62 THE UNAPPRECIATED FISHER FOLK. 
of a boat, according to the means of her parents, and the 
wedding ring is an heir-loom of the family ; it is transferred 
from mother to daughter, the first married, and so on 
to their descendants. The Claddagh people, after the 
fashion of their foreign brethren, hold occasional fétes and 
make merry on the occasion of electing their Mayor or 
King and sheriffs. The Mayor is completely one of them- 
selves, but when at sea he acts as admiral, and, as we have 
said, his word in most thingsis law. When out fishing, the 
Claddagh men carry in their boats no strong drink of any 
kind—no spirits or malt liquors. 
With these few details of this curious place, we take our 
leave of the Irish fisher folk, heartily wishing them a great 
increase of prosperity. 
