The Sun.
London, England, 1804-06-16 00:00:00

PEASANTRY OF IRELAND.

The following curious and interesting Account of
the Manners of the Peasantry of Ireland, is extratled
horn a very ingenious Pamphlet, lately published by
R. BELL, E,q.

Living for the most part on vegetable food, and
with scarcely any other beverage than water or
milk, these people had a flow of animal spirits,
.and
a vivacity of temper, unknown in countries whose
inhabitants constantly feed on flesh add strong
drink. After the labours of the day, they never
sat looking at each other in sulky silence ; the aged
would smoke one after another oat of the same pipe,
and entertain each 'other with stories ; while the
young would dance until near midnight, either to
the tunes of some instrument, or of their Own 'voices:
and although the rudest music was capable of rous-
ing them into merriment,: they had taste enough to
distinguish and appreCiate the peifortnance of persons
Who played so well as to be sought after by people
of a higher condition. Their national harp in later
years fell into almost total disuse ; their favourite
and most frequent instrument was a bagpipe x, on a
different but superior construaion to that of the
Scotch Highlanders. It is impossible to describe
the joy that used to sparkle in the countenances of
thoac.rustics, on the arrival of an itinerant per-
former of celebrity among them they would flock
to the house where he took up his residence, and
snake it a scene of festivity as long as he remained
there.

There was this strange leculiarity a e charac-
ter of the native: Irish, ,that on:oecasic sof great
joy and- merriment, they indulged themselves in
grief and melancholy.; and. under circumstances of
mourning and sorrow, they rarodteadloog into the
most extravagant mirth.. At a wedding-feast, they
felt uncommon pleasure in singing and listening. to
the most plaintive ditties ; and if they had drank any
quantity of whiskey, they would whine and weep
at the relation of some woeful story. But on the
death of a neighbour and a friend, although they
went for, the avowed purpose of weeping over the
dead body, yet in the very room where it was laid
out, they would spend the night in performing all
kinds of sports and gambols that were calculated to
excite laughter.
Those Peasants who could afford the experce,
used to give a feast to all their relations and neigh-
bours, when any female belonging to their family
was married. The dinner, which was the only
meal on this occaaion, generally consisted of mut.
ton, salt pork, bacon, and poultry,. with an abun-
dance of potatoes and common garden vegetables.
All these articles were supplied from the. stock of
the person who furnished the entertainment ; but
sometimes the relations of the parties could each
contribute a stare towards the wedding-dinner. No
part of the fare was purchased by money, except
the whiskey or beer ; the latter was not always to
be prOcured. The chief personage at this enter-
tainment; was ' the parish-priest, or his deputy.
The next in pre-eminence was the Squire : but it
was not every country gentleman who could attain
the honour of being present at a wedding-feast ; for
if he had not resided long in the neighbourhood ; if
he had not, by a gentle and familiar deportment,
but, above 'all, by conversing with thePeasanta in
the Irish language; commanded their esteem,-and
conciliated their affeetions, he would not have been
invited. The Squire, however, cculd ' have been
easily dispensed with : but, next to the Priest, the
Musician was the most necessary person, to render.
the entertainment complete. He was generally a
performer on the bag-pipe ; and the host was often
obliged to send for one to the distance of near 20 or
30 miles. Doors taken off the hinges, and laid on
beriches, constituted a citnner table, of which no
part was covered with a cloth except the head ;
here the Priest sat, as president or lord over all the
guests, and had the most delicate of the viands
placed before him. The others sat in order, ac-
cording to their rank, which was estimated by the
consideration of their property, their age, and their
reputation. The meat was usually cut into pieces
about the size' of brickbats, and placed along the
table in large wooden platters,. out of which the
guests helped themselves, often without the aid of
knives or forks ; for the few instruments of this
kind which could be procured, were appropriated
to the service of the Priest, and the seled party
whom he chose to honour with his conversation.
The host and hostess, instead lof sitting down to
dinner, waited upon the company, and pressed them
to eat, with an earnestness and familiarity that
would haVe been highly disgtkving to persons of
more refined manners. The marriage Ceremony
was generally performed before dinner ; and on this
occasion it was sometimes necessary to force the ti-
morous bride from the place Where sheK concealed
herself on the first approach of the c
ny. The
company afterwards amused likemselves in dancing,
singing, and. drinking. Time Priest retired about
eight or nine o'clock ; and if great care was not
taken after that hour, to prevent the distribution of
liquor, the night would have ended in intoxication,
riot, quarrelling, and bloodshed. In the course cf
a week or fortnight the bridegroom took his wife
home to his own habitation"; the portion he re-
ceived with her, consisted chiefly in cattle. In
places where English law and English manners were-
unknown, the married women were always called
by their maiden names.
Of all the, scenes of merriment enjoyed by these
people, that which has been called an Irish quake
qpeared to afford them the highest degree of plea-
sure. An Irish wake was an assemblage of men
and' women round the corpse of a deceased neighbour.
To accommodate as many persons as possible, the
corpse was decently laid out in one corner of a barn
or some other extensive place. The next of kin,
together with some old men and old women, sat
near the dead body all night, and amused them-
selves the greater pert of the time with smoaking
tobacco, and tellies stories of ghosts, goblins, and

