Irish Historical Allusions, Curious Customs and Superstitions, County of Kerry, Corkaguiny — John Shaqi
Irish Historical Allusions, Curious Customs and Superstitions, County of Kerry, CorkaguinyFoley, Patrick M.
History
Irish Historical Allusions, Curious Customs and Superstitions, County of Kerry, Corkaguiny
Foley, Patrick M.
Allusions; Ireland -- History; Kerry (Ireland) -- Social life and customs
_Wicker Baskets._--Carrying loads on horseback by means of wicker
baskets suspended on both sides of the horse is now almost everywhere
out of practice. I remember clearly when the first common cart
entered the villages of Ballynalockon, Cloghane, and places in
Dunquin Parish.
_White Boys._--These were a body of young men who appeared in many
places in Munster between 1761 and 1763. The reason they were called
White Boys was because they wore white linen frocks and shirts
over their coats. They openly resisted the enclosure of commons
and the compulsory payment of excessive tithes levied on Roman
Catholics for the support of ministers, wardens, preachers and the
upkeep of Protestant churches. Because the tax was raised chiefly
on tillage lands, consequently it forced the farmers to sow very
little potatoes and let their lands for grazing. The horrors of the
artificial famines created by the tithes between 1739 and 1748 when
mothers devoured their own children and children ate their dead
parents was fresh in the memory of the people. Then the Protestant
Church of Ireland was not the church of the people. In one of the
White Boy uprisings, by hamstringing and like methods they killed
and destroyed cattle in thousands making certain that if a potato
famine existed that year there would be plenty of meat to prevent
starvation. In this great cattle slaughter farmers' sons, unknown
to their fathers, took the lead in maiming their own cattle.
At Ballynalackon in the Parish of Cloghane, is a place called
_Cnockane-na-bouchaelee-bawna_, where local White Boys of that place
assembled. The White Boys were suppressed by military force and the
ringleaders hanged.
_Wild Geese._--These were young Irish immigrants who in the 18th
Century went to France; there many of them joined the Irish Brigade
in the service of France. In the Battle of Fontenoy they trampled the
British flag in the dust and swept before them in the wildest rout
England's columns of reserves to the war cry of "Revenge! Remember
Limerick!! Dash down the Sassenach!!!" Immediately after that England
cancelled some of her Penal Laws.
Many persons from the Dingle Peninsula about this time went as "Wild
Geese" and settled in France.
_Wreck of the "Port-Yorack."_--This Glasgow iron-clad barque was
wrecked in Brandon Bay on the 29th of January, 1894, and all the
crew of twenty-one drowned. The vessel was laden with copper ore. On
inquiry it was found that the barque was insufficiently manned, badly
provisioned and the crew suffered great hardships during the voyage,
especially returning from South America. The owner was fined £70.
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