The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-01-30
CARRIGEEN MOSS.

The sea came leaping and plunging
in great white spume fakes against
the cliffs Of Carrigeen, for it was
sprlngtime and the season of high
udes. Far away, beyond the angry
breakers and beyond the wavering,
shifting ting bands of gray foam which
took their place, one could see naught
but vast plateau of. green ocean, dap
pied by an occasional sail or darken-
ing over the sunken lodges into patch
es of leaden hue.
High upon the cliffside, where sea-
thistle and sand grass rustled in the
Atlantic breezes, two persons AN aged
man and tiny girl-sat hand in hand
gazing steadily across the waters.
Tied up in a red handkerchief at their
sideside lay a frugal lunch of bread
and buttermilk, from which fact it was
easy to tell that they We're either tour
lists or Migrants. AS matter of fact,
they belonged to the former class, al
though your fashionable sightseer
might be inclined to class them scOrn-
fully with the latter.
Old Meehaul Finnerty, the sheana-
chic, or wise man. Of the inland par
Ish OF Ballycarney, had taken his
grandchlld, Noreen, for a long-prom-
lsed trip to the seashore. They had
come by the mail cart from Ballycar-
ney Crossroads to the county town Of
Fillmore, whence the train, marvellous
and wholly novel in Noreen's eyes, car
ried them, with puff and rumble, to
the very borders of the ocean. And
now here they Were, sitting on Carri-
geen cliffs above the mighty waste,
peacefully chattering. the one to the
other, symbolical of careless age and
thoughtless youth beside the waves of
eternity.
Old Meehaul told his small charge a
score Of certain things that afternoon
mostly stories of the coast they were.
for Meehaul had lived during many Of
his earlier years away from Ballycar-
ney in the Carrigeen district. More
over her was, in his capacity of shean-
nachie, the possessor of legends ga
lore, together with the power ofrelat-
ing them. Presently he leaned over
the sides Of the beetling cliff and,
plucking bunch of dull-green moss
from one of the crevices, held it to-
ward the child.
do We know what that is, allan
nah?'' he asked. ..
Noreen shook her neatly brushed
ringlets to imply the negative.
'Sure, tits mOSS-Carrigeen mOss-an
human food, at that. Did ye never
hear tell Of Carrigeen moss"'
Again the ringlets were shaken.
''Well, it's what the poor fisherfolk
ate when there's famine. When the
praties give out, an there's naught to
buy bread with, they climb up the
rocks an gather Carrigeen moss. Then
they boil it in big pot, an it's not so
bad to ate-when you can't get any
thing else"
Noreen looked at the Shiny herb, and
wondered how it could possibly taste
we'll under any circumstances. 9th
ers7 have felt similarly. Yet the poor
coast people are driven, in times Of
distress, to support life on Carrigeen
moss alone.
Old Meehaul settled himself comfort
ably once more. filled his short, black
pipe, and, refectively, said: "Maybe
We never was tould the story of how
,Carrigeen moss was sent as food to
the poor?''
The sheannachie like some other
notable poets, invariably began mar
rative by asking question. Finding
that Noreen was ignorant Of the mar
rative mentioned, he placed the tin cap
of his dhudeen, took a long puff at
the reeking tobacco, and began:
cit was in the ould, ancient days, be-
fore any marauders at all-let alone
any Englishmen-set eyes or foot on
Irish soil. F'eargus. the Swarthy Tor
Feargus Dhu in Gaelic was king of all
this coast from the mouth of Feor riv-
er to Banshagh. He was a fine young
king, but his nature was sad, an, in
stead Of fightin' his neighbors, like a
king ought he liked better to stroll
along these rocks of a moonlight an
play tunes on his golden harp.
well, one night he was singin' to
the harp down on the strand below,
when the finest lady he ever saw
came UP out of the water an smiled at
him. Her. face was beautiful. an
white jools glittered all over her, an
she walked like queen. But Feargus
took particular notice of her hair. 1t
was long an soft an 'wavy, but the
color of it was queer intirely, for ii
was green-green as the sea out be-
yond or the moss have in my fist
But, sure, King Feargus liked her all
the better for the queer color of her
hair, bein' himself queer young man.
He played sweet music to her. an she
tould bin how she was sea kings
daughter strayed up from the palaces
under the water. To make long sto
ry short, King Feargus an the mer
maid were married, an the fine ould
family of Mcnamara, which means
children Of the mermaid, descended
from them. Very happily they lived
too, the only trouble bein' that while
Feargus grew old an gray-haired, the
sea-princess bein' a fairy, staid young
forever. At last poor King Feargus
died, an left his beautiful queen a
widow. When she saw one of her
strappin' big sons safe on the throne
she called all the people together an
tould them that she must return to her
father in the palaces under the sea-
Then there rose such wailin' an la.
mentin' among the people as would
turn the heart of stone.
every man, woman an child along
the coast loved that sea princess an