 1803, the town of Kilrush contained 1,320 inhabitants. In
December, 1813, it appears to have contained 2,460, nearly doubling its
population in ten years.
Food
From the local circumstances of this place, it must have already appeared,
that it is abundantly supplied with provisions. The eastern part of the
country being remarkable for some of the best sheep-walks in the province;
and the midlands and Shannon side containing many very fine stock farms,
both for rearing and fattening black cattle. Pork is produced in great
quantities, and prepared for exportation. All kinds of fowl, both wild
and domestic, are abundant; but of late years, rising in their prices,
owing to the rapid increase of population and wealth. In fact, it may
be said of the inhabitants of Kilrush, in the language of the Roman orator:
“Propinquam fructuosamque provinciam habent quo facile excurrant,
ubi libenter negotium gerant, quos illa mercibus suppeditandis cum quæstu
compendioque demittit.”
The sea is also an inexhaustible resource for the maintance
of the population of this union, and the neighbouring districts. The mouth
of the Shragh river, at Dunbeg, produces very fine salmon and trout. The
banks of Baltard afford turbot, cod, haddick, ling, doree, mackarel, whiting,
pollock, and other fish, in great perfection and abundance. The other
bays and creeks of the Shannon and ocean, furnish flat fish of various
kinds, with crabs, lobsters, shrimps, oysters, cockles, muscles, and razor
fish.
The herring fishery, in the mouth of the Shannon, commences
on the fourth of July, with such regularity, that these who “try
their new potatoes” on that day, usually expect the comfort of a
dish of fresh herrings with them, and to have the enjoyment of that luxury
doubled by the reflection that the poorest cottier in the barony may dine
as well as the richest man in it on that day.
Corachs
The bank on which the turbot, &c. are caught, near Baltard, is about
three leagues from the shore: the quantity of fish taken there is immense.
The boats in use are the ancient Celtic corachs, or Nivoges, a kind of
basket work covered with hides, and all others the best calculated to
live on this rocky coast, where the violence of the surf, for nine days
out of ten, would dash a wooden boat to pieces.
It has been truly observed of the western corach, that
it is not uncommon for the intrepid navigator of it, to put his foot through
the hide when he spies a rent in it as it mounts over the broken wave
in a storm, and his wig or his breeches in a second or a third; which
simple expedients oftentimes conduct him in safety through a scene, which,
to a freshwater sailor, would be indescribably terrific. Some of these
boats make from fifty to sixty guineas in the season, on the bank of Baltard;
and there is not less than an hundred of them employed in this fishery.
The fish is brought to Limerick, Ennis, Kilrush, and the county of Kerry;
and there are often, (when a glut comes,) from one to two hundred horses
with side creels, waiting on the shore for the return of the canoes, on
which occasions, many of them come back loaded with fish to the value
of ten guineas from a single trip.
Samphire
The cliffs near the castles of Clahansevan and Dunlicky, are remarkable
for very fine samphire; these of Baltard for mushrooms, and the different
strands for dilisk and leaver; the latter of which is excellent here,
and best known by the name of slukane, or sluke.
With all this profusion of food of the most exquisite
kind, it may perhaps puzzle the Political Economist to hear, that the
greater part of the inhabitants of this rich and populous district live
upon the potatoes and milk. The inhabitants of the town of Kilrush may
perhaps be excepted; but a great proportion of our landholders sell their
oats, calves, lambs, poultry, pork, and butter; living and thriving upon
eggs, fish, potatoes, buttermilk, and salt.
Many of these people give their daughters marriage portions,
amounting to an hundred guineas. They ride to mass on Sundays with their
wives behind them, on good horses and comfortable pillions, wear decent
frize clothes, and have brick chimneys on their houses. The fact is, that
the potato affords sufficient nourishment to them; and any thing farther,
in the way of food, whether it be turbot or mutton, smoaked dog fish or
salt, is luxury, pleasant or necessary to those who accustom themselves
to seek indulgences, but utterly unnecessary to those who disregard them.
