Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-01-21
MONKS OF THE SCREW.

NAhO VI OSANL W.
Dublin was indeed a festive capital
during the last decade of the eighteenth
century. The great names, the noted
wits, the brilliant orators and Parliament
arians, and last, though perhaps not
least, the fierce fire-eaters that mixed in
her social life, caused "dear, dirty Dub
lin" as she has since been called, to be
regarded as the gayest city in Europe.
Among the many institutions founded to
supply the "bloods" of the time, young
and old, with fun and frolic, the Order of
Saint Patrick, or as it was more popularity
known, "The Monks of the Screw" easily
took the lead. 1t contained the choicest
spirits not alone in Dublin, but in all Ire
land, in its membership. 1t was in no
sense the monastic body which its title,
THE Monks of the Screw" would at the
first blush imply. 1t was founded in the
year 1879 by the famous Barry velver-
ton, M. p, afterward Lord Viscount
Avonmore, Lord Chief Baron, and its
Prior was John Philpot Curran, M. p,
the renowned lawyer and orator. An
idea of the nature of the order may be
learned from the following verses, which
quote from its charter-song, which was
written by Curran:
When Saint Patrick our order created,
And called us the Monks of the Screw,
Good rules he revealed to our abbot
To guide us in what we should do.
But first he replenished his fountain
With liquor the best in the sky,
And he swore by the sword of his saint
ship
The fountain should never run dry.
My children be chaste-till you're
tempted,
While sober be wise and discreet,
And humble your bodies with fasting
Whene'er you have nothing to eat.
Then be not glass in the convent
Except on festival found,
And this rule to enforce / ordain
A festival all the year round.
The monks" it must be said, lived
up to the precepts of their abbot.
The convent, as their meeting place
was called, was in St. Kelvin street, Dub
lin, and thither repaired every Saturday
evening during the law term the creme
de la creme of Dublin society. Besides
the names mentioned the following,
nearly all of whom were members of Par
lament, were prominent members of the
order:
William Doyle, Master in Chancery,
who for time was abbott" the Earl
of Arran, the Right Hon. Walter Hussey
Burgh, afterwards Chief Baron; the Earl
of Carhampton, the Right Hon. Isaac
Cory, afterwards Chancellor of the Elk
chequer in the Irish Parliament; Robert
Day, afterwards a Judge; John Doyle,
afterwards a General in the army; the
Right Hon. Henry Grattan, the great
Irish orator in the College Green Parlia-
ment; Francis Hardy, Lord Charlcmont's
biographer; Dudley Hussey, Recorder OF
Dublin; Lord Viscount Kingsborough,
the well-known Rev. Arthur O'Leary,
Right Hon. George Ponsonby, afterwards
Chancellor of Ireland; Sir Michael Smith,
afterwards Master Of the Rolls; the Mar.
quis of Townsend, elected, professed aud
joined on his visit to Dublin after his
Vice Royalty; and Arthur Wolf, after
wards Lord Viscount Kilwarden, CHIEF
Justice of the Kings bench.
The furniture of the apartment in which
the "Monks" met was, it is said, entirely
monkish in style, and at the meetings all
the members wore the habit of the order.
In such an assembly, comprising as it did
the master minds of the day, it is need,
less to say that conviviality reigned
supreme. 1t was not, however, the con.
VITALITY of mere vulgar drinking club
at was," according to Thomas Davis
AN union of strong souls brought together
like electric clouds by affinity and flash
ing as they joined. They met and shont
and warmed. They had great passions
and generous accomplishments. They
were men of wit and pleasure, living il
luxurious state of society, and probably
did wild and excessive things. This wa
reconcilable in such a state of society
with every virtue of head and heart"
The monks" also often met at thei
Abbot's place in Rathfarnham, country
district outside Dublin. He named tn,
residence from their meetings, eth,
Priory," and the old house is occupied
still.
The society commenced to dwindl
away about the year 1894. Political feel
ing and unrest sundered many member
who had been erstwhile strong friends
and soon afterwards it completely disap
peared. Many traditions Of the saying
and doings of the monks" are, however
etiil extanf in Dublin