A Very Happy New Year roll on 2021 X and a Big Hug Martin Emer and Mark Down at the Mullichain Cafe

Dammed Hessians

 

Martin Obrien

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The Hessians “To twin or not to twin?” No 13

Have you ever noticed the signs outside towns and cities proclaiming that they are twinned with some place like Timbuktu, Avignon, or even Lazio in Italy? The whole idea is to share your problems and solutions, to make amends for being nasty in the past, to be pals, to come and visit. Well I have a great crowd to twin up with and no we haven’t asked them yet as I am sure the current population of both villages or towns are blissfully unaware of one another .The village of St Mullins in South County Carlow and Hanau and Kassel in Germany have a long history that needs to be resolved.

Bet you thought the British defeated the Irish in 1798 all by themselves, that great empire, not on your nanny they brought in mercenaries from all places Germany, Baron Von Hompesch’s and his dragoons .Yep the very fellows they fought two world wars against they paid them to kill Americans in the American revolution which they lost and in the Irish revolution of 1798 which we lost. The Hessians were German mercenaries, thugs for hire, they had the same reputation as the Vikings for rape pillage and plunder. Can you believe that a quarter of the British troops in the American revolution were Hessians paid for by the Mad King George 111 and sure weren’t s E2all his relations Germans. Now whose pulling whose leg?

Why is 1798 so important to St Mullins? You just have to walk up to the grave yard, thousands were massacred, more were killed in six weeks in Ireland than the entire French revolution and they had their guillotine .Another bad apple who kept turning up was the mad kings pal Charles Cornwallis, the Americans kicked him out in 1781 in Yorktown when he surrendered. Where did he turn up but in Ireland in 1798 with his gang of Hessians to have a go at beating up the local lads who were armed with pikes. He died in India from a dose, “fever” they said, maybe the Indians put the hex on him, that’s a good quality curse.

Back to this twinning, I propose that we contact the Mayors of these towns in Germany, elect a Mayor of our own here in St Mullins, I know a few likely candidates and arrange a twinning ,Let’s make pals with the Hessians, forgive and forget, they might even come over on holidays. There could be a bit of their DNA around! Sure, one of the real locals could be heir to the Hessian crown.

Saintly carry on down in St Mullins

 

 

St Moling Turns a farmer to Stone No 11

 

 Now, St Moling was a fair man for the curse himself, didn’t he turn a crowd of locals in the parish of St Mullins into stone because he caught them working on his holy day. Those stones are there to this day,and not a man, woman or child would dare touch them for fear getting into the bad book with the Saint. It was a farmer called Anthony from the parish of St Mullins who had his workers out in the field digging away on St Moling’s day.His wife who was called the “Ramshadh Rua” came along with the dinner at 12.30, as that’s dinner time in the country none of this dinner at eight o’clock at night sure wouldn’t it stick in in your gut and you trying to get to sleep. Dinner in the middle of the day was for the working man it was only the Gentry had the big feeds at night , big fat lads with gout.Well the Ramshadh had a churn of milk with her on the cart when she pulled in beside the lads. They were all sitting around in a circle when suddenly out of the blue who appears but the bauld Moling himself in a bit of a temper.  He demanded to know why they were out working on his holy day after he telling all the local pagans it was a holiday for the lads. A Christian thing these Holidays were,  a new invention. Well Anthony took to his heels and made a bolt for it across the fields, the hair standing up on his head, sure he knew the powers and curses this saint had in his repatoir.  He only made it as far as Dranagh (that’s up on the Black stairs mountain )before the Monk’s curse caught up with him and he was turned into stone known to this day as “Stukan-na-Drana”.  Anthony’s wife took to her heels too. She was a almighty runner but only made it to the hill of Ramshagh,which is called  after her to this day  ” Ramshagh  Rua “. There she stands petrified (that’s turned into a lump of stone). Just ask Michael Boland,the stone is sitting in one of his fields, and that poor creature locked inside it for all eternity. I bet he wouldn’t dare try and shift it, just in case the wily saint is still around. The workers never made it off the ground where they sat in a ring having the dinner (probably a Druid’s ring as old habits die hard). They were turned to stone and so was the donkey and the cart and even the churn of milk. Moling didn’t miss a thing. Those stones remained in that place that was called “Maol Oula”(The Bald place), until some Yahoo dug them up to build houses in Marley ,I wonder how he faired ?

Santa Claus out in search of his Reindeers

 Happy Christmas from all The Gang Down at The Mullicháin Cafe ! Great Time for a Swim Brrrrrr!

Mystical St Mullins South County Carlow Home of The Mullichain Cafe Back in February 2021

The Flower bed gang

Ahh isn't it great hanging out in The Mullichain Cafe flower Bed back in February 2021