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SCENES IN THE IRISH VILLAGE |
| There were two Irish Villages on Midway Plaisance. One was Blarney Castle which opened on May 11th and was visited during the Fair by nearly every prominent Irishman in the world. Under the patronage of the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen, the gateway was modeled after the entrance to King Cormac's Chapel, Rock of Cashel. Inside was a reproduction of a cloister in Muckross Abbey. The first cottage was a jewelry shop; the second, weavers; the sixth and seventh housed native carvers of gob oak; lace makers and seamstresses occupied the ninth and tenth; a national museum was in the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth; and dairy maids displayed their butter in the others. Lady Aberdeen lived at the village for a number of weeks. With much fun and frolic along with patriotism, and frequent dancing and piping matches, the best of order prevailed and the Village was a success. |
