The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1907-12-12
IN AND ABOUT CORK
A City Nearly as Dirty as
New York.
PoET-RIDDEN SPOTS IN ERIN
Places Just as Beautiful as Killarney
That Have Not Been Contaminated
with Surplus Rhymes and Herded
Tourists.
BY CHARLES sATTeLL LOOMS.

BY CHARLES BATTELl LOOMS.
Killarney, Ireland-They told me
that Cork was very dirty city. They
even said 1t was filthy, and they said
1t In such way as to reflect on Irish.
men in general and Corkonians in par
ticular.
Yes, they said that Cork was
dirty city, and so l found it--almost
as dirty as New York This may sound
like strong statement but mean It,
When arrived in Cork / saw hill
railway travel there is nothing that
so takes the kinks out of fellows
| legs as walk up stiff hill. And any
| how | was on walking tour.
l arrived at the top about sunset.
On reading this sentence over | find
that 1t sounds as II the hill was an
all day journey but it was only
matter of few squares, and when
started the sun had long since made
up its mind to set.
In Ireland the sun takes on Irish
ways, and Is just little dilatory. 1t
always means to set, and 1t always
does set in time to avoid being out In
the dark, but its an unconscionably
long time a dying"
At the summit of the hill I saw
church steeple that appealed to my
esthetic sense, and / asked little
boy what church 1t was.
"Shandon church, sirr," said he
with the rapid and undulating utter
ance of the Corkonian.
! Where the bells are?" said /.
YES" said he, smiling. And over
| beyont is the Lee"
''rhe pleasant waters of the river
Lee" | quoted at him. and he smiled
again. Probably every traveller who
goes to Cork quotes the lovely old bit
of doggerel, but the Corkonian smiles
and smiles.
The river Lee runs through the cen
ter of Cork and at evening 1t is a
favorite place for fishing, also for
learning to swim on dry land.
The fishermen seem to fish for the
love of casting, and the little boys
swim on the pavement--two pursuits
as useless as they are pleasant. Over
the bridge the fishermen leaned, and
cast their lines in anything but pleas
ant places-for the river is malodor-
ous--and the little boys stood on
benches and dived to the pavement,
where they spat and then went
through the motions of swimming.
There were dozens of the little boys,
and most of them seemed to be broth
ers. Some of them were quite expert
In diving backward, and all of them
were dirty, but they seemed to be hap
py. could not help thinking how soon
the Celtic mind begins to use sym
bols, for it was easy to see, that when
the boys spat it signified watering
place to them. dare say they were
breaking city ordinance in splitting
and If they knew that they were that
much happier-stolen sweets are the
sweetest.
During the time watched the set
ting sun-which was still at 1t and
by the way, performed some lovely
variations on simple color scheme
in the sky--not even an eel was
caught, but the fishermen cast under
the bridge, let their bait float down
the (un) pleasant waters, and drew In
their lines again and again-mute ex
amples of a patience that one does
not associate with Ireland.
At last | left them and started out
to find Shandon church which seem
ed but a few squares away.
My pathway led through the slums
and up hill so steep that / hope
horses only use it as means of de
scent. / passed one fireside where
the folks looked cosy and happy and
warm. 1t was summer evening, but
chilly, and the place into which
looked was shop for the sale of coal
Shoemakers' children are generally
barefooted, but these people were
buring their own coal, and the moth
er and the dirty children .sprawlet
around the store or home, in a shadow
casting way, that would have delight
ed Mynheer Rembrandt If he haC
/ passed by.
: was struck with the population o
, Cork. 1t was most of it on the side
Walk, anu nearly al VI IL was uhuV
16 Pretty faces, too, among them
j and happy looking. | think that sym
? pathy would have been wasted OF
[ them. They had so much more room
. than they would have In New York
y aud they were not any diruer--thal
1 New Workers of the same class.
, After | had reached the top of tn
| 10,
e church and 1t was gone. asked bo
!. what had become Of it, and he told m
that in following my winding wa
through the convolutions known a
streets, had gotten as far from tn
church as I could in the time. ii
= told me pleasantly. just how 20 go I
< get to the church, and II involve
/ going to the foot of the hin and b.
ginning again.
} ! asked number OF times afte