An account of Ireland, statistical and political

Front matter

V AN ACCOUNT OF IRELAND. VOLUME I AN ACCOUNT OF IRELAND, STATISTICAL AND POLITICAL. By EDWARD WAKEFIELD. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. J. Pontoon : PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 1812. J. M' Creery, Printer, Black- Horse Court, London. A KNOWLEDGE of the natural situation, the political institutions, and the local advantages, even of a foreign nation, is an object of considerable magnitude, and must, to an inquiring and enlightened mind, be a source of no small gratification ; but ta-become acquain*f*d with these relations, as they respect the great divisions of that empire, tf which we are ourselves subjects, is of much hisherii importance. ' If wt be ignorant of the true state of our country, its inte_estr-must be imperfectly understood ; and it will be as difficult to discover a remedy for existing evils, as to prevent those from arising, which will otherwise necessarily occur during the progress of time.

It is by the power of foreseeing political danger that we can guard against its consequences ; for states, if their capabilities of improvement be overlooked or neglected, will inevitably sink into weakness, and lose that influence and that consequence among nations, which they might otherwise acquire and retain. Contemplating the present state of Europe, and the wonderful change which has taken place in the general system of continental politics ; it becomes the imperious duty of every well-wisher of Great Britain, to point out her resources, and to recommend, to the best of his abilities, the manner in which they may be employed to the greatest public advantage. From recent events there is reason to conclude that our country, at least for some years, must depend for support chiefly on the natural vigour of her own people, and the internal means which they possess of calling it into activity. .

Her energies, I am happy to say, seem to increase in proportion to the difficulties which she has to encounter; and her resources, notwithstanding the pressure of the times, are still unquestionably great : but the most flattering prospects may be unexpectedly obscured ; and prudence requires that we should be Vol. I. b vigilant, not only to avoid what may tend to depress the one, or to fetter and impede the other, but also to pursue such measures as may give addi tional strength and stability to both. Those in the least acquainted with history know, that Ireland forms a very valuable portion of the British empire ; whether considered in a commercial, agricultural, or political point of view, and that its import ance calls for the utmost attention of a wise administration. Even in the time of the Romans, the possession of Ireland seems to have been considered as necessary towards securing the conquest of Britain ;* and we are informed by a very acute and ingenious French writers that Louis XIV., when he endeavoured to re-instate James II. on the English throne, and sent troops to Ireland for that purpose, was guilty of a great political oversight, in not employing a force sufficient to secure to him that country ; which, in his hands, and under the control of France, would have enabled him effectually to check the increasing power of his rival.

Chapter I. Name, Situation, Extent, And Divisions

WHETHER Ireland was known to the Phœnicians who frequented the coasts of Cornwall for the purpose of procuring tin, is uncertain ; because no authentic in formation on that subject has been preserved.* The earliest notice, perhaps, to be depended on, which we have of it, is that of Eratosthenes, librarian to Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, who flourished about two centuries and a half before the Christian æra. The works of this eminent mathematician and geographer have been lost ; but Strabo, who frequently refers to them, and who seems to have been indebted to him for many observations, praises his private collection of books,+ and remarks, that he was so well acquainted with the western parts of Europe, that he determined the distance of Ireland from Celtica.^ The first Roman author who speaks of it is Cæsar; he calls it Hibernia, a name said to be given to it by the Romans on account of its supposed coldness ; and he * Had the Phœnicians been acquainted with Ireland, it is probable they would have concealed their know ledge of it, because they were exceedingly jealous of their commerce, and unwilling to let other nations know the sources from which they derived their riches.

The story of the Phœnician ship-master, who, on a voyage to Britain, observing a Roman vessel following him in order to watch his course, voluntarily run his own vessel on a shoal for the purpose of misleading the Roman, is well known. The wily Phœnician, who was a better seaman, found means to escape ; but the Roman, less skilful, was'Iost. The former, on account of his ingenuity, received an indemnification for his goods from the public treasury. Strab. Geog. edit. Alme loveen, Amst. 1707, vol. i. p. 265. — Postell, a reviver of oriental literature in the sixteenth century, derives Irin from Iurin, the land of the Jews. Warmi Antiq. cap. 1. and Bochart endeavours to trace Hibernia to the Phœnician Iber-nae, ot the farther habitation. Geo. Sac. ed. Leusden, lib. i. cap. 60. + Strab. Geog. ,vol. i. p. 120.

