Browne — Ethnography of Inisfibofin and Inishshark. 353 



monotonous cliant of three or four lines ; the last phrase of each line 

 ■was very often ffo deo deo-deo (= for aye, aye, aye), the vowel sound of 

 easily accommodating itself to the prolonged chant. Another termi- 

 nation y7?iS nios-mo-mo-mo (= no more, more, more). I still recollect 

 one touching line of the dirge : it was — tci mo tlieacMn foUamh go deo- 

 deo-deo, ' my little house is empty for evermore, more, more.' Un- 

 fortunately, I know nothing about music, but the chant reminded 

 me of the fourth line of the old air of ' The Elackbird.' " 



Owing to the stone of the island not being easily worked the grave- 

 stones are usually rough, shapeless slabs, or are rudely chipped into 

 the fonn of a cross, while the rest of the grave is covered with flat 

 stones. 



A large number of the men formerly went as harvesters to England 

 and Scotland, where some of the young girls still go as servants ; but 

 very few do so now, though they say the harvesting paid well. It is 

 more the fashion now to go to America even for a few years ; and 

 instances have occurred of people shutting up their houses, leaving' all 

 their furniture and utensils as they were, going off to the United 

 States for three or four years, and then coming back, resuming posses- 

 sion, and falling into all the old ways and customs as if nothing very 

 unusual had occurred. It is quite a common occurrence for young 

 men to go to America for seven or eight years (generally to the neigh- 

 bourhood of Pittsburg to work at the foundries there), at the end of 

 that time to return home, settle down, and get manied. Many of the 

 girls go to Scotland, as servants, for five or six months of the year to 

 assist their parents at home. 



3. Food. — The dietary is much- more varied than that of many 

 of the inhabitants of the inland districts ; it consists largely of fish of 

 various kinds, potatoes, and home-made bread. Plesh meat is rarely 

 tasted except at Christmas or some other great occasion, when a little 

 mutton may be eaten, but fowl and geese are occasionally used. The 

 fish which forms the staple of the diet is eaten fresh in spring and 

 summer time, and large supplies of it are salted and dried in the sun 

 for the winter's use ; the kinds cured are mainly ling, sea-bream, and 

 glassan. 



Butter and cheese are not used ; and eggs, though forming part of 

 the regular food, are mostly employed as a purchasing medium for tea, 

 sugar, tobacco, &c., at the principal shop, whence they are forwarded to 

 Westport. 



Tea has come greatly into use, and is taken in large quantities with 



E.I.A. PKOC, SEE. ni., VOL. ni. 2 B 



