One of the most well known early 19th century books which describes Ireland in detail is A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis. Lewis had previously published a topographical dictionary of England and Wales before completing his work on Ireland. Lewis commented on how his work in Ireland was made considerably harder than his work in England and Wales, noting that “the extreme paucity of such works, in relation to Ireland, imposed the necessity of greater assiduity in the personal survey, and proportionately increased the expense.”[1]
Lewis provides an account of all the civil parishes in Ireland. He notes the number of inhabitants, principal features and those who make up the local nobility. You can read the entries for the civil parishes of Shankill and Kilmacahill below.
Clicking on the page brings you to Google Books where you can increase the page size for easier reading.
[1] http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/preface.php Accessed 21 October 2010
