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A Handbook to Lisdoonvarna
and its Vicinity by P. D.
With Map and Woodcuts
Technology Ireland
Nov/Dec 1998
The Handbook to Lisdoonvarna and its
Vicinity first appeared in 1876 when the town was a celebrated spa resort
served by the Midland Great Western Railway, and the Galway Steam Company
ran a daily service from Ballyvaughan. Now the Handbook has been lovingly
reprinted in a hardback limited edition of 1,000 copies, complete with
the original woodcuts and maps, by CLASP, price: €12.95.
Written by a mysterious 'P.D.' whose
identity is still unknown, it covers a range of local topics that will
still interest readers today, from the chemical composition of the town's
mineral waters, to the fossils in nearby Kilfenora. There are facsimiles
of advertisements for local hotels taken from the original edition - the
Eagle Hotel offered a drawing -room for ladies and smoking rooms and billiards
- and train timetables and fares: in 1876 a first-class 'circular tour'
from Dublin (Broadstone) cost £3 1s 6d. The result is a gem of a
publication that will delight all who are familiar with 'Lisdoon', and
many of those who are not.
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