The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-13
LOVE MAKING IN IRELAND.
PARENTS MAKE S0ME MATCHES, BoYs
N GIRLS MAKE OTHERS.
shrovetide the Great Time for Giving in
Marriage Proposals and Reflections
Some Irish Wives and Irish Husbands.

N"N
From Macmitfan's Magazine.
A song called The Sprig of Shillelagh. :"
which has beer very popular with the Irish
peasantry since It was written. close on aeon
fury ago. says:
Love Is the soul Of a neat trishmAn,
He loves all that's lovely and loves all he can.
And yet. though there seems to exist n wide
spread impression that strong. passionate.
masterful love is n characteristic of the Irish
temperament. love-making in Ireland Is really
n very calm and placid business, and. the old
song / have quoted Notwithstanding. the aver
age Irish peasant takes unto himself a mate
with as clear n head. as placid n heart. and az
steady q nerve as il he were buying a COW ut
Balinasloe Fair.
Love by no means decides all the marriages
that are made in Ireland. The match is often
arranged in n ludicrously cool. businesslike
and mercenary fashion between tho parents OF
the boy" and the girl" tho young people
themselves not being allowed. and. indeed.
not expecting any voice in the matter. But
II there Is little romance in the origin Of most
OF the matrimonial contracts made in rural
Ireland, they are. as q rule, entirely successful.
The marriages thus prosaically arranged are
rs happy as.happy can be. Pat and Mary fall
fondly in love with each other after they are
made husband and wife; children quickly
bpTlnS w dTOuuC LnelT HeuTJn. anu Inc OlueT
they grow the more passionately do they cling
to each other. Their domestic felicity is rare
". il ever. disturbed,by jealousy. for Pat makes
the faithfullest of husbands and Mary the
fondest and truest of wives. and as there is lit
tle or TO Illicit passion the crimes which spring
from that source and make desolate so many
homes in other countries are almost unknown
In Ireland.
The great marrying season in Ireland is
Shrovetide. During the forty days OF Lent
the Irish peasantry, in obedience to the ordi-
nances ofthe Church. abstain from matrimony
as well as from eggs. butter and milk. some
time before the approach Of that holy season
a farmer with a marriageable son or daughter
and ~neiGhbors of the fact. lie usually conveys
the intelligence in an indirect. offhand man
n ns5' sd He m MEET > a ld friend at @w ths fair or 6er mar rh@
Johnny" All. now. JIM" the other says says,
you. my little Johnny is very particular, The
boy DO be saving What a CRATE forth he'll want
preached. the parents discuss it whenever they
meet. and It often happens that a long time
fats nioS Snd ha mfaSy tb a { discussion To- a and ni1v w sr,t1Gh
The farm generally goes with the male, and
the great difficulty in the arranging of matches
partly of money and partly of furniture and
culinary utensils. as a set,oT against the land.
gard a 'a to mstr Gir0UeyO 81 81 'h afi hFSessa marry in very Fe5
young or become a monk very young" Early
poorest marry the earliest. '"D ""A nv
And yet many of the Irish poor. enter into
matrimony as a sort Of provident investment
once IS said dH to me: tx p po,s!i man ought iriSn to pG marry
young. that his children may be able 70 assist
Biddy begin housekeeping their little cabin is
soon filed with children. and the more their
the childer will be n Crate support to us in our
oulda age. happily this investment for old
Vss aeI is the leiL afr tns%i Between be Re Gog GRilGre in 5 ths
parents SO strong: in no country in the world
Is the duty Of children to provide for their aged
est cabins IN the West-the children, the young
an ancient Great-grandmother or great-grand-
father. The large sums q m oney which have
and in Ime lea to parents in Ireland during
the past half century are another striking dem
onstration OF this intense, tllial affection;
But happily many OF the marriages in rural
Ireland have their spice Of romance. The
match is made by the boy and girl themselves.
youth, with her, pretty, figure. her abundant
black hail; her large blue eyes-with their in
quite Irresistible; and the boy has too often an
unreasonable heart, and a 'deludhering
parents, should make the bargain" The
youthful couples meet at dances or on Sun
aayS ai fer m q istIe cnnr 3 i make Is t t6aS &c. to aG e.
hearty accord with the boy who said. 1T is a
grRate pleasure entirely to DE alone. especially
drame of me. Mikef" said the gSirl TO her lover
as they. walked arm in arm down the lonely
you. me darlin'r' Yes, they have the Halter;
vas in Jail for %stealin' ye." was the compIiment
one OF ihem paid to a pretty colleen Even
word" to say, Eileen was engaged to another
boy. and so she had to, saw no to Tim when he
asked. her; "Wisha; thin said Tim with a
cud have half of yez."
The girls in Ireland can afford Just as well.
other. country to take up an independent posi-
ton II regard to to ma mhat RI mon for the propor-
Ireland as in other lands.
The boys. therefore, have often a great deal
Of difficulty in inducing the girls to agree to
ceremony is colloquially described In one
case, L have heard of, a farm servant was told
too much attached 70 ,her: mother and her
mother to her to think Of getting married.
"ATrah. ishpTe. no husband could equal ny
exclaimed the boy, "be me wife and shure we
S SsP n mor ti / !off ae coa nPd h see h 5aSs | m d9n,t 9 tRss
he would Ill use the mother-that was only his
Irish way Of quitting thiagsIfor his declara,
bashful youth Ia rather, rare person in ireland,
be i said who was in love with 2 girl %intrpst-
day the maid visited his fathers cabin. while
he, with anxious heart; hid behind the door.
hWulJlnp JHe result. IHe XIII. VINO ulu not
care TO be wooed at second hand. replied with
a sancy toss Of her head, Indeed now. II Pm
good enough to be married. Pm good enough
TO be axed." The boy then stuck his head
into the. room and exclaimed. with a sob in his
voice. Mary. allanah. will yez do what Maggie
axed ye?"'
When the day. has been named. whether by
arrangement between the boy and girl them
selves or through the Intermediary OF their
parents. preparations are made. on the most
extensive scale, tGr q grand Wedding It Is
that. for the honor OF the, family. the guests at
Whole Of the countryside. should have eSn lots 't of
eating and drinkinG-"lashin's and LAWNS of
is the uniorgiyable social sin. "Arrah. If /
wor gettin' married" ] have heard u woman
ding. "Trdd sell every stitch to my back and 20
naked in order to get married dacentlyv'
A pretty Irish servant maid. who had got
you are going TO Australia with your husband:
s Nit}y'" f IoSp the ysy lass; "A%Es e You mn not t@ Afraid ablt q
his lookout said Kitty. Il belong to him