| We went through Fermoy, and turned off the
Dublin road, near Lord Mountcashel’s place.
A pleasant drive of about five hours brought us
to Mitchelstown Castle. It is a noble pile of
building, surrounded by fine woods, and commanding extensive views over a broad and fertile
plain of the splendid range of the Galtee mountains. We arrived in time to walk in the gardens before dinner, and enjoyed the sight and
perfume of the flowers in the magnificent conservatory. This castle, large as it is, was built
by Lord Kingston in five years. The old house was pulled down, and this one not only finished,
but furnished and inhabited in that short space
[p. 3] of time. A large and pleasant party was staying in the castle, and the evening was enlivened
by the exertions of the family piper; he was an
excellent musician, and played Irish airs with a
degree of taste and execution which I hardly
imagined the instrument would allow him to
display. An expedition to the mountain-lodge,
and to the curious caves about six miles off, was
arranged for the morrow. <br>[p. 3-17: account of Mountain Lodge and visit to Mitchelstown caves]<br>The next morning we had a delightful ramble
over the gardens and grounds of Mitchelstown
in search of the best point of view from which
to sketch the castle. We made several draw- [p. 18] ings of that fine building, one of which will
be found at the commencement of this volume.
It is taken from a part of the grounds which is
not often visited, on the north side of the
castle. [Vol. 2, p. 2-3, 17-18] |
