The keen of the South of Ireland: as illustrative of Irish political and domestic history, manners, music, and superstitions / Collected, edited, and chiefly translated by T. Crofton Croker.

  • Croker, Thomas Crofton, 1798-1854.
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The keen of the South of Ireland: as illustrative of Irish political and domestic history, manners, music, and superstitions / Collected, edited, and chiefly translated by T. Crofton Croker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Deaf and Dumb Institution at Claremont, near Dublin, the lake of Gougane barra, in the west of the county of Cork. The object of our little excursion was to witness what is called the “ Pat- tern,” held on St. John’s eve, when many thou- sands of the peasantry usually assembled there for the purposes of piety and mirth, penance and transgression. This combination of purposes may sound odd to an English ear, but it nevertheless correctly describes this, and similar meetings in Ireland. We reached the lake about three o’clock in the afternoon of the 23rd June, and spent between four and five hours in observing the pro- ceedings and ceremonies used by the pilgrims upon and about the “green island in lone Gougane barra Whence Allua of songs rushes forth like an arrow.” After having satisfied our mental craving, we felt it necessary to attend to our bodily appetites, and for this purpose adjourned to a tent where some tempting slices of curdy Kerry salmon had attracted our notice. In this tent, with the ex- ception of about half an hour, we remained located from half-past seven in the evening, until two o'clock the following morning, when we took our departure for Cork. After discussing the merits of this salmon, and washing it down with some of “ Beamish & Craw-