The Banshee is famale fairy attached to ancient Irish houses. Her province is to foretell the near approach of death or disaster to members of the family by mournful wailings or unearthly cadence. Every ruling house had its own supernatural retainer. During centuries of invasion and foreign misrule, families lost titles and estates by confiscation and now their descendants may be found in every land. But through all vicissitudes the Banshee remains faithful to the “ould stock,” and has never transferred her allegiance to the comparatively mushroom conquerors who supplanted the original rulers of the soil.” – Boston Traveler.
O’er Erin’s sea girt isle,
Two thousand leagues away,
The gentle spring wind sighed
One peaceful night in May.
On surf’ lashed northern coast
The waves dashed fast and free,
And ‘cross the meadows came
Salt odors of the sea.
On Ennis Eoghan Head
The grey old castle stands,
Where in dark ages past,
The lord of all those land
The grim old warrior prince –
Ruled stern, yet kind and just;
Ten centuries have passed
Since his body turned to dust.
O’er turret, hall and keep,
The moon shone wierd and bright,
And blazed toward the west
A track of silver light.
The clouds obscured the moon,
And night birds screamed and cried;
The ancient church bell clanged
Across the ebbing tide.
And the Banshee wailed and mourned,
As she pointed to the west,
For a daughter of the race,
Was passing to her rest.
The princess of her people
Lay dying far from home,
Two thousand leagues to westward,
Across the ocean foam.
And the lonely night birds screamed
While the gentle night winds sighed,
And the Banshee moaned and grieved,
In time with the ebbing tide.
CHARLES HENRY STEVENSON.
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ed Note – Charles Henry Stevenson, who died in this city last fall, was a native of Ireland. He wrote the “Banshee’s Lament” after the death of his only daughter, a beautiful girl of 20. Several months after his death Mrs Stevenson found the poem among his papers.
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THE INTERMOUNTAIN CATHOLIC, SEPTEMBER 17, 1904 P4 CRIME IN IRELAND
The prisons board have again to repeat their complaint that magistrates do not make use of their powers under the juvenile offenders’ act to avoid sending children to jail. “It is disappointing to find so many juvenile offenders imprisoned.”
The board gave a list of cases.
The worse came from Cork. No fewer than eight children between the ages of 9 and 11-12 were sent to jail from Cork in 1903 for “obstructing the footway.”
In Galway a little girl of 10 was sent to jail for seven days for trespass! Is it too much to say that the magistrates who did these things should get as many months as these children got days in prison!
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THE MAITLAND MERCURY AND HUNTER RIVER GENERAL ADVERTISER
20th March, 1847 p4
FEMALE INTREPIDITY.-On Monday, as the Misses Crow, of Derriwillan, were returning from the sea shore, to their lodge, at Curranrue, they heard a shriek, and, on turning, saw a little boy running towards them, exclaiming that his brother was drowning in the sea. Both young ladies hastened to the spot, and arrived as the youth made his appearance a second time on the surface of the water. In a moment he was down again, and Miss Crow, throwing away her cloak and bonnet, rushed into the water to save him, but the place being very steep, before she was able to reach him she got beyond her depth, and down she went also.
Miss Lucy Crow, seeing her sister in such imminent danger, plunged into her rescue, but had not proceeded many yards when she found she could not go further without placing herself in the same perilous position, and that then all would be lost. In agonising suspense she stretched forth her hand to save her; alas! it was useless; they were too far asunder, and down her sister went again, overpowered by the weight of the little boy, who got entangled with the grasp of the dying in her hair and neck. But as if Providence would have it so, this time she was carried by the force of the waves on to a rock in the water, and, for a moment, resting her foot upon it, the brave girl reached forward so as lo be enabled to meet the outstretched arm of her intrepid sister, who, at length, succeeded in bringing herself and her young charge in safety to the shore.
One is at a loss which to admire, the intrepid bravery of the one or the judgment and presence of mind of the other of these young ladies, who, on returning to Derriwillin, will carry with them the blessings of the parents and friends of the youth whose life they thus, at the risk of their own, pro-videntially saved.- Galway Mercury. [What a beautiful subject for the poet and the painter.]
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TWO MILLIONS AHEAD
KANSAS CITY, MAY 23
The attorneys of James Monahan yesterday received a cablegram from London, Eng., stating that Mrs Monahan’s suit for the recovery of a large amount of property from the English government has been successful. The property consists of 17,000 acres of land near Limerick, county Galway (sic.), Ireland, and a valuable sheep ranch in Australia. The whole property is valued at $2,000,060.
It was seized from Timothy Brady in 1798 by the English government for some reason which is now known here. Mrs Monahan being Brady’s only surviving relative, the property descends to her. Mrs Monahan now lives at Independence, Mo., and is ninety-four years of age. She has a numerous family
White Star liner S.S. Teutonic 1900 Photo:John S. Johnsten wikipedia.org
LONESOME IRISH LASS
Had Only the Gaelic Language and a Shilling to Begin New World With.
