The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-02-13
MMURROUGH'S CURSE
\ Ban That Lasted Over Seven
Hundred Years.
SINISTER IRISH LEGENDS.

New Yosk Tsmea

The death Of Mr.. Alexander McMsr-
rough X avanagh. the fine old Irish gentle
man without arms or legs who still man
aged 70 write, fish. hunt. and even make
speeches in parliament. has naturally re-
rived in the press all the anecdotes which
were familiar . dozen years ago when he
was In pubic life. Some OF these have
been related. but the essential point of the
mans celebrity in Ireland seems 10 have
been missed In their narration. He would
have keen distinct figure in his own
country even II he had been horn with the
customary number and, fashion oi limbs
aud had not possessed an intellect superior
Ia the average al country gentlemen. SIM
rly because he was The Mac Murrough.
No title os mobility in the British peerage
approaches even hv centuries the antiquity
of this inherited distinction. To wear that
proud definitive article in front of any pure
Irish name Ii to boast a length Of estab-
iished descent. compared with which the
Howards ard ssaniess are mere modern
upstairs. fint 90 have the The In front OF
the MaeMasroggh is 20 occupy unique
position In the list Of the ancient Irish sept
nobility. For ID was The Marlborough
who brought the Ncrmans into Ireland.
and every rseus peasant in the Island of
Eaints knows that there has heen 8 curse
on The Mac Aurruushs ever since | sup
pose no belief is more widely distributed
and firmly held even in that land ol beliefs
than that the iats Alexander MeMufrougfl-
ksvansgh owed his fantastic physical
calamity Ia the family earse.
IL must have been q VERY strong and
viriie curse indeed At the outset 90 have
lasted 50 long. because il Is now more than
20 years since il VAS arSi laid on. like
ifs great prototype launched in the Garden
az Eden. this curse - THE MaeMarroushs
bad wsman az the bottom Of it. The
head 81 the sept. or tribe, then was named
nsFmet Tor DhiarmiiA name which still
earseassy survives among saosissa Irisa
hsptssmai fav.rites as jeremiah. This
fsvrn0s Mac aarronsh called himself king
81 Lesnstsr. ard at all events was the nsoss
powerful ehssssaln on the Whole Eastern
csasG. AlsAongh the NseMurroaghs were
eofslsnsss % Waterford and Carina. their
dnmsnsan stretched norshward "a the Danes
This O Fsunrss. lord Of nrefnv. was a
ekssssisn al importance, ard after = lapse
cf yrsrs THIS grievance ~ hts vas flnAily
taken ap BY bis cssr-lora. Ehoaeriek
0Jaefsas. tAs last king os Connaughs.
Thsre Was hesyy fehstng thereafter on
Mrs q kaarsss arcvans. ia whieh Ilesmos
got the wesss ~ il with increasing steaa.s-
ness. anti AZ last his can people sarassi
against htsa. Thcn DerrAo; frsi TO Ing
lard and tFansTns~t up thai remarkable liz
tie srosr of Eersniss headed By Strengths,
wan uere b ssteSs sneh q startling eAznxv
In irish hsstavy. They rsinseasea fssrRss
By ssoaest fnEce a arms. and Ssroass.aw
married fh~snaesss daughter Eva, the wess-
sfsaE hssnw cssshrss~1 AruAi the smoking
rams eli sSsrsera. which hSi b~sn saken
ard sarsess Scr itsaasias atty. nsrssos ssssss
vefy sooa sEss~xsssr, &ad Mrs. O Aourke