The Station; The Party Fight And Funeral; The Lough Derg Pilgrim: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume ThreeCarleton, William
General
The Station; The Party Fight And Funeral; The Lough Derg Pilgrim: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume Three
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
“'Have you got your gruel, boy?' said Kelly, going over to where he
lay;--'Well, you met Denis Kelly, at last, didn't you? and there you
lie; but plase God, the most of your sort will soon lie in the same
state. Come, boys,' said Kelly, addressing his own party, 'now for
bloody Vengeance and his crew, that thransported the Grogans and the
Caffries, and murdered Collier. Now, boys, have at the murderers, and
let us have satisfaction for all!'
“A mutual rush instantly took place; but, ere the Orangemen came down to
where Grimes lay, Kelly had taken his staff, and handed it to one of his
own party. It is impossible to describe the scene that ensued. The noise
of the blows, the shouting, the yelling, the groans, the scalped heads,
and gory visages, gave both to the ear and eye an impression that could
not easily be forgotten. The battle was obstinately maintained on both
sides for nearly an hour, and with a skill of manoeuvring, attack, and
retreat, that was astonishing.
“Both parties arranged themselves against each other, forming something
like two lines of battle, and these extended along the town nearly from
one end to the other. It was curious to remark the difference in the
persons and appearances of the combatants. In the Orange line the men
were taller, and of more powerful frames; but the Ribbonmen were
more hardy, active, and courageous. Man to man, notwithstanding their
superior bodily strength, the Orangemen could never fight the others;
the former depend too much upon their fire and side-arms, but they are
by no means so well trained to the use of the cudgel as their enemies.
In the district where the scene of this fight is laid, the Catholics
generally inhabit the mountainous part of the country, to which, when
the civil feuds of worse times prevailed, they had been driven at the
point of the bayonet; the Protestants and Presbyterians, on the other
hand, who came in upon their possessions, occupy the richer and more
fertile tracts of the land; being more wealthy, they live with less
labor, and on better food. The characteristic features produced by these
causes are such as might be expected--the Catholic being, like his soil,
hardy, thin, and capable of bearing all weathers; and the Protestants,
larger, softer, and more inactive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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