Edgeworth’s Castle
Rackrent was a very engaging tale from beginning to end. It chronicles the fate
of several generations of the Rackrent family through the eyes of their “honest”
servant, Thady Quirk. This novella was written in the early 1800’s, which was a
time of great political and religious turmoil between Ireland and England
following The Act of Union to create the United Kingdom. Many Irish people were
against this. One way this difference was emphasized throughout the story was
through the use of alcohol. Beginning very early in the novel, the consumption
of alcohol was emphasized as an important part of Irish culture. Sir Patrick,
who was the most widely loved master in the story, was known for offering
everyone whiskey punch, throwing huge lavish parties, and giving everyone some
whiskey to take home with them. It is important again later in the story when
Sir Condy’s new wife Isabella, who is not from their area, tells him he can no
longer drink his whiskey punch because she is not used to the smell. This sets
her apart from all the other characters in the story. Additionally, the type of
alcohol consumed is used to separate the Irish nationals from the English in
the very last line of the story, “Did the Warwickshire militia, who were
chiefly artisans, teach the Irish to
drink beer, or did they learn from the Irish how
to drink whiskey? (122)”.
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