Wild Sports of the West; Interspersed with Legendary Tales and Local Sketches

Each story keeps the passage it was read from. Open one to read the passage as the book has it, and, where the companion has written its own telling, that too.

1. Newport as the edge of civilization

   Newport · townland · Mayo · 1830–1832

   The narrator describes Newport as the last town before entering the wild, remote country of Erris, calling it the 'ultima Thule of civilized Europe.' He hires a bare-legged mountain guide there for his onward journey.

   Read the passage

   I stopped at Newport ; it was the last cluster of houses arrogating to itself the title of a town, that I should now meet with, for I had reached the ultima Thule of civilized Europe — and when I had given directions to the post- master touching the transmission of my letters in my cousin's bag, I looked around me, and took a silent but mournful farewell of Christendom.

   I found at the public-house that my kinsman had provided for my farther progress into terra incognita. A couple of rudely- constructed vehicles were waiting to receive myself and personal property, and a wild bare-legged mountaineer, with a leathern bag strapped across his shoulders, announced himself as guide. "Had he no horse?'' — "Devil a harsef but he would warrant he would keep up with me," — and away we went under a salute of our dogs, and the furtive glances of sundry ladies with their hair in papers.

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 18

   As the companion tells it

   Somewhere around here in the early 1830s, a traveller called this the last cluster of houses arrogating to itself the title of a town — the "ultima Thule of civilized Europe." He gave directions to the postmaster about his letters, then took what he called a mournful farewell of Christendom. At the public-house he found his kinsman had arranged onward transport into terra incognita: a couple of rudely constructed vehicles and a wild bare-legged mountaineer with a leathern bag strapped across his shoulders, who announced himself as guide. When asked if he had no horse, the guide replied, "Devil a harse" — but he would warrant he would keep up. And away they went, under a salute of their dogs and the furtive glances of ladies with their hair in papers.

2. A Romantic Salmon Pool with a Shepherd's Hut in the Erris Mountains

   Erris · barony · Mayo

   The narrator describes a deep, dramatic natural salmon pool formed by a sharp river bend, enclosed by steep holly-covered banks and a great rock, with a shepherd's hut built on a patch of green herbage beneath the rock for occasional shelter.

   Read the passage

   We followed the course of the river for a distance of ten miles, stopping at the pools as we went along, but leaving the streams and shallows without a trial. As we proceeded uj the hills, the scenery became wilder and more interesting ; here and there, the moors were sprinkled with green hillocks, and the range of mountains behind was splendidly picturesque. The pools alone had beauty in my companion's eyes, and some of them were indeed magnificent. One was particularly romantic— it was a deep natural basin, formed by a sudden turning of the river, where the banks on either side were nearly perpendicular, and rose to a considerable height, and, to the water's edge, were thickly covered with hollies and hardy shrubs. At the upper end of the pool, a rock of immense magnitude reared its naked front, and shut out every other object. Round its base, the river forced its waters through a narrow channel, and at the other extremity, falling over a ledge of rocks, turned sharply round a hillock, and was lost sight. of. There were but two points from which the angler could command the pool, for elsewhere the banks and underwood prevented his approach : one was a sand-bank about the centre, to which, by a narrow goat-path, the fisher could descend ; the other, a small space immediately beneath the rock, of green and velvet-looking herbage. At this point the shepherds had erected a hut for occasional shelter, and never was a sweeter spot selected, wherein to dream away a summer night. No human dwelling was in sight — deep and undisturbed solitude breathed around — the blue and lucid pool before the cabin danced in the moonlight, or glittered in the first rays of morning — while the rushing waters of the river produced such melancholy and tranquillizing sounds, as would lull to rest any bosom un tortured by mortal passions.

   " Julius has been here before us, and has left some mementos of his visit," said the Colonel, pointing to foot-marks in the sand, and blood and fish-scales upon the pebbles ; " I fear our be is in jeopardy ; verily, our worthy relative will never shame

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 97

3. Cursing an Adjutant in the Phoenix Park

   Phoenix Park · electoral division · Dublin

   During a half-yearly inspection in the Phoenix Park, the Mad Major, commanding the 50th Regiment, famously cursed a nervous Scotch adjutant for losing sight of an object (a crow) during a drill manoeuvre, an episode remembered as the most satisfying cursing ever witnessed by General Sir Charles Asgill.

   Read the passage

   who was a most obliging officer, readily assented. The General mentioned often, that the damning of a stupid Adjutant was no novelty ; but that he never saw a man cursed to his perfect satisfaction, until he heard the Scotch Doctor anathematized in the Phoenix Park.

   The death of poor Denis was in such perfect keeping with his life, that I am tempted to give it to you.

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 16

   As the companion tells it

   As you pass through Phoenix Park, this is where the Mad Major of the 50th Regiment cursed a nervous Scotch adjutant during a half-yearly inspection. The adjutant lost sight of a crow during a drill manoeuvre, and General Sir Charles Asgill said he never saw a man cursed to his perfect satisfaction until he heard this one.

4. Dating by the French landing in Ballycroy

   near Ballycroy · population centre · Mayo · 1798

   Locals in Ballycroy commonly reckon their age from the landing of the French, illustrating the enduring folk memory of the 1798 French expedition in this remote district.

   Read the passage

   * The landing of the French is a common epoch among the inhabitant! of Ballycroy. Ask a peasant his age, and he will probably tell you, " he was born two or three years before or after the French."

   I 2

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 68

   As the companion tells it

   As you pass through Ballycroy in Mayo, you're travelling through a place where folk memory of the 1798 French landing ran deep. Locals here used to reckon their age from that event, dating themselves by the year the French came ashore in this remote district.

5. Moneyglass House Immortalized in 'Bumper Squire Jones' Ballad

   Moneyglass · townland · Antrim

   A footnote recalls that the once celebrated mansion of Moneyglass was immortalized in the old ballad 'Bumper Squire Jones,' which chronicled the lavish hospitality of that family, a custom now nearly forgotten as more popular tunes displaced the old song.

