Many years ago, when Scrobs was at school, this great schoolmaster called Patrick Evans had been at Cambridge University, and often quoted the various colloquialisms and once revealed how a 'sconce' was performed if an undergraduate mucked up the long Latin grace before meals.
One of these 'sayings' was this: -
'Will you lend me your Ulster?
'Connaught, I will never be a Leinster'!
(trans: 'Will you lend me your ..., 'Can't, I don't ever lend anyone anything...') Hilarious in the extreme...
Now, everybody knows that these are Irish Provinces, and only this week, I was reading a lovely book, 'Sorrell and Son', by Warwick Deeping (with a triple-Kleenex ending), but during the yarn, written in the early 1920s, Stephen Sorrell is wrapped up in an old 'Ulster' while working in the garden of 'The Pelican' Hotel.
I always thought an Ulster was a big long scarf, much favoured by students back then, but it turns out to be a big coarse-thread overcoat, with a belt at the back.
Obviously, those bright sparks at university back then, came up with the sort of statements as described, but I've never been able to trace the origin of this particular one and of course, still wonder why Munster wasn't included!
Is there no end to this interminable search for our history...?
ReplyDeleteI'm lost - and have travelled extensively world-wide, but, for some reason, never to Ireland. Judging by the recent antics of their selfish and ungrateful Indian Teapot, I suspect they must all belong to the Munster Raving Loony Party.
That sounds familiar so I Munster heard it before somewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt's a complete travesty of justice, that after all these years, good chums here just can't - for once - come up with a palpable answer!
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was because the Munsters TV programme got in the way, but TV wasn't invented when the little ditty was forged...
(I've only been to Ireland once, and flew back the same day. Loved the Dublin version of Guinness fpr most of the few hours I was there with a client)...
The Ulster coat rings a very faint and distant bell somewhere in the depths of my cerebellum but for why I have no idea. Had to giggle it so here's the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_coat. As you can see, the lightweight version (called the Ulsterette) was presumably designed for ladies or possibly gentlemen of a certain disposition, and is not to be confused with an usherette which is something completely different. This entailed a lady dressed in a short black dress with a white pinny displaying certain items of nourishment (via a torch on its last batteries) in the intervals whilst the cinematographer changes his reels. The Pearl and Bailey adverts were often an excuse to see how far you could fling a peanut, to "inadvertently" dropping your tub of ice-cream on the floor to see if the lady next to you was wearing seamed stockings or to see who's snogging who and why weren't they snogging you! Ah - happy days! Mike, rvi or anyone else out there feels the need to palpate these reminiscences please feel free, but don't expect me to comment as I couldn't possibly reveal any other revellings that may or may not have occurred in the Upper Circle.
ReplyDeleteWow, now that's great research, Goosers - thank you! I want one - it's damn cold at the moment!
ReplyDeleteHow well I remember the Pearl and Dean (?), ads, and the warm crackle on the speakers somewhere in the depths of the stage in 'The Regent' in Rye...
Talking of cinemas, I went to see (on my own), this particular epic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repulsion_(film) and had nightmares for ages afterwards...
Later visits to the same cinema in Ashford were taken up with more important pursuits, and I can't remember a thing about them!