A New Day

Asenath Nicholson
1847
Chapter X (3) | Start of Chapter

I slept, awoke, and was greatly refreshed; and though I had taken but a few ounces of food since nine the previous day, I felt not the want of any. The weather had changed a little for the better, and at eleven o'clock I took my last shilling, paid my fare, and with blessing upon blessing on my head from the family and cabiners, I left the muddy, miserable looking town of Loughrea, escorted by no insignificant number to set me right.

"Rare are solitary woes; they love a train,

They tread each other's heels."

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.