; and Mr.
Whetstone, a local architect of repute, built the Ennis Court-house some
fifty years ago. It is of white limestone from quarries belonging to
Mr. Stacpoole, and cost when built about L12,000. To build it now would
cost nearly three times as much. In fact, a recent and smaller
Court-house at Carlow has actually cost L36,000 within the last few
years.

I was struck by the extraordinary number of public-houses in Ennis. A
sergeant of police said to me, "It is so all over the country." Mr.
Roche sent for the statistics, from which it appears that Ennis, with a
population of 6307, rejoices in no fewer than 100 "publics"; Ennistymon,
with a population of 1331, has 25; and Milltown Malbay, with a
population of 1400, has 36. At Castle Island the proportion is still
more astounding--51 public-houses in a population of 800. In Kiltimagh
every second house is a public-house! These houses are perhaps a legacy
of the old days of political jobbery.[19] No matter when or why granted,
the licence appears to be regarded as a hereditary "right" not lightly
to be tampered with; and of course the publicans are persons of
consequence in their neighbourhood, no matter how wretched it may be,
or how trifling their legitimate business. Three police convictions are
required to make the resident magistrates refuse the usual yearly
renewal of a licence; and if an application is made against such a
renewal, cause must be shown. The "publics" are naturally centres of
local agitation, and the publicans are sharp enough to see the advantage
to them of this. The sergeant told me of a publican here in Ennis, into
whose public came three Nationalists, bent not upon drinking, but upon
talking. The publican said nothing for a while, but finally, in a
careless way, mentioned "a letter he had just received from Mr. Parnell
on a very private matter." Instantly the politicians were eager to see
it. The publican hesitated. The politicians immediately called for
drinks, which were served, and after this operation had been three times
repeated, the publican produced the letter, began with a line or two,
and then said, "Ah, no! it can't be done. It would be a betrayal of
confidence; and you know you wouldn't have that! But it's a very
important letter you have seen!" So they went away tipsy and happy.

Only yesterday no fewer than twenty-three of these publicans from
Milltown Malbay appeared at Ennis here to be tried for "boycotting" the
police. One o