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Loughrea – 1784

VOLUNTEERS JOURNAL OF THE IRISH HERALD 4TH JUNE, 1784 PAGE ONE

Photo: EO’D

(abridged)
At a meeting of the Gentlemen, Clergy and other inhabitants of the county of Galway, at Loughrea, on Tuesday the 25th of May, 1784 pursuant to public notice
Colonel PERSSE in the chair, the following resolutions were unanimously agreed to;
1. that to the abundant and constant importation of British draperies, and other fabrics, are principally owing the calamities of our woolen and other manufacturers, and the ? of credit and distress of the far greater part of the landed interest of this kingdom.
2. that to alleviate as much as in us lies, the mischiefs attendant on the use of such British fabrics, we hereby pledge ourselves to our country and to each other that we will not, from this day, directly or indirectly, either by ourselves or others, import, purchase, wear, consume or in any manner use the woollen or other fabrics or manufactured goods of Great Britain, neither shall we permit the same to be bought, used or worn by our families, servants or others over whom we have any influence, until the Protecting Duties in this kingdom, in favour of its manufacturers, be equal to those now in England in similar cases.

If anyone breaches the agreement  we shall in such case not only break off all manner of dealing and connection with such person or persons, but we shall publish his/her or their names as base and treacherous enemies to their country.

If at any time hereafter the journeymen or other working manufacturers of this kingdom should enter into unlawful agreements or combinations to raise their usual wages or that the clothiers, manufacturers or other dealers should raise the prices of their manufacture of goods beyond their usual and just value, we shall in all such cases look upon ourselves as disengaged from, and no longer bound by this agreement.
WILLIAM PERSSE, CHAIRMAN AND JAMES JOYCE, SECRETARY.

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The insufferable James Joyce – 1924

Advocate Melbourne 2nd October, 1924 p.20 (abridged)

James Joyce Photo: Alex Ehrenzweig 1915 Wikimedia Commons
James Joyce
Photo: Alex Ehrenzweig 1915
Wikimedia Commons

In a letter from our London correspondent, which appears in this issue, reference is made to a couple of plays which pretend to treat certain phases of Irish character. These plays bring into being a new “stage Irishman.” This mythical “gentleman” is far worse than the old “stage Irishman,” with his impossible simian countenance, his red nose, his “begobs” and “begorras” and his made-to-order jokes. The latter, being however absurd and ridiculous a mis-creation, was at any rate “clean” in his patter and in his characterisation. Not so the new “stage Irishman,” who is a repulsive and brutal type, a ruffian and a disgrace. And the worst of it is that he was created first by Irishmen.

Synge, for all his wonderful manner of making a new Kiltartan out of phrases made many of his characters outrageous. His own pessimism and irreligious characteristics are too often found in those characters.
Brinsley MacNamara and the insufferable James Joyce have, each in his own way, made Irish character repulsive and disgusting. We can hardly blame those responsible for the occasional appearance of the old stage Irishman – as the “Herald” in the case of a recent cartoon – when Irishmen themselves are found creating and exploiting that baseless monstrosity, the new and the worse, stage Irishman.