The Cathedral Towns and Intervening Places of England, Ireland and Scotland:: A Description of Cities, Cathedrals, Lakes, Mountains, Ruins, and Watering-places.Silloway, Thomas W. (Thomas William)
History
The Cathedral Towns and Intervening Places of England, Ireland and Scotland:: A Description of Cities, Cathedrals, Lakes, Mountains, Ruins, and Watering-places.
Silloway, Thomas W. (Thomas William)
Great Britain -- Description and travel
The Roman Catholic Church, recently built, is an elegant structure,
with lofty towers and spires above them, and stands, as viewed from the
railroad, at about the centre of the place.
Kilkenny is celebrated as the seat of witchcraft trials. One of the
most remarkable was that of Lady Alice Kettel in 1325. There were,
however, but three executions. It should in justice to Ireland be said
that, with all its superstitions, it had comparatively few inhabitants
who were barbarous enough to force presumed witches to trial. New
England was more than her equal. Aside from these three at Kilkenny,
there was but one such execution in all Ireland; and that was at
Antrim, in 1699, seven years after the first appearance of the delusion
in New England, which occurred at the house of Rev. Mr. Parris, in
Salem, in 1692. The Antrim trial was the last, and was told as a story
in pamphlet form, entitled, "The Bewitching of a Child in Ireland."
It had a large circulation, and was foolishly copied by Professor
Sinclair into his work entitled "Satan's Invisible World Discovered;"
and is frequently referred to by Sir Walter Scott, in his "Letters
on Demonology." While speaking of Sir Walter, we are reminded of the
fact that Kilkenny, as well as Melrose had its Sir Walter. His name
was John Banim. He wielded a facile pen, had a peculiar temperament,
and represented the character of his country and its people with more
fidelity and interest, if not romantic effect, than any other Irish
novelist.
We are admonished that we must here end our talk about this lovely
Kilkenny; and, as we turn once more for a final view as our train moves
away from the station, it is not without feelings allied to those which
Longfellow describes in his own sweet way:--
A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.
We are fully aware that we have not often spoken of Roman Catholic
churches, cathedrals, nunneries, and schools; and at first sight it
would appear that in this Catholic country more attention should have
been paid to these things; but recognizing the narrow space that could
with propriety be devoted to any one place, we have reluctantly had
to forego the pleasure of describing many points of interest. The
reader may rest assured that it would have given us unalloyed pleasure
to speak of hospitals, charity-schools, asylums, almshouses, and a
thousand charitable institutions we saw and heard of. All these abound.
That kind-heartedness, so characteristic of the Irish nature; that
hospitality which is part of their being, making their houses, large
or small, in Ireland or America, hospitals, asylums, or hotels,--these
qualities show themselves, in constant and varying forms, in buildings
designed as comfortable retreats for the unfortunate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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