Kerry Trick

Asenath Nicholson
1847
Chapter XIX (6) | Start of Chapter

In half an hour all were snoring around me, and soon my troubles found a quietus, which lasted till five, when my Kerryite stood at the bed-side with a bog-wood torch. "And may be ye wouldn't like to go on so airly?" Saying "Yes,"—"An' in the name of God we'll go on,"—I hurried up, and lo! he was gone, and I have not seen him since! This I was told was genuine Kerry roguery, done for the sole purpose of enjoying to himself the gratification of my surprise and hustling to hurry on, and join his company.

Ireland’s Welome to the Stranger is one of the best accounts of Irish social conditions, customs, quirks and habits that you could wish for. The author, Mrs Asenath Nicholson, was an American widow who travelled extensively in Ireland on the eve of the Great Famine and meticulously observed the Irish peasantry at work and play, as well as noting their living conditions and diet. The book is also available from Kindle.