THE KEEN

OF THE

SOUTH OF

IRELAND:

AS ILLUSTRATIVE OF IRISH POLITICAL AND
DOMESTIC HISTORY, MANNERS, MUSIC,

AND SUPERSTITIONS.

COLLECTED, EDITED,

AND CHIEFLY TRANSLATED BY

T. CROFTON CROKER.

-"But tell me (I pray you) have they any art in their compositions?
Or be they any thing witty or well savoured, as poems should be?

"Yea truly, I have caused divers of them to be translated unto me, that I
might understand them; and surely they savoured of sweet wit and good inven-
tion, but skilled not of the goodly ornaments of poetry; yet were they sprinkled
with some pretty flowers of their natural device, which gave good grace and
comeliness unto them."
SPENSER'S View of the State of Ireland.

LONDON.

PRINTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIETY,

BY T. RICHARDS, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LANE.

M.DCCC.XLIV.

LONDON RICHARDS, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LANE.

COUNCIL

OF

The Percy Society.

President.

THE RT. HON. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A.

THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.R.S. TREAS. S.A.

WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq

WILLIAM CHAPPELL, Esq. F.S.A.

J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. F.S.A.

C. PURTON COOPER, Esq. Q.C., F.R.S., F.S.A.

PETER CUNNINGHAM, Esq.

J. H. DIXON, Esq.

WILLIAM JERDAN, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.S.L.

CAPTAIN JOHNS, R.M.

T. J. PETTIGREW, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A.

LEWIS POCOCK, Esq. F.S.A.

SIR CUTHBERT SHARP.

WILLIAM SANDYS, Esq. F.S.A.

WILLIAM J. THOMS, Esq. F.S.A.

THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. M.A., F.S.A., Secretary and

Treasurer.

TO

THE VISCOUNTESS GUILLAMORE.

DEIGN to accept these lays! how rude so e'er;
For once the chieftains of my native land
Bent in attention mute the strains to hear,

While the rapt minstrel's modulating hand

Moved o'er the sounding harp-or damsel bland,

With cheek soft blushing, listened to the song

Which told her beauties,- her attractions scanned,-Flowing in liquid measures from the tongue

Of yellow-vested youth, Momonia's groves among.

Even he, that master spirit of old Mole,

The mighty minstrel of " the Fairy Queen,"

Heard the sweet ditties with delighted soul,

Though much the bard who sung, he loathed, I ween.

Yet spite of all the hatred them between

Spite of discordant creed, detested race,—

Still, when he heard the melancholy keen,

Or the proud song old deeds of arms retrace,
His poet's soul extolled their "comeliness and grace."

Rosamond's Bower, Fulham.

25th May 1844.