The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-12
THE SUFFERING IRISH.
where tho -toncy is Observation-Disclosures
OF the Distress III tho Western Counties
of Ireland.

"During my Journey to the West of
Ireland" says the special artist OF The
London Graphic, 81 was confronted by
signs of great destitution caused by the
failure of the crops, 4 dcstitution in many
cases actual, and in others not remotely
prospective. l met everywhere extreme
courtesy from all classes, and especially
from the clergy, and was afforded means
of seeing and Judging fer myself of the
real condition of the people.
"At Clitden concern sits on every face.
For come miles around the town, the
peasantry arc on the verge Of starvation.
The pawn offices are filled with every
sort of movable that can be pledged.
One pawn-broker assured me tlIa. he had
no less than two hundred beds and blan-
kets in his keeping. Poor women are to
be seen at daybreak, sitting outside the
pawn-ofice 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 overworked clergy are besieged
almost night ard day; and their funds
are quite exhausted. Visiting one Of
them the other evening, / found the pas
sage and stairs crowded with women i'm
ploring help. l 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 as an entrance"
"Another cabin | saw upon hillside,
placed upon swampy ground in which
one sunk to the boot-tops in water. These
Door 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 Tor
employment, but there seems to be a
very vague idea as to what form it shall!
take, and unless some help is rendered
soon the scenes of 1916 will be repeated.
"There is sort of edible seaweed call.
cd 'dillisc' used by the people on the
Connemara seacoast. / saw poor wo-
man picking up meal oft, on q 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 a scanty supper
from the shore looked inexpressibly sad.
She told me the old story of mo work,
no money, no provision. Itwonld be :!
hard winter for the poor, indade, God
help Them Her husband, after nine
weeks journey to Scotland seeking work,
had returned poorer than he went. Hes
up the mountain now for basket of turf.
I've three chiIder,' an it's only three
weeks old the youngest is itself. My
ould mother lives with US too, and it was
only last Sunday I buried my sister, In
answer to the cries of ragged urchin,
and having filled her can with weed she
limped off, and soon disappeared into Q
wretched cabin, the door of which served
for both chimney and window also.
ave 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 a sort oi
settled melancholy on his face; he looks
terribly hungry, and the cruel cold scar
ches him out through the manifold rents
in his clothing. In many cases, after
standing several hours in the market, he
drives back the 'cratur' unsold. The
shopkeeper, small blame to him. al
times pounces upon the pig, and conis,
Gates him for the payment of a long
standing debt.
"The price of all sorts Of live stock is
very small at present. 1t is ruinous to
sell and it is ruinous to keep, for. the
'bastes are ating their heads OIL"
"Iti is a 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 hall
hundred weight from the bogs to the
adjacent towns and villages four or five
Irish miles for n pittance of three half,
pence basket or pint or two of coarse
Indian meal.
A correspondent of the London 7elc.
0raDh who has recently travelled through
the picturesque Killarney region and the
County Kerry, gives a striking picture o.
the wetrchedness and misery of the peo.
pie. Among the places visited was the
Village of Cahersiveen, situated at the
foot Of low range of hills running par
rallel with Valencia Bay, and said to be
the property of Trinity College, Dublin
We have not space for the entire descrip
ton of the place, the wretched condition
of the thoroughfares and buildings, ant
the squalor and misery he found in one
of the so.called streets lined with the
novels of the poorer classes. He wa!
taken by the Canon Brosnan, who ha:
exerted himself nightly for the relief o
his miserable flock, to the house where
relief was being administered, and here
is the correspondents description of the
scene:
"Shall ever forget the scene? The
doors would not be opened before
o'clock ; it was then IL, and the rain wa;
falling with merciless persistence. Ye'
a crowd of pitiable women, and perhap;;
more to be compassionated men, had
gathered round the building, that nc
Chance of dole of Indian meal might be
lost. There they stood, their poor gar
mcnts saturated and glistening with wet
the bare feet Of the women sinking deep.
er and deeper into accumulating mud
and water, while upon every face Of man
or woman hunger had set its unmistaka.
bic mark. Some Of these sorrowful soul;
had walked miles that morning in order
to be first at the gate of mercy; and moro
and more. as soon had reason to know,
were tramping over bog and mountain in
hope that, though late, it would not be
too late to enter. There was not an atom
of sham about this. Hypocrisy never