Excellent Quality of the Grass. 341 



mean. Cahirmorris is a wretched pot-house. 

 The ruins of a fortified post, and of an abbey, 

 bespeak it to have been a place of more conse- 

 quence in former times, 



We had very fine views from various parts of 

 the road. The appearance of the broken lime- 

 stone had in some instances a very singular 

 effect. At first sight the country seemed to be 

 perfectly desolate; a small portion of grass only 

 was seen to spring from the fissures of the rock; 

 yet scanty as was the quantity, such was its 

 quality that the sheep seemed to thrive on the 

 pasture it afforded. 



Gregg Castle, the seat of Major Kirwan, is 

 at a short distance from Cahirmorris. This gen- 

 tleman, in having two thousand acres under his 

 own management, worth from two to three 

 pounds per acre, is reputed to be one of the 

 greatest graziers in the country ; he has fre- 

 quently had two hundred head of oxen and 

 four hundred sheep at Ballinasloe fair. I was 

 sorry to pass this gentleman's place, having 

 reason to believe we are both descended from 

 the same ancestry, though we differ in the pre- 

 sent orthography of our names. "* His acknow- 

 ledged hospitality left no room to doubt of a 

 kind reception. 



