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O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 11

O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 11
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periodical Publisher
Regan Printing House, Chicago, 1913
periodical Editor
[none]
periodical Title
O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians
volume Number
1
issue Content
20 Iris/i lYfinstrels and JlIusiciansBards and the Bardic Orders 21that it existed long before the arrival of the Milesians. Daghda, the great chiefand druid of the Tuatha De Danaan, on the recovery of his harper Uaithne andhis harp, carried off by the Fomorians on their retreat, played the three musicalfeats which gave distinction to a harper. namely: the Suantrctiglze, (which fromits deep murmuring caused sleep) ; the Geantraiglic, (which from its merrimentcaused laughter) ; and the Goltraighe (which from its melting plaintivenesscaused crying) .In the opinion of Prof. Conran, atithor of The Vationai Music of Ireland,(London. 1850), Irish airs admit of five classifications as follow-s: Amorous;Festive; Rural; Martial; and Dirge Music.In the vicissitudes of time and the untoward conditions resulting frominvasion and spoliation the hardic order declined in ,pumher an importance untilfinally the poets. brehons. seanacines, and other attendants of royalty and nobilityentirely disappeared, leaving no survivals of their privileged class but the bardsof the late centuries, who doubly (lowered by nature combined the twin arts ofpoetry and music.As Walker says: The character of the bard once so reverenced in Irelandbegan to sink into contempt in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.No wonder that under the accumulated woes of her reign, Irish prestigealmost faded away and the muse winged her flight from the fated land, or weptand wailed over sorrows that no braver could dispel, or no courage avert.Gradually, slowly, vet surely, the race of bards became extinct. The years havelong passed by when every clan had its lord, and every chief his minstrel.1 rom a powerful caste the bards in course of time participating in the mis-fortunes of their chieftains and people, became personal attendants of individualchiefs and finally became wandering minstrels partaking of the hospitality ofthe reduced gentry of the ancient race, and even of the upstart squireens in theirlast degenerate days.From the following petition by one of the once powerful McCarthvs appealingto the Lords Justices for the restoration of his patrimony about the middle ofthe eighteenth century, we may form some conception of the impoverished conch-tion to which a scion of that princely race had been reduced by the confiscationof his inheritance. His case was no doubt typical of the times in which it waswritten, and we can well realize that neither bards, harpers, nor other musicians.could long survive the fallen fortunes and decay of their historic patrons.Most Worthy Gentlemen:I, Dennis McCarthy, a poor indigent, miserable, deplorable, la-mentable, needy, distressed, friendless, unfortunate, misfortunate,student, and scholar, learner and disciple, and follower, and lover, andadmirer, and friend, to the tuneful Nine, and Heliconian Choir, doexposulate, invoke. obsecrate, l)eg, pray, and beseech your worships,and lordships. and majestical powers. grandeurs, highnesses, andmightinesses, and excellencies, to commisserate, pity, and take com-passion, and bemoan, and touched with the state and condition of me,Mr. McCarthy. extracted, descended, and derived, and sprung, andcome from the most powerful, most might , most wise, most witty,most learned, most exquisite, most refined, most polished, mostfinished, most accomplished, most polite, most established, mostconsummate, most deserving, most meritorious, most eminent, mosthonorable, most liberal, most free, most glorious, most noble, mostsplendid, most bright, most heroic, most illustrious, most maglianimous, most warlike, most brave, most renowned, and most courage-ous race, stock, lineage, pedigree, genealogy, and generation, of theprincely regal, royal, martial and grand McCarthys, of the County ofKerry, whose noble actions. and exploits, achievements, perform-ances, transactions, lahours, and works, will never be forgotten.defamed, disannulled, annihilated, antiquated, obliterated by tradi-tion, time, antiquity, or even eternity; but raised historied, and en-nobled, aggrandized, eternized, advanced, promoted, extolled, ele-vated by following and ensuing, and comingafter posterity, and chil-dren, and succeeding and future time, and recorded, commemor-ated, and related, and reached, and accepted, and dictated, andrehearsed, and established in histories, records, registries, annals.memories compendhun s, and libels of glory, and fame, and character.and reputation; who am son and heir, and proprietor, and poor dearchild, of the strong, fierce, hold, daring, terrible, and formidable, andstout and brave, Timothy. fhady, McTiege. McOwen, McDerby.Mcl lorence. l cClmarles, \Icl )aniel. \l ct arthv (Lord Muskerry).formerly, and autiently living, and inhabiting, dwelling and resortingin the county of Kerry, who then and at that time, there, and at thatplace had and held, kept and possessed. and enjoyed a plentiful andbountiful, copious, hospitable. audi open house, dwelling and habita-tion and abode for all sorts and sizes of people, young and old, menand women, boys and girls, gentle and simple, proper and! common,generous and rustical, poor audi rich, that came east and west, northand south, this way and that way, and every way, for many and sev-eral years and months, and was ruler and rector, and governor andprotector, and chief head magistrate. andl Justice of the Peace, and!used to wear broadcloth. and fine linen, and ruffles, and a silver-hilted sword!, and boots and spurs, and a three-legged wig and wasprovost of a town, city and corporation in saidi county, out of whichhe was with the strongest violence, compulsion and expulsion, forcedout and turned! out, and obliged to go out, and now said place, is faralienated, transferred and removed, and! made over from me and myhenefit. emoluments, in the hands, and lands, tenor, and possession,of Mr. W F. Esq.. and! magistrate. and Justice of thePeace, and quorum; and one of his majestys stibjects.May it therefore plca e your honours, qualities, qualifications.and ordinances, worships, and dignities, to help, relieve, assist andsuccour, your poor, necessitous, and! calamitous petitioner, me, Mr.McCarthy, who was and is, and has been, and will be banished.finished, perished, deprived of his vital spirit by cold, fugitated byfamine, unless you consider his state and condition, and want, andnecessity, and calamity, past, present, and to come, by giving, aiding.assisting, enforcing. and making over upon him, soniething, or any-thing or nothing, or some where, or any where, or no where, or everywhere, to buy beer, bread, brandy, coat, waistcoat, or breeches, tocircumdate, circumferate. surround or cover, or protect, or defendmy disordered, and clistempered. and disfigured abused and soiledfelt, health, skin, hide, that have, and was, and is, and will be ex-toxicated. scorched, perished, tortured, burnt. and destroyed, by the
issue Number
1
page Number
11
periodical Author
O'Neill, Capt. Francis
issue Publication Date
1913-01-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians

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