A Readers Guide To - Forgotten Books

A Readers’

Gu ide to

I r ish Fic tio n

STEPHEN J . BROW N , SJ .

Books may be likened to a glass in which theface of soaety

is m inutely reflected ) —COWPER

LONGMAN S , GRE EN , AND C O .

3 9 PAT E R N O S T E R R O W , L O N D O N

NEW’

YORK. BOMBAY AND CALCUTTA

PREFACE

THE present GU IDE TO IRI SH F ICT ION is intended by theauthor as the fir st part of a work in which it is hoped tofurn ish notes on books of all kinds deal ing with Ir ishsubjects .

Before exp lain ing the scope of this sect ion of the workit m ay be well , in order to forestal l wrong im press ions , tosay at once what i t is not. In the fir st p lace, then ,

i t doesnot lay claim to be a bibl iography . By this I do not m ean

that I am content to be inaccurate or haphazard,but

s im p ly that I do not aim at exhaust ive com p leteness . In

the second p lace, i t is not a catalogue of books by I r ishwr iters . Lastly , i t does not deal exclusively wi th books

pr inted o r publ ished in Ireland .

The author ’s aim has been to get together and to pr intin a conven ient form a c lass ified list of novels , tales , etc .

(whether by Ir ish o r by foreign wr i ters) , bear ing on Ireland—that is , dep ict ing som e phase of Ir ish l ife or som e

ep isode of Ir ish history— and to ap pend to each title ashor t descr i p tive no te.

Two things here cal l for som e exp lanat ion ,viz . , the

l ist of t itles and the descr ipt ive notes .

As to the form er , I have,with som e tr ifling except ions ,

included everything that I have been able to discover ,

provided it cam e within the scope of thework , as indicated

i v IRISH FICTION

above. It has been t hought W el l to do this , becausea vast am ount Of fict ion that , from an ar tist ic or from

any other point Of view,is defect ive in itself m ay yet be

valuable as a storehouse Of suggest ion ,fact , and fancy for

later and better wr i ters . For was i t not worthless Old

tales and scraps Of half-mvthical history that held the

germ s of Ham let and Macbeth ,

” King Lear and

Othello ”There rem ains , indeed , a large class of

novels and tales that , so far as one m ay j udge,can serve

no useful purpose. It m ay be thought that wi th suchbooks the best course to pursue is to al low them to pass intom er i ted oblivion . But i t must be rem em bered that booksel lers and publishers wi l l naturally cont inue to push suchbooks because i t is their business to do so , and the publ icwill continue to buy them because it has ordinar ily no

other m eans of knowing their contents than the publisher ’sannouncem ent , the t itle, or— the cover . A Gu idewould

,therefore,

surely shirk an im portant port ion of its

task if it excluded worthless books , and thereby failedto put readers on their guard .

Next , as regards the descr i p tive notes : there are threepoints which I should wish to m ake c lear— the source of

the inform at ion contained in these notes their scope,that

is ,the nature and extent Of the inform at ion with which

they purpose to furnish the reader ; and ,thirdly

,the ton

a im ed at throughou t the work .

Inform ation about the books has been Obtained in

var ious ways . A cons iderable num ber have been readby the author . Indeed ,

there are few wr iters of note

a

PREFACE V

included in the Guide about whose works he cannot speakfrom fir st- hand knowledge. Of the books that rem ai n the

great m aj or ity have been spec ial ly read for this work byfr iends , and a full account Of the sam e wr itten by themaccordi ng to a formula dr awn up for the pur pose. In all

cases , except in a very few— and these have been indicated—the wording of the fin al note is m ine. In the few c ases

referred to , p r inted reviews or notices of the books havebeen drawn upon , the source of the note being m ent ionedin each instance.

A word about the scope of the notes . My chief objectin undertaking this work was to hel p the student Of thingsIr ish .

’

Thi s Object determ ined the character of the notes .

A few years ago there appeared in Belgium an excellent

work , ent itled Romans ali re etRomans aproscri re (Cam braiMasson ) , by the Abbé Bethleem ,

which has s ince passedthrough m any edit ions . In this work novels are c lassedaa po int de oae m oral. . In the rare cases in which the

books included in m y l ist contain m atter Object ionablefrom a m oral o r a rel igi ous standpoint , I have no t hes itatedto rem ark the fact in the note. This was

,however , but

a sm al l part Of the task . It wi ll be clear , l ikewise, fromwhat has been said that my Object is not t o attemptliterary cr i tic ism s of Ir ish fiction . Such l iterary appre

c iations are to be found in other works already publ ished ,accounts of several ofwhi ch wil l be found in the Appendi x .

True, a certain am ount of cr it ic ism is often needed lest theaccoun t given of a book should be m isleading, but i t hasbeen avoided wherever it did not seem to further the m ain.

v i I R ISH F ICT I ON

purpose. This purpose,let m e repeat , is , above all, to

give rn/ormatiowto intending readers . I have t hereforeendeavo ured . as wel l as m ight be,

in the sm al l s pace avai lable, s im p ly to give a c lear idea of the contents of the

books . In a good m any cases I have further attem ptedan apprec iat ion , or rather a character izat ion

, Of the bookin quest io n ,

bu t this was not always poss ible nor,indeed ,

necessary .

Of the tone adopted in these notes l itt le need be said .

I did not cons ider that i t would further m y pur pose toaim at that l iterary flavour and ep i gr amm at ic turn Of

phrase affec ted ,and wit h reason , by reviewers in m any

per iodicals . Moreover , to do so wou ld have been incon

s istent with brevity . Then , I m us t disc laim al l intent ion

of saying c lever things at the expense of any book ,

however low i t m ay deserve to be rated . I have avoided ,

too the technical it ies of cr it ic ism ,even words so tem pt ing

as psychological . Lastly ,I trust the l i ttle work has

not been rendered suspect to any c lass of Ir ishmen by theundue intrus ion of rel igious or pol it ical bias .

