The Highland Lady In Ireland. Elizabeth Grant
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10. Children all went to Peeny Kelly’s who made much of them Jack in particular, he must be Squire Smith again, no Colonels for her, he must live in his own place among his own people and he will always have plenty for they always had plenty before him. Very likely, when the property was twice as large as it is now.
15. How excessively beautiful is the English of Junius, 8 I never studied it before having only known it read in bits by my father as was his custom with most Authours he liked from whom he used to select passages for our evening’s amusement. What pains my father took with us, it did not strike us when we were young, it was done so easily, so much as a part of his own occupations. But every hour since I was separated from him, I have felt the value of early constant intercourse with such a mind as his. We were his companions in all his pursuits—his assistants as far as our powers admitted. What we could comprehend he always so fully explained, yet he led us to enquire for ourselves, seldom either giving us short roads to knowledge, he often let us take a great deal of pains to find out what he could very easily have told us.
John Hornidge called quite in a bustle about the Election for Poor Law Guardian, having nominated Colonel Smith and taken a world of pains to secure his return in opposition to one Riley set up by the Priests. He tried hard to get Hal to promise to accompany him to-morrow to canvass some respectable farmers in Lacken. Sacred musick the first part of the evening, Lord Byron afterwards.
16. I think my self my little hub is acting Coriolanus a little bit, however he says he won’t move; if the black-guards elect him he will do his best for them but he won’t solicit one of their most sweet voices. They all know he has consented to the nomination.9
19. We met the priest Father Germaine whose Curate has been so busy setting up this Riley, he very much wanted to pass us appearing in the extreme of hurry, but Hal would not let him off. ‘How are you, Mr. Germaine’? He was obliged to answer though he quickened his pace. ‘Has your Curate been very successful in his canvass?’ ‘I believe not, Sir’, said the poor priest quite taken aback; it was too bad. Coming home my heart filled thinking of all the happiness that awaited us, business going forward everywhere, the ploughman in the field, the labourers splashing [trimming] the hedges, the farm yard full. It is really enjoying life to live as we do.
31. Tumult in the family on account of thefts from the pantry, so many cakes taken away yesterday, the two girls suspected but in the absence of proof could accuse none so we called the whole household together. Would allow no one to speak, only listen to a pretty severe rebuke; fancied that we saw guilt on the two faces.
Hal and I walked all about to see what the men were doing, some fencing, some potato planting. Beautiful weather, all prospering round us. Both Hal and I bore the success of the priests and Mr. Riley in the poor law business with equanimity.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1. Hal and I walked to Russboro’, found Lady Milltown in and so agreeable we staid an hour hearing her talk. In praise of John Robinson as a man of business and talent and as a gentleman. Against the priests and the Irish generally. About the queen and her temper!
6. The Doctor and Tom Darker amusing us with the Priest’s denuciations in the chapel against Colonel Smith and anyone who voted for him as a Poor Law guardian in opposition to the Candidate of the true faith. He called on most of our tenants, threatened all, and rated all, yet all but two voted for their landlord. Dempsey stoutly insisted that he would, he did not care, he would vote for the man who gave him his land, and he let the priest understand that it would be as well to give over abusing him for he was not the man that would bear it, the Curate struck him when Dempsey turning to the Priest advised him to look after that young man of his for so sure as he ever laid hands upon him again so sure would he knock him down.
They told Farrell the carpenter that if he did not vote for their candidate they would not let him enter their chapel, on which he observed there were other places of worship he could get into without any leave from them. They have refused to christen a child of James Carney’s the mason on the same account without he pay them most exorbitant fees. All this is most agreeable to me, the tighter they strain the cord the sooner will it snap. The roused feeling of the people too is really comforting, a ray of light in the darkened land.
The Doctor a good judge says it is surprising the change among the people latterly in their estimation of the priests they are losing much of their fear for them and all their respect. Tom Darker says the same thing, that they talk of their priests now in a way they would never have dreamed of doing a year or two ago. I think nay I feel sure that if we protestants did our duty, if we acted up to our principles, if the landlords visited and assisted and became acquainted with their tenantry and our clergy laboured with zeal in their vocation, there would be few papists in this country in twenty years.
14. Another summer day but windy. Paddy the gardener who had been absent yesterday without leave (whiskey drinking of course) at his work again. Hal went in to the Sessions having heard a bad account of Judy Ryan and her sister big Ellen quarrelling and fighting and drinking, taken up by the police at last.
16. Hal off on a crusade against the impertinent interference of the Roman Catholic priest with his tenantry, party work, political scheming beginning here where till now we never had any of it. Tenants who voted with and for their landlord denounced from the altar, harrassed in every way. So on the priest and on the tenants the Colonel means to call, to request of the first not to trouble themselves with what should not concern them, to tell the second to mind what they are about, to inform all that such as are not thoroughly for him he shall henceforth consider as against him and treat accordingly, he never till now interfered with them one way or another, but war having been proclaimed he will not blink the fight. If there were more like him we should not have the country priest-ridden the way it is. The poor people are well inclined and would be happy and prosperous if those vile priests would let them alone. Well, he found Father Ricard the curate at home, Father Germaine was not at home, and he told him quite plainly all he had heard and all he thought of what he had heard and all he certainly should do in consequence and he does not think they will continue their agitation hereabouts. At first the little priest tried to shuffle off the accusation but at last he was obliged to admit its truth though he excused it as an incidental flourish in an admonitory harangue concerning dues which I am delighted to find they are beginning to find some difficulty in collecting.
Mrs. John Hornidge called looking most wretched, so very fine too, just like a corpse dressed up for the grave in Italy in all the family splendour!
17. These wild people all gone mad, nothing but fighting in Baltiboys during these odious holidays. Andy Hyland beat and bruised in a most shocking manner by four strangers on the Ballymore road who insisted they owed him a beating though they would not say for what. Red Paddy Quin and big Pat his cousin a regular fight unknown for what. Pat Ryan and James Ryan both on lame James Quin for some mistake about a cart. Pat Ryan and Paddy the gardener at midnight on Monday quarrelling in Blesinton breaking people’s windows keeping half the town up. Judy Ryan and her sister Ellen throwing pewter pots at some men’s heads in a publick house and worst of all Dempsey his four daughters, George Cairns, his wife, and others setting on James Ryan with stones and broomsticks and pitch forks because they were displeased at his having hired a certain field. Shall we live to tame in any degree such savages.
18. Lovely day, played with Johnny, saw the little girls off on the donkeys for the post, then went to put away the clean clothes and then to start on my tour of lecturing. Pat Ryan and Judy his wife, James Ryan and his wife, George Cairns and his wife, Bryan Dempsey three of his daughters and two sons, Mary Dodson, Judy Ryan etc. all required it and all got it, all acknowledged they were wrong but did not seem inclined to do right again, all thanked me for the respect shown them in my taking the trouble to come to speak to them, none were uncivil, so I shall continue paying this respect in hopes that by constantly showing an interest in them and watching over them and advising them kindly we may in time improve their tempers. If I could but keep the women quiet,