Fuel.

Bog.

River.

Wooden
Bridge.

Roads

used as meadow-land; the rest is heathy mountainground, which affords, however, in summer, pasturage for dry black cattle. This heathy mountainground affords abundance of excellent turf fuel; but there are no hills of any consideration. The only bog is Whitebog, which is an excellent turbary.

The Toorig is the only river in the parish; it has its rise about four or five miles north of the parish, runs through the centre of it in a southern direction for about three miles, then takes an eastern course till it runs through Two-mile-bridge, and thence into the Blackwater, a mile north of Youghal.

II. Mines, Minerals, &c.

There are no iron mines, minerals, &c. in this parish.

III. Modern Buildings, &c.

As for modern buildings, such as infirmaries, hospitals, &c. there are none in the parish; nor is there any town or bridge, except that on the Toorig, at Inchinrinka, where is a kind of wooden bridge, which is very useful to the parishioners in wet weather, for the river is much subject to mountain floods, that generally rise very high, so that, but for this bridge, the western part of the parishioners would often be obliged to remain at home on Sundays from divine service. It is formed of two planks, supported by wooden legs, with an abutment on each side of the river for the ends of the planks to rest on; the two planks are formed of a tree of about 40 or 50 feet long, sawed through the centre; of course it is very strong, and has an iron balustrade on one side for the hand. The road from

Youghal to Fermoy runs through a skirt of the south Roads,
part of the parish to Monoyarnogue, which is its
most western point. The other roads are all nar-
row, ill made, and in many places nearly impassable.

IV. Ancient Buildings, &c.

There is nothing whatever of this kind to report,

V. Present & Former State of Population, Food, &c.

The number of families in this parish is 309; Population as for the relative numbers of males and females, it

is not easy to give an account of them.

Their sole occupation is agriculture, on a confined scale, there being no large farms in the country. The people here are very inferior in point of wealth; their dress (especially when they come to markets or to Dress. their place of worship) is better than either their food or their manner of living at home. They are in general healthy, but there are no extraordinary instances of longevity.

VI. Genius & Disposition of the Poorer Classes, &c.

The people are very industrious, and they have a good market for their commodities, the town of Youghal being within 6 miles of the most western part of the parish, and within 3 miles of the eastern part of it. The language generally used is Irish ; Language: yet the great majority of the parishioners can speak English tolerably. No patrons are held, of course here are no patron days or traditions concerning them.

• For further particulars as to these points, see Appendix.

Education.

VII. The Education & Employment of Children, &c.

There is but one school in the parish, in which the children are instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but very few are bound to any trade. No employment whatever offers for children, except the occasional assistance given in the small farms, into which the land is divided. No public library or collection of Irish or other MSS. is to be found here.

VIII. State of Religious Establishment, Tythes, &c.

Lord Ponsonby, in

Advowson. The parish of Ardagh is yet in the gift of Government; but a caveat has been lodged in the Consistorial Court of Cloyne by case of vacancy by demise. any other parish.

Glebe.

Tythes.

It is not united to

There is but one church and one chapel in the parish; the former situated on the glebe of Ardagh, which consists of five plantation acres on an exposed hill, the approaches to which are scarcely practicable; the chapel stands on part of the lands of Barranavadane, commonly known by the name of Inchinrinka, on the Toorig.

The rates of tythes are, as they should be, moderate, the crops being in general very indifferent, by reason of the bad quality of the greater part of the soil, and the very faulty and exhausting system of husbandry. The incumbent, who is also rector of Painestown, in the county of Meath, where he generally resides, can only occasionally spend part of the year at Youghal, the nearest point where a residence can be procured; his curate of Ardagh residing in a small house on the glebe. The rector

being thus unable to attend to the tythes, has made annual bargains with a person for them, who, without any exception, deals with the occupiers, at from four to seven shillings per English acre for potatoes and barley; and from three to six shillings for oats. As to wheat, the quantity in the parish is too inconsiderable to mention; and barley having latterly failed, this mountainous moist climate being unfit for its growth, it may be said that the only grain now cultivated is oats.

There are no parish funds, save the cess imposed at Easter for the repairs of the church, at which divine service is regularly performed, though there is but one resident Protestant family.

IX. Modes of Agriculture, Crops, &c.

old AgriculNo

ture.

The inhabitants are very tenacious of the modes of agriculture, old stocks of cattle, &c. amendment whatever has taken place in their husbandry; and as for the rents of this parish, as Rents. most of the lands are set by the lump, it is not very easy to give any account of the acreable prices; but some of the lands (the leases of which have expired a few years ago) have been surveyed and set at an acreable price, which is from three half guineas to twenty shillings per acre, and may be almost counted as rack-rents, were it not for the high prices of corn.* No fairs are held in this parish; Fairs. it is in fact much shut out from other parishes, nor have strangers any intercourse with the inhabitants, there being, to speak correctly, no high road through it, no resident gentlemen, no village, trade nor manufacture.

• This account was written before the peace of 1815.

Incum

bents.

X. Trade, Manufactures, &c.

Previously answered.

XI. Natural Curiosities, Remarkable Occurrences, &c.

Nothing under this head merits attention, except the following list of Incumbents, which has been formed from the First-Fruits' Records.

Capella de Ardagh, Membrum Collegii de Youghall; the Church and Chancel ruynous for these twenty yeares; served heretofore by Mr. Hawckes, now by Mr. Wood.

Georgius Ledbeter admiss. 10° Aug. 1637, ad Rector. integram de Ardagh dioc. Clonen. et Com. Corke; non tax.

Wmus. Fitzgerald admiss. fuit 15° December, 1671, ad Rector. integram Ecclie. polis. de Ardagh dioc. Clonen. et Com. Corke.

Revdus. Arthurus De Anverse Clicus. ad Rectorias integras de Cloinpriest et Ardagh octavo die mensis Aug. in anno. 1720, pd. et admiss. et institut, fuit.

Wm. Chartres Rect. Cloinpriest et Ardagh, 18th May, 1755; n. t.

John Killeen, D. D. R. of Ardagh and R. of Cloinpriest, 5th Oct. 1764. Co. Corke; n. t.

Brinsley Nixon, A. M. collated and instituted 28th July, 1789, R. of Ardagh, Corke; n. t.

XII. Suggestions for Improvement, and means for meliorating the condition of the People.

Good roads, and larger farms, inducing the settlement of persons qualified and able to set an example of improved systems of agriculture and of good order, would tend much to better the situatio of the parishioners.