Morning journal and courier., 1889-07-13
"Wud harm an insulter,
Or bate deal table,
With murtherin' power
yUb;Ia %hnie nuyyarc vror q hin J.s

<Whlie thelr owners wor abet
1t Is catch-as- -catch-can at an Irish market
or fair. The first upon the ground is best
served as to location. At the village market
there is no attempt at system or arrangement;
and the market place itself Is never covered
structure, but simply large walled enclo-
sure along the principal street, with gates
like castle, with walls of enormous height
and thickness, as though attacks from bat
tering rams were apprehended, and usually
it is surrounded, at least on three sides, by
the quaintest structures, village homes, inns,
groggeries and shops, furnishing as pictur-
esque scenes as the excited groups within the
enclosure. From the market gates there ex-
tend in every direction temporary avenues
Termed by carts ranged side by side with
their backs to the way, and the constant
crowds coming and going, with the large
numbers belonging to each cart, all engaged
in heated arguments ever values, make such
good natured squeezing and pushing matter
of necessity. There are seldom inner enclo-
sures. Cattle are herded against the walls at
one point; asses at another; pigs on foot,
kept gently moving in circles, by the skill
full use of their drivers long ash pixies, will
be massed at another point; goats and sheep,
both extraordinarily oombative by the en-
l forced association at still another; while all
! manner of lollipop sellers and brave voiced
market-amusement purveyors are huddled
i IOk0bu6E III any 0AtId sDhCc budb LlhJ NC
| found.
| For the first hour or two of the morning
| the sale of the small truck, such as butter,
eggs, poultry and vegetables proceeds mer-
| rily enough; but the attitude of buyer and
seller of whole cart-loads of potatoes and of
all animals is amusing indeed. Bevies of
| buyers for the Dublin and London markets,
men of gigantic stature, with red, puffy
| faces and great-coats hanging over top-boots
| to their heels, each carrying a whip of tre-
mendous length, will saunter in, take hasty
run about the place, struggling their shoul-
ders as if nothing worth their attention had
been seen, and finally hastily depart. The
while the Irish yeomen, with folded arms.
| and nose in air expressive of fine scorn, bid
| them all cheerful defiance in ludicrous at
| tempts to appear unconscious of their pres
| ence. These double pretensss may prooeed
| until noon, with now and then a bargain
l struck on the sly: but the entire populace al
/ the market are on the alert for the seductive
wiles of the buyer, and protect each othel
| valiently from being carried away for feee
| ing singly to the enticing groggeries near
Towards noon buying is likely to begin in
l what might seem to stranger as an alarm.
| ing riot. The big traders will make an on
slaught upon a willing subject. Bravely he
/ apparently resists their efforts to bully ol
l deceive him. If by main strength he IL
] trken from among his friends they will rally
1 and set upon the traders and rescue him
Some rough tussling may follow, but no one
l is alarmed at this. 1t is way they have oi
| impinging upon formality. The ice once
broken, buying begins in earnest, and higher
| and higher rise shriil voices, often aided IL
pitch and intensity by John Barleycorn, who
| is ever the real master of ceremonies here
until one would think murder must follow
the excited chickering's. Buyers thrash the
air with their whips, and pour fearful objur-
cations on the poor animals and their own.
ers; while the latter aided by their valient
wives pay back the fierce Safeguarding with
rich interest The "luck-penny," which
goes with each single beast or group of ami
l mails sold, is shrieked over as though 1t were
the value all the market holds. Babel ha'
l begun. The lesser sellers crowd around ani
"rise their voices" lugubriously, Every one
has drank enough to be interested in every
other persons affairs.
Sales are now rapidly made, "dirtying tn
bastes" sold, or rubbing mud on theil
launches to so distinguish them, and driving
l them from the grounds creates constant com
l motion; cart loads of pigs are dumped, smit
deafeniDg porkers' shrieks, from the farmers
carts into carts of the buyers, whose donkey
are pounded and rushed through the crowd
l vociferously; an escaping hog drives through
the forests of legs madly, often giving OLD
ladies and young enforced aerial experience
amid shouts of laughter; the hurdy -gurdie
blare; candy sellers roar; pipers add to tn
| universal din; the young people crowd tn
dancing spaces and beat the turf or impro
| vised floors amid whoops and yells; and tn
whole place until the evening comes is will
| conglemerate of commotion, laughter, yell
ing and rude but good natured enjoyment
which for unrestrsined heartiness and unre
| qualified decency Is something delicious an;
wonderful to behold. Irish literature is ful
of the Irish shelelegh and broken heads. 1
is untrue of these people as I have see
them: for at over one hundred and fifty fair
| and market day scenes have visited, ne1
er yet saw a human being harmed save b.
, whiskey, and that was the "heartsom
. sthroke" they loved.
IL I think that weddings among the Iris
} peassntry are a natural sequence of fairs an
| market days. Courting among the Irish hs
, | many drawbacks. It is absolutely unknow
at mass, or within the solemn confines of an
l religious ceremony. There is still a quet
t old custom extant down In the south G
8 county Kerry. It is called s'shrafting,
' from shrove, or shraft Tuesday. All ii
t marriageable girls and boys get together cla
. in their most attractive attire, and "loo
{ each over for the love there is in it." Fat
y ers and mothers are near by to grimly adju
t the terms of union If matches happen to
d made on "shraft day." as many happy on
d are. But as rule the Irish peasant lad al
= | lass rely on the more favorable condleo
:, which the freedom, general excitement al
D. good humor of market days provide. B
y the keen eyed father and mother are nev
r quite out of the way even there, and t
r moment the fires of love are lighted t
p heads of the respective families hold solen
y conclave to arrange settlements all aroun
h If this is not adjusted satisfactorily +. tn
n mnst be ssa brave little av coortin'." Exec
N ton follows with wonderful rapidity in cit
n, er case. The wedding itself must perfo1
a be humble affair; but none are too poor
n provide some sort of frolic for tn
Of friends. There will be plenty to eat, such
it is, and somehow there is ''slatherin's
" wash down joy" The dance, the wanderi
le piper, the blind fiddler, and scores of coup
n aching to follow in the happy pairs footstt
ly "widout paddock, praties nor pig" are
~ features of the simple festivities. If
IN bridal couple be comfortably off ride
p the jaunting cars about the country may
ri taken. When that cannot be afforded Il