   Read the passage

   * This once celebrated mansion is immortalized in the old ballad, called " Bumper Squire Jones," which chronicles the princely hospitalities of that puissant and hard-headed family. Like " the Kilruddery Foxchase," it was a mighty favourite with the stout old sportsmen in those merry days. More popular airs have caused these popular and soul-stirring lyrics to be disused, and, like those whose feats they recounted, they are now almost forgotten.

   f " Dark," in the kingdom of Connaught, is frequently used synonymously with " unsocial."

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich

6. No Fire to be Had at the Inn of Glantane, Despite the Bog

   Glantane · townland · Kerry · 1829

   At the solitary inn of Glantane, set in the midst of a bog, the narrator finds there is no turf available to cook food until boys return from a blacksmith's funeral, despite the surrounding countryside being almost entirely turbary. This is presented as an absurd instance of local scarcity amid abundance.

   Read the passage

   My carriage broke down close to the inn of Glantane, a solitary house, as the song goes, " delightfully placed in a bog." As some delay must necessarily occur before the repairs of the vehicle could be effected, after the example of that accomplished cavalier, Major Dalgetty, I determined to seize on this opportunity to provision the garrison. To this prudent proceeding on my part I found there was an insurmountable obstacle : the landlady assured me that the " materiel" was in the house — there was bacon in the chimney, and chickens in the yard, but there was no turf within, till the boys — the devil bother them for staying ! — came home from, the blacksmith's funeral. Now, that the hotel of Glantane should be deficient in this point was marvellous. The surface of the circumjacent country, in its proportion of tillage- ground to turbary, bears an acreable ratio of one to five hundred ; and yet, though in the bosom of a bog, there could not be a sufficiency of fire obtained to boil a potato-pot ! But human ingenuity is surprising : after a delay of three mortal hours I reascended my chaise, and, without further accident, was deposited in the town of Tuam.

   On the merits of the Mitre Inn I shall be silent ; it produced in good time a respectable quarter of cold lamb, and a dish of exquisite potatoes. By the way, we cannot cook this latter esculent in England. Had my fare been worse, I would have

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 12

7. Rabbit warrening in Ballycroy and lament for Napoleon

   near Ballycroy · population centre · Mayo

   The narrator observed a warrener netting rabbits for sale in the sand-banks of Ballycroy, noting that skins had fallen greatly in value since Napoleonic times. He records that Napoleon's name is still fondly associated in Ballycroy with a bygone era of prosperity.

   Read the passage

   We found the warrener netting rabbits in the sand-banks. They were intended for sale in the interior, and many dozens were already taken. Formerly the skins were valuable, and a well-stocked burrow was a valuable appendage to a country gentleman ; but of late these furs have fallen so considerably in value, that the warren does not produce a tithe of what it did t( when Boney, the Lord speed him! was uppermost." Indeed, many a hearty lament is made in Ballycroy for poor Napoleon, and his name is ever associated with times of past prosperity.

   I cannot describe the melancholy reflections which crowded over my mind, as I squibbed off my barrels on the beach, while the boat was crossing the channel to carry us over the estuary. It was for the last time, and with that thought, all the happy events I spent by " flood and fell" passed over my

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 167

   As the companion tells it

   You are coming near Ballycroy in Mayo, where the sand-banks once kept rabbit burrows that meant real money. A warrener was working the nets here, catching rabbits by the dozen to sell inland. In the old days the skins were valuable, and a well-stocked burrow was a fine thing for a country gentleman to own. But the fur trade had fallen so far that the warren brought in barely a fraction of what it did, as the source puts it, "when Boney, the Lord speed him! was uppermost." In Ballycroy itself, people still made hearty laments for poor Napoleon, and his name was forever tied to a time when things were better.

8. Trout fishing in Dhulough

   near Doo Lough · lake or lakes · Mayo

   Antony describes catching a brace of three-pound trout fresh from the sea that very morning in Dhulough, which he brought as a gift to the priest's house along with rabbits, illustrating the local subsistence fishing culture of the district.

   Read the passage

   " Well, I mind it as well as yesterday, for I killed that very morning two otters at Loughnamuckey, and the smallest of them was better to me than a pound note. It was late when I got down from the hills, and I went to Father Patt's as usual, and who should I meet at the door but the priest himself. 'Antony/ says he, ' ceadefealteagh, have ye anything with you, for the wallets seem full?' 'I have/ says I, ' your reverence / and I pulls out two pair of graziers,* and a brace of three-pound trouts, fresh from the sea, that I caught that morning in Dhulough. In these days I carried a ferret, besides the trap and fishing-rod, and it went hard, if I missed the otters but I would net rabbits, or kill a dish of trout. '' Upon my conscience/ says the priest, ' ye never were more welcome, Antony. The minister and myself will dine off the trouts and rabbits, for they forgot to kill a sheep for us till an hour ago ; and you know, Antony, except the shoulder, there's no part of the mutton could be touched, so I was rather bothered about the dinner.'

   " Well, in the evening, I was brought into the parlour, and there were their reverences as cur coddiogh\ as you please. Father Patt gave me a tumbler of rael stiff punch, and the divil a better warrant to make the same was within the province of Connaught. We were just as comfortable as we could be, when a currier^ stops at the door with a letter, which he said was for Mr. Carson. Well, when the minister opens it, he got as pale as a sheet, and I thought he would have fainted. Father Patt crossed himself. ' Arrah, Dick/ says he, ' the Lord stand between you and evil ! is there anything wrong ?' 'I'm ruined/ says he ; ' for some lad member has wrote to the bishop, and told him that I have no congregation, because you and I are so intimate, and he's coming down to-morrow, with the dane, to see the state of things. Och, hone !' says he, ' I'm fairly ruined.' c And is that all that's frettin' ye?' says the priest, 'Arrah, dear Dick' — for they called each other be their cristen names, — ' is this all ?

