The morning news., 1888-08-03
SEA-FARING IRISH WOMEN.
How They Earn a Living on a Dan
gerouS Coast.
From the Woman's World.

From the WOmdn's World.
The women of these coasts and islands
are as skillful as the mon in handling the
oar and rudder. They know every sunken
rick and dangerous current of the intri-
Arran and the mainland, and take the boats
in an out in all weathers For many years
a Grace Darling OF this western coast, the
daughter OF a pilot vino lived on Fights
island, went out in storm and darkness with
her old father, never trusting him alone,
as she knew his weakness for the whisky.
This brave girl never flinched from facing
the widest gales, fearing that disaster
might befall her father and the ve sells it
was his business to guide to a safe anchor
age, if she were not at the helm. Many
ships crew beating about between Arran
and Owey owed its preservation to Nellie
Boyle. Two sisters have taken the post
boat into Arran for many years past, their
father, John Nancy, being now old and in
firm.
The beetling cliffs and echoing caves of
this dangerous coast have a weird charm of
their own and the simple people born with
in the sound of the Atlantic surges cling
with surprising tenacity to their thatched
and roped cottages, sheltered behind huge
round backed rocks, in the hollows of which
they grow their patches of potatoes and
stunted oats and barley.
The number of these dwellings, starting
up out of what from afar looks like a stony
| desert, both by the sea and for miles inland,
| is startling to us who reflect on the possibili-
ties of subsistence afforded by this so-called
| land. The unfeiling bog affords ample
| fuel, it is true, and the potato crop, when
as good as now, will last throughout the
| winter.
| In good season such as this the oats
have a chance Of getting stacked before the
equinoctial gales begin to blow. Well it
| would be if these oats, ground into meal,
| might form large part of the staple food
of Donegal. Strong tea, boiled in the ''wee
| pot" beside the turf embers, with bakers s
bread, have now taken the place of the
| wholesome bone-making porridge on which
| the canny Scot still lives.
| To buy groceries money is needed, and we
wonder how this can be earned here. Kelp,
or seaweed, burning used to bring them
money; and this year, too, thin pillars of
| blue smoke are rising all round by the sea,
showing, let us hope, tnat trade i'll iodine Is
brisk. The fishing ought to be a fruitful
source of prosperity to the Rosses, but on
| this subject resident writes in 1884 as fol-
lows:
'To the north of Aranmore, stretching
away to the north vest of Troy, there is a
| fine fishing Ibank, where all kinds of fish
might be caught every day in the year with
suitable boats and gear. In very fine
weather our small craft often go out from
four to six miles off Arran Heads Mex t
day they all come back laden, and after
such a take all the other boats in the neigh
borhood will go out. 1t may be that a
breeze springs up, the sea rises In the middle
| of a good catch, then all have to run for
home or shelter Large, well-fitted fishing
smacks could stay out there for days, and
make plenty Of money too, but facilities for
the transit and sale of the fish there are
| none.n