The Monks of the Screw
Encyclopedia
The Monks of the Screw was the name of an Irish drinking club active in the period 1779-1789. It was also called the Order of St. Patrick. The "screw" referred to the corkscrew
required to open a bottle of wine
.
According to the club's song, it was founded some time in the 400s by Ireland's patron saint: "When Saint Patrick
this order established / He called us the Monks of the Screw". The real founder was John Philpot Curran
, a convivial and popular wit and a lawyer at the Irish Bar. The members were liberal by contemporary standards, and some assisted in the first reforms of the penal laws. Most were lawyers or politicians in the Irish parliament; Curran being both. Most supported the Irish Patriot Party
.
gown and generally met in Kevin Street, Dublin, or at Curran's house "The Priory", near Rathfarnham
. Curran was jokingly described as the Prior of the Order.
, written by Curran, whose tune is said to be a traditional air from Curran's native County Cork
.
When Saint Patrick
this order established,
He called us the Monks of the Screw
Good rules he revealed to our Abbot
To guide us in what we should do;
But first he replenished our fountain
With liquor the best in the sky;
And he said on the word of a Saint
That the fountain should never run dry.
Each year when your octaves approach,
In full chapter convened let me find you;
And when to your convent you come,
Leave your favourite temptation behind you.
And be not a glass in your convent
Unless on a festival found;
And this rule to enforce I ordain it –
One festival all the year round.
My brethren, be chaste till you're tempted;
While sober be wise and discreet;
And humble your bodies with fasting,
As oft as you've nothing to eat.
Yet in honour of fasting one lean face
Among you I'd always require;
If the Abbott should please, he may wear it,
If not let it come to the Prior.
Come, let each take his chalice, my brethren,
And with due devotion prepare.
With hands and with voices uplifted
Our hymn to conclude with a prayer.
May this chapter oft joyously meet
And this handsome libation renew,
To the Saint, and the Founder, and Abbot,
And Prior, and Monks of the Screw!
, Lord Townshend
(a former viceroy of Ireland), Barry Yelverton
, Father Arthur O'Leary
, George Ogle
, Henry Grattan
, Henry Flood
, Arthur Wolfe
, The earl of Arran
, Jonah Barrington
and James Dennis
.
in County Kerry
.
that was founded in 1783.
Corkscrew
A corkscrew is a kitchen tool for drawing stopping corks from wine bottles. Generally, a corkscrew consists of a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle. The user grips the handle and screws the metal point into the cork, until the helix is firmly embedded, then a vertical pull on the...
required to open a bottle of wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
Ethos and foundation
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
this order established / He called us the Monks of the Screw". The real founder was John Philpot Curran
John Philpot Curran
John Philpot Curran was an Irish orator, politician and wit, born in Newmarket, County Cork. He was the son of James and Sarah Curran.-Career:...
, a convivial and popular wit and a lawyer at the Irish Bar. The members were liberal by contemporary standards, and some assisted in the first reforms of the penal laws. Most were lawyers or politicians in the Irish parliament; Curran being both. Most supported the Irish Patriot Party
Irish Patriot Party
The Irish Patriot Party was the name of a number of different political groupings in Ireland throughout the 18th century. They were primarily supportive of Whig concepts of personal liberty combined with an Irish identity that rejected full independence, but advocated strong self-government within...
.
Uniform and meeting places
The members had to wear a black poplinPoplin
Poplin, also called tabinet , is a strong fabric in a plain weave of any fiber or blend, with crosswise ribs that typically gives a corded surface.Poplin traditionally consisted of a silk warp with a weft of worsted yarn...
gown and generally met in Kevin Street, Dublin, or at Curran's house "The Priory", near Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
. Curran was jokingly described as the Prior of the Order.
Song
The club had its own drinking songDrinking song
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...
, written by Curran, whose tune is said to be a traditional air from Curran's native County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
When Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
this order established,
He called us the Monks of the Screw
Good rules he revealed to our Abbot
To guide us in what we should do;
But first he replenished our fountain
With liquor the best in the sky;
And he said on the word of a Saint
That the fountain should never run dry.
Each year when your octaves approach,
In full chapter convened let me find you;
And when to your convent you come,
Leave your favourite temptation behind you.
And be not a glass in your convent
Unless on a festival found;
And this rule to enforce I ordain it –
One festival all the year round.
My brethren, be chaste till you're tempted;
While sober be wise and discreet;
And humble your bodies with fasting,
As oft as you've nothing to eat.
Yet in honour of fasting one lean face
Among you I'd always require;
If the Abbott should please, he may wear it,
If not let it come to the Prior.
Come, let each take his chalice, my brethren,
And with due devotion prepare.
With hands and with voices uplifted
Our hymn to conclude with a prayer.
May this chapter oft joyously meet
And this handsome libation renew,
To the Saint, and the Founder, and Abbot,
And Prior, and Monks of the Screw!
Members
The membership included: Lord MorningtonRichard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, Lord Townshend
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, PC , known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier who reached the rank of field marshal.-Early life:...
(a former viceroy of Ireland), Barry Yelverton
Barry Yelverton, 1st Viscount Avonmore
Barry Yelverton, 1st Viscount Avonmore, PC KC was an Irish judge and politician.-Life:He was the eldest son of Francis Yelverton of Blackwater, County Cork. Educated at Trinity College Dublin, he was for some years an assistant master under Andrew Buck in the Hibernian Academy...
, Father Arthur O'Leary
Arthur O'Leary
Father Arthur O'Leary, O.F.M. was an Irish Franciscan preacher and polemical writer.-Life:...
, George Ogle
George Ogle
George Ogle was an Irish Tory politician.Ogle was a member of the Privy Council of Ireland from 17 October 1783. He represented Wexford County in the Irish House of Commons from 1769 to 1797, when he refused to stand again...
, Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
, Henry Flood
Henry Flood
Henry Flood , Irish statesman, son of Warden Flood, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he became proficient in the classics...
, Arthur Wolfe
Viscount Kilwarden
Viscount Kilwarden, of Kilwarden in the County of Kildare, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 29 December 1800 for Arthur Wolfe, 1st Baron Kilwarden, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland. He had already been created Baron Kilwarden, of Newlands in the County of...
, The earl of Arran
Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran
Arthur Saunders Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran KP, PC styled The Honourable from 1758 to 1762, and then known as Viscount Sudley from 1762 to 1773, was an Irish peer and politician....
, Jonah Barrington
Jonah Barrington (judge)
Sir Jonah Barrington , was one of no less than sixteen children, six at least, and probably seven were sons of John Barrington, a landowner in County Laois...
and James Dennis
James Dennis, 1st Baron Tracton
James Dennis, 1st Baron Tracton PC was an Irish politician and judge.-Background:Dennis was the son of John Dennis, a timber merchant of Kinsale, Co...
.
Modern band
An eponymous Irish traditional music band comes from Sliabh LuachraSliabh Luachra
Sliabh Luachra is a region in Munster, Ireland, located around the River Blackwater, on the County Cork/County Kerry/County Limerick borderland.-Music and literature:...
in County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
.
Other Order
The Order of St. Patrick should not be confused with the later Illustrious Order of St. PatrickOrder of St. Patrick
The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by George III. The regular creation of knights of Saint Patrick lasted until 1921, when most of Ireland became independent as the Irish Free State...
that was founded in 1783.