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 116

   As the companion tells it

   Coming up along Doo Lough now, a lake the road passes through. This is the Dhulough where a man named Antony caught a brace of three-pound trout, fresh from the sea, one morning. He told the story himself. That same morning he had killed two otters at Loughnamuckey, and the smallest of them was worth more than a pound note to him. He carried a ferret, a trap, and a fishing-rod. If he missed the otters he would net rabbits or kill a dish of trout. Late in the day he came down from the hills and went to Father Patt's house. The priest met him at the door and asked if he had anything, for the wallets seemed full. Antony pulled out two pair of rabbits and the brace of trout he had caught that morning in Dhulough. The priest told him he was never more welcome. He said the minister and himself would dine off the trout and rabbits, because they had forgotten to kill a sheep until an hour before, and except the shoulder, no part of the mutton could be touched. That evening Antony was brought into the parlour, where the priest and minister sat together. Father Patt gave him a tumbler of strong punch. A carrier stopped at the door with a letter for Mr Carson, the minister. When Carson opened it, he went pale as a sheet and nearly fainted. Father Patt crossed himself and asked if anything was wrong. The minister said some lad member had written to the bishop, telling him that Carson had no congregation because the priest and the minister were so intimate. The bishop was coming down the next day with the dean to see the state of things. The minister said he was fairly ruined.

9. Two Neighbouring Loughs with Strikingly Different Trout

   near Ballycroy · population centre · Mayo

   In a mountain valley, two loughs divided by only fifty yards of moorland produce trout of entirely different appearance and quality: one lake's fish are dull and dark, the other's golden, vermilion-spotted, and finer flavoured.

   Read the passage

   It is a curious fact, that the loughs where the party angled, though situate in the same valley, and divided only by a strip of moorland not above fifty yards across, united by the same rivulet, and in depth and soil at bottom,* to all appearance, precisely similar, should produce fish as different from each other as it is possible for those of the same species to be. In the centre lake, the trout are dull, ill-shapen, and dark-coloured ; the head large, the body lank, and, though of double size, compared to their neighbours, are killed with much less opposition. In the adjacent loughs, their hue is golden and pellucid, tinted with spots of a brilliant vermilion. The scales are bright, the head small, the shoulder thickj and from their compact shape, they prove themselves, when hooked, both active and vigorous. At table they are red and firm, and their flavour is particularly fine — while the dark trout are white and flaccid, and have the same insipidity of flavour which distinguishes a spent from a healthy salmon. The red trout seldom exceed a herring-size, and in looking through the contents of the baskets, which amounted to at least twelve dozen, I could only find two fish which weighed above a pound.

   The dark trout, however, from their superior size, are more sought after by the mountain fishermen. They rarely are taken of a smaller weight than a pound, and sometimes have been killed, and particularly with a worm, or on a night-line, of a size little inferior to that of a moderate salmon.

   Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 128

   As the companion tells it

   As you pass through Ballycroy in Mayo, there are two loughs in the mountain valley here that hold a strange secret. Though they sit in the same valley, divided only by a strip of moorland about 50 yards across, joined by the same rivulet, and alike in depth and soil at bottom, they produce trout as different from each other as fish of the same species can be. In the centre lake the trout are dull, ill-shaped and dark, with large heads and lank bodies. They are double the size of their neighbours but put up much less fight when hooked. In the adjacent lough the trout are golden and pellucid, tinted with brilliant vermilion spots, bright-scaled, small-headed and thick-shouldered. At table they are red and firm and particularly fine in flavour, while the dark trout are white, flaccid and insipid, like a spent salmon compared to a healthy one. The golden trout seldom exceed a herring in size. A catch of at least 12 dozen held only two fish above a pound. The dark trout, though, are more sought after by mountain fishermen for their size, rarely under a pound and sometimes taken on a worm or night-line little smaller than a moderate salmon.

10. Antony's Fur-Trading Prosperity Selling Skins in Limerick

    Limerick · city · Limerick

    As a travelling pedlar and otter-hunter, Antony regularly carried large quantities of furs to Limerick for sale, and the trade in these valuable skins allowed him to acquire considerable property before his later misfortunes.

    Read the passage

    " When he disposed of his merchandize, he returned home laden with the skins he had collected in his wanderings. He has frequently brought thirty furs together to Limerick for sale ; and as they were then a valuable commodity, he acquired in a few years a considerable property.

    " In one of his excursions, however, Antony managed to pick up a wife. She was young and handsome ; and, tiring of his unsettled life, persuaded the unhappy otter-killer to forego his favourite calling, and turn his fish-spear into a spigot. In short, he took a house in town, became a publican, got extensive business, gave credit, and soon was drunken and embarrassed ; his wife flirted, his property melted away, and his frail rib at last levanted with an English showman. Antony was astounded, but he bore misfortune like a philosopher. Renouncing whisky, except in limited quantities, he resumed the otter-trap, which had been rusting in a garret ; and one fine moonlight night, turned the key in the door, abandoned goods and chattels to the landlord, and disappeared, ' leaving his curse with Limerick/

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 47

    As the companion tells it

    You are passing through Limerick, where a travelling pedlar and otter-hunter named Antony once made his fortune in the fur trade. He would bring as many as 30 furs together to Limerick for sale, and as skins were a valuable commodity in those days, he built up considerable property in just a few years. Then on one of his journeys he picked up a wife, young and handsome, who tired of his unsettled life and persuaded him to give up otter-hunting and open a public house. He took a house in town, did well at first, gave credit, and soon was drunken and in debt. His wife flirted, his property melted away, and eventually she ran off with an English showman. Antony took it like a philosopher. He gave up whisky, took down his rusting otter-trap from the garret, and one moonlight night turned the key in the door, abandoned everything to the landlord, and disappeared, as the book says, leaving his curse with Limerick.

11. Irish Greyhounds Outperform English Dogs on the Island

    near Achill Island · island or archipelago · Mayo

    During a coursing excursion on an island near Achill, the narrator's large, high-bred English greyhounds are outperformed by his cousin's smaller, locally-bred dogs, which handle bog and rocky shoreline far better.

    Read the passage

    Our first start was on hard, firm ground — and here my dogs outstripped my kinsman's, although they displayed uncommon fleetness. Being hard pressed, puss crossed a morass and ran into an unsound bog. Then were my guide's predictions verified. From their own weight, my dogs sank and floundered in the swamp ; while my cousin's topping the surface with apparent ease, turned and killed the hare, while their larger companions were struggling through the mire.

