Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-02-07
AT AN IRISH WAKE.
Unique Features OF O Funeral OBJ
servance on tho Old Sod.
How Celtic MOurners Wake" the Dead
Chatting and Story Telling Around
the Corpse-Tho Ubiquitous Pipe
and Black Bottle.

The custom OF waking" tho dead in
Ireland, says the London Spectator.
though by no means existing in it
ancient glory and vigor, still ohtain ms in
a modified and shorn form in many
country districts. Briefly described, it
amounts to this-that the neighbors OF
the deceased assemble and spend the
night in the room with the corpse,
chatting and telling stories; in the
meanwhile, of course, taking ga blast
av the pipe" and drop of ''the cray
thure" to sustain them during their
vigil. The conversation on such &C.
casions naturally turns, to large ex-
tent, to the virtues of tho departed,
which arc duly embellished with all the
natural eloquence of tho speakers. No
one unfamiliar with ireland can at all
realize what a scene wake" presents;
and we propose to give a sort of spool
men Of the conversation which prevails
on such an occasion.
"An ould follyer" Is generally I'm q
seat of honor, close by the head OF the
bed; she has been nurse, perhaps, in
the family, and as she rocks her aged
body backward and forward she pours
forth with q mellifluous Southern
brogue, in sad, wailing tone, O long
piece OF delightfully."- discursive domes-
ito history. "Ah, wisha, wisha, lave
mo alone, the masther was grand man;
Thade Regain was the grand man; he
MIXED up to forty COWS" (This implies
that he was dairy-farmer whose stock
amounted to that number.) "Shure it's
meself reminders the day av his wed
din; Lard Edward was at home at the
time by the same token, an as he whit
by our cabin heerd me mother to say:
by gar, there's tn lard upp An shure
enough he was, for he was on his way to
Tim Hoolahan's, who was minding thir-
ty hogs for him. Turn thin out, Tim,'
says the lard, turn thin out says he,
for l want to choose out two av thim,'
says he. TO be shure, and why not,
your honor's glory. me lard?' says Tim,
and, whin he had thin out, the lard
makes chico av wan widout tail, an av
anoder widout an earl An thin he says
to Tim, says he: Have thin two bastes
kilt says he, AN give them to the
people that's comm to Thade Regan's
weddin',' says he, 'for their dinner says
was mighty fond av poor Thade; may
reminder the time that poor Thade, rest
his sowl, bought a farm near the red
bog an how attinded at the dinner tn at
same day"
At this junoture, another speaker,
thinking he should have an innings, Of
fers the nurse a drink; and while she is
occupied with it he observes: "Wisha,
awenoch, 1t was the poor masther that
was fand av his marning drop; manys
the time he'd take me wild him into Judy
Molan's little public. an he'd say:
Judy he'd say, give Nicholas some
thing to warm him, and take the could
out av his stumiok this frasthy morning
An by and by he'd say: Nicholas, man,
won't ye have = glass?' an I'd tell him
1 had wan; but he'd say: Don't tell me-
you had mott an av coorse I'd say: III
isn't for the likes av me to contradict a
gintleman like your honor an Judy
would fill 1t up again."
A driver Of hearse who was present
| would add reflections which seemed to
him suitable to the occasion: 81 tell yes
all that have been . driving . hearse
man an boy these twinty years an more
1 have draw rich an poor; an whin the
| wind was an me back, the smell av them
both was just alike; an / didn't like II
nather. And whin comes across man
who has two or three hundred pounds
an sees all his cspers an antics, says
to meself: What a gladiathUr ye are; but
! wait, mo boy, until / have We in the
hearse, an then yen be quiet an ais,
enough Shure wanst druv ledge tt
. tho graveyards an saw the yalla clay
shoveled down on him as we'll as another
an he rotting wild money. God save
usr' This observation called forth
general exclamation: "Well, Ned, ye'rt
terror" The old nurse--"a eharret
and wtink1ed piece of womanhood"-
being now refreshed, would take up heI
parable again, and offer her snufl-box, o.
rather her snuff, TO every one present