Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Volume 2

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Royal Irish Academy, 1893 - Antiquities

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Page 806 - Hy-Brasail elevated far to the west in their watery horizon. This had been the universal tradition of the ancient Irish, who supposed that a great part of Ireland had been swallowed by the sea, and that the sunken part often rose, and was seen hanging in the horizon ! Such was the popular notion.
Page 762 - ... by night, and with a candle light kill abundance of them. Here are severall wells and pooles, yet in extraordinary dry weather, people must turn their cattell out of the islands, and the corn failes. They have noe fuell but cow-dung dryed with the sun, unless they bring turf in from the western continent.
Page 147 - Description of the Modifications of certain Organs which seem to be Illustrations of the Inheritance of Acquired Characters in Mammals and Birds.
Page 791 - I do not mean to say that they are rigidly temperate, or that instances of excess, followed by the usual Irish consequences of broken heads, do not occasionally occur ; such could not be expected when their convivial temperament, and dangerous and laborious occupations are remembered. They never swear, and they have a high sense of decency and propriety, honour and justice. In appearance they are healthy, comely, and prepossessing ; in their dress (with few exceptions), clean and comfortable ; in...
Page 195 - ... flowed from them rivers of knowledge to water the hearts of their hearers; and, together with the books of holy writ, they also taught them the arts of ecclesiastical poetry, astronomy, and arithmetic. A testimony of which is, that there are still living at this day some of their scholars, who are as well versed in the Greek and Latin tongues as in their own, in which they were born.
Page 773 - To see the careful way in which the most has been made of every spot available for the growth of produce, might correct the impression so generally entertained and so studiously encouraged, that the native Irish are a thriftless people. Here, where they have been left to themselves, notwithstanding the natural sterility of their islands, they are certainly a very superior population - physically, morally, and even economically - to those of many of the mixed and planted districts.
Page 773 - ... to have had a death from destitution, and never to have sent a pauper to the poorhouse. They are a handsome, courteous, and amiable people. Whatever may be said of the advantages of a mixture of races, I cannot discern anything save what makes in favour of these people of the pure ancient stock, when I compare them with the mixed populations of districts on the mainland. The most refined gentleman might live among them in familiar intercourse and never be offended by a gross or sordid sentiment....
Page 766 - is gotten by subtracting the number of red and fair-haired persons from VOL. xxxiii.— No. 845 that of the dark-haired, together with twice the blackhaired. I double the black, in order to give its proper value to the greater tendency to melanosity shown thereby...
Page 791 - Lying and drinking — the vices which Arthur Young considers as appertaining to the Irish character — form, at least, no part of it in Aran, for happily their common poverty holds out less temptation to the one or opportunity for the other.
Page 762 - is almost paved over with stones, soe as, in some places, nothing is to be seen but large stones with wide openings between them, where cattle break their legs. Scarce any other stones there but limestones, and marble fit for tombstones, chymney mantle trees, and high crosses. Among these stones is very sweet pasture, so that beefe, veal, mutton are better and earlyer in season here...

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