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Date Posted: 05:44:40 12/01/07 Sat
Author: kgp
Subject: Funny! - I didn't catch that. at first. I was too impressed by the furrow through the turds.
In reply to: tlk2vicki 's message, " QOTD Saturday, December 1, 2007" on 19:19:29 11/30/07 Fri


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  • Being nearly 100% Irish myself I was a little hurt by the way we were portrayed. The way the Irish section of town was described as if it were one of the center circles of hell and the family holding on to the corpse so they could keep collecting money for an extended drunk. Even the soldiers under John's command, the O'Higgins brothers, were thieves and plotters, makes it out to appear there isn't an honest Irishman to be found, till Father Kenneth in F.C. (because even the Priest that was mentioned in BOTB we're to assume helped the O'Higgins to find a body to use to replace Percy) It wouldn't bother me so much if so MANY people didn't hold on to those old stereotypes of us as intemperate, anything for a buck, religious fanatics. I shouldn't be so sensitive I know, this was a funny bit, but I do hope if there are more Irishmen portrayed in the next book at least one is a decent human being. (NT) -- Jane, 06:40:57 12/01/07 Sat

  • Stephen Bonnet was Irish as well. They were oppressed by the English at this time and were on the outside of society. Being evicted from their land and forced into slums where the illegal and illicit were the only ways to scrape a living doesn't exactly bring out the noblest character some times. If drink is your means of numbing yourself and it's accepted and encouraged by those around you it takes a deal of strength to break loose. There was scoffing at the Protestant tea-totalers and even in upper society alcohol in excess was accepted and encouraged - you were a poor specimen if you couldn't account for a bottle or more on your own at dinner. There is also some evidence for genetic predisposition of alcoholism among ethnic groups - Native Americans, for example - which have different alleles for the enzymes that metabolize alcohol. (NT) -- kgp, 07:47:49 12/01/07 Sat

  • Jane, I think that DG is simply citing the prevailing conditions of the times, sad as they were. I could understand your feelings on this, though. (NT) -- teddie, 08:06:50 12/01/07 Sat

  • I'm not so sure the O'Higgins brothers come off badly. They may have been dishonest, by upper-class English standards, but they obviously are leaders in the Irish community, and take care of the people in the Rookery. It's Rafe and Mick that the neighbors go to, to solve the problem of the rotting corpse, and they *do* take care of it. They also help Lord John corner and deal with Adams at the end, as well as rescuing Percy from the prison for him. I think they come off as fairly heroic, although definitely constrained by their ethnicity and social class. (NT) -- maddiej, 13:04:22 12/01/07 Sat

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