 | Lady Layard’s Journal Go to a Date Search the Journal |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |
2 August 1887 — Coole Park, Gort, County Galway | |
Tuesday. 2nd August [1887]. At 9 in the morning we all started off in Sir Wm’s waggonette on an excursion. Henry, Lady Gregory, Mr Doyle & I inside the carriage & Sir Wm on the coach box. It was a fine morning & we had a lovely drive. We went thro’ the curious “iron country” which is not far from here. The ground is covered with layers of flat rocks having fissures in which grows grass. These dreary layers rise one above the other on all the hills & it looks wonderfully desolate & very weird. Sheep manage to pick up a living in this part but as one cannot see the grass one fancies they are browsing on stones! Every where as we passed we saw deserted & ruined cottages left by people who had emigrated to America; it was a sad sight but one could understand that in such an iron country there cd not be sustenance of a large population. The sea is so near that the inhabitants eke out a living by catching fish which they dry & salt. We went to see the ruins of a fine old Abbey called Corcomroe. We found it very much neglected altho’ under the care of Govt– It is still used as a sacred burying place & the usual untidyness was observable—bits of bones & coffins strewed about. There was a curious capital to one of the pillars of a side chapel consisting of a row of blue bells wh was curious & pretty. The roofing over the high altar was still perfect, on it was traces of painting. We went on to Ballyvaughan a little town on the bay of Galway & stopped at the little Inn there for luncheon. It was small & did not seem uncomfortable but as Lady Gregory had brought a large basket of provisions with her we had no opportunity of judging of the food except of some excellent potatoes. We went on after lunch with a fresh pair of horses and an Irish carman—past Irish castles & came to the Atlantic on which there was not a ripple. We were in Co. Clare and the people certainly looked as tho’ they deserved the bad character that they had earned. Tho’ full grown men they had forbidding countenances & the women & children were dirty & ragged tho’ at nearly every house they appeared to be pretty well off having chickens, geese, a pig & a cow. At the Cliffs of Moher we got out of the carriage & walked to the edge & it was a splendid sight looking sheer down into the sea some 500 ft and as it was near sunset the colours were lovely—the Isles of Arran floated purple in a sea of gold, near us the sea birds screamed & whirled before settling on the cliffs for the night. We were loath to leave the spot but it was 7 o’cl & we had to drive on to Lisdoonvarna, another 11 miles. We got to the Queens Hotel abt 8 & found excellent rooms ready for us. I & Sir Wm had tea, the rest had dinner & we went early to bed. | |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |