Joe-Pat, the Bard

Joe-Pat was a pure product of the hedge school. Young adult, he got himself under the "patronage", as he would have it, of Sir Richard DeVere of Arrahcashel House, the representative of an old Planter family come in during the reign of the First Elizabeth. Joe-Pat's mission was a simple one, consisting chiefly of entertaining the family with old Irish airs and poetry in the Gaelic tongue. "You put me in mind of the Blind Harper ... " said Sir Richard's uncle one evening. "Do I, Your Honour?" "O'Carolan was the name ..." "I knew him well!" the words tripping our of Joe-Pat's mouth,"I learned all I know from him!" "Indeed..." sighed the old man, and smiling sadly turned slowly to address the gentle Lady Alice. With time, Joe-Pat, or, I should say, his fine tenor voice, came, in spite of himself, to be loved in the fine house. Not by everyone, though, that is, there was a lot of inarticulate murmuring going on below stairs, the chief perpetrator being Molloy, the Chief Footman. Joe-Pat quickly picked up a certain polish and learned to appreciate the beautiful things of the Big House. "Things is come to the quare pass when "the Bard" has the run 'o the house" muttered Molloy.