He thought the people were not very poor. The crops were good, the
wages not bad, and he thought the people were very contented. Belturbet
is another quiet little town, larger than Clones I should say. Like
Clones it has no newspaper, no specific industry, but depends on the
farmers round.
Procured a car and drove out to the village of Drumalee. The land is
middling good as far as the eye can judge. This neighborhood abounds
with small lakes. Here for the first time I saw lads going to fish with
the primitive fishing rods peculiar to country boys. The country round
here is full of people and there is no appearance of extreme poverty.
The houses are rather respectable looking, comparatively speaking.
There is a fine Catholic chapel in Drumalee built of stone in place of
the mud wall of seventy odd years ago. Saw no old people about and found
that almost the recollection of Father Peter Smith, the blessed priest
who wrought miracles, had faded away from the place, also that of his
friend the loyal Orangeman who always got Orange as a prefix to his
name.
The police in these midland counties are not so alert and vigilant, like
people in an enemy's country, as they are in the west.