X Ibid. ib. p. 124. This author gives to Ireland the name of Ieme; mention of it occurs also p. Ill, 127, 175. Vol. I. B states it to be half the size of Britain, and to lie at the same distance from it that Britain does from Gaul.* It is mentioned also by Tacitus, in his Life of Agricola, under the same name ; and various writers who lived at later periods describe it under those of Ierna,+ Ierne,^: luverna.§ and Ivernia-H Diodorus Siculus, who travelled over a great part of Europe and Asia to collect materials for his history, gives to Ireland the name of Iris-; a word which is to be found in no other Greek or Roman author.- Some, therefore, have considered it as a mistake ; but a learned antiquary seems to think that this was the genuine name of the island ; and indeed the proofs which he adduces in support of his opinon appear to me to deserve particular attention.

" Iri, or as now written, Eri, in the Irish, is the great isle. In Teutonic Er-aii, contracted into Eri, is the farther isle. It received this appellation from the Teutonic tribes, who formerly possessed Eu rope, and has been invariably used by them in every age." a.d. " 540, Gildas left the school of Iltutus in Wales and went to Iris.** 870, In Islands Landnamaboc, one ofthe oldest Icelandic Sagas, Ireland is named Ir-land. In King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon translation of Orosius, Ireland is styled Ireland.-H- 891, Three Irishmen, says the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, came in a boat from Yr-land. 981, In the same record under this year Ireland has the same name, 1048, In the same chronicle Harold flies to Yr-land. 1076, Adam of Bremen has the same name. 1105, Ælnoth in his Life of St. Canute calls the Irish Iros. 1401, Odericus Vitalis styles the Irish Irenses, and their country Ire-land.^ * Cæsaris Comment, de Bello Gallico, lib. v. cap. 13. edit.

Oxon. 1800, 8vo, p. 93. Tacit. Opera, edit. Eliz. Lugd. Bat. 1640, vol. ii. p. 673. It is mentioned under the same name by Solinus, cap. Ib, in Pomp. Mela, C Jul. Solini. Polyhist. Æthici Cosmograp. Lugd. Bat. 1646, p. 125, and in Æthicus, ibid. p. 508. + Sed in altera pane orbis jacent insularum aggeres maximarum : Britanniæ duo, Albion et Ierna. Apuleius de Mundo. Apul. Op. Paris, 1601, p. 8. J Scotorum cumulos flevit glacialis Ierne. Claudiani Op. de iv. Cons. Honor. Lubecœ. 1701, p. 96. (J Pomp. Mela, lib. iii. cap. 6. Lugd. Bat. 1646, p. 125. !| Agathemer. in Geog. Vet. Script. Min. vol. ii. p. 39, 46. Marcianus Heracleota, ibid. vol. i. p. 9, 57. Ti Aypiura.ru> St otrut rut liro rat; apxret; xarotxvtrut not rut rv ExuSias ir*.i)trnixu(u>, tpaai r\ta% urQftoirxc tcQmv, ua-nip xai ru> Sftrlatut ts; xartuxStrat; r*it 'otop.a£t>nivrit Ipu.

Diod. Sic. edit. Wesseling, vol. i. p. 355. •• Valedicens pio magistro venerandisque condiscipulis Iren perrexit. Usser Primor, p. 907. •H- Johnstone's Antiq. Celto-Scand. p. 14. XX Usser ut sup. p. 734. " And in Wormius's Runic Literature, the Irish alphabet is called Ira-letur. The identity of Diodorus's Iris with the Iris, Ira, Iros, Irenses, Ire, and Ir, of the Gothic and Teutonic people, and that traced for above six hundred years, clearly evinces that this Greek author has preserved the genuine and original name of the island."* This island, which next to Britain is the largest in Europe, lies at no great distance from the western shores of England, and is still nearer to the coast of Scot land. It is separated from Britain by the Irish Sea, which varies in breadth from fourteen to forty leagues ; but betAveen Scotland and the county of Down it is con tracted into a channel only six leagues wide, and farther north, to a still narrower strait of less than four, between the north-east point of the coast of Antrim and the Mull of Kintyre.+ Ireland has not yet been surveyed with sufficient care to determine exactly either its size^: or its situation.

General Vallancey constructed a map of it, which is com monly called the " Ordnance Map." This map is supposed to be laid down from actual observation, and it has furnished the data for the l.cent one of Mr. Arrow smith, which, notwithstanding its many errors and deficiencies, must be considered as by far the most accurate yet published. I shall, however, point out a few of its errors : it makes the Grand Canal complete no farther westward than Tullamore ; and the Royal Canal is marked out only in some places beyond Kilcock. It exhibits a canal from Kilkenny to the Barrow, which is a work in contemplation, but not yet begun. It is deficient in the orthography of places ; for instance, Tanderagee, one of the first linen market-towns, appears under the name of Tanerage. Laurentinum, a place of less note in the vale of Doneraile, is named Labantiman.