A lonesome blue-eyed little Irish girl from County Galway landed the other day at the barge office in New York from the White Star line steamship Teutonic. She would not have been so lonesome if she had not been the only person in the ships company who had
no English. There was not a soul among all the Irish immigrants who could talk the Gaelic with her and she made herself understood by signs and smiles. She had so many of the latter
that she made friends of all the Irish aboard who all regretted for her sake that they were not of the stock that have regained a knowledge of the language of their fathers.
All the baggage the child had was a big valise and all the money she displayed to the inspectors was a bright I shilling piece. The interpreters tried to make out what was her object in coming to America. None of them succeeded. Then somebody recalled that Peter Groden the barge office plainclothes cop was an expert in Gaelic. He was sent for and came in a hurry. There is nothing delights Peter more than talking Gaelic.
The girl opened her eyes when Peter began crooning to her in her only tongue. Then her smile broke out like a sunburst and she clasped her hands about Peters neck, greeting him as a cousin. Peter is not her cousin but she considered that anybody who could talk her language in America must be at least a cousin.
Peter was much impressed with the girl. She told him between smiles that she was Bridget Coughrey and that she was the eldest of five children. Her parents rent a farm at Clifden, County Galway for which they pay $80 a year. She had learned from letters in Gaelic written by her uncle, Patrick Coughrey of Plttsburg, that there was a chance in America for an energetic girl to make a good living and she had persuaded her father and mother to let her come to her uncle.
They said they would and the uncle sent her a ticket entitling her to passage from Queenstown to New York aboard the Teutonic. She told Peter that times were hard at Clifden and she expected to make enough by working in Pittsburg to pay a good part of the yearly rental of the Galway farm.
Peter took her over to the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary at 7 State street and Father Henry took care of her She said that the buildings in the lower part of the town were much bigger and finer than any at Clifden or Cork.
Her uncle has been asked to send her fare to Pittsburg. He probably will but if he does not Bridget will be sent
to Pittsburg at the expense of the mission.
On Tuesday the 25th ult. while Mr. J. H. Hynes of New Quay, and the Rev Mr Fullam, Protestant clergyman, were out traul (sic.) fishing, with a crew of three men, in the Bay of Galway, a fleet consisting of 80 to 100 boats from the Galway Claddagh, bore down on them, and nine or ten of the boats having surrounded the fishing boat, 50 or 60 of the Claddagh fishermen suddenly boarded her, and after cutting away the traul, rushed on Mr Hynes and his party with the most awful imprecations and savage yells, armed with open knives, poles etc., knocked them down, beat them most unmercifully, leaving them apparently lifeless on the deck; they then cut down the sails, which along with the anchor, cables, ropes, poles and oars, they threw overboard. Finally they tore up the deck, and with the stones that formed the ballast, made many fruitless attempts to scuttle the boat, after which they departed, leaving her a complete wreck to drift along the sea; fortunately, she was rescued from her perilous situation by a New Quay boat, and towed into harbour.
An investigation was held on Monday at Correnrue (sic.), concerning this most daring outrage, before Messrs Bell and Kernan, stipendiary magistrates, and G. Macnamara, Esq J.P Harbour Hill. Although the lives of two of the crew and that of Mr Hynes were considered in imminent danger for four or five days, they are now supposed to be convalescent – Clare Journal.
https://widgetworld3.wordpress.com/podcasts/ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser 6th May, 1841 PLAGUE OF… LOCUSTS(?!) …GALWAY – 1689
According to the best account I can get of the swarms of insects which of late years have much infested the kingdom of Ireland, I find that this flying army was first taken notice of in the year 1688. They appeared on the south west coast of Galway, brought there by a south-west wind, one of the common, I might say, trade-winds of this country. From hence they made their way into the more inland parts, towards Bedford, a place belonging to George St. George, Bart., about twelve miles from the town of Galway. Here and in the adjacent country, multitudes of them showed themselves among the trees and hedges in the day time, hanging by the boughs, thousands together in clusters, sticking to the back of one another, as in the manner of bees when they swarm. In this posture or lying still and covered under the leaves of the trees or clinging to the branches, they continued quiet, with little or no motion, during the heat of the sun.
But towards evening or sunset, they would all arise, disperse and fly about with a strange humming noise much like the beating of drums at some distance and in such vast incredible numbers, that they darkened the air for the space of two or three miles square. Those that were travelling on the roads, or abroad in the fields, found it very uneasy to make their way through them, they would so beat and knock themselves against their faces in their flight, and with such a force as to smite the place where they hit and leave a slight mark behind them.
