The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-03-25
IRISH HuMOR.


Pictures of Ireland in Hsrper's
Magazine for March. says:
i or the wit and humor Of the Irish
no one who sees them on the ma
tive soil can dorbt They are the
only peasantry in Europe who can
lay any claim to qualities that are
usually reckoned intellectual. They
have more of the mental attributes
of Shakspeare's clowns-the least
natural Of his wonderful creations
than any living mortals unblest
Of education. The English, Scotch,
German, italian. and even French
peasants, are the yiriest clods in
comparison with the Irish, who
say bright and sharp things with
out efforts or generalization. Their
ready wit and power of repartee
are extraordinary and improve as
one journeys toward the South.
have frequently heard scintil-
lations from 'gorsoons' and porters
and car-drivcrs that would have
been applauded in the Academy,
and have created envy in the most
exclusive drawing rooms. They
never lack for q word or q phrase,
and have a verbal knack Of getting
out of quandary peculiarly their
own, as respects both the knack
and the quandary.
It is . common saw over there
that an Irishman has the privilege
Of speaking twice; and l can see
the justice OF it. He first makes
blunder, as if by design, and then
renders the blunder bright BY illu
minating it with joke.
/ remember . colloquy like this
in Sackville street between an En-
glish tourist and q car driver:
Il say, Pat, what are those fig
ures up there?'
AN shure. yer honor, them's
the twilve apostles
Twelve apostles, indeed! Why,
there are only four
oh. now, ye wouldn't hev thin
all out at once. would ye? That's
the posht office, and the rist is in
side, yer honor, sortin' letthers
Driving through county Wick.
low, and commenting on what
seemed to be the ir1egularity Of
the mile stones, my carman re-
marked:
\ BE gorrah, an they're not mile
stones at all. This is q grave
Yard Of the Miles family, an ther'
we're so many Of thin, ye see they
hadn't names for thin all, an 81
they numbered thin, an buriet
thin wheriver they could find
good sphot.'
And his eye twinklingly inquir
ed If the conceit were not goo
enough for a drink Of whisky o
the first hating place.
Giving q bar maid crown q
Limerick for a mug of ale, th
price OF which was but three-penc'
she smiled all over her face, an
,, said:
An may yer worship niver war
. for pound until 1 give We th
, change; and l wish ye SIGH luc
that / know We wouldn't be afth'
askin' for a pinny of it.
Annoyed by q strapping CIR
= who insisted on acting as guide
. the Gap of Dunloe l gave her
shilling on condition that ST
would follow me no further. B
~ fore l had gone another mile 81
Y reappeared. when | reminded h
OF her promise.
. WILL che replied, Il losht Il
. shillin' that re was 80 good IS
give a poor CURL the likes O. m
and thought III come back to o
:, If ye hadn't just found it,
> OF course l handed her anotht
: with the words, You know, Nora
4 you are not telling the truth, b
. this time you must keep 20
= word
= An will ye make q poor &
:. who's losht her heart to ye COME
= in her viry face that she's run t,
miles over desc rough rocks to 6
-, another look at yer hanson eye
" A porter at a Galway hotel h
!. with much difficulty prevented
- Americans trunk from going
~ Belfast instead of Queenstown a
~ the owner rewarded him with
sovereign. The shrewd fell,
= held the ccin rapturously in
:" hand q few moments, and then Q,
=, to the gentleman: Haven't ye
=. O. shilver about YEP Ye would
!. have me sphendin' the likes O. t
- bayutiful gould to drink yer hea
" wid7 Give me shillin', yer be
,v or, and I'll kape this to remem1
= ye by
>. In the valley Of Glendalougt
native, peering out from one OF
ruins of the tiny Seven Church
accosted q guide with, Dem
ne did ye come here thinkia' they '
en- sayin' mass this nornin.'
se 4 might have behaved so,
n spalpeen, il l hadn't seen the d.
I'D lookin' out of the windy
m What makes your horse so sic
ye. asked one day in the Glen of
'r- Downs OF my Celtic Jehu.
x IT'S out OF RESPECT to the ba
M tiful sanery, yer honor; he wa
oh to see it all. An thin he's an
~, te!ligent haste, and apprecis
rd good company, and wants to k
an the likes O. yc in beloved ould
nd land as long as he kin
to
ia Many experiments have b