    On the second start puss left the moor, and took to the seashore, always a favourite run of island hares. Rushing headlong through rocks, arid running over pointed pebbles, the English dogs were speedily disabled. But my cousin's, accustomed to the beach, ran with caution till they cleared the rocks, then taking advantage of the open strand, killed without a scratch, while my unpractised dogs were rendered unserviceable for a fortnight.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 37

12. Moral Conduct of the Erris Peasantry Despite Wakes and Dances

    Erris · barony · Mayo

    Despite frequent nocturnal festivities, drinking, wakes and dances among the Erris peasantry, broken vows rarely led to lasting disgrace, as lovers typically made amends; deserted women and children were said to be rare in the district.

    Read the passage

    And yet I have seen that young beauty bending beneath a basket of potatoes which would have overloaded me — and, on one occasion, carry a strapping fellow across the river, who was coming on some state affair to the cabin, which, as he conceived, required him to appear in the presence with dry legs. On the score of propriety of conduct, I would assign the female peasantry of this district a high place. When the habits of the country are considered, one would be inclined to suspect that excessive drinking, and the frequent scenes of noctural festivities which wakes and dances present, would naturally lead to much immorality. This, however, is not the case : — broken vows will no doubt occasionally require the interference of the magistrate or the priest ; but generally the lover makes the only reparation in his power, and the deceived females and deserted children are seldom seen in Erris.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 174

13. The French Landing at Killala, 1798

    Killala · town · Mayo · 1798

    The storyteller fled the county the moment word came that the French had landed at Killala during the 1798 rebellion, and did not return until the rebellion was fully suppressed.

    Read the passage

    "As much, my friend, as you were at Camperdown ; and I have reason to believe, that that affair was transacted before you were born. He absconded the moment it was known the French had landed at Killala, and never appeared in the county afterwards until the rebellion was suppressed, and the country as quiet as it is at present."

    140 THE RECOVERED PORTMANTEAU.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 78

    As the companion tells it

    You are passing through Killala in Mayo. In 1798, the French landed here during the rebellion. The moment word came, a certain man fled the county and did not show his face again until the rebellion was fully suppressed and the country quiet.

14. Marquis of Sligo's Irish Greyhounds Kept at Westport

    Westport · town · Mayo

    The Marquis of Sligo was noted as one of the few people still keeping the rare Irish greyhound breed in reasonable purity, maintaining a number of the dogs at Westport with a dedicated keeper.

    Read the passage

    " The Marquis of Sligo is among the few individuals who possess that fine animal in a state of tolerable purity ; he keeps a number at "Westport, in the county of Mayo, Ireland, where there is a person employed to look after them. It is said that great care is necessary to preserve the breed, and keep them in good health.

    " Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq. one of the vice-presidents of the Linnaean Society, took the measure of one of the Marquis of Sligo's dogs, which was as follows : — * From the point of the nose to the tip of the tail, sixty-one inches ; tail, seventeen and a half inches long ; from the tip of the nose to the back part of the skull, ten inches ; from the back part of the skull to the beginning of the tail, thirty-three inches ; from the toe to the top of the fore shoulder, twenty-eight inches and a half; the length of the leg, sixteen inches ; from the point of the hind toes to the top of the hind shoulders, thirteen inches ; from the point of the nose to the eye, four inches and a half; the ears, six inches long; round the widest part of the belly, (about three inches from the fore legs), thirty-five inches ; twenty- six inches round the hind part, close to the hind legs ; the hair short and smooth ; the colour of some brown and white, of others black and white/

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 52

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Westport in Mayo, this was where the Marquis of Sligo kept a number of Irish greyhounds, one of the few people still maintaining that fine breed in tolerable purity. He had a dedicated keeper employed to look after the dogs, as great care was said to be necessary to preserve the breed and keep them in good health. Aylmer Bourke Lambert, a vice-president of the Linnaean Society, once took the measure of one of the Marquis's dogs and found it sixty-one inches from nose to tail tip, twenty-eight and a half inches from toe to shoulder, with short smooth hair coloured brown and white or black and white.

15. Cock-shooting on the islands of Castlebar lake

    Lannagh or Castlebar Lough · lake or lakes · Mayo

    The narrator recounts shooting an immense number of woodcocks in cover on the beautiful islands of Castlebar lake, which belonged to the Marquis of Sligo. The excursion is notable for a shooting accident involving his companion.

    Read the passage

    We once, during a severe frost, shot the beautiful islands in the lake of Castle bar, which belong to the Marquis of Sligo. There were an immense number of cocks in cover, and we had been particularly successful ; but the wonder was, I had that day escaped unwounded, and my prayer to " keep lead out of me" had been heard. On our return, my friend was pluming himself on this result. " It was foolish," he said, " to reckon him unlucky. To be sure, some shots of his had been unfortunate, but such would ever be the case." We had now left off shooting, and were within a few fields of the barracks, when a jack snipe sprang from a drain on the road- side, and flying to the top of the field, pitched in the upper ditch. I followed it merely to discharge my barrels — it sprang, and the report of my gun disturbed a hare in the bottom of the field ; she moved, and my companion instantly discharged both barrels. From the hardness of the surface, the shot rose ; a shower fell upon the protected parts of my person, while two struck me in the lip, and cut me deeply. I was more than one hundred yards from him, yet from the hard frost, the ricochet of the shot came as sharply upon me, as if I had been within point-blank distance. After that incident, need I add ? much as I loved him, I never pulled a trigger in his company again.

    294 MEMOIR OF HENNESSEY.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 161

16. Salmon fishing at the pool above the Wear

    Erris · barony · Mayo

    The narrator describes a fishing excursion to a noble pool above the Wear near the lodge, where his cousin never fails to kill a salmon in the right conditions, and where the narrator successfully lands his first salmon with Mortien Beg's assistance.

