Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-08
IRISH BOHEMIANISM.
MINSTRELS WHO TRAVEL
FROM HAMLET TO HAMLET.
The Modern Piper and His Dancing Com
panion-The Street Ballad Singer-A
Song ambulance Man Oh the
FIinty Macadam.

Thomas T. Flynn in San Francisco Chronic e |
The Bohemian class in Ireland is, in pro-
portion to the population, very large, and
the shifts of the members to exc out a live
lhood very amusing. The doings and shout
ings Of the wandering minstrel are never
ending so rces of amusement to a visitor
from lands were the terrible nd-organist
is monarch of all sidewalk he can survey.
The barrel-organ Is, happily, not an es-
tablished favorite in Ireland, though in my
wanderingS thro gh the green isle have
seen several thrifty Savo-yards endeavoring
10 attune the native ear to its discord
Their efforts seemed to me to be misdi-
rectet aud unproitabIe, for while the olive
hued foreigners could never attract more
than listi.ss dozen of small boys and the
village butfoOn, the visit of native piper
invariably received an oration
The cloak Of the great Carolan, who lives
deathless in the Irish minstrelsy. would
smother the modern piper, who is but a
vagahoni trudging from hamlet to hamlet
III quest o. tie few coppers that keep him
from the drudgnry of breaking stones by the
roadside, or eating the degrading bread of
dleness in an almshouse. He is generally
accompanied by dancing girl, who makes
lavish display of her accomplishments, and
literally speaking, dances all over a hamlet
in half an hour and through a town in an
afternoon
The leading hotel casts copper to the
danseuse, or some swell standing on the por-
tico may raise her days earnings to mag
niticent proportions by the contribution of a
tEreepenny bit % cents or a sixpence 13
cents. Such an act of generosity calls for
an extra tune and dance and a solo of un-
usually patriotic character, regardless of
the feelings of the object Of the serenade,
who is generally the reverse of patriotic.
The leading grocer always casts his mite to
the wandering bard, as does the leading
draper and the village doctor. This list of
notables exhausted, the minstrel and his bal
let have to look for remuneration to the de-
sultory halfpence Of plebian lovers of music
The distance covered by one of these wan
dering pipers in a week is prodigious
far more common type of wandering
bard in Ireland is the street ballad singer
OF this genus there are many varieties,
which one soon learns to classify. They all
repay observation. Few Of them have the
slightest pretensions to vocal ability, and the
subject matter is marked by sameness that
makes their inability more apparent. The
majority of them are merely beggars mas
querading in the garb of troubadours. OF
this class there are two varieties, the profess
sional neudicant and the amateur unfor-
sunate
The wandering minstrel Is prime favor
,te and wins a large and appreciative au-
ilence the moment his untamed baritone
voice is heard on the boundary line of the
village. He never pauses, but sings himself
and his partner right through the town, dis
iaining TO stop and solicit aims, like the
oards of inferior merit who cannot keep art
and mendicancy separate. He is generally
1 deep-chested, strong limbed fellow, who
'ould guide plow or plane with great
advantage to agriculture and trade, but he
: too independent to bind himself to the
ieslised tasks that bring only a pittance,
without distinction The pittance,
With perfect independence and public ap-
probation as man of talent, are more To
lis liking. His songs are study, and, /
mink, are generally written by himself, for
I would hardly pay anyone else to string
uCh compositions together. All Of his effu-
ions are permeated by strong patriotic feel
ng-a rebeliious sentiment an English sti-
,endiary magistrate would call it. His
avorite theme is the departure Of some dis
~eSsed exile to America, where the wander |
ng son of Erin becomes more rebellious than |
yer and louder i'll his denunciations of Brit |
s.. misrule
a very different type of the wandering |
ard is the song-and-dance man you may see
ancHg breakdown on as fine a ma |
road as one could find in the
sorld- At the end of every verse of his
ong he twirls his shillalah and then pro-
eedS with his iron-bound brogans to knock
parks out of the macadam- In this pur-
Iit of vocal AMI terpsichorean art he
erforms SIX times as much real physical
l5Or as the hardest worked farm hand in
he country, but that fact never directs his
mbltiOn to honest toll He is a constitu-
onal idler III the commercial sense of the
srm and probably comes by his proclivities
ultimately from a line of ancestors who
al not drudged in 100 years In Ireland
aste does as much to making a man a vaga-
ond As gentleman, or a coachman. The
nerant song and dance artist In Ireland
ljOys only moderate share of popularity
le is considerably above the grade of the
ID family ballad singers, but incidentally
lferior to the wandering piper
a drawing star. The song and dance
alwart generally unites some other calling
, his profession and thus manages to main
lin the position of man of family. for it
an irretrievable disgrace to be without a
elpmate and flock of children in Ireland.
Another type of ballad singer in Ireland
nd one who differs in most respects from
i those that l have described, is the pro-
',SiOnal vocalist who relies solely on his
erits for a living. He also is family man
Id his wife is generally a songstress of some
lpacity.