Saturday, February 16, 2008

Booze and the Irish "Famine"

"..During the first nine months of "Black '47" the export of grain-derived alcohol from Ireland to England included the following: 874,170 gallons of porter, 278,658 gallons of Guinness, and 183,392 gallons of whiskey..."

(http://www.nde.state.ne.us/ss/irish/irish_pf.html)

It takes grain to make booze. It could have been food. This is just the booze that was exported, made from potentially edible food, let alone all the food for consumption that was exported during the "famine", starvation really. More information at that link above.

Profit first, as always, even in the midst of a disaster.

Sound familiar?

faeryharper plays "Eamon an Chnoic"

Lovely:

Mise Eamon an Chnoic

In the latter years of the 17th century and early years of the 18th century a Robin Hood type figure roamed the hills around West Tipperary and East Limerick. Edmond O'Ryan or Eamonn a Chnoic or Ned of the Hills was one of a small band of rapparees who championed the cause of the poor, the dispossessed natives and continually harassed the English planters. Many legends and tales are told of these men and their deeds have passed into the folklore of the area.

Edmond O'Ryan was born at Atshanbohy near Upperchurch sometime around 1670. His ancestors were extensive landowners, whose lands were confiscated after the Desmond Rebellion, one hundred years before. Now, rich planters from England owned the lands, and the Ryans remained on as tenants. This situation must have been totally unacceptable to a young lad, whose ancestors on his fathers side were the valiant clan of O'Riain, Chiefs of Kilnaloangarty, and on his mother's side the famous O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh.

The young Eamonn was sent to France to be educated and study for the priesthood. However, he soon decided that this was not the life for him and returned to his native country. Soon after returning he was involved in a fracas with a tax collector who was making off with the only cow belonging to a poor widow who was a neighbour of Eamonn. Eamonn intervened and begged the tax collector to take some furniture or other items which the old lady could do without. It was all to no avail as the tax collector had his heart set on the cow. The two became embroiled in a brawl which ended in Eamonn shooting the tax collector dead. He was now forced to go on the run, hiding in the many woods of his native county, while a large reward was offered for his head.

When King James arrived in Ireland in 1689, Eamonn was among the many who readily joined his army in the mistaken belief that the Jacobite cause was the cause of Ireland. He fought at the Battle of the Boyne and at Aughrim before joining ranks with Sarsfield as he attacked the Williamite siege train bound for Limerick. Tradition has it that Eamonn was at the head of the flying column that attacked Williams train all along its journey from Cashel to Ballyneety.

After the Treaty of Limerick Sarsfield and his soldiers went to fight on the continent. However, Eamonn, like Galloping O'Hogan and many others, reverted to the woods and lived as outlaws and attacking the English in a type of guerilla warfare, in an attempt to drive the foreigners from their land. Many stories have survived to the present, telling the tales of how these men survived, how they robbed and plundered the new land owners, how they managed to evade the soldiers who were constantly searching for them and how they helped the poor and down-trodden in true Robin Hood fashion. We have no way of knowing how true many of these stories are.

Tradition is especially rich in the case of Eamonn. One story recounts, how, being short of money, he met a lady travelling and bade her "Stand and deliver". The lady burst into tears as she handed over her purse which contained £100. Her husband had left on business to England and this was all she possessed. Eamonn feeling sorry for her, handed back her purse, taking a half crown to tide him over. The lady was very grateful and on hearing that he was the outlaw Eamonn a Chonic, promised to ask her husband to use his influence to obtain a pardon for him.

A similar story concerns a poor man who lived near Borrisoleigh. Being appalled by the poverty of the man, Eamonn suggested that he should give information to the authorities concerning the whereabouts of Eamonn himself to obtain the £5 reward. At first the poor man objected strongly but after being assured that Eamonn knew what he was doing, he agreed. He told the military the spot in which they would find Eamonn and obtained his reward. Eamonn awaited the arrival of the troops in the pre-arranged spot, but had his escape well and truly planned. When the soldiers arrived, he surprised them, killing seven of them before he lost his pursuers in the hills.

Reuben Lee was a soldier in Cromwell's army, who remained behind and took to the hills with the outlaws. However, he hoarded up the money he stole unlike the others who divided it amongst the poor. Having amassed a considerable sum, he contacted the authorities and promised to hand over Eamonn in return for his own pardon. A deal was struck and Reuben arranged to have Eamonn at his house at a certain date. Eamonn arrived at the house accompanied by a man called Ryan who lived close by. As the three chatted by the fire, the Ryan man got suspicious of Lee and communicated this to Eamonn, in the Irish language which Lee did not understand. Eamonn kept a close eye on the window and spotting the soldiers coming down the land, he immediately jumped up, shot Lee through the heart and himself and his companion made a hasty escape.

