My jarvey, who knew the whole country, said they must have broken cover somewhere on the upper road, and we should miss them entirely.

And so we did.
The silting up of the river Nore has reduced Thomastown or Ballymacanton, which was its Irish name, from its former importance as an emporium for the country about Kilkenny.

The river now is not navigable above Inistiogue.

But two martial square towers, one at either end of a fine bridge which spans the stream here, speak of the good old times when the masters of Thomastown took toll and tribute of traders and travellers.

The lands about the place then belonged to the great monastery of Jerpoint, the ruins of which are still the most interesting of their kind in this part of Ireland.