The San Francisco call., 1904-10-02
LEARNING
THE IRISH J..
TWO-STEP
Duchess Of Manches--
ter Wins Popularity
in Old Erin
Takes Active Interest
in Work Of Gaelic
League.

Manchester, not content WIN IneIeIL
becoming a resident of Ireland. is bent
on captivating the Irish heart by iden-
tifying herself with the revival of the
ancient Irish customs and pastimes
now being assiduously cultivated by
the Gaelic League:
About twelve months ago, while stay
ing at Tanderagee, her. place in the
North of Ireland, she was present at
a local entertainment for the benefit
Of one of the hospitals in the district.
For the first time she witnessed Irish
step -dancing-a quartet of girls doing
what is known as the fOur-hand reel.
The Duchess was SO interested that she
sent for the young women and asked
them how long 1T had taken them to.
learn this form Of dancing. The maids,
who did not claim to be perfect. told
her that any woman with ordinary
skill would be able to do as they did
in six months under proper tuition and
with a fair share of practice. There
and then she engaged a teacher Miss
O'Connor, and at Tanderagee Castle
the Duchess had her first lesson in
Irish step-dancing. For a time Miss
O'Connor Travelled with her wherever
she went, and at the end of six months
she had made such progress with her
pupil that she was able to leave her
to her own resources. Miss O'COn-
nor took up her residence In London
for a time and paid occasional visits to
the Duchess TO see that she was hot
forgetting anything. she had been.
taught.
AN ACCOMPLISHED DANCER,
Her Grace is. now as accomplished. in
Irish jigs and reels as. she is in the
more fashionable dances of the society
ballroom. She paid her teacher hand
somely and promised to send her. on
a number Of pupils If she. desired. to
take the matter up professionally. 3. 1t
is said that the Duchess is now study
ing Scotch step dancing and that she :
has engaged a professional Scotch
teacher. She has all of the healthy
American girls dislike Of being re-
'stricted to the merely conventional:
Both the Duke and Duchess are
much disappointed that they are not yet
able to go to- Kylemore instead of Tan g.
deragee for the IEish season. They
had arranged for a shooting and a
fishing party among the picturesq1e
scenery of their Connenlara mansion.
When it was thought that everything.
was in perfect order at KyIernore. the
electric lighting machinery went wrong
and at the eleventh hour all arrange
ments had to be Cancelled as far as
Kylemore was concerned. The Duchess
is commencing to feel like the late
owner of the mansion, who refused to 4.
live in it after his daughter-his only
child-was drowned in the lake near the
castle, that bad luck haUnts the place. .
She has had end of, trouble and dis
appointment over the alterations, which.
have now been proceeding there for two .
years, although it was originally es-
timated- that the place would be f1t for
occupation in at most twelve months
after the builders had commenced
VANDERBILT IN IRELAND.
When George Vanderbilt went to Ire
land a few days ago on a visit to
Lord and Lady Crewe. he had only in
tended to stay about a week. or two
The beauties. of the county Of. Wex-
ford impressed him so much. however.
that he determined to see more OF the
Emerald Isle. The slowness Of the Irish
trains and the otherwise bad facilities
for travelling. caused him to wire to
London for his motor car. and now he
and Mrs. Vanderbilt are doing Ireland
thoroughly. Having explored all the
places of interest in Wexford and
Wicklow, Vanderbilt decided to. 20
through Tipperary to see something OF
the famous Plan Of Campaign
scheme of the Land League organiza-
ton which was supposed 70 create new
villages to- replace those that had been
devastated by the Irish landlords IN
consequence of the non-payment Of rent
by the tenant farmers. Vanderbilt
proposes to see Killarney before he re-
turns to London. He went through
Connemara, visiting the magnificent
home of the Duke and Duchess OF
Manchester, and called on his way to
see the quarries from which
the celebrated Connemara marble
is excavated. The Duchess Of Marl-
borough is much interested in the prod
ucts of these quarries and much Of the
marble which contributes such an i'm
portant feature in her new London res
idence came from there Vanderbilt
carried away some specimens OF the
marble with him to show, as he said.
to his friends in Paris and the United
States.
JuIes Verne Has New Novel.