PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS
Page 74 – THE IRISH VILLAGE
THE IRISH VILLAGE.—There were two Irish villages in the Midway Plaisance, each possessing many attractions. The one here shown is that in which the Countess of Aberdeen was interested and in which she had a cottage. The village was one of the first of prominent features at the left upon entering Midway from the grounds proper, and comprised the exhibit of the Irish Industrial Association. The entrance was a copy of the north doorway to a chapel built by Cormac, Bishop of Munster, in the twelfth century, and led directly into a reproduction of the famous Muckrass Abbey. Beyond this were the cottages where the practical features of the village were made manifest. Turf fires were in the cottages, potato-pots were hanging over them, and other characteristics of Irish home-life were as strictly observed. Irish girls were at work showing how needle-point, applique, Limerick and other laces were made, and illustrations were given also of spinning for homespuns and of expert knitting. A dairy in operation was another exhibit, and the bog-oak carving industry was not neglected. At the rear of the village stood its most prominent object, Blarney Castle. Here were the living and sleeping rooms of the village workers and a winding stair led up to an apartment where those who wished might kiss a piece of the Blarney Stone. There were a village music hall and a museum, where curiosities were displayed. The pipers of the two Irish villages were special subjects of interest, a great rivalry being supposed to exist between them.