A German traveller's perception of Pre-famine Ireland, with explanatory
notes and index added to the original text. This is a snapshot of an
Ireland that was about to vanish. Two years after the publication of
this book, the Great Irish Famine ravaged the land, hastening the end of
Gaelic Ireland and the Irish language. Kohl's journey took him through
the four provinces and the cities of Dublin, Limerick, Waterford and
Belfast. He encountered such men as Daniel O'Connell and the great
temperance campaigner, Father Mathew. He talked to beggars in their
huts, gentry in their countryseats and men of religion. He visited
monastic relics, archaeological sites, linen factories steeple-chasing,
and a range of diverse places, always reminding the readers of the
poverty of the ordinary people, social injustices and the wretched
conditions in the country. His commentaries are enlivened with
information about the historic context and folklore associated with the
locations he visited.