    Read the passage

    It required much persuasion and a positive assurance of success, before I ventured with my kinsman to the river. Ten minutes' easy walking brought us to a noble pool above the Wear, where my friend never fails to kill a salmon, if the wind be westerly and the water not too low. The water was in beautiful order, and my cousin insisted that, under his direction, I should once more try my fortune with the fishing-rod. Discarding my gaudy flies with a malediction upon the knave who tied them, he affixed two of his upon the casting-line ; and nothing could be of a simpler character than those selected from his book. The tail-fly was a plain black and orange mohair body, with a long and pointed turkeyfeather wing ; the dropper was formed of blue and scarlet wool, ribbed with silver, a pheasant sprit for legs, and mixed wings of the turkey and mallard.

    I made several unsuccessful casts : " A bad look-out, friend Julius. Heaven forfend that the cook has placed any dependence on the angle 1" Again I tried the pool, and, like all disappointed fishermen, began to prognosticate a change of weather. " I had remarked mares' tails in the sky yesterday evening, and there was rain over head, for a hundred !" My cousin smiled ; when, suddenly, my nebulous speculations were interrupted by a deep, sluggish roll at the dropper. " Monamondiaoul f"* exclaimed Mortien Beg,\ as he caught a momentary glance of the broad and fan-like tail. " He is fifteen pound weight !" Obedient to the directions of my Mentor, I left the spot the salmon leaped in, and commenced

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 21

17. Vanishing Red Deer of Burrishoole and Tyrawley

    Burrishoole · parish · Mayo

    The author laments the approaching extinction of red deer, whose remaining limited herds were still found, though in lessened numbers, on the Alpine heights bordering Burrishoole and Tyrawley.

    Read the passage

    Of fallow deer, there is a large stock in the parks throughout the province — and buck-hunting has of late seasons been getting into fashion on the plains. I have already, in speaking of the red-deer, lamented the prospect of their extinction. That event I look upon as fast approaching— and I am convinced that nothing can avert this national calamity but a vigorous determination of the mountain proprietors to extend protection to those limited herds which are still found, though in lessened numbers, upon the Alpine heights bordering on Burrishoole and Tyrawley.

    Foxes are tolerably abundant in the hunting districts, and mischievously so in the mountains and islands. From the latter any quantity could be procured, and there is no place in Britain where covers could be so easily formed, and stocked with less trouble and expense. I have seen healthy foxes for days hawked over the country before a purchaser could be found, and at last disposed of for a few shillings. I once

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 176

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through the parish of Burrishoole in Mayo, you are travelling ground where red deer once held on. In the writer's time, fallow deer were plentiful in parks across the province, but the native red deer were vanishing. He called their approaching extinction a national calamity, and believed only a determined effort by the mountain proprietors to protect the surviving herds could save them. Those last deer were still found, though in lessened numbers, on the high ground bordering Burrishoole and the neighbouring barony of Tyrawley.

18. Achill as a resting-place for migratory woodcocks and snipes

    near Achill Island · island or archipelago · Mayo

    The author notes that Achill Island serves as a natural resting-place for woodcocks and snipes migrating from northern latitudes, with islanders reporting immense numbers of birds passing through. Birds gather here before and after their seasonal migrations across the sea.

    Read the passage

    wisps sprang wildly, as they always do ; and I have no doubt that this fen had been their temporary resting-place after their autumnal migration from the north. We were the more inclined to this opinion, from finding many of the birds we killed extremely lean ; while others, that sprang singly, were in admirable condition. Achil is a natural resting-place for migratory birds : and hence I can well believe the accounts given by the islanders, of the immense numbers of woodcocks and snipes which are here found, in their transit from a high latitude to our more genial climate. The same remark is made touching the vernal visit of these strangers to this island. After woodcocks have for days vanished from the inland covers, they have been found in flocks on the Achil and Erris highlands, evidently congregating for their passage, and preparing for the attempt.

    It may be easily conceived, that whether the winter stock of snipes and woodcocks be limited or abundant, will mainly depend upon the state of the winds and weather at the period of migration. Hence, when the latter end of October and the succeeding month have continued stormy, with south or southeasterly gales, a lamentable deficiency of game has been invariably observed. That multitudes perish on their passage, or are obliged to change their course, is certain — and the exhausted state in which the small portion of the survivors reach these shores, attests how difficult the task must be to effect a landing, when opposed by contrary winds and stormy weather.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 159

19. Antony the otter-killer's fishing craft

    Erris · barony · Mayo

    Old Antony, described as one of many nondescript personages living in the houses of the Irish gentry, is shown as an otter-killer and skilled angler using simple, homemade tackle, catching a fine salmon and trout near the sporting lodge in Erris.

    Read the passage

    The storm terminated as summer gales do, in a heavy fall of rain. Although the wears are raised to intercept the passage of the fish from the sea, the late freshes, joined to a spring tide, have enabled both trout and salmon to overleap the barrier and fill the pools above it. Want of success had damped my ardour for piscation ; and besides, I had involved myself in a most amusing article in Blackwood, and felt an unwillingness to lay aside the book. At this moment of indecision, old Antony the otter-killer, one of that numerous and nondescript personages who locate themselves in the houses of the Irish gentry, passed the window with a fine salmon and a brace of trout sixteen inches long. How fresh and sparkling is the phosphoric shading of the scales, as the old man turns them round for my inspection ! What a beautiful fish ! it barely measures thirty inches, and is fully ten pounds weight ! That short and deep- shouldered Mddawn* is worth all the lubberly roach, dace, perch, and gudgeons, that the Thames contains from its source to its debouchement.

    I looked after the ancient otter-hunter with envy. How lowly would he be estimated in the eyes of a Cheapside fisherman ; one, who wears a modest-coloured jacket,f lest a showy garment might annoy the plethoric animals he is dabbling for, — whose white basket is constructed of the finest wicker work — with rods and reels, floats and flies, pastes and patties, lines and liqueurs sufficient to load a donkey, — how contemptuously would he look down upon honest Antony ! Figure to yourself a little feeble man, dressed

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 21

20. Bog and Gravel Trout of a Monaghan Lake

    Monaghan · town · Monaghan

    In a small irregular lake in County Monaghan bordered on one side by bog and the other by dry gravel, the trout species differ sharply according to which shore they inhabit, staying confined to their respective sides.

