Silk of the Kine
Jul 19, 2014, 10:46 PM
"Silk of the kine and poor old woman" are both names given to Ireland "in old times". It is a device used in James Joyce's Ulysses at various stages of the book when Stephen is thinking of the old milkwoman as a mythical representative of the nation.
A more comprehensive read on the subject in the novel can be found in this excellent link: - http://www.joyce-irish-gaelic.net/part2.pdf
Image: Silk of the Kline by Coco Berkman - a print of which can be seen at the Dublin Writers' Museum.