I read what it says on irony, but I still don't get it.

Question

Is "But in the days before we left, when there was so much confusion and mayhem, worse than a hog killing." irony?

I don't see the irony in just that sentence -- just very descriptive comparison. Maybe, in order to understand the irony, the entire paragraph or passage needs to be considered.

Or maybe one has to have witnessed a hog killing (yuck) to understand it.

An example might be:

"Jim cheated to win the desired prize, but found that all it did was increase his discontent."

The irony is that he wanted the prize so much that he cheated, but it didn't give him the satisfaction he desired.

Others might be:

"We get so soon old and yet so late smart."

We want to get smart, but don't want to be old — older maybe, but not old.

"How come I can only get peace and quiet when I start yelling?"

The only way quiet can be obtained is by making more noise.

I hope this helps a little more. Thanks for asking.