Page:The Macdermots of Ballycloran (New Edition 1880).pdf/11

 THE

IACDEKMOTS OF BALLYCLORAN.

CHAPTER

I.

BALLYCLORAN HOUSE AS FIRST SEEN BY THE AUTHOB.

IN the autumn, 184 business took me into the "West of Ireland, and, amongst other places, to the quiet little village of Drumsna, which is in the province of Connaught, County Leitrim, about 72 miles W.N.W. of Dublin, on the mail-coach road to Sligo. I ,

reached the

little inn there in the morning by the said mail, my purpose being to leave it late in the evening by the day coach ; and as my business was but of short duration, I was left, after an Now, in such a situation, to take early dinner, to amuse myself. a walk is all the brightest man can do, and the dullest always does the same. There is a kind of gratification in seeing what one has never seen before, be it ever so little worth seeing and the gratication is the greater if the chances be that one will never see it Now Drumsna stands on a bend in the Shannon the street again. leads down to a bridge, passing over which one finds oneself in the County lloscommon and the road runs by the well-wooded demesne of Sir G moreover there is a beautiful little hill, from which the demesne, river, bridge, and village can all be seen ; and what farther agremens than these could be wanted to make a One pretty walk ? But, alas I knew not of their existence then. cannot ask the maid at an inn to show one where to find the beauties of nature. So, trusting to myself, I went directly away



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!

from

river, woods, and all, along as dusty, ugly, and disagreeable a road as is to be found in any county in Ireland. After proceeding a mile or so, taking two or three turns to look for improvement, I began to perceive evident signs on the part of the road of retrograding into lane-ism ; the county had evidently deserted it, and though made for cars and coaches, its traffic appeared to be now confined to donkeys carrying turf home from the bog, in double kishes on their back. Presently the fragments of a