Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-06-17
Its Noted Buildings and PrOmi-
nent People i'm Those
BygOne Days.
The Clubs, Society, Fashions.
Social Features and En-
tertainments.
The LIFE OF IRELAND'S CAPITAL.

Sweet Dolly Monroe! Winsome Betty
Gunningl Could you but step out of
your frame at the National Gallery in
Leinster Lawn and revisit the scenes you
once frightened by your beauty, how
changed you would find them
One can fancy you tripping forth, arch
ing your insteps and pointing your toes
till, pausing at the gallery door, you look
round inquiringly for sedan chair.
No, fair ladies, that is not to be had,
but there is an electric tram at the cor
ner. You shake your curls doubtfully.
Then what do you say to bicycle? Here
comes one wizzing along, ridden by a
somewhat weather-beaten lady dressed
in the severest of tailor-made gowns. Oh,
how your pretty brows arch and your
eyes open in surprise!
What a strange, ugly, busting world
it is into which you have stepped. Your
little heads are in whirl. You beg to
be allowed to return to your inches in
the portrait gallery, and your dreams of
the olden days. when stately cavaliers
made fine speeches to fine ladies as they
promenaded together, instead of as now
ringing bells as signals to each other to
get out of the way as they dash along on
pneumatic machines.
The Dublin of today is, indeed, a
changed place TO the Dublin of a century
ago.
Now that the old historic city is about
to undergo another change in the ex-
tension of its boundaries, it is interesting
to recall a few glimpses of the spectacle
presented by the metropolis and the So
ciety which Aourished in it a century
ago.
What brilliant society it was! What
ever other disadvantages and difficulties
the country had to contend with at that
period, society circles in the capital were
gay and gorgeous.
The hundred and twenty resident peers
of which Dublin then boosted, the elo-
quent Parliamentarians, the wits and
worthless, the beauties-what galaxy of
talent and fashion they made.
Let us imagine that it is a promenade
night at the Rotunda Gardens and fol.
low the stream of sedan chairs which are
being borne thither.
If it is at the beginning of the century
you have no difficulty in securing one
There are about 260 to be had for hire in
the city, but in 1921 not more than half q
dozen are in evidence. "The quality
are adopting other modes of conveyance
The aristocracy paid less for their prone
made i'll those days than the middl,
classes do for their bazars and other fete'
today.
Entering, quite dazzling scene meets
: your view. The gardens are brilliantly
illuminated with festoons and variegateC
lamps, band is performing. and perhap
some local musicians, while on the ter
! race promenades "monstrous fine com
/ pany." Beautiful ladies in powder anC
patches sweep along in their brocade'
? gowns, attended by gallant cavaliers
: with sword and cooked hat and gold
braided suits Mingling with the crowd
: you pace backward and forward 1t
not an extensive promenade-only eight
cen perches in length, for those are no
the days of record distance feats, AM
you hear many pretty speeches.
' Conversation is a fine art with thes
: fine folk. They are not in too great
!, hurry to choose their phrases. Nothing
clipt and curt. They are somewhat silt
3 ed, perhaps, but as graceful and polishe'
a company as any capital produced.
o The lights begin to flicker low. tn
t company disperses, with many low boz
? from the cavaliers, many a sweepin
courtesy from the ladies. To their res
4 dences in R land square return sue
e noblemen as Lord Charlemont, Lor
t Wicklow, LorV Ormond, Lord Langford
s Lord Beehive, Lord Farnham and other:
!, while the coaches and sedan chairs wen
4 their way to many another stately mar
s sion in the city, now dismantled and de
S serted.
The exodus of the aristocracy from tn
! capital began Immediately after the fats
: act of union. The chroniclers of tn
4 period lament over "the almost total de
e sertion of the metropolis by the nobilit
and gentry in consequence of the union,
= and go on to describe how art, letter.
Z trade and commerce declined proportion
n ately with the withdrawal of the classe
Il who had supported them.
II The quarters of Dublin which are no
n the poorest and most tumbled down WEI
! at the time of which we write the mo-
) fashionable. 1t is curious now to read
n the Beaux Walk at St. James's Cat
l where the rank and fashion of the Libe
= ties promenaded at the end of the la
- century.
70 The promenade was one of the chi