Longevity of the Inhabitants. 271 



life, their children in chanty bring them to die 

 on the shore of Ireland, as if the island would 

 not permit them to die upon it. In modern 

 times the Countess of Desmond, who lived to 

 the age of about one hundred and forty years, is 

 said to have been able to go on foot, four or five 

 miles to the market town, and was accustomed 

 weekly so to do in her last years. Not many years 

 before she died, she had all her teeth renewed. 



The port is accessible to vessels of two hun- 

 dred tons burden ; and in the bay, there is a 

 considerable herring fishery. Within half a 

 mile of the town are the ruins of a Franciscan 

 monastery, founded in 1474., by Odokoe O'Don- 

 nell and Penelope his wife ; it is a favorite 

 burial place of the catholics. The site of the 

 building is very beautiful. The quarries in 

 this neighbourhood yield the best millstones of 

 any procured in Ireland, and a considerable 

 number of them are annually exported. We 

 understood there were a great number of pro- 

 testants in this neighbourhood, whence to 

 Bally Shannon being ten miles I must bid you 

 farewell. 



J. C. C. 



