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DAL
castle. Petty sessions are held every alternate week;
and there is a house of correction in the town. On a
mount in it is a castle, which is attributed to the Danes.
—See LAYDE.
CUSHENDUN, a small sea-port, partly in the
parish of CULFEIGHTRIN, in the barony of CAREY, and
partly in that of LAYDE, barony of LOWER GLENARM,
county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles
(N. N. E.) from Cushendall; the population is returned
with the respective parishes. This place is situated on
a small bay of that name, at the mouth of the river Dun
or Glendun, and has recently been much frequented as
a watering-place during the summer season. It appears
to have derived its name from its situation near the
mouth of the Dun, and carries on some trade in cattle
and pigs with the opposite coast of Cantire, in Scotland.
Here are extensive quarries of freestone. The harbour,
which has been formed by the construction of a pier,
partly at the expense of Government, affords good
shelter to a number of small vessels, which remain here
all the winter; it has good anchorage in winds blowing
from the shore, and vessels of 50 tons’ burden can cross
the bar. There are a few small vessels from 14 to 20
tons’ burden belonging to the port, and several boats
are employed in the herring fishery in the bay. Here
is a coast-guard station, forming one of the eight which
constitute the district of Ballycastle. On the coast are
some spacious caverns of singular construction.
CUSHINGTOWN.—See CARNAGH.
D
DALKEY, a parish, in the barony of UPPERCROSS,
county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 6¾ miles
(S. E.) from Dublin; containing 1402 inhabitants, of
which number, 544 are in the village. This place, which
is situated at the eastern extremity of the bay of Dublin,
was formerly a town of considerable importance, and
appears to have had a charter of incorporation at an
early period, as, from an enrolment in the 33rd of
Edw. III., dated Feb. 8th, 1358, “the provost and
bailiffs in the town of Dalkey, the sheriff of Dublin, and
the bailiff of Senkyl, were commanded to allow the
master of a Spanish ship arrested by them to depart.”
In 1414, Sir JohnTalbot, Lord Furneval, afterwards the
celebrated Earl of Shrewsbury, landed here to take upon
him the viceregal government; and, in 1558, the Earl
of Sussex embarked his forces at this port to oppose the
Scottish invaders at the isle of Rathlin, on the coast of
Antrim. Fairs and markets were established in 1480,
for the encouragement of foreigners, who resorted hither
to trade with the inhabitants; and seven strong castles
were erected for their protection and the security of
their merchandise. The harbour was extremely favour-
able to the commerce of the town; vessels could lie in
safety under shelter of the neighbouring island, by which
they were protected from the north-east winds, and from
the depth of water they could sail at any hour. The
tolls of the fairs and markets were appropriated to the
paving and improvement of the town, which, till the latter
part of the 17th century, continued to be a place of
great commereial resort, especially for the merchants of
447
DAL
Dublin; but since that period its harbour has been
abandoned for others of greater convenience, and the
town has dwindled into an insignificant village. It is
situated at the base of a high hill, commanding exten-
sive views over the bay of Dublin, and in a neighbour-
hood abounding with picturesque and diversified scenery.
Four of its ancient castles have been entirely destroyed,
and the remains of three others, which have been long
dismantled, convey striking indications of their former
importance; one has been converted into a private
dwelling-house, another is used as a store, and the third
as a carpenter’s shop. A twopenny post has been esta-
blished, and there is a constabulary police station in the
village. Here is also a station of the coast-guard, the
limits of which extend from Dalkey Head to Irishtown,
within which are batteries at Dalkey island, Sandy Cove,
and Kingstown, and nine martello towers.
The parish comprises 444 statute acres, as applotted
under the tithe act, and valued at £703. 6, 6½. per ann.
A great portion of the land is open common, an exten-
sive tract of which, adjoining the village, has, during
the continuance of the public works at Kingstown har-
bour, been allowed to remain in the occupation of many
who put themselves in possession of it, and have sold
their assumed portions of it to others. At the farthest
extremity of the common, on the coast opposite Dalkey
island, are lead mines, which were formerly worked to
some extent, but are now discontinued. On the common
are the government quarries, which are worked by
Messrs. Henry, Mullins and M c Mahon, under a contract
for the completion of Kingstown Harbour. The largest
blocks of granite blasted by gunpowder are lowered to
the long level of the railway by three inclined planes.
Dalkey common is celebrated in the old ballad of the
“Kilruddery Hunt,” written in 1774, by Mr. Fleming,
and of which a copy was presented by the Earl of Meath
to Geo, IV., on his visit to Dublin in 1821. The marine
views are exceedingly beautiful, and the general scenery
of the neighbourhood, which is richly diversified, is en-
livened by numerous pleasing villas; the principal are
Sorrento, the seat of the Rev. R. Mac Donnell, F.T.C.D.,
commanding a beautiful view of the sea, with Wicklow
and Bray Head, the Sugar Loaves, Djouce, Shankill,
part of the Dublin mountains, and the beautiful bay
of Killiney; Braganza Lodge, of — Armstrong, Esq.;
Barn Hill, of Mrs. Johnston; Shamrock Lodge, of T.
O’Reilly, Esq.; Charleville, of C. Brabazon, Esq.; and
Coolamore, of Jeremiah Hanks, Esq., from which is an
extensive view of the bay of Dublin. There are also
numerous pleasant cottages, commanding fine views of
the sea, which are let during the summer to respectable
families. It is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of
Dublin, and is part of the union of Monkstown; the
rectory forms part of the corps of the deanery of Christ-
church, Dublin. The tithes amount to £21.9.8., of
which two-thirds are payable to the dean, and the re-
mainder to the curate. The church is in ruins: it was
situated in the village, and appears.to have been origi-
nally a very spacious structure. In the R. C. divisions
the parish forms part of the union or district of Kings-
town. A national school is maintained by subscription,
for which a good school-house was erected by subscrip-
tion, in 1824; and there is also a school on the common,
supported by small payments from the children aided
by subscription; in these are about 190 boys and 150