Bosun Peg Riley

as told by herself

I be Peg Riley, Bosun o' the Runnin' Sore (sometimes called "The HMS Sinkwell", which goes a long way te explainin' why we can be found so far inland so often). And a fine day te ye! Yes, that's right, I said me name is Peg...well, now that ye be askin', me given name is Margaret Mary St. Brigit Riley, but I've never been one for so many syllables. I likes Peg (like leg) not Margaret or Maggie, or any other such delicate soundin' names. I hail from the sleepy north Irish port town of Killale, where me Ma tended the family Inn, and me Da worked as Shantyman aboard a merchant vessel. But enough o' them, let's talk about me. As the daughter o' such, I was raised in an Irish bar surrounded by Sailors, which also goes quite a long way te explainin' things. As a lass, there aren't many options open te ye in life. I could marry (heh!), or I could help out with the family Inn. Me Father taught me the ways o' the sea, and me Mum taught me the ways o' me Father and those what are like him...sailors! I came te the conclusion that, if I was not te marry, I could become a Nun or.....er...."not a Nun". It seemed te me that it'd be a lot more fun not te be a Nun, so I made me way without a husband, tendin' bar and helpin' me Mum run the Inn. Ah, the life! The ships brought many new faces to our little tavern by the sea, and on one occasion, it brought in the crew o' The Runnin' Sore. In all me born days, I had never seen the like! Here were a ship o' not just menfolk, but one lass as well! The lass soon showed her stripes by matchin' the men drink for drink, and fightin' better than the lot (o' course, I knew immejiately she must be Irish). Crimson Katy and me own wee self became fast friends, and soon I was longin' for the life she had. Ah, te wear what ye like, mens or ladies clothes as ye please, te be as fierce as ye merited and yet still be all lass, te work alongside o' the men, and nary hear nothin' 'bout it! Never had I imagined that me Father's life of adventure, carousin', singin', and drinkin' could be me own (well....I suppose the carousin' and drinkin' part I could "imagine" well enough). Since I had much learnin' o' the sea through me Fathers stories and teachin' (and the occasional visits te sea when me Mum was off visitin' relatives), I asked te be taken on with this fine crew. Little could I have imagined what this choice truly meant!! I found meself aboard a ship full o' miscreants, laggards, drunkards, reprobates, eejits, dullards and incompetents, all bein' immoral, lazy, argumentative, and cranky. I'd FOUND ME HOME!

Ah, but I take too much o' yuir toime. If you could ::hic:: just foind yuir way te helpin' te sloide me over te the bar? And while yuir at it ::hic::, could ye prop me up with that broom in the corner so that the floor is not vertical any longer? Oh, and lastly...if ye could foind it in yuir heart te toi me te a stool, and a mug te me hand, Oi'd be most obloiged.

:::::We got yuir green gilled frenchies and some lads from Greece, there's a Scotsman in the barrel with the Portuguese. Limeys, Frogs and Degos, but sure as yuir barn, the lovliest of all was a leprechaun:::::



music crew our ship homepage map email

Schedule | What's New | Music | The Crew | Our Boat | index | Map | Contact Us!