Castle-Mountgarret becomes Castle Margaret. The Twelve Pins Mountains are the Xiipins. Even Lambay has not been suffered to retain its proper name, and numberless instances of the same kind might be produced. The town-lands are marked as villages, though they have no title whatever to that appellation. In Ireland the places of this kind amount to several thousands ; to insert them in a map would be impossible, and if practicable it would be useless. Mr. Arrowsmith, I believe, received many assurances of being furnished with several of the county maps constructed for the use of the grand juries of Ireland, but Re complains that, except in the case of a very young nobleman, the Earl of Desart, the performance of most of these offers has been forgotten. * Ledwich's Antiquities of Ireland, Dublin, 1804, 4to, p. 19, 20. + Beaufort's Memoir of a Map of Ireland, p. 8.

X The Romans seem to have had a map or topography of Ireland, which is alluded to by Pliny, lib. iv. cap. 16, Lug. Bat. 1669, vol. i. p. 234. Sir William Petty constructed a map of Ireland, which was edited by Vischer and Homan. See Hauber's Versuch einer Historie der Land-Chartens, Ulm, 1724, p. 97. B2 A tonnage duty is collected in England upon all shipping for the purpose of erect ing light-houses. This fund is intrusted to the management of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House. I do not know the extent of their powers ; but did the na ture of that institution admit of it, I cannot imagine a better application of part of their income than in sending men of science to ascertain the precise position of the capes, headlands, 8cc. of Ireland, which would enable ingenious artists like Mr. Ar rowsmith, to lay down correctly the true situation of the coasts of that country, the boundaries of which have hitherto been but vaguely defined.

I have not furnished this work with a map, because I found it impossible to give any thing like a correct one ; I might have copied that to which I have alluded, but it would have been unfair to ask permission for that purpose of its publisher, who ought alone to reap the benefit of his ingenuity and labour. To it, therefore, I must refer the reader who may be desirous of becoming acquainted with the situation of those places which I shall hereafter have occasion to mention. I have measured upon it with some care the area of Ireland, and make the super ficial content of it, including the inland lakes, to be as follows : — English Square Miles* Irish Acres English Acres 32,201 12,722,615 20,437,974 The divisions of this extent of country may be comprehended under three general heads. I. A Political Division into four Provinces ; Ulster, Leinster, Connaught, and Munster, which are again divided into thirty-two counties.

These counties are sub-divided into two hundred and fifty-two baronies ; the baronies into 2436 parishes ; and the parishes into town-lands, ploughlands, gneeves,t can trons, Ice. II. An Ecclesiastical Division into Provinces and Dioceses, which are distributed in the following manner — The Province of Armagh contains ten Dioceses.% Abpk. of Armagh. Bpk. of Raphoe. Bpk. of Dromore. of Clogher. of Down "I . , of Kilmore. of Connor ) " of Ardagh.§ of Derry. of Meath. The Province of Dublin contains five Dioceses. Abpk. of Dublin. Bpk. of Ferns "1 . , Bpk. of Kildare. of Leighlin j umted* of Ossory. * Of 69*15 to a degree. + In the county of Cork, " a gneeve is the twelfth part of a ploughland." Townsend's Statistical Survey of Cork, p. 320. X The dioceses are placed here according to contiguity, and not according to rank.

(1 Ardagh, though in this province, is at present annexed to the Archbishoprick of Tuam. The Province of Cashell contains eleven Dioceses. Apbk. of Cashell ) . , tj i r f i r united. Bpk. of Emly j Bpk. of Cloyne. of Limerick ") of Ardfert V united. 8c Aghadoe ) of Killaloe ) ".; , r _-ir f united ol Kiltenora) of Waterford) .. , c i • Y united. ot Lismore ) of Cork) . , c t> r united. ol Ross ) The Province of Tuam contains six Dioceses. Abpk. of Tuam. Bpk. of Elphin. of Clonfert \ unhed of Killala. of Kilmacduagh j ' of Achonr of Achonry. III. A Fiscal Division, comprehending the following Collections : — Armagh Dublin City Lisburn Strangford Athlone Dublin County Londonderry Tralee Baltimore Dundalk Loughrea Trim Cavan Ennis Mallow Waterford Clonmell Foxford Maryborough Wexford Coleraine Galway Naas Wicklow Cork Kilkenny Newry and Dingle Kinsale Sligo Youghal.

Drogheda Limerick Strabane A late melancholy event on the coast of Ireland * induces me, before I conclude this chapter, to say a few words in regard to the errors of former maps, which have been constructed chiefly from the observations of Mackenzie, published in a thirj quarto volume. This gentleman lays down the river Shannon in a wrong position, and in this he has been followed by the surveyors appointed to construct a chart of it, and draw up a report for the use of the Irish parliament ; a task which they evidently performed, by copying the blunders of their blundering precursor, without giving themselves the trouble to make a single observation. These, and similar mistakes, have caused many fatal accidents at sea, as will appear from the following paper ; a copy of which is furnished by the Admiralty to every com mander of His Majesty's ships.

