Ireland: Its Ancient Civilisation and Social Customs. 5 1 



into debt and managed to get rid of their estates. Three classes 

 of gentlemen, who were known under the following titles, were 

 described, viz. : — Half-mounted gentlemen, second, gentlemen 

 every inch, and third, gentlemen to the backbone. A description 

 by Barrington was given of Donnybrook Fair as it was in his 

 day. He says : — Toys and trinkets were on sale in great variety, 

 and in the evening, when the parents had given the children a 

 glass each of the 'cratur,' to keep the cowld out of their little 

 stomachs, every trinket, or drum, fiddle, whistle, or pop-gun, 

 which the fond mothers had bestowed, was set sounding, all 

 together, over the green, and chimed in with a dozen of fiddles 

 and as many pipers, jigging away for the dance — an amalgam- 

 ation of sounds among the most extraordinary that ever tickled 

 the ear of a musician. Everybody, drunk or sober, took a share 

 in the long dance, and I have seen a row of a hundred couple 

 labouring at their jig steps till they fell off actually breathless, 

 and rather better than if they had been river deities of the 

 Donnybrook.'' These fairs were the modern survival of what 

 was once a semi -religious festival of the great aenachs, or ancient 

 games. Owing to the amount of drinking that was indulged in, 

 the clergy of all denominations used their influence to suppress 

 them, so that they are now almost extinct. I recollect a fair of 

 this kind held in the County Tyrone up to about forty-five 

 years ago. A similar fair was held at the Giant's- Causeway up 

 to about 1849 or 1850; tents were spread on the face of the hill 

 where the hotels now stand ; refreshments were on sale, fiddlers 

 and pipers supplied the music, people flocked from far and near, 

 and this continued for a couple of days. Boys strolled over the 

 Causeway enjoying the fresh sea breezes, accompanied by their 

 sweethearts. These annual fairs were looked forward to as the 

 great social event of the year, and greatly stimulated the mar- 

 riage market. The costume of the country people in the North 

 of Ireland in my earliest days was, for men, swallow-tail coats, 

 knee breeches, long woollen stockings, and laced shoes. The hat 

 was felt, made in the neighbouring town ; it was high-crowned, 

 narrow leaf, and heavy, made from lamb's wool, and was useful in 



