The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through IrelandNorah
History
The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through Ireland
Norah
Ireland -- Description and travel
shaped like a modern princess dress. I was sorry I had only one poor
sixty minutes to carry off all my eyes could gather up in that time of
these reliques of ancient Ireland. I would recommend any one who cares
for the ancient history of Ireland to study these records of the past.
What we see affects us more than what we hear.
DUBLIN--HOME AGAIN.
To my friend, Councillor Leitch, one of the many successful men who have
migrated from the Moravian settlement of Grace Hill, I had expressed a
wish to see the face of Jonathan Pim, the landlord of whose goodness I
heard so much in the neighborhood of Clew Bay. Through Mr. Leitch's
kindness I obtained a seat in the gallery of the round room of the
Mansion House where the meeting was held to consider the advisability of
holding an exhibition of Irish manufactures. It was expected that I
should see Mr. Jonathan Pim at this meeting, but he was not there; he
was represented by his son. It was something for my backwoods eyes to be
privileged to see this grand room, built, I hear, for the reception of
His Gracious Majesty King George the Fourth when he made his visit to
Ireland, called the "Irish Avatar." At one side of the round room was a
sort of dais, on which was a chair of state that, I suppose, represented
a throne. Round the gallery were hung shields, containing the coats-of-
arms of the worshipful the Lords Mayor of Dublin. The chair was occupied
by the present Lord Mayor, a very fine-looking gentleman who became his
gold chain of office well.
The day before I had been taken by Mrs. Leitch to an academy of arts and
industry. For some reason of alterations and repairs there was no
admission beyond the vestibule. In this entrance hall were specimen
slabs and pillars of all the Irish marbles, which were there in as great
variety as in Shushan the palace. There was the marble of Connemara in
every shade of green, black marble of Kilkenny, red marble of Cork, blue
credited to Killarney, I think, and many, many others. I think there was
hardly a county in Ireland unrepresented. I do think that among all this
wealth of marbles the Irish people might gratify their most fastidious
taste without sending to Italy. I saw a good many productions of Irish
industry, but they seem always confined to the localities which produce
them. You see things in shop windows ticketed Scotch and English, but,
until this new movement began, nothing marked Irish. Yet Limerick laces
might tempt any fine lady, as well as Antrim linens and Down damasks.
There is also Blarney tweed of great cheapness and excellence, Balina
blankets, and the excellent Claddagh flannel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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