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QUE
Ruish-hall. The castles of Clara, Ballinakill, Coola-
mona, Tinnehinch, and Castlebrack, are in the same
district: the last-named contains some subterraneous
apartments, which were opened and partially explored,
but presenting nothing more than other small caves,
and the air being very foul, no attempt was made to
penetrate to the extremity of any of them. The ruins
of an old castle at Ballyadams, which gives name to the
barony, are still visible; another is to be seen at Grange.
Shrule castle was in the south-western extremity of the
county, near the town of Carlow. The entrance into
the ruins of Cloghgrennan castle separated the county of
Carlow from the Queen’s county. The remains of
Rathaspeck castle were applied to the building of the
neighbouring parish church. A conical heap of stones
on the summit of a very lofty hill, near the boundary
of Stradbally barony, is known by the name of Cobler’s
castle. The modern mansions of the nobility and
gentry are noticed under the heads of their respective
parishes.
The middle classes of the gentry pay much attention
to the improvement and embellishment of their grounds;
their dwelling-houses are handsome and convenient,
with suitable offices. The habitations of the peasantry,
though in many parts superior to those of the neigh-
bouring counties, are very deficient in appearance or in
internal comfort. Abbeyleix and Castletown are excep-
tions, much attention being paid to the houses there; in
the baronies of Maryborough and Upper Ossory they are
comfortable, but in the northern barony of Tinnehinch
they are very poor, being little better than hovels, and in
the neighbourhood of the collieries still worse. A plot
of ground of from half an acre to an acre is generally
attached to the peasant’s hut, as a potato garden, for
which he pays in labour from 20s. to 50s. rent. The fuel
throughout the entire county is turf, the coal being
exclusively used for manufacturing purposes; wood was
formerly so abundant, that a clause was introduced into
many old leases binding the tenant to use no other
kind of fuel; and at the present time the ancient cus-
tom of dues and services is inserted in many leases. A
strong attachment to old customs is pointed out as one
of the striking characteristics of the peasantry: but
that this adherence is not caused by prejudice alone is
proved by their adoption of improved practices of agri-
culture, when the success of others had ultimately con-
vinced them of their superior advantages. Another
fact, illustrative of this observation, is, that the pea-
santry in all parts, even in the mountainous districts,
speak English fluently, the Irish being never heard ex-
cept with some of the very old people. The custom of
frequenting wells for devotional purposes is declining fast.
Of the chalybeate springs the most remarkable are those
at Cappard, Killeshin, Mountmellick, and Portarlington:
the first-named is the strongest, but none of them are
in much repute for their sanative qualities beyond their
own immediate neighbourhood. There is a very singular
artificial curiosity, called the Cut of Killeshin, about
three miles from Carlow, on the road to the collieries.
It is a pass through a lofty hill above half a mile long, and
from 10 to 40 feet deep according to the rise of the
ground, but not more than four feet four inches wide, cut
through the solid rock, so that cars have barely room to
pass along it. The constant flow of water and the
friction of the carriage wheels have occasioned this ex-
478
QUI
traordinary excavation. The carrier, as he approached
the gap at either end, shouted loudly, and the sound was
easily conveyed to the other extremity through the
cavity. Should the cars have met within the cut, the
driver of the empty car was bound to back out, a task of
no small difficulty along this narrow and ill-constructed
road. A new road has been opened, which has obviated
the necessity of making use of this pass. Contiguous
to this cut are the ruins of Killeshin church, with an
antique and highly ornamented entrance archway, sur-
rounded by an inscription in Saxon characters, now
illegible, Adjoining the church was a rath with a deep
fosse. This place was remarkable for having once been
the chief town in the county, though not a stone build-
ing of it is now standing except the ruins just men-
tioned.
QUIN, a parish, in the barony of BUNRATTY,
county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 5½ miles
(S. E.) from Ennis, on the old road to Limerick; contain-
ing 2918 inhabitants, of which number, 173 are in the
village. It was anciently called Quint or Quinchy, where,
about 1250, an abbey was founded, which was consumed
by fire in 1278. About the commencement of the 15th
century, according to the Annals of the Four Masters,
a monastery for Franciscan friars of the Strict Obser-
vance was founded here by Sioda Cam Macnamara,
which is said to have been the first house of the Francis-
can order in Ireland that admitted this reformation. The
buildings, of which the remains still exist, were erected
chiefly of a kind of black marble by Macon Dall Macna-
mara, lord of Glancoilean, whose tomb still remains.
The monastery with all its possessions was granted, in
1583, to Sir Turlogh O’Brien, of Ennistymon, and in
1604 the buildings were repaired. In the vicinity, Teigue
O’Brien, son of Sir Turlogh, who had revolted from the
English government, was defeated in 1601 by, Capt.
Flower and mortally wounded. The village, which in
1831 contained 34 houses, is a station of the constabu-
lary police and has a penny post to Newmarket-on-
Fergus. Fairs are held on July 7th, and Nov. 1st;
and petty sessions on alternate Wednesdays. The
parish comprises 7290 statute acres, as applotted
under the tithe act, of which 5190 only are rated for
the county cess; the land is chiefly in tillage, but
there is a considerable portion of rocky land, afford-
ing a scanty though rich pasturage, and about 320
acres of bog: although there is an abundance of
limestone adapted both for building and agricultural
purposes, and a good supply of sea manure brought
up the river Fergus, the state of agriculture is rather
backward. The Quin river, which flows into the
Fergus, abounds with fine eels. At Ballyhickey is a pro-
ductive lead mine, the property of Hugh Singleton,
Esq., worked by a mining company; the ore, which
is of superior quality, is conveyed to Clare, where it
is shipped for Wales. The seats are Moriesk, the
finely wooded demesne of Lord Fitzgerald and Vesci;
Well Park, of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Mac Malum, R. C. bishop
of Killaloe; Quinville Abbey, the handsome mansion
of John Singleton, Esq., recently rebuilt in the Elizabe-
than style; Knopouge Castle, the residence of Wm. Scott,
Esq., which formerly belonged to the Macnamaras of
Moriesk, and is one of the few ancient castles still in-
habited; Castle Fergus, the modern residence of Wm.
Smith, Esq., adjoining which are the remains of the