We finished the evening with a sketch, written by John McArdle, called “Phil Foley’s Frolics”—­he was fond of alliteration.  Noticing that Joseph Ward had made a special study of the comfortable old Irish vanithee, and had many of her quaint and humorous sayings, he added to the characters a special part for him—­“Mrs. Casey,”—­to which he did full justice.  Indeed, so incessant was the laughter that followed each sally, that he and Barry Aylmer, who was the Phil Foley, sometimes found it difficult to get the words of the dialogue in between.  We had another sketch, “Pat Houlahan’s Ghost,” which used to go very well.

The first part of the entertainment, showing old Terence in the chimney corner and the others singing songs and telling stories, almost necessitated our sitting around in a semi-circular formation.  This gave us much the appearance of a nigger troupe.  To depart from this somewhat, we occasionally introduced a trifling plot.  We made it that one of the sons of the house entered while the family were engaged in their usual avocations, having unexpectedly returned from America.  Then came the affectionate family greeting, and the bringing in of the friends and neighbours, who formed a group sitting around the turf fire, making a merry night of it.

The services of the “Emerald Minstrels” were in great demand, and were always cheerfully given for Catholic, National and charitable objects.

While our own people mostly furnished our audiences, our entertainment was appreciated by the general public.  The best proof of this was that Mr. Calderwood, Secretary of the Concert Hall, Lord Nelson Street, gave us several engagements for the “Saturday Evening Concerts,” in which, from time to time, Samuel Lover, Henry Russell, The English Glee and Madrigal Union, and other well-known popular entertainers, appeared.  Mr. Calderwood told us he was well pleased to have in the town a company like ours, upon whom he could always rely for a successful entertainment.

CHAPTER IX.

A FENIAN CONFERENCE AT PARIS—­THE REVOLVERS FOR THE MANCHESTER RESCUE—­MICHAEL DAVITT SENT TO PENAL SERVITUDE.

I have referred to Michael Breslin in speaking of his brother John.  Michael was not suspected of any complicity with the revolutionary movement until after the rising on the 5th of March, 1867, when he found it prudent to get out of the country.

He was, as the saying is, “on his keeping,” and stayed with me at my father’s house in Liverpool for a short time, until he found a favourable opportunity of getting away to America.  This was by no means an easy task, as all the ports were closely watched, and as, like his brother John, he was a fine handsome man, of splendid physique, and well known, of course, to the Irish police, it required all his caution successfully to run the gauntlet; but this eventually he did.