A short while after their coming, they had so entirely eaten up and destroyed all the leaves of the trees for some miles round-about that the whole country, though it was in the middle of summer, was left as bare and naked as if it had been in the middle of winter; and the grinding of the leaves in the mouths of this vast multitude, altogether made a sound very much resembling the sawing of timber. They came also into the gardens and destroyed the bulbs, blossoms and leaves of all the fruit tree, that they were left perfectly naked; nay, many of them that were more delicate and tender than the tree, lost their sap as well as leaves, and quite withered away, so as they never recovered it again particularly several trees in the curious plantation of one Mr Martin.
Nay, their multitudes spread so exceedingly, that they got into the houses, where numbers of them crawling about, were very irk-some; and they would oft to drop on the meat as it was dressing (sic) in the kitchen, and frequently fall from the ceiling of the rooms into the dishes as they were stood on the table while they ate – so extremely offensive and loathsome were they.
Their numerous creeping spawn, which they had lodged underground next the upper sod of the earth, did yet more harm in that close retirement than all the flying swarms of their parents had done abroad; for this young destructive brood, being underground, fell to devouring the roots of the corn and grass, and eating them up, ruined both the support of man and beast. This spawn, when first it gave sign of increasing every day, became a bigger worm, till at length it grew as big as a great white caterpillar; from whence according to the usual transformation natural to those smaller animals, came forth thus our flying insect.
The rage of this plague of vermin was fortunately checked several days. High winds, wet and mysting (sic.) weather, destroyed many millions of them in one day’s time.
Whence I gather, that though we have them in these southern moist climates, they are more natural, and more peculiarly belonging to warm and dry countries. Wherever these ill constitutions of the air prevailed, their bodies were so enfeebled they would let go their hold and drop to the ground from the branches where they struck; and so little a fall as this, at this time, was of sufficient force quite to disable, and sometimes perfectly kill them. Nay it was observable, that even when they were most alive and vigorous, a slight blow or offence would for some time hinder their motion if not deprive them of life. During these unfavourable seasons of weather, the swine and poultry of the country watched under the trees for their falling and ate them up in abundance, being much pleased with the food, and thriving well upon the diet. Nay I have been assured, that the poorer sort of the native Irish (the country then laying under a scarcity of provision), had a way of dressing them, and lived upon them as food.
In a little time it was found, that smoke was very offensive to these flies, and by burning heath, fern, and such like weeds, in this or that corner of their dardens or orchards which lay most convenient for the wind to disperse it among the trees, they would secure their gardens and prevent their incursions; of if they had entered, drive them out again.
Philosophical Transactions
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The Intermountain Catholic, February 27, 1909 p 6
VILLAGE OVERWHELMED BY VAST MOVING BOG
Details have just begun to reach Boston of a disaster in the west of Ireland, which in many respects has had no parallel in recent years.
Because of heavy rains and a severe frost, which was again followed by a thaw and more rain, a great section of a bog detached itself from the side of Mount Mary in County Galway and moved along silently in the night, overwhelming an entire village.
The people were all asleep and the first intimation they had of the disaster was the houses began to rock and move from their foundations. Some of the people, on trying to escape, found themselves waist deep in mud. The disaster came so suddenty and the bog moved with such rapidity that it was with the utmost difficulty that the people could get to safe ground, and in spite of all efforts one woman lost her life.
Cattle and livestock of all kinds were lost, and, or course, the people lost all their personal property. Ten houses were totally destroyed and fully 100 were damaged, some of them very seriously.
The latest accounts received in Boston state that 200 acres in the villages of Ballygar and Kilmore were covered with mud to a depth of twelve feet and that the bog is still moving, but much more slowly that at the outset.
The disaster attracted general attention in the west of Ireland.
Off the west coast of Ireland is a small Island where rabbits abound and when the tide is out the place may be reached by wading, the water being then only a few inches in depth. Two fishermen one day rowed to the island for bait, it being high tide, and on landing saw a fox lying on the beach. The fur of the animal was all wet and dirty, and he seemed to have been drowned.
One of the men, remarking that the skin was worth something, pitched the fox into the boat, and after they had returned to the mainland, he picked him up by the tail and threw him ashore. As soon as the cunning animal struck the beach, he jumped up and shot off like a flash among the cliffs, while the men stood staring at each other in mute astonishment. The men concluded that the fox had crossed over to the island during the night, while the tide was low, in search of rabbits, and finding in the morning that he was cut off from the mainland, he counterfeited death, with the expectation of getting a passage to the shore in a boat.
It may be that the fox was really stunned and almost drowned when found by the men, and had had time to recover on the way to the mainland; but the manner in which he jumped up and ran away the moment he touched land, indicated a clear case of “playing possum”.
michael kooiman Wikipedia.orghttps://widgetworld3.wordpress.com/podcasts/ THE INTERMOUNTAIN CATHOLIC JANUARY 26, 1907
A resolution passed by the Galway County Council condemning the action of the National bank for refusing to accept checks signed in Irish, has been adopted by several popular bodies in the country.
The Burren and Beyond 