Of Soppers and Whiteboys

 

     This week I learned something new thanks to Uncle George Gunn, born in 1854 at Ballygologue in County Kerry; another brother of my great-great-grandmother Mary Gunn.  I’ve written several blogs about George, mainly because there’s just so much to say about this man.  He survived only two years after his arrival in New York, which is a real shame, I’m positive he’d have given me a lot more to write about had he lived longer.  George would have set Palmyra New York on its ear.  Unfortunately, to quote the old song, “With a love of the liquor poor Tim George was born”.  After imbibing one evening, he somehow missed his footing while strolling along the Erie Canal, plunging to his watery death--

 Palmyra August 1892--The body of George Gunn, a laborer about 30 years old, was found floating in the canal just west of this village on Sunday morning last, and was taken in charge by Drake & Johnson undertakers.  Gunn was in Palmyra late Saturday evening and the supposition is that he had been drinking and while on his way to Macedon by tow-path he fell into the canal and met his death by drowning.

     George’s rap-sheet in Ireland was impressive with numerous arrests for drunkenness, assaulting a caretaker, bad language, a few for assaulting police officers as they attempted to apprehend him, and a charge of Whiteboyism.  From a stint he did in Tralee Prison in 1888 for drunk and disorderly, we learn George was 5’9 ½”, with brown hair and grey eyes.  The number of times he was arrested previously was eight, but I’m betting there were plenty more cases he got away with.  George was definitely a character, one of those “wild Kerry peasants” I’ve heard tell of.  The arrest that really caught my attention, however, was the one in 1882 accusing him of being a whiteboy.   https://www.askaboutireland.ie/narrative-notes/whiteboys/ I do love a good rebel.

     The newspaper report of the incident read--

Early on Sunday morning a patrol of police discovered a body of men engaged at drill. They captured ten of the party who were brought into Tralee.  The men, who are of the lowest order in Listowel, were brought before the magistrates on Monday.  When arrested they had their faces blackened and wore false whiskers.  The prisoners are George Gunn, Richard Barry, James Kissane, Thomas Hayes, John Browne, Jeremiah O’Connor Denice Bunce…

     A few days later another article appeared in the local newspaper detailing their court appearance--

     The men's defense intrigued me. Their solicitor argued the accused had gone to a neighborhood wedding as, “soppers” which explained their appearance. That certainly required further explanation.  A google search brought up next to nothing, but then I remembered the Schools Collection, which as far as I’m concerned is a national treasure.  In the 1930’s schoolchildren from all over Ireland collected stories from grandparents and older neighbors, which they then recorded in composition form.  It’s amazing what can be found there.  There is no better site to get a feel for life in old Ireland.  I typed “soppers” into their search box and was not disappointed.  Up popped two full pages of results, many of them from County Kerry.  Most descriptions of soppers noted, “To entertain the party, they came with their faces colored or covered so they would not be known. They played and danced and sang”.  In other words, they were expected to be in disguise just as George and the others maintained.

     Resident Magistrate Captain Massey, (in the above article), who comes across as a real prig clearly wasn’t having any of that.  His smug speech stating it was fortunate the prisoners had no firearms about them, has a disingenuous ring to it.  In spite of no real evidence, he still required a £10 surety, (several hundred dollars in today’s money), or two months in prison.  It appears he would have loved to throw the book at Uncle George and his pals and was peeved he hadn't the grounds to do so.  I'm not crazy about his, "men who are of the lowest order", crack as reported in the newspaper either.

     Uncle George had no way of knowing that within thirty-nine years the likes of Captain Massey and his ilk would be gone from Ireland.  Gone from the Free State anyway, and good riddance.  It’s too bad George didn’t live long enough to see that marvelous day.