    Read the passage

    * I never observed the effect of bottom soil upon the quality of fish so strongly marked as in the trout taken in a small lake in the county of Monaghan. The water is a long irregular sheet, of no great depth — one shore bounded by a bog, the other by a dry and gravelly surface. On the bog side, the trout are of the dark and shapeless species peculiar to mooiy loughs — while the other affords the beautiful and sprightly variety, generally inhabiting rapid and sandy streams. Narrow as the lake is, the fish appear to confine themselves to their respective limits ; the red trout being never found upon the bog moiety of the lake, nor the Hack where the under surface is hard gravel. f Traces.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 128

21. The Historic Coleraine Salmon Fishery Rents

    near Coleraine · town · Derry · 1754

    A footnote citing Pennant recalls that the Coleraine fishery was rented for £620 a year in the 1750s, with the tenant's predecessor having paid far more despite losses from poachers during the fence month.

    Read the passage

    * " When I made the tour of that hospitable kingdom in 1754, it (the Coleraine fishery) was rented by a neighbouring gentleman for .£620 a year, who assured me that the tenant, his predecessor, gave for it £1600 per annum — andthat he was a greater gainer hy the bargain, on account of the number of poachers, who destroy the fish during the fence month." — Pennant.

    5C POACHING.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 33

22. The Pigeon Hole Cave at Cong

    Cong · town · Mayo

    A footnote describes a subterranean cave near Cong called the Pigeon Hole, reached by sixty-three steps, where a clear stream holds trout that are never known to take a bait but are caught with landing-nets.

    Read the passage

    * " At Cong, about five miles from Ballinrobe, is a subterranean cave, to which there is a descent of sixty-three steps, called the Pigeon Hole ; at the bottom runs a clear stream, in which the trout are seen sporting in the water ; these fish are never known to take a bait, but are caught with landing-nets." — Daniel.

    f " In the lake of Castlehar, near that town, is the charr and the gillaroo trout, and it is remarked that there are no pike in this and some of the adjacent lakes." — Daniel.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 40

23. The Plains as a premier Mayo hunting ground

    near The Plains · street · Sligo

    The eastern plains of Mayo, with large pasture parks and stiff fences, are described as having been for centuries a favourite fixture of neighbouring fox-hunters, offering superior galloping ground for the mounted hunt.

    Read the passage

    To look, my dear George, at the map of Mayo, one would imagine that Nature had designed that county for a sportsman. The westerly part is wild and mountainous ; alpine ridges of highlands interpose between the ocean and the interior, and from the bases of these hills a boundless tract of heath and moorland extends in every direction. To the east, the face of the country undergoes a striking change — large and extensive plains cover the surface, and as the lands are generally occupied in pasturage, and consequently not subdivided into the numerous enclosures which are requisite in tillage farming, this part of Mayo is justly in high estimation as a hunting country, and for centuries has been a favourite fixture of the neighbouring fox-hunters. The Plains, as this sporting district is usually denominated, afford constant opportunities for the horse to show his powers, and the rider his nerve. The parks are of immense size ; the fences stiff and safe ; the surface agreeably undulated, and from the firmness of the sward, affording superior galloping ground. One may occasionally ride over miles without being necessitated to take a leap; but when one does meet fences, they are generally raspers ; and if the scent lies, and the dogs can go, nothing but a tip-top horse, and a man " who takes everything as God sends it," will hold a forward place upon the plains.

    The covers in the vicinity of the plains are numerous and well supplied with foxes. Of these animals there is no scarcity anywhere in Mayo ; but in the mountain districts there is, unfortunately, a superabundance. The herdsman and grouse-shooter complain sadly of their devastations ; and notwithstanding numbers are annually dug out for ' hunting, or destroyed by the peasantry, there seems to be an anti-Malthusian property in the animal, which enables its mischievous stock, maugre traps and persecution, to increase and multiply.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 30

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere about The Plains, you are passing through country that was long prized by fox-hunters. The eastern part of Mayo opens out into large pasture parks, the land not cut up into small tillage enclosures, and for centuries this made it a favourite fixture for the mounted hunt. The fences here were stiff and safe, the sward firm, and the ground agreeably undulated, giving what the old writer called superior galloping ground. When the scent lay and the dogs could run, nothing but a top horse and a rider, in the words of the source, "who takes everything as God sends it" would hold a forward place upon the plains. The covers nearby were numerous and well supplied with foxes, while in the mountain districts to the west there was, unfortunately for the herdsman and grouse-shooter, a superabundance of them.

24. A Seal Recovered Weeks After Being Shot

    Doohooma · townland · Mayo

    The narrator's kinsman recounts shooting a seal at the mouth of the river, only to have it recovered a fortnight later near Dhuhill, identified by the rifle ball lodged in its lungs.

    Read the passage

    " Seals are very numerous on the coast, and at this season a number may be seen any warm day you make an excursion up the sound of Achil. We shoot them occasionally — the skin makes a waterproof covering, and the fat affords an excellent oil for many domestic purposes. It is difficult however, to secure the animal, for numbers are shot and few gotten. The head is the only place to strike them, for even when mortally wounded in the body, they generally manage to escape. This fact we have ascertained, from finding them dead on shore many days after they were wounded, and at a considerable distance from the place where they had received the bullet. I shot one last autumn at the mouth of the river, and a fortnight afterwards he was taken up in the neighbourhood of Dhuhill. There could be no doubt as to the identity of the creature, for on opening him to extract the oil, a rifle -ball, such as I use, of the unusually small size of fifty -four to the pound, was found lodged in his lungs. Unless when killed outright, they sink instantly ; and I have seen the sea dyed with blood, to an extent that proved how severely the seal had been wounded, but have never been able to trace him further.

