Finley Peter Dunne: The Freedom Picnic

Today on Archey Road I come to “The Freedom Picnic”, which I feel shows a key part of Dunne’s writing persona. He’s not opposed to movements to resolve great crimes — in this case, the English occupation of Ireland — but is skeptical that people will take useful action against it. And despite that, he doesn’t dislike people; at least as Mr Dooley, he accepts that these are ways we’re frail and we should accept that.

“There’s wan thing about th’ Irish iv this town,” said Mr Dooley.

“The police?” said Mr McKenna.

“No,” said the philosopher. “But they give picnics that does bate all. Be hivins, if Ireland cud be freed be a picnic, it ‘d not on’y be free to-day, but an impire, begorra, with Tim Haley, th’ Banthry man, evictin’ Lord Salisbury fr’m his houldin’. ‘Twud that.

“Jawn, th’ la-ads have got th’ thrick iv freein’ Ireland down to a sinsible basis. In th’ ol’ days they wint over with dinnymite bumbs in their pockets, an’ ayether got their rowlers on thim in Cork an’ blew thimsilves up or was arristed in Queenstown f’r disordherly conduct. ‘Twas a divvle iv a risky job to be a pathrite in thim days, an’ none but those that had no wan dipindint on thim cud affoord it. But what was th’ use? Ireland wint on bein’ th’ same opprissed green oil it had always been, an’ th’ on’y difference th’ rivolutions made was ye sa-aw new faces on th’ bridges an’ th’ Wolfe Tones passed another set iv resolutions.

“‘Tis different now. Whin we wants to smash th’ Sassenach an’ restore th’ land iv th’ birth iv some iv us to her thrue place among th’ nations, we gives a picnic. ‘Tis a dam sight asier thin goin’ over with a slug iv joynt powder an’ blowin’ up a polis station with no wan in it. It costs less; an’, whin ’tis done, a man can lep aboord a sthreet ca-ar, an’ come to his family an’ sleep it off.

“I wint out last Choosdah, an’ I suppose I must ‘ve freed as much as eight counties in Ireland. All th’ la-ads was there. Th’ first ma-an I see was Dorgan, the sanyor guarjeen in the Wolfe Tone Lithry Society. He’s th’ la-ad that have made th’ Prince iv Wales thrimble in his moccasins. I heerd him wanst makin’ a speech that near injooced me to take a bumb in me hand an’ blow up Westminsther Cathedral. ‘A-re ye,’ he says, ‘men, or a-re ye slaves?’ he says. ‘Will ye,’ he says, ‘set idly by,’ he says, ‘while th’ Sassenach,’ he says, ‘has th’ counthry iv Immitt an’ O’Connell,’ he says, ‘an’ Jawn Im Smyth,’ he says, ‘undher his heel?’ he says. ‘Arouse,’ he says, ‘slaves an’ despots!’ he says. ‘Clear th’ way!’ he says. ‘Cowards an’ thraitors!’ he says. ‘Faugh-a-ballagh!’ he says. He had th’ beer privilege at th’ picnic, Jawn.

“Hinnissy, th’ plumber, who blew wan iv his fingers off with a bumb intinded f’r some iv th’ archytecture iv Liverpool, had th’ conthract f’r runnin’ th’ knock-th’-babby-down-an’-get-a-nice-seegar jint. F’r th’ good iv th’ cause I knocked th’ babby down, Jawn, an’ I on’y wish th’ Queen iv England ‘r th’ Prince iv Wales cud be injooced to smoke wan iv th’ seegars. Ye might as well go again a Roman candle. Th’ wan I got was made iv baled hay, an’ ’twas rumored about th’ pa-ark that Hinnissy was wurrukin’ off his surplus stock iv bumbs on th’ pathrites. His cousin Darcey had th’ shootin’ gallery privilege, an’ he done a business th’ like iv which was niver knowed be puttin’ up th’ figure iv an Irish polisman f’r th’ la-ads to shoot at. ‘Twas bad in th’ end though, f’r a gang iv Tipp’rary lads come along behind th’ tent an’ begun thrown stones at th’ copper. Wan stone hit a Limerick man, an’ th’ cry ‘butthermilk’ wint around; an’ be hivins, if it hadn’t been that th’ chief iv polis, th’ wise la-ad, sint none but German polismen to th’ picnic, there ‘d not been a man left to tell th’ tale.”

“What’s that all got to do with freeing Ireland?” asked Mr McKenna.

“Well, ’tis no worse off thin it was befure, annyhow,” said Mr Dooley.