Dean Swift ‘A Patriot is One Who enables 2 Blades of Grass Grow where 1 Grew Before’. Sir Richard Griffith Road Engineer, Fits the Bill. 1824 Progress Report, Skibbereen/Bantry, Skibbereen/Crookhaven, Castletownbere/Glengariff, Kenmare/Bantry.

https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/durrushistory.com/35809

Griffith’s ‘Wellesley Roads’ included Skibbereen to Crookhaven, 46 km. built between 1826 and 1829 and costing £13,466,

Continued here and elsewhere in Griffith’s reports is progress following the completion of the roads, new houses in Castletownbere, three story stone houses and larger fishing vessels. On the Mizen peninsula before the road no wheeled vehicles, there alos the only place in Ireland outside of Ulster he had poor Protestants labouring on the roads.

Griffiths  Cork projects known as the ‘Wellesley Roads’ included Skibbereen to Crookhaven, 46 km. built between 1826 and 1829 and costing £13,466, Bantry to Skibbereen, Crookhaven to Bantry and the road to north Cork to Banteer.   His works are characterised by a high degree of engineering excellence. It was said that in building bridges he insisted on going to bed rock for foundations, the Grand Jury contractors would be happy with building on gravel resulting in so many were washed away in floods.  His schemes highlights the deficiencies of the Grand Jury system and might be looked at like the recently completed motorway schemes in Ireland. The effects were dramatic, on the Mizen Peninsula they first wheeled carts made their appearance.  Alexander Nimmo (1783-1832), the Scots Engineer who was also involved said the North Cork Road opened up the entire area to commerce with a beneficial result.

https://durrushistory.com/2016/12/23/griffiths-wellesley-roads-included-skibbereen-to-crookhaven-46-km-built-between-1826-and-1829-and-costing-13466/

https://durrushistory.com/2016/12/12/1824-evidence-of-sir-richard-griffith-esq-road-engineer-to-house-of-commons-select-committee-on-harmony-in-west-cork-between-protestant-and-catholics-distress-of-1822-only-part-of-ireladn-he-e/

His colleague Alexander Nimmo a Scots Engineer reported on the opening of the road over the Boggeragh Mountain. The the whole area of North West Cork and East Kerry was accessible to the Cork market with general prosperity following. Nimmo was scathing on Captain O’Sullivan, a Landlord and road contractor on the road works around Glengarriff. He paid his workers who were his tenants in vouchers redeemable against rent.