    " Formerly, when seal oil and skins were valuable, some persons on the coast made the pursuit of the animal a profession. There is one of these persons living near the Sound, a miserable dwarfish red-bearded wretch, whom you would consider hardly equal to grapple with a salmon, and yet he secures more seals than any hunter in the district. His method of effecting it is singular : he uses neither gun nor spear, but kills the animal with a short bludgeon loaded at the end with lead.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 35

25. Osprey feeding at Innis Biggie

    Inishbiggle · townland · Mayo

    While skirting the shore of Innis Biggie by boat, the party disturbed an osprey (sea-eagle) in the act of feeding on a bird, which flew to a rock and waited for them to pass before returning to its prey.

    Read the passage

    which, rising in an alarm at our unexpected appearance, made the rocks ring with their loud and piercing whistle. Skirting the shore of Innis Biggie, we disturbed an osprey or sea-eagle,* in the act of feeding on a bird. He rose leisurely, and, lighting on a rock, waited till we passed, and then returned to his

    prey. We ran sufficiently close to the shore to observe the

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 19

26. Pike Destroy the Trout of Derreens Lake

    Derreens · townland · Mayo

    A small bog-lake near Castlebar called Derreens, once celebrated for its abundant trout, saw its trout population wiped out after pike accidentally entered from the Minola river.

    Read the passage

    The smaller lakes, which are so profusely scattered over the surface of this country, vary in the species of fish which they respectively produce, as much as they do in their own natural size and character. Some of them afford trout, others pike only, and many are stocked with both. That this union cannot long subsist, I should be inclined to infer from one remarkable circumstance, and it is a convincing proof of the rapid destruction which the introduction of pike into a trout lake will occasion. Within a short distance of Castlebar, there is a small bog-lake, called Derreens; and ten years ago it was celebrated for its numerous and well- sized trout. Accidentally pike effected a passage into the Lough from the Minola river, and now the trout are extinct, or, at least, none of them are caught or seen. Previous to the intrusion of the pike, half-adozen trout would be killed in an evening in Derreens, whose collective weight often amounted to twenty pounds.

    Indeed, few of the Mayo waters are secure from the encroachments of the pike. The lakes of Castlebar, I believe, still retain their ancient character;! but I understand that pike have been latterly taken in the Turlogh river, and of course they will soon appear in a lake which directly communicates with this stream. J

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 40

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here is a small bog-lake called Derreens, not far from Castlebar. Ten years ago it was celebrated for its numerous and well-sized trout. You could kill half a dozen in an evening, with a collective weight often amounting to twenty pounds. Then pike accidentally found a passage into the lough from the Minola river, and now the trout are extinct, or at least none are caught or seen. The author calls it a convincing proof of the rapid destruction that introducing pike into a trout lake will cause. Few of the Mayo waters are secure from the encroachments of the pike. The lakes of Castlebar still retain their ancient character, but pike have been latterly taken in the Turlogh river, and they will soon appear in any lake that communicates with that stream.

27. Spillet-Fishing and Sea Sport in Ballycroy Bay

    near Ballycroy · population centre · Mayo

    The narrator's party sailed out to lay spillets in the bay near Ballycroy, engaging in coal-fishing and shooting sea-gulls while waiting for the lines to be lifted. The passage records the local hospitality and 'feudal power' still associated with the area.

    Read the passage

    Mr. Burke has made the amende honorable ; my cousin looks two inches taller, and hints slily that feudal power in Ballycroy is riot yet extinct ; and well he may, for the Colonel's chattels are uninjured — no rude hand has undone a buckle — not a shirt is wanting, or even the fold of a neckcloth disarranged. There is a mysterious whispering between the ambassador and Pattigo ; the commander rejoices over his wardrobe; my kinsman looks "every inch a king;" and I

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 79

    As the companion tells it

    As you pass through Ballycroy, this was a place where a Mr. Burke once made amends, and the local talk turned to feudal power not being extinct. The Colonel's belongings were left untouched, not a buckle undone nor a shirt missing. The narrator's kinsman, it was said, looked "every inch a king."

28. Fine fish stocks of Lough Con, Lough Mask and Lough Corrib

    Lough Corrib · lake or lakes · Galway

    The narrator notes that these noble and expansive lakes are known for producing the largest and finest specimens of fish, including curious varieties of fish found in the mountain loughs.

    Read the passage

    While the country is peculiarly adapted for field-sports, the extensive lakes and numerous rivers offer every inducement to the angler : the streams are plentifully stocked with trout, and the rivers which communicate with the sea have a good supply of salmon. Curious varieties* of the finny tribe are to be found in the mountain loughs ; and in those noble and expansive sheets of water, Lough Con, Lough Mask, and Lough Corrib, the largest and finest specimens of fish are easily obtained.

    We have just had a domiciliary visit from the revenue police. Under cover of the night, they made a descent upon our valleys from their station, some fifteen miles off. Excepting causing dire alarm — a general abduction of stills, worms, and all the apparatus of the craft, and the concealment of malt, and the burying of kegs — the consequences of the foray have not been important. One fatal casualty occurred : a distillery had finished its brewing, (i.e. distilled the quantity brewed,) and principals and accessories were indulging a little after their exertions. Unluckily, the revenue stumbled upon the convivial meeting ; and although the stuff was gone, the still, apparatus, and unextinguished fire, were proofs positive that the king — God bless him ! had been wofully defrauded. Such of the party as could strike a walk escaped without difficulty ; but two unhappy gentlemen who were blind drunk, and fast asleep in all security before the smouldering embers of the still-fire, were captured and conveyed to my loving cousin, to undergo the pains and penalties of their crime. He, as a matter of course, committed them to gaol ; and the next going judge, as another matter of course, will discharge them. Meanwhile they are taken from their families, and supported at the expense of the county ; their utility is lost when it is most requisite, and they are, during the term of incarceration, a useless burden upon the community. I cannot see the moral and legal expediency of all this ; but the men who framed the revenue laws were probably more clear-sighted than I am.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 30

29. Prolific Samlet Fishing on the Ballycroy River

    near Ballycroy · population centre · Mayo

    Great numbers of salmon and samlet are found in the upper streams of the Ballycroy river, where the narrator and Sir Charles Cuyler once caught over two hundred small hybrid fish on a blank shooting day.

