The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-12
THE SUFFERING IRISH.
Where the Money is wanted-PictureS
OF tho Distress in tho Western Co, niles
OF Ireland.

OF tho Distress In tho Western Cor niles
OF Ireland.
"During my journey to tho West OF
Ireland" says the special artist of the
London Graphic, II was confronted by
signs of great destitutiou caused by the
failure of the crops, q destitution in many
cases actual, and in others not remotely
prospective. met everywhere extreme
courtesy from ali classes, and especially
from the clergy, and was afforded means
of seeing and Judging for myself of the
real condition Of the people.
"At Clifden concern sits on every face.
For nome miles around the town, the
peasantry afs ON the verge Of starvation.
The pawn Offices are filed with every
sort Of movable that can be pledged.
One pawn-broker assured me that he had
no less than two hundred beds and blan-
kets in his keeping. Poor women are To-
pawn-off1ce doors, who have walked five
or six Irish miles, from the inland and
wild outlying districts, leaving helpless
little children at home, In order to pledge
their beds and clothing for food.
"The oyerWorked clergy are besieged
almost night and day; and their funds
are quite exhausted. Visiting ont of
them the other evening. I found the rfas-
sage and stairs crowded with women i'm
plcring help. found families living in
what appeared to be heaps of rubbish,
but which turned out to be mere cover
ings from the weather, into which the
inhabitants had to crawl. The interior
height could not be more than two feet
six inches, the sea washing up to the
small hole which served rs an cDtrancc."
"Another cabin saw upon hillside,
placed upon swampy ground in which
one sunk to the boot.tops in water. These
poor people had neither food nor money
to buy it. Men and children are seen
almost naked, and are confined to their
cabins on that account. The cry is for
employment, but there seems to be a
very vague idea az to what form it shall
take, and unless some help is rendered
soon the scenes of 1886 will be repeated.
'"There is sort of edible seaweed call.
cd 'dillise' used by the people on the
Connemnra seacoast. saw poor wo.
man picking up meal fit, on cold
afternoon in December. along the shore
of Killery Bay at Leenane. Perhaps
there was something in the background
OF barren mountain, gray sea and stretch
of stony beach covered with brown weed
that made the scene impressive, but the
lonely figure cleaning scanty supper
from the shore looked inexpressibly sad.
She told me the old story of mo work,
no money, no provision. 1t would be
hard winter for the poor, indade, God
weeks journey to Scotland seeking work,
had returned poorer than he went. "He's
up the mountain now for basket of turf.
I've three childer,' an it's only three
weeks old the youngest is Itself. My
onld mother lives with us too, and it was
only last Sunday buried my sister, In
answer to the cries of u ragged urchin,
and having filled her can with weed she
limped off, and 5000 disappeared into
eretched cabin, the door of which served
for both chimney and window also.
eve are all familiar with pictures and
stories setting forth the manner in which
rollicking Irishmen drive their pigs to
market, under many difficulties. Paddy
now drives his pig to market in the same
manner as of yore, but there is sort of
settled melancholy on his face; he looks
terribly hungry, and the cruel cold scar
ches MIN out through the manifold rents
in his clothing. In many cases, after
standing several hours in the market, he
drives back the .cratur' Gnsold. The
shopkeeper, small blame to him. at
tin-s pounces upon the pig, and con6s-
Gates him for the payment of long
standing debt.
|. "The price of ell sorts of live stock is
very small at present. 1t is ruinous to
sell and it is ruinous to keep, for, the
'bastes ere ating their heads off,"
"!tis good feature in the present
crisis that, contrary to expectation, and
thanks to the spell of fine weather which
prevailed during the latter part of the
year, the fuel is plentiful. Throughout
the whole country the hills and bogs are
busy with women and girls carrying loads
of turf on their backs. Little girls from
twelve to fourteen years of age carry
large baskets of fuel weighing about half
q hundred weight from the bogs to the
adjacent towns and villages four or five
Irish miles for pittance of three half
pence basket or pint or two of coarse
Indiar meal.
A correspondent of the London 3sle-
graph who has re:antly travelled through
the picturesque Killarney region and the
County Kerry, gives striking picture of
the wetrchedness and misery Of the peo.
pie. Among the places visited was the
Village of Cahersiveen, situated at the
foot of a low range of hills running per.
rallel with Valencia Bay, and said to be
the property of Trinity College, Dublin.
We have not space for the entire descrip-
tion of tho place, the wretched condition
of the thoroughfares and buildings, and
the squaior and misery he found in one
of the so-called streets lined with the
novels of thf. enorer classes. He was
taken by the Canon Brosnan, who has
exerted himself nightly for,the relief Of