Johnny Jerry's sow and the eel: A Story from The Tailor

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[Irish Censorship Board Rating: Banned]

"There are people who walk through the world who see nothing and hear nothing and learn nothing and know nothing. I don't know why they are alive at all. There are animals learn quicker and have more sense than a deal of human beings.
"I saw a curious thing in this line myself a few years ago. Did you ever know that a sow is a very intelligent animal?
"I was on the road to this side of Turendubh. There is a pool there at the side of the road, and a 'johnny the bog' had caught an eel in the pool and was swallowing him. The 'johnny the bog' is a strange kind of bird. He has only a straight gut.
"Well, he was swallowing the eel and he wasn't making much of a hand at the business, for the eel ran straight through him, and the 'johnny the bog' kept swallowing him and losing him again.
"Johnny Jerry had a sow at that time and she was always on the side of the road. She came along and she stood for a while and watched the 'johnny the bog' go through the performance several times. Then she made a grab for the eel herself and swallowed him and clapped her backside up against the wall!
"Now wasn't she a cute and a quick scholar? Yerra, don't be talking. A man can see a new wonder every minute of the day, if only he has the intelligence to know a wonder whe he sees one."

From: The Tailor and Ansty by Eric Cross

The Tailor
The Tailor was Tim Buckley, who lived with his wife, Ansty, in Gougane Barra. He was a great storyteller, Irish speaker, and a singer as well. A number of people used to visit him to hear his stories, and to learn Irish from him, and some of these became great friends with him, including Frank O'Connor the short story writer and translator. Eric Cross wrote down some of the Tailor's stories, and this was published in 1942 as The Tailor and Ansty. The book was banned by the Irish Government of that time as being "in its general tendency indecent". The records of the Irish Senate debates over the banning of this book have themselves been struck from the record lest pornographers would buy the proceedings and peddle them to deprave and corrupt the youth of the nation.
It has been said that the list of books banned by the Irish Censorship Board constitutes an excellent guide to the world's greatest literature, but while most authors could treat such ridiculous attitudes with the contempt they deserved, the effect on the Tailor and Ansty in Gougane Barra at that time was devastating. For telling old stories with a Rabelaisian relish, he and his wife were shunned by their neighbours, condemned by the church and isolated from their friends.
Times have changed since then and the book has been openly sold in Ireland for many years. Read it for a wonderful account of a great couple who brought light and laughter into the lives of many.

"Take the world fine and aisy and the world will take you fine and aisy" The Tailor