National Republican., 1883-04-17
IRISH 1NvEorrvE.
Some Instances Of the Richness and Elo-
quence OF the Impulsive People.

some instances OF the Htchness ana Eio-
quence OF the Impulsive People.
II the native Irish speech is deficient in En-
glish of proverbial sententiousness, IL more
than makes amends in the richness and elo-
quence Of its bitterness and kipdliness in
banning and blessing. Tho Catholic World
says that the eloquence Of the Irish beggar-
woman in rewarding charity with bless
ings and niggardliness with Cursing is
widely renowned, and the impulsive
speech Of the people in expressing good
or i'll will is without rival in Its imaginative
force There is a flavor and force in epithet
and expression strikingly oriental In its char
acter in Irish vituperation, land some Of its
phrases more than rival the Arabic fgurative-
ness. The following, selected by Carleton, are
as characteristic as any, although the whole
language is full ofothers equally remarkable: /:
THE curse Of Cromwell be upon you" May
you die with a eaper in your heel" significant
Of hanging; "May the grass grow at your door
and the fox build his nest on your hearth
stone," and others Of even worse import-ex-
pressions Of familiar aud Evolutionary use, and
full OF the highest degree Of imaginative Bit
terness. They would not misbecome the
mouth Of an eastern prophet in fury Of in
spired malediction. Those which give o
humorous turn 10 the i'll will, or are merely
the badinage of Batiric affection, are hardly
less graphic, suoh a. 1.-THE devil go with you
and sixpende, and then you will want
for neither money nor company" and
"Six eggs to you, and half dozen Of
them rotten" and many others that pe-
quire but moments recollection Of the
familiar 1rish-English dialect TO bring up.
There are several specimens Of sustained elo-
quence and fecundity in these sort of back
ward blessings which have been put into the
form Of verse, such as the celebrated Litany
Of Doneraile," by Patrick o'Kelly, tho
"brotherbard" who afforded so much amuse-
ment to Scott and his party on their visit to
Ireland, and whose modesty was signihed in
the following tribute TO his own greatness:
Three poets, Of three different nations born,
The united kingdom in this nge adorn;
Byron, OF England; Scott OF ScOtias blood;
And Erin's pride, o'Kelly, great and good.
The bard, having lost his watch and chain Of
Dublin manufacture while on n visit to Done
raile, and as a consequence of being over
taken" with drink, pours forth his malcdic-
tions on the devoted inhabitants in some
twenty verses, and until the rhymes on Its
concluding sylables are exhausted, with a very
graphic fecundity of expression. A still more
famous example is the lament of Nell
Flaherty for her drake, and her inyo-
cation Of catalogue Of woes upon the
villain that stole It. THE villain that stole
Nell Flaherty's drake" is, in fact, almost as
celebrated, although equally unknown, as
though there must be belief that he per-
ished soon after his foul deed If he was
visited by but tithe Of the misfortunes in
voked upon his head. Tho ballad has long
been favorite in the stock in trade of the
itinerant singers, but has more force and
eloquence than tho ordinary products Of the
ha'penny muse.