"The Gridiron" by Samuel Lover

"The Gridiron" by Samuel Lover  (1847, 5 pages)

Year III

March 1 to March 31

Samuel Lover

Dublin

Event Resources-Links to lots of short stories, from classics to brand new works.   

From the memorial to Samuel Lover in St Patrick's Cathedral "Poet, painter, novelist and composer, who, in the exercise of a genius as distinguished in its versatility as in its power, by his pen and pencil illustrated so happily the characteristics of the peasantry of his country that his name will ever be honorably identified with Ireland." 

Irish short story writers of the 19th century needed a market for their stories.  The conditions under which Irish writers worked, and their own almost exclusively Anglo/Irish backgrounds, dictated that most of their readers were English.   English publishers felt they could sell stories and novels (and plays) that come close to or actually make fun of the Irish, especially the country people, for want of a better word, the peasants.  Declan Kiberd talks about the role of the "Stage Irish" character in the works of Irish writers.  Often there was a subversive element hidden a bit below the surface in which one can see a deep appreciation of the intelligence, good nature, and will to survive of the Irish.  Many a colonial people have found it safest to act a bit of the fool in front of their masters, often at their expense if they could only understand what is really being said.

Samuel Lover (Dublin-1797 to 1868) was songwriter, a portrait painter, and is best know for his novel, Handy Andy which is a series often comical stories about an Irish country person and his family.   He also wrote and published in English magazines like Bentley's Magazine that he co-founded with Charles Dickens.

"The Gridiron" is narrated as if it were a servant of an Irish country gentleman telling a story of an adventure he had to some of the men's friends.   It is really a lot of fun to read.   I had to slow down to read it as it makes uses of a lot of conversations on the dialect of rural Ireland in the 1840s (maybe exaggerated for his readers?) but the conversations were a lot of fun.  It also shows the comfortable relationship between the master and the servant who is not afraid to tell his employer that he is wrong on something. It also plays on the reputation of the Irish as tellers of sometimes tall tales. The story also makes fun of the French.

The servant tells us of a boat trip he made with a friend of his that went very badly.  In a storm they lost the sails of the boat.   The servant begins to wish he had a gridiron (a frying pan) to cook a beef steak.  Only they do not have either a pan or a steak.   They land in France and the servants claims to speak some French.  I really liked this passage:

"Oh, by gor, the butther's comin' out o' the stirabout in airnest now,' says he; 'you gommoch,' says he, 'sure I told you before that's France—and, sure, they're all furriners there,' says the captain.

"'Well, says I, 'and how do you know but I'm as good a furriner myself as any o' thim?'

"'What do you mane?' says he.

"'I mane,' says I, 'what I towld you, that I'm as good a furriner myself as any o thim.'

"'Make me sinsible,' says he.

"'By dad, maybe that's more nor me, or greater nor me, could do,' says I; and we all began to laugh at him, for I thought I would pay him off for his bit o' consait about the Garmant Oceant.

"'Lave off your humbuggin',' says he, 'I bid you, and tell me what it is you mane at all at all.'

"'Parly voo frongsay?' says I.

"'Oh, your humble sarvant,' says he; 'why, by gor, you're a scholar,

Paddy.'

"'Thruth, you may say that,' says I.

"'Why, you're a clever fellow, Paddy,' says the captain, jeerin' like."

(According to Declan Kiberd "Paddy" was the stock English name for the Irish, which in Boston developed into the Paddy wagon.)

Paddy is depicted as actually very smart and resourceful and able to cope with difficult circumstances.  

You can read this story (and several other older Irish short stories) here

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