The Virginia enterprise., 1908-09-11
FAIRIES IN IRELAND
Many Strange Visions Seen
by Native Woman.
AN INSIGHT INTO FOLK LORE
People 10th to Tell OF supersttions
The Irishman at Home "a Not
Witty as is Generally Supposed by
OutsiderS.


The Irishman at Home Il Not
Witty as 10 Generally Supposed by
Outsiders.
BY CHARLES 1ATTELL LOOMS.
Ennis, Ireland.-':Ill niver forget
wan gintleman that KEN here from
America. He'd been BORN here, but
had gone to Chicago whin he was a
lad, an he had made a fortune. He had
hundreds under him, an he told
me he had niver touched drop
of liquor. Oh, he was the kind
man. He hired me car every day
he was here, an he said amy time
l wanted to sind amy of me sons over
to sind them to him an he'd take
them on an pay them good wages. On,
ne WAS the ginerous man-too giner-
Gus In fact. He'd scatter his money
like water whin he'd be in liquor"
why, 1 thought you said he never
touched a drop, Michael"
"Oh!" with a toss of the head.
"Sure that was in America. Bein' on
holiday here he tasted it, an likin'
the taste, he KEEP on. Sure he'd fling
money out be the handfuls If I'd let
him. told him if he done that the
news Of it would spread an some of
the wilder ones would demand it of
him, an vance, I refused to 60 amy
further till he'd promise to stop throw
in money away-half sovereigns,
mind ye. All, but he was the kind
man, drunk or sober. The day before
he left-an' he was here two or three
weeks huntin' for his birthplace-he
said: Michael, I've drank too much,
but it tasted good. After to-day not
drop I touch, an me goin' back to
America Sure, I hope he didn't, for
he had fine business of manufac-
lures of some sort, an he says: Sind
them along. Mike, when they does be
old enough, an I'll give them good
jobs. Only they must lave liquor
alone All, kind man he was an
true American. Vance l met Lard
Kinmare, an I took off me hat to him.
Who's that?' says he, Lard Kin
mare says I. why do you take off
your hat to him. says he; he's only a
man like YOURSELF I'll never forget
that. Only man like meself."
asked this same jarvey if he would
like to see home rule.
'Sure, better wages would be bet
ter"
There are many like him in Ireland,
men of the practical kind, who would
rather see prosperity than home rule,
and who evidently do not believe the
two are synonymous terms.
One needs to live long among the
Irish peasants to get at their folk lore.
They are invariably agreeable to
strangers, as Michael has shown him.
SELF to have been to me, and are more
than willing to talk about America and
the sorrows of Ireland, but if the sub
ject of fairy folk is broached they seem
to be anxious to change the subject.
was fortunate enough to get little
insight into their beliefs, but before
touch on the topic l would like to
scatter few thoughts on the subject
of Irish wit.
Here l have set down a conversa-
tion of typical 1rishman, but you will
notice that there is nothing witty in
what he says. In books he is witty,
and in Scotland the Scotchman is wit
ty, as I had occasion to notice many
times last year when l was there, but
in Ireland q record personal impress
sions) the Irishman is not witty, as
met him in the peasant class. l have
conversed with dozens and scarcely q
witty reply have l had. Humor often,
but wit seldom. l sometimes think
that it is because have used the
wrong tactics. Perhaps if had BAN
tered them they would have retaliated.
fancy that their reputation for wit is
largely of English manufacture, and
that the Englishman calls it forth by
his undoubted feeling Of superiority
The wit is at his expense.
We were passing a little opening in
the woods the day rode with Michael,
and l said to him: THAT would be a
fine place for fairies"
He quickly turned his head and
lo ,ked at me. 80 it would said he,
but they're all gone now. Whin l
was boy the old folks did be talkin'
of them, but there's none of them
now"
Il suppose so" said sympathetical-
coat Hospital National school, with
ly, "but friend of mine in Connecti-
cut, an Irishman, told me he'd been
led by them into a bog with their false
lights"
"Oh," said Michael, quick as wink,
80 have l. They'd rade you to folly
the lights, an the first thing ye'd
know ye'd be up to your waist in a
bog. But there's none of them here
abouts, now"
And that ended Michael's remarks
about fairies. And that was further
than most of them would go until l
met an old woman on the west coast.