LIFE IN IRELAND ii 



father's hounds, drove a fox into the chapel, or more 

 properly speaking the barn; the hounds entered with 

 him in full cry, and Brian with upwards of fifty horse- 

 men fairly galloped in at one door and out at the other, 

 trampling upon hypocrisy without remorse; nay more, 

 the minister was seated in the body of an old jaunting 

 car, which served for a pulpit ; Brian cleared it at one 

 spring, carrying off with his horse's heels the wig and 

 part of old thump the cushion^ s scalp, at the same time 

 tipping a fine holla, that seemed a death-knell to every 

 sinner of the gang. In truth, Brian being one of the 

 first men of landed property in the country, did as he 

 pleased ; it was a favourite saying of his when in his 

 cups, ' Bad luck to Connaught, and who dare say so 

 but myself?' and if any one dared to repeat the words, 

 w^hack went to work the shillelah, and in the twinkling 

 of a blind piper's eye there were 'wigs upon the 

 green.' 



He also headed the ' Garry Owen boys ! ' These 

 fellows inhabit a suburb of Limerick, much upon a par 

 with the Liberty of Dublin, and if any one in debt 

 flies there for protection, they grant it, and brave both 

 the swaddles (soldiers) and the ra77iskins (bailiffs) often 

 successfully. As the Mint in London was formerly, so 

 was Garry Owen considered a privileged place for 

 ivhacks and schedoms (pickpockets and rebels). The 

 old song is still a great favourite- 

 Wrong or right we'll take them in, 

 To keep them out would be a sin, 



My father did so before me : 

 Pay the reck'ning on the nail, 

 No man for debt shall go to jail, 

 Says Garry Owen to glory. 



