ABSTRACT
Samuel Reynolds Hole was an English-born author, horticulturist, avid rose-grower, noted horseman, and Anglican priest. Hole had been ordained in 1844 and, at the time of his tour of Ireland, he was serving as vicar of the parish of St. Andrew's Church in Caunton. He was particularly full of praise for the women of Ireland, especially the women of the Claddagh, describing them as 'a tableau not to be forgotten'. Although Leech had been born in London, his father was from Ireland. A Little Tour of Ireland is based on a two week visit to the country in the summer of 1858. Like many travelogue authors, Samuel Hole was charmed by the beauty of the countryside. Hole and Leech sailed from Holyhead to Kingstown and, following a brief tour of Dublin, they travelled on the Midland Great Western Railway to Galway, a distance of approximately 130 miles. Their tour also included Connemara, Clifden, Kylemore, Limerick, Killarney, Glengarriff, Cork and Blarney.