" Hydrographical-Office, Admiralty-, November 30, 1801. " Remarks on the south-west and north-west coasts of Ireland, by Thomas George Shortland, lieutenant in His Majesty's ship Melpomene, communicated by Sir Thomas Troubridge, Bart. " On making Dursey Island, off Bantry Bay, I observed with one of Ramsden's * The loss of the Saldanha frigate. best sextants, and found the latitude of the south-east end of it 51° 37' N. ; and being off there for three successive days, I found it the same ; and every quadrant in the ship agreed within a mile or two of my observation. " Sailing still on, past the Skelligs and Blasquets ; next day I observed, off the mouth of the Shannon, and found Loop Head to be in 52° 37', Kerry Head 52* SO', and Brandon Head 52° 22'. I was off there five or six days, and had excellent observations. '• From the Shannon we had not any opportunity of seeing the land, until we were off Urris Head, the latitude of which I made to be 54° 28' N. From between Dursey Island and Urris Head, is laid down from 10' to 12' to the southward of the truth.

" The danger from this is, that should a ship, proceeding to the Shannon, get a good observation, and run in the parallel of 52*24', or 52° 26'; if thick weather afterwards came on, she would, instead of making the entrance of the Shannon, or Loop Head, run into Brandon or Tralee Bay; and should it blow hard to the west-north-west, or west, that she could not weather round Kerry Head, the conse quence would be dreadful, from the heavy sea and foul ground in both these places. " From the observations I made, the same would hold good in running either for Bantry, or any other place on the south-west and west coast of Ireland. I find that the York Indiaman was wrecked in Tralee Bay, Oct. 29, 1758. ' At seven A. M. Oct. 29, 1758, it blowing hard, bore away for the Shannon. At noon latitude, by a good observation, 52° 28', which is by my chart and books the latitude of Loop Head.

Stood on till two o'clock, and then discovered that the entrance must be wrong laid down ; as by the form of the land in sight, it must be Tralee Bay. It still blowing hard, and running in for the land, the ship struck and was wrecked.' The captain observes, ' That had the entrance of the river Shannon been laid down in 52° 36', which is the truth, and not 52° 24', the York Indiaman would not have been lost.' " I have every reason to believe that the latitude of Cape Clear is right, and that the error begins at Mizen Head. Cape Tiellen, the northern point of Donegal Bay, is right laid down ; but Urris Head, the southern point, is 10' to the southward of the truth. Donegal Bay, therefore, is not so wide by ten miles, as it is laid down in the charts. A. DALRYMPLE, " Hydrographer to the Admiralty."

The late Admiral Drury made a survey of the coasts and harbours of Ireland, but it has never been published. It is said to have been carried away by some lord lieutenant on his leaving the country. As the following glossary, or explanation of some of those words which most frequently occur in composition, with the names of places in Ireland, may render these names more intelligible to an English reader, I have taken the liberty of copying it from Dr. Beaufort's Memoir.* Agh, a field. Don, a height or fastness, a fortress. Anagh, or Ana, a river. Donagh, a church. Ard, a high place or rising ground. Ath, a ford. Drom, a high narrow ridge of hills. Inch, Jnis, an island. Aw in, a river. Ken, a head. Bally, or Ballin, a town or inclosed place of habitation. Kill, a church or cemetery. Knock, a single hill or a hillock.

Ban, or Bane, white or fair. Beg, little. Lick, a flat stone. Lough, a lake or a pool. Ben, the summit of a mountain, generally an abrupt head. Magh, a plain. Main, a collection of hillocks. Bun, a bottom, a foundation or root. Car, or Cahir, a city. More, large or great. Rath, a mount or entrenchment, a barrow. Ross, a point of land projecting into waters. Carrick, Carrig, Carrow, a rock or stony place. Cork, Corragh, a marsh or swampy ground. Clara, a plain. Shan, old. Sliebh, a range of mountain, a hill covered with heath. Croagh-Croghan, a sharp pointed hill resembling a rick. Tack, a house. Clogh, Clough, a -great stone. Curragh, a marshy or fenny plain. Clon, a glade or level pasture ground. Col, Cul, a corner. Temple, a church. Tom, Toom, a bush. Tra, a strand. Tobar, Tubber, a well or spring.

Derry, a clear dry spot in the midst of a woody swamp. Tullagh, a gentle hill, a common. Tully, a place subject to floods. » Memoir of a Map of Ireland, p. 146.