1894-1895
Ireland
November 8th, 1894
Imperial Hotel, Londonderry
My Beloved Angee,
You see I have left Belfast at last and now really started travelling – was hoping to reach Ballymena tonight but found I was just as well off as regards time to remain here and go by 8.30 train in the morning and there was the attraction of a very comfortable Hotel which turned the scale and induced me to stay – have had further encouragement thro' mercy and should quite hope that my visit here may do P.F. some amount of good. On arrival here this afternoon found a "Hiron" fair in full swing – the streets packed from end to end especially with young people. What the character of the fair was I had not the remotest idea but soon learnt that it was a time when all the young men and women come to the town to be hired for 6 or 12 months by the farmers as the case may be – so the Hiron fair was a hiring fair. This is such a cosy little hotel and you would enjoy to see the bedroom which is a pattern of neatness – the landlord was a professional cook at a hotel and the wife is very much like our dear old friend Mrs Smith at the George at Rye of famous memory – is at the head and tail and middle of everything.
Tell the dear children I intend to write them on Sunday – now with much love my dearest Angee to yourself and the company believe me.
Being very affectionate Husband