The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-09-19
PICTURESQUE ENN|sCORTHy
Battle Between the English In
yaders and the Irish
Peasants.
AC0UNTRY WORTH FIGHTING FOR
Brave Father John Murphy, the PriestlY
General and His Strategy-Flight
of the British.

General and dis Strategy
Of the British.
On the banks of pleasant Irish river
pleasant little Irish town. The
river flows down from the white noun
tain. Green ellns hang over it; Willows,
too, and now and then stately,
ootEl~barked birch. SalIys are on it's
banks also; and the tall reeds they call
in ireland flags rise above the rushing
stream. But there are sand and peb-
bles beneath the bright waters beside,
and here and there large round stone,
beneath which the trout turks as if he
wished to avoid the sunlight. Meyer
theiess, when the evening comes and
tue insects drop upon the stream, the
trout jumps up and takes his evening
meal. su0 frequently becomes a meal
himself for that biped, man.
This little Irish town is called Ennis
corthy; and it is famous ia Irish story
says the Western Watchman. -Amerl-
cans have no idea how picturesque it
looks with its great old castle AND it's
houses with the tall, slanting roofs.
Everything is so big on this great new
c0ntlnent--eyery thing SO big except tho
soul of man, that the pure picturesque
is simply impossible The eye has TOO
far to look to catch its image Of the
beautiful, and we cannot SEQ the sub
lime short Of that spot where George
Francis Train stood when he shouted
to the most restless race in the world,
"Passengers for China this way?" and
there was nothing sublime in that.
One of the BRIGHTEST CT those trout
STREAMS Of Ireland is the Slaney, and
near it's mouth lies the little town Of
EnniscorIhy. It might be a big town
worthy OF the braYe men Of Wexford, if
ireland were free OF the English Tyranny
and embraced in close alliance with
America. I hope to see All Irish college
there yet where youths Of this republic
shall be educated in such scholarship
and manhood of the old ''insula doc
torum'' as shall give the great common
wealth Of America new lease Of gen.
erations of patriotism aud loyalty.
"Soldiers!" exclaimed Cromwell, as
he stood upon that Irish mountain and
gazed down on plain and valley and
river below, this is a country worth
fighting fOr!''
And IS it not a country worth, to Irish
,exiles here in America, the labor OF
fighting for and conquering again2
But let me tell what occurred in that
little town of Enniscorthy seventy years
ago.
A British army was there drawn up
in Line Of battle, AMI an army of Wex-
ford peasants was coming down to meet
them. 1t was a bright day in early
summer, and the bayonets Of the British
:gIittered in the sunlight. The irish had
few bayonets and few guns; but they
had the courage OF brave men who had
already trampled the red uniform and
the blood-stained flag Of England in the
dust. Their leaders, too, were couple
of patriotic priests, true as steel to the
cause Of their country, and brave as
lions.
The enemy stood before the gates OF
the town, inf fantry and cavalry; and thev
saw with contempt that irish peasant
''rabble'' approach. But they had not
sufficiently estimated the strength of
Irish peasant arms and the yalor of
Irish hearts.
Their cavalry rushed down upon that
advancing crowd of Irish, tired and
hungry with their long march. A whole
day these peasants had been coming on,
armed with any chance weapons they
could get-guus, spikes, pitchforks,
anything. On rushed the cavalry with
fiery steed and glittering steel. But
hastily they retreat again; with all their
scarlet bravery, they find these ragged
Irish peasants too much TOR them.
The infantry give them shelter, and
stand in solid array. ready to open such
fire on the advancing peasants as
shall scatter them over the three roads
that meet at that particular point.
But the priestly general, who com.
mands the Irish, has game on his card
worth two of theirs. There is herd of
horned cattle following in the rear of
the peasant army; he orders it up, and
charges it full upon that proud and in
solent military array Of the enemy.
The results are ludicrous but decisive.
The cattle. goaded by Father John
MurphY's laughing pikemen, rush head
long and believing against the British
ranks. The infantry discharge their
firelocks at random. They become a
rabDle; the peasants. with their pixies,
charge upon the British with q wild