As a holding, however, it
was reasonable; and we may safely assert that if Toal M'Mahon had been
either industrious or careful he might have lived and died a wealthy
man upon it. As Ahadarra lay in the mountain district, it necessarily
covered a large space; in fact it constituted a townland in itself. The
greater portion of it, no doubt, was barren mountain, but then there
were about three hundred acres of strong rough land that was either
reclaimed or capable of being so. Bryan, who had not only energy and
activity, but capital to support both, felt, on becoming master of a
separate farm, that peculiar degree of pride which was only natural to
a young and enterprising man. He had now a fair opportunity, he thought,
of letting his friends see what skill and persevering exertion could
do. Accordingly he commenced his improvements in a spirit which at
least deserved success. He proceeded upon the best system then known to
intelligent agriculturalists, and nothing was left undone that he deemed
necessary to work out his purposes. He drained, reclaimed, made fences,
roads, and enclosures. Nor did he stop here. We said that the house and
offices were in a ruinous state when they came into his possession, and
the consequence was that he found it necessary to build a new dwelling
house and suitable offices, which he did on a more commodious and
eligible site.
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