    Read the passage

    Great numbers of salmon are found in the upper streams of the Ballycroy river. They will rise voraciously at a fly, provided it be gay and small enough. I remember my friend Sir Charles Cuyler and I amused ourselves on a blank shooting-day, when there was neither a sufficiency of ivind nor water to warrant salmon -fishing, in angling for this hybridous liminutive. We nearly filled our basket ; we reckoned them, and they imounted to above two hundred.

    * Pennant says : — " In all these lakes the gillaroo is found. It varies in

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 39

    As the companion tells it

    Up around Ballycroy here, the river was famous for salmon in its upper streams, where the fish would rise voraciously at a fly, provided it be gay and small enough. On one blank shooting day, when there was neither wind nor water enough for proper salmon fishing, the narrator and his friend Sir Charles Cuyler turned to angling for what he calls the hybridous diminutive. They nearly filled their basket and reckoned the catch at above two hundred.

30. Captive Red Deer at Clogher Park Fail to Breed

    near Clogher · town · Tyrone

    A stag and hind kept confined in the park at Clogher remained healthy and vigorous but, like other captive red deer, never successfully continued their species in captivity.

    Read the passage

    When once, however, the period of infancy is passed, the wild deer is hardy, vigorous, and easily provided for. At different times, many have been located in the neighbouring parks, and lived there to a great age. In the domain of a nobleman in Roscommon, there are several brace — and in the park of Clogher, a stag and hind are confined at present ; they are all vigorous and healthy, but have never continued their species.

    Many curious anecdotes are recorded of the red deer. Some years since, a hind was domesticated by a neighbouring baronet; it was a fine and playful animal, and gave many proofs of extraordinary sagacity. Like many fairer favourites, she was a very troublesome one, and from her cunning and activity, a sad torment to the gardener. No fences would exclude her from the shrubberies, and if the garden gates were for a moment insecure, the hind was sure to discover the neglect, and avail herself of the opportunity to taste the choicest vegetables. This beautiful but mischievous pet met with some accidental injury, and died, to the great regret of her proprietor.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 53

31. Sister Rivers with Opposite Salmon Seasons

    Goolamore · townland · Mayo

    The narrator describes how the rivers Goolamore and Aughniss, though meeting in the same estuary, produce salmon of completely different condition and season. Goolamore, fed by a lake, yields white (fresh) salmon year-round, while Aughniss fish are red and spent from October to April.

    Read the passage

    We have determined to fish the sister stream ; the waters of Goolamore unite in the same estuary with those of our own river, and yet the fish vary with regard to season as much as if they inhabited waters a thousand miles apart. In Goola-

    * Poteen is commonly buried in the earth in small-sized vessels. This is done for the double purpose of improving the whisky and concealing it from the revenue. If detected in a dwelling-house, the owner incurs a penalty of one hundred pounds ; notwithstanding which, there are few gentlemen in this part of Connaught who are not plentifully supplied witli this proscribed spirit.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 31

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here, two sister rivers meet in the same estuary, yet their salmon vary in season as if they inhabited waters a thousand miles apart. Goolamore, fed by a lake, yields white fresh salmon year-round, while the Aughniss fish run red and spent from October to April.

32. The Holy Trout of Kilgeever

    Kilgeever · townland · Mayo

    A sacred well at Kilgeever was said to be inhabited by a trout of surpassing sanctity, a belief so firmly held that old Antony would sooner doubt the Trinity than question it.

    Read the passage

    * A sacred well in the west, tenanted by a trout of surpassing sanctity.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 173

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here in Kilgeever there was a sacred well, tenanted by a trout of surpassing sanctity. Old Antony believed in that trout so firmly he would sooner doubt the Trinity than question it.

33. Erris sporting lodge and thatched roof custom

    Erris · barony · Mayo

    The narrator describes his cousin's remote lodge in Erris, a snug dwelling with a bent (thatch) roof, noting this style of thatch was customary in parts of Erris, and describing turf and bog-deal fires used there.

    Read the passage

    edges of puttified timber, shippes, oars, anchor-holders, and such like, which in processe, taking lively heate of the sunne, become water-fowles, and, at their time of ripenesse, either fall jnto the sea, or fly abroad into the ayre." — Campion's Historic. * " i\p, * The customary thatch in parts of Erris.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 19

34. Red Deer Kept in a Nobleman's Roscommon Park

    Roscommon · town · Roscommon

    Several brace of red deer were maintained in the domain of a nobleman in Roscommon, part of a broader account of red deer surviving in captivity around Ireland.

    Read the passage

    When once, however, the period of infancy is passed, the wild deer is hardy, vigorous, and easily provided for. At different times, many have been located in the neighbouring parks, and lived there to a great age. In the domain of a nobleman in Roscommon, there are several brace — and in the park of Clogher, a stag and hind are confined at present ; they are all vigorous and healthy, but have never continued their species.

    Many curious anecdotes are recorded of the red deer. Some years since, a hind was domesticated by a neighbouring baronet; it was a fine and playful animal, and gave many proofs of extraordinary sagacity. Like many fairer favourites, she was a very troublesome one, and from her cunning and activity, a sad torment to the gardener. No fences would exclude her from the shrubberies, and if the garden gates were for a moment insecure, the hind was sure to discover the neglect, and avail herself of the opportunity to taste the choicest vegetables. This beautiful but mischievous pet met with some accidental injury, and died, to the great regret of her proprietor.

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 53

35. Keim mountain sheep prized for flavour

    near Keel · population centre · Mayo

    Keim, a mountain district of Achill, was renowned among visitors and locals for producing exceptionally fat and flavourful sheep. The party's purveyor purchased one such sheep to supply their dinner while staying at the coast-guard watch-house.

    Read the passage

    * Keim is a mountain district of Achil, celebrated for the flavour and fatness of its sheep.

    H S

    Internet Archive wildsportsofwest00maxwrich, Chapter 61

    As the companion tells it

    Near Keel now. The mountain district of Keim on Achill was known among visitors and locals for sheep that were exceptionally fat and full of flavour. A purveyor would buy one to supply dinner, sometimes for a party staying at the coast-guard watch-house.