At Christmas and Easter, and on St. Martin’s Eve, however, a more
expensive mode of living is adopted; for on these occasions, every man
in the parish and union dines upon animal food.
Fuel
The fuel here is excellent turf, with bog-fir, which latter serves for
light as well as heat. It has been already mentioned, that this union
supplies great quantities of fuel for the consumption of the county and
city of Limerick.
Appearance, Diseases
The general appearance of the people here is pre-possessing; they are
as tall and as handsome as any other inhabitants of Ireland, and their
comfortable slate blue frize cloathing, is highly ornamental to their
graceful persons. Inguinal Hernia is very common among the labouring classes
here. From the dampness of the climate, a dysentery also prevails in wet
seasons; and a low kind of continued fever sometimes prevails among the
peasantry in autumn. Children are here, as usual, subject to measles,
small-pox, and chincough, with individual instances of persons escaping
all these diseases, and being proof against the action of variolous, or
vaccine infection. Scarlatina, and other eruptive fevers called rashes,
or hives, are common, but not often fatal; as are also the complaint called
aphtha, or the thrush, and the eating hive, or burned holes, the last
of which has been frequently cured by the application of elm bark.
Longevity
This neighbour hood abounds with instances of longevity. The late Mrs.
Borough, grand-daughter to Mr. Vanhoogort of Querin, died a few years
ago aged nearly an hundred years, retaining her faculties, and a remarkable
degree of penetration and ability to the last. Mrs. Ward, the daughter
of Anthony Hickman of Ballykett, Esq., died a few years before at the
age of ninety, and talked of her nephew, Mr. George Smyth, till he was
eighty-four years old, as a boy. She recollected almost every remarkable
paper in the Spectator, and often talked of them with rapture; and here
it may be observed, that this old gentlewoman was one of the many instances
of the deep and salutary impressions made on the minds of the upper and
middle ranks of the Irish people, by this popular and fascinating work;
eight large editions of which had been sold in Dublin, between its first
appearance and the year 1728, when the ninth edition was published by
George Grierson, at the Two Bibles in Essex-street: the spectator may
therefore be said to have educated more of the Irish gentry, than all
the public schools have done. Opposite to Mr. Paterson’s seat in
Kilrush, lives “Old Nanny,” who is now considerably above
an hundred years of age, and never was confined a single day of her life
by sickness. Mr. Michael Brew, of Leadmore, sen. is another instance of
longevity. In the early part of his life he was rather dissipated; he
was then one of three lives in a large farm, held under Mr. Scott of Cahircon.
Leave was requested to change his life for that of another of more temperate
habits, and it was granted. These three lives died, and the lease was
renewed for three more, at a considerable advance; these three lives also
dropped, (Walt. Archer, Esq. was the last of them) and the farm was lately
set by Mr. John Scott, at an advance of a thousand a year, and Brew is
still alive. The late Murtough MacMahon of Clonina, Esq. (another instance
of longevity in this neighbourhood) obtained a similar favour, with the
same result, respecting the castle, demesne, and extensive farm of Carrigaholt,
which he, and his father and uncle, had held for many years under the
Burton family. His tenure was for three lives; viz. his own, his brother
Andrew’s, and his sister’s, the late Mrs. England of Cahircalla.
His family consisted of two sons and one daughter, who was afterwards
married to O’Donoghue of Killarney; and he considered it an important
object to get their lives substituted in place of his own, and those whom,
in the common course of nature, his children might be expected to survive.
His wish was accomplished; great would have been his disappointment, if
his worthy landlord had refused to gratify it: but, oh the vanity of human
wishes! The young MacMahons, and Mrs. O’Donoghue, all died before
their father, their uncle, or their aunt. The acquired interest in the
beloved castle, and fascinating fields around it, was as unexpectedly
and irrecoverably lost to the family, as the fee simple of them had been
two centuries before; and Carrigaholt, for some years previous to Mr.
MacMahon’s death, was set to solvent tenants, at the advanced rent
of eight hundred pounds a year.
Back
to Union of Kilrush, Killard, Kilfieragh, Moyferta, and Kilballyhone
|
|