LIFE IN IRELAND 29 



that the most polished gentleman in Ireland, for whom 

 love had twined her most delicate garlands, and fashion 

 acknowledged as a supreme dictator ; be not astonished 

 that he should be introduced to thee with an oath on 

 his lips, and that a tremendous one, sufficient, as Shak- 

 spear has it, to ' split the ears of the groundlings/ or 

 give a methodist parson the glanders. 



Sir Shawn O'Doghertv was very seldom addicted 

 to swearing, except at his dogs or himself when he was 

 out of humour with either, which was rarely the case, 

 for he was 



' Laughter holding both his sides. 



But there are particular occasions when an Irishman 

 cannot avoid swearing ; in speaking of an absent friend 

 he will say, ' Now the Devil keep him away till he 's 

 tir'd of staying, but I wish he was here, so I do.' Or 

 ' Devil split him ! I wish he was in hell or Connaught, 

 and then we'd know where to find him.' Thus, in 

 meeting after a long absence, he exclaims with energy, 

 and a friendly wag of the daddle, ' Bad luck to your 

 soul ! and worse to the world if it doesn't use you well ; 



I hope you 're hearty and be d d to you ! ' Or this, 



'Hunger and rags be your portion in this world and 

 the next ! arn't you come to dinner, the Devil choke 



you?' 



There is something warm and friendly in thus first 

 sending a man to perdition and then dragging him out 

 of it with a blessing. I remember once standing on 

 the Light-House Walk, Dublin, with a right good fellow 

 as ever took the froth of a pot, or the bead of a naggin, 

 speaking of an absentee's virtues — 'Do you love our 



