The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through IrelandNorah
History
The Letters of "Norah" on Her Tour Through Ireland
Norah
Ireland -- Description and travel
As far as I hear from the Common people themselves, they think the law
and the administrators of it sympathize with the landlords only, and let
that sympathy influence their decisions. They are, therefore, very
averse to go to law to obtain what they consider justice from a
landlord.
Another great complaint that I hear again and again is the expense
attendant on a transfer of property. As an instance, a little property
of the value of a hundred pounds changed hands when I was in Ramelton.
The deed of transfer was a parchment as big as a table-cloth, and cost
L10.
XVIII.
IRISH HUSBANDRY--A DESCRIPTION OF LORD LEITRIM--ABOVE AND BELOW THE
SALT--LANDLORD AND TENANT
The valley through which the railway passes from Derry to Omagh is one
long stretch of beauty, fertility and careful tillage. Every field,
whatever its shape, is cultivated up to the fence and into the corners
with a mathematical nicety. The regular fields, the green separating
ditches with their grassy covering, the hills cultivated to the very
tops, and the trees growing here and there all over made a landscape
that should delight the heart of a farmer. Whenever I come to careless
husbandry, I will be sure to record it. I have seen nothing of the kind
yet on mountain side or valley. I do not wish to fling a rose-colored
veil over everything because it is Irish.
The country is simply beautiful--no works can do justice to it. Still
there are some things one could find fault with freely. Between Omagh
and Strabane I took a third-class car. It was dirty, of course, horribly
dirty, but, as Mrs. McClarty said, "the dirt was well dried on," and it
was almost empty, so I entered. At a way station a great crowd, great
compared to the size of the compartment, came surging in. Every man had
a clay pipe, every man had a supply of the most villanous tobacco. I do
not wonder the Government taxes such tobacco, that it has to be sold by
license--some would not grieve if the duty were prohibitory.
Soon matches were struck, a tiny flash and a fusilade of reports like
toy pistols--all matches here go off like that. Every man began to smoke
for dear life, and smoked furiously with great smacks and puffs. And the
floor! when the mud of many days that had hardened and dried there was
moistened again by tobacco juice! Soon the compartment was filled with
smoke, there was literally nothing else to breathe. The car began to
heave about like a ship at sea. Fortunately we stopped at a station and
some on board got out, so that there was an opportunity of getting close
to the door and letting down the glass and a faint was prevented.
It was not pleasant to sit there craning one's neck round to breathe at
the window, for the seats ran lengthways of the carriage, and keeping
all crushed up to keep out of the way of a cross fire of tobacco juice
from the opposite benches. Made a vow there and then against third-class
carriages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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