There are many other such stories told of Eamonn, but in truth we really know very little about him. Apart from being an Officer in Sarsfield's Army and being an outlaw in the hills, we also know that he was a poet of considerable talent. His description of the life of an outlaw is contained in that famous Irish poem "Eamonn a Chnoic". Another poem attributed to him and similar in style to "Eamonn a Chnoic" is "Bean Dubh an Gleanna", a love song which may have been written to Mary Leahy, who is reputed to have married Eamonn.

It is also thought that Eamonn is the author of "Scan O'Duibhir a Ghleanna" a patriotic poem, encouraging young men to follow in the footstep of John O'Dwyer of Kilnamanagh in fighting for their land.

Much tradition also surrounds the death of Eamonn. According to the Cork Archealogical Journal, he was killed by a relative of his, O'Dwyer, in Hollyford. It seems that O'Dwyer gave refuge to the tired and hungry outlaw, and while he was sleeping cut his head off with a hatchet. He then placed the head in a sack and headed for Cashel where he hoped to get the reward. However, what O'Dwyer did not know was that Eamonn had been pardoned a short time before. On arrival at Cashel the head was placed on a spike over the gate of the jail. It was later taken down and given to Sadie, his sister, who had it buried at Curraheen near Hollyford. A skull was found at this site a few years ago and a memorial has been erected here. It is said that friends of Eamonn had taken his body from where O'Dwyer had dumped it and buried it in Doon graveyard. However this has never been verified.

From: www.doonbleisce.com/eamonn_a_chnoic.htm



(Irish, literal Translation, Anglicized version)

Cé hé sin amuigh, a bhuil faobhar ar a guth,
S'tá'g reabadh mo dhorais dúnta?
Mise Ĕamon a' chnoic atá báite fúair fliuch,
Ó shíorshúil na sléibhte s'na gleannta.

Is fada mis' 'muigh faoi sneachta's faoi sioc
Is gan dánacht agam ar éinne
Mo shéisreach gan scor, s'mo bhranar gan cur,
Agus gan íad agamsa ar aon chor

Níl cáirde agam, is danaid liom san,
Chun do glachadh mé moch agus déanach,
'Nois do caithigh mé dul thar farraige shoir
Ó 's ánn nach a' bhuil mo ghaelta.

Ó a lao ghil s'a chuid céard a dhéanaimse dhuit'
Mura gcuirfhinn tu féin faoi mo ghúna,
Is nach mbéidh púdar dubh á shiorshéadadh leat,
Ach go mbéimish (together) múchta. Trans. (le chéile)

Ó mo mhallacht ar'n díamhall ar dhúnmharraidh é,
Is go dóiteann sé 'n-ifreann (forever)
Ach an t'Úasal Ó' Ríain, Ó go mbaireann do h'anam
Ar dheis Dé anois is I gcónai……Trans. (On God's right hand now and forever)

*****

O! who's that without, with a trembling shout,
Now rattles my door that is bolted?
This is Eamon a' Chnoic and I'm drowned wet and cold,
From traversing the mountains and valleys.

I'm long perished in snow, and in ice and in gale,
I am famished, my life's nearly ended,
My land's without mark, and my fields without seed,
They're no longer my own (ar aon chor) Trans. (in any case)

I haven't a friend to call early or late,
From my family I'm hid and alone,
(Thar na farraige shoir), I must exile from here, Trans. (over the Eastern seas)
And must live in the land of the stranger.

O! my darling, my dote, what am I to do
But to cover you up with my gown,
So that powder and shot will not blast you alone,
But that we'll be together extinguished.

O! my curse on the fiend who has murdered my dear,
May he burn up for ever in Hades,
But my darling Ó'Ríain, may your soul be at rest,
On God's right hand now and forever.

*****

Oh who is without
That in anger they should
Keep beating my bolted door
I am Ned of the hill
Long weary and chilled
From long trudging
Over marsh and moor

My love fond and true
What else could I do
But shield you from wind and from weather
When the shot falls like hail
They us both shall assail
And mayhap we will die together

Through frost and through snow
Tired and hunted I go
In fear of both friend and of neighbour
My horses run wild
My acres untilled
And all of it lost to my labour

What grieves me far more
Than the loss of my store
Is there's noone would shield me from danger
So my fate it must be
To bid farewell to thee
And to languish amid strangers