16th May 2012, 10:08 PM
During Oliver Cromwell's 'visit' to Ireland his troops were thinned out by a malady known as 'Irish Ague,' supposedly caused by all the bogs. As far as I remember earlier travellers such as Raleigh and the Earl of Essex had similar problems - Can't imagine what else 'Irish Ague' could have been except malaria. Who would have thought Co. Longford was ever so exotic!