Volume 1

The beauties of Ireland. Being original delineations, topographical, historical, and biographical, of each county / By J.N. Brewer. Illustrated with engravings, by J. & H.S. Storer, after original drawings, chiefly by Mr. Petrie.

  • Brewer, J. N. (James Norris)
Date:
1825-1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The beauties of Ireland. Being original delineations, topographical, historical, and biographical, of each county / By J.N. Brewer. Illustrated with engravings, by J. & H.S. Storer, after original drawings, chiefly by Mr. Petrie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    672/718 (page 454)
    - whole of which, for several centuries, belonged to the Grace family. The district named after that family consisted of a vast: tract of land, comprehending, it is said, the barony of Cranagh, and extending northwards by the liberties of Kilkenny, and the river Nore, to the borders of the Queen’s county; and thence, southwards along the borders of Tipperary and the Munster river, to the liberties of Callan: forming a district between eleven arid twelve miles in length, and between five and six in breadth.* The central situation of Tullaroan in this district, caused it to _be selected as the principal residence of the territorial lords, se- veral of whom were styled barons of Tullaroan, as well as barons Grace, and barons of Courtstown. The extent of this parish from east to west is about six miles, and from north to south about five miles. It is divided into two parts, called first Tullaroan, and second Tullaroan ; the whole containing twenty-nine townlands.+ This part of the country abounds in hills, which approach to the * Statistical account of Tullaroan, in Mr. Shaw Mason’s Parochial Survey, vol. iii, p.518, to which work we are indebted for much infor- mation respecting ‘‘ Grace’s country.” t+ The following observations, by the author of the “ Statistical Ac- count,” are entitled to particular attention. ‘‘ Upon looking over the denominations of townlands in this parish, we are at once struck with the prevalence of the Celtic language, and the significancy of the terms de- scriptive either of the feudal consequence of the proprietor, or of the cha- racter of the place. In fact, the seat of an antient baron represented all the features of a royal court, though, in course, upona lesser scale, Thus, in the instance before us, there is a townland of the physician, of the huntsman, of the tailor, and, in short, of every necessary dependant. The hawker had his portion ( Ballysealgaive ) allotted’ in another part of the cantred; but the swine-herd, a somewhat more useful though less magnifi- cent adjunct, was nearer the castle. Of the lord upon whom was this de- pendency, the name of Grace, differently modified, _reminds us, and ad- mirably points out the close and reciprocally advantageous relationship of the superior and his vassals. Most of the other names were descriptive of the topography, as the field of stumps; the great rocky waterfall; the red bog; the hamlet of the little glen, &c.; and these characteristics still » justify the application, excepting where the industry of man, like death, has levelled all distinctions.’’ Statistical Account of Tullaroan, &c. p. 652.