4' During the last Season ut Covent-Garden Theatre (i. e.
in 1203-1::;o4) au insl-ruinent of this kind has been played on,
dur!rga Dart of the entertainment of Oscar and Malviva, by
a sir. 0-I,:arcll.

witches. The test of the people began shortly after
night-fall to arrange tne plan of their sports and di_
versiOns, which hardly ever ceased until break of
day. These sports consisted chiefly of rude buf-
foonery, boisterous mirth, coarse jests, songs, &c.
all of which were regulated by some one person,
selcaed by the company to as as master of the ce-
remonies ; and who was most noted for his drollery
and vivacity. The mirth of the company was,
however, interrupted once in every hour, sometimes
every half hour, by the cries of those who sat next
the deceased : the .sparts were then suspended, and
every person present was supposed to join in the
general lamentation, which lasted about five or siX
minutes. These cries have been described by the
appellation of the Irish howl; and, shocking as they
would have. been to a delicate English ear," they
were not destitute of modulation. The tones were
few but plaintive ; and the voices of the women
always predominated. While they were crying or
howling, they frequently repeated a set of unmean-
ing words, and would ask the deceased why he was
so cruel as, to leave them. Many women who had
neither been related to, nor acquainted with the
deceased, would join in the howl, with every ap-
pearance of affiiaion, would beat their bosoms, di.
shevel their hair, and bedew their faces with tears :
the same women would perhaps, in ten minutes after,
take a leading part in the mirth which succeeded. The
corpse was accompanied to the grave by similar
cries and howlings. It has often been said that
persons were hired to cry at wakes and funerals ; the
author of these accounts cannordeny the existence
of such a praaice ; but must say, that he never knew
an instance of the kind. He has .also to add, that
he never knew or heard of any liquor being drunk
at wakes : the company were treated only with
pipes, tobacco, and snuff; and the whole expence
of waking and burying an adult, seldom amounted
to a quarter of the sum which the interment of an
infant three days old would cost in London.
The amusements of the native Irish chiefly took
place on Sundays and holidays. On Sunday morn-
ing, they regularly went to their popish chapel,
which was sometimes not -sufficient to contain one
half of the people : those therefore who could not
gain admittance, prayed in the open air, near the
doors of the chapel. As soon as service was over,
the greater part of the congregation went home and
dined : after which, during the summer season,
thcy assembled in large bodies in some adjacent
field; where the old sat in circles, and entertained
each other with stories, and, the young danced to
whatever music they could procure, and some of
the young men exercised themselves in feats of
bodily strength. Good-humour and contentment
always prevailed at those meetings as long as they
drank no whiskey ; but whenever that fiery spirit
was introduced, intoxication and quarrels were the
inevitable consequences.