Ride in a Turf Kish

The doctor's car arrived, and proved to be a dray, with a peat-kish upon it. To me it was a curiosity. I had seen the countrywomen returning from selling peat, cowering in one of these vehicles, but never expected to be so elevated myself; but elevated I was, sitting upon the bottom, my back to the horse, and my companion in like condition by my side.

And now began my cabin life. I had read with the deepest interest, in the writings of Charlotte Elizabeth, that the peasantry of the county of Kilkenny were unrivalled in kindness; but burning words from graphic pens would faintly delineate what I there experienced from that interesting people.

Ireland’s Welome to the Stranger is one of the best accounts of Irish social conditions, customs, quirks and habits that you could wish for. The author, Mrs Asenath Nicholson, was an American widow who travelled extensively in Ireland on the eve of the Great Famine and meticulously observed the Irish peasantry at work and play, as well as noting their living conditions and diet. The book is also available from Kindle.