The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through IrelandNorah
History
The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through Ireland
Norah
Ireland -- Description and travel
When the chimes ceased I went up the high steps into the old church. It
is very old. It is high, long and narrow. The tower, in which are the
famous bells, seems of better workmanship than the church. It is built
in stories. The bells were chiming out, "Oh, that will be joyful!" as I
entered. It is a nice, homely, comfortable church; but so plain that the
tide of fashion has rolled past it into another quarter of the town. The
pulpit and reading-desk were supplied by a gray-haired clergyman, who
had power to read the service, so that it had a newness as if it had
never been heard before and to preach to the heart. With the echo of his
words and the echo of the bells of Shandon the Sabbath closed.
LV.
THE SOUTH--THE FEELING OF THE PEOPLE--EVICTIONS AND THE LAND LAW.
In conversing with a very sensible gentleman in Cork, he mentioned the
competition among the farmers themselves as one reason of the high
rents. I have heard this brought forward again and again in every part
of Ireland. It is difficult to get so far into the confidence of the
southern people as to know what they really think or feel. Without an
introduction from one whom they trust they are very reticent and non-
committal. There is another party who will not be drawn into giving an
opinion for fear of their names appearing in print in company with these
opinions.
Cork is such a brilliant city, such a sunshiny city, for the sun shone
while I was there as it did not shine anywhere else where I have been
for the last two months, such a brisk, busy city, that I felt some
regret at leaving it. Cork is a busy town, but there are many idle hands
and hungry mouths within its boundaries.
The prevalence of drinking habits is deplored by many with whom I
conversed here. Speaking of the movement, now so rife, for encouraging
home manufacture, especially in the shoe trade, a lady remarked that if
there were a revival in trade without a revival in temperance many
shoemakers would only work three days a week as had been the case in
good times before.
It was a sunny day when I looked my last on the busy city on the river
Lee, on the numerous basket women that squat in its streets, some
knitting or crocheting for dear life, some sitting with arms crossed,
fat and lazy, basking contentedly in the sun beside their baskets of
miserable stunted apples that would be thrown to the pigs in Canada.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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