Opinion

The Scotch-Irish immigrants are credited with bringing their story telling abilities to America and spreading them across the western range, especially after the Civil War. This time period found men moving west to pursue freedom and land. They become the cowboys that helped to tame the west. The Old West provides a platform for western folk art. It has evolved to what we have today, thus helping to preserve our Western Heritage. Gathering around the chuck wagons or cook shacks at the end of day, these cowboys entertained themselves and others by telling about the adventures of that day. Next, someone would bring out a musical instrument and play tunes from the old country or bawdy ballads from pubs and saloons. Soon, the stories were put to music or maybe just to rhyme, thus cowboy poetry got its start. Sometimes, one would be singled out as having a knack to “turn a phrase” or maybe being called “windy.” This very likely spawned the old saying, “The first liar doesn’t stand a chance!” Now, most of these ol’ boys possessed the “gift of gab” and probably had “kissed the blarney stone,” and they also were very superstitious and after having a swig or two of “redeye,” they were prone to see the leprechauns, fairies and even the “ol’ devil hisself.”