Apo logy m i ght wel l be m ade here fo r the defects of the

work . They wi l l , I fear ,be but too evident . But i t

should be bo rne in m ind that , with the exception of Mr .

Baker ’

s wo rks ,to which I cannot suffic iently acknowledge

m y indebtedness , I have had no guide u pon the way ,s ince no wr i ter ,

so far as I am aware,has hitherto dealt in

this way wit h Ir ish fiction as a whole.

It m ay be asked ,fo r whom espec ial ly this book is m eant

In the first place, I ho pe it m ay be useful to the general

PRE FACE vfi

reader who wishes to study Ireland . Next, i t m ay hel pin the im portant and not easy task of selec tion those whohave to buy books for any purpose, such as the giving of

p resents , the conferr ing of pr izes in scho ol or out of it ,t he s tocking of shops and l ibrar ies —in other words , books el lers , l ibrary comm i ttees ,

heads Of schools and colleges ,l ibrar ians , pastor s , and m any others . Again ,

i t m ay be

of som e serv ice to lecturers and to popu lar enterta iners .

I have som e hopes,t oo

,that com ing wr iters of Ir ish fict ion

,

from seeing what has been done and what has not yet beend one,

m ay get from i t som e suggest ions for future work .

It m ay even help in a sm al l way towards the real izationo f a great work not yet a ttem pted , the wr it ing of a historyO f Anglo—Ir ish literature.

CLONGOWE S W OOD COLLEGE ,Co . K ILDARE , August, I gr o .

Th e fol lowing addi tiona l exp lanafi on s seem necessar y .

Fur ther in form ation abou t som e Of th e author s h as been giveni n a ser ies of general notes arranged alphabetica l ly act o rd

'

m g to thea uthor ’

s nam e, and placed before the Appendix .

Th e place of publi cati on has always been m ent i oned except inthe case Of books publ ished in D ublin and L ondon .

Pr i ces of books vary greatly . Fo r a long tim e new or igina lfic tion was regular ly publi shed in th ree volum es at 3 1 5 . 6d . In

r ecen t year s the usua l publ ished (non -net) pr ice h as been 65 . ButOf late there i s a growing tendency to br ing them out at var iouslower pr ices , 6d . , 7d .

, I s ., 2s , 3s . , etc . Repr in ts and new editions

c om e ou t at all pr ices up to 65. On ly the pr ice i n cloth i s here

D ates in square brackets indi c ate da tes of fir st publi cation .

IR ISH FICT ION

O ther dates , un less where s tated to the contrary , indicate those ofthe m os t recen t edi tion that the author knows of .

S izes of books I have t r ied to indicate whenever they differ fromthe usua l c rown 8vo ,

i .e. , 75 x 5 in .

I t wou ld b e usefu l to m ark o ff ou t 0/ pr int books , bu t works o ffic tion get ou t of pr in t and new editions are brought ou t so rapidly ,that i t was hopeless to attem pt the task Of so m ark ing them .

I have been obli ged to inc lude withou t notes a cer tain num berOf books because the va lue of the inform ati on abou t them thatm ight have been obta ined wou ld hardly have com pensated for thel ong delay tha t this wou ld have m ean t . The author wi ll be m ost

gr ate/142 to any reader who wi ll be kind enough to stiffly inform ation

about books le/t unnoted .

ACKNOW LEDGM ENT S

MY best thanks are due,in the first p lace

,to the author it ies

of Clongowes Wood College,without whose constant a id

and encouragem ent my task wou ld have been im poss ible.

Next , I wish to thank those publ ishers who courteouslysent m e cop ies of a num ber of their books ,

viz .,the Ir ish

publishers , Messrs . G i l l ; Duffy ; Sealy,Bryers and Walker ;

Maunsel ; and Blackie : and the London publishers , Messrs .

Macm i l lan ; Nelson Methuen Dent Chatto and WindusBurns and Oates Sands Blackwood Nutt Ell iot Stock ;and Sm i th , Elder . I shou ld l ike to give greater prom inenceto the publ icat ions of these firm s . The p lan Of this book

prevents m e from doing so,but I m ay say that this l ittle

work, which will , I hope,help to m ake known their books,

could not have ap peared but for their generos ity .

To those who , as already m ent ioned , have a ided in the

work by reading books and supplying inform ation aboutthem , my s incerest thanks are hereby tendered . I shouldbe glad ,

if i t were poss ible, to express here my Obligat ions

to each individual ly,but I must , for Obvious reasons , lim it

myself to this general acknowledgment . There are, however , som e whom , on accoun t Of spec ial Obligations on mypart , I shal l have the pleasant task Of thanking by nam e.

To Mr . E .A. Baker , M.A.,D .Litt .

, Librar ian OftheWoolwichPubl ic Library

, I am indebted both for kind perm iss ion

IRIS I I FICT ION

to quo te from h is books and fo r co nstant advice and

suggest ion given wit h the greatest co rd ialitv. To D r .

Cono r Magu ire,o f Clarem o rr is , I owe m o st of my no tes o f

books on Ir ish Fo lk- lo re,and to Mr . Edm und Downey ,

the

wel l -known autho r and publisher ,notes o n Lever ’s books ,

together with m any usefu l suggest ions . Mr . Franc is J .

Bigger , of Belfas t, the always read y and enthus i

astic helper of every Ir ish enter pr ise, has aided m e withvaluable advice and no less va luable encouragem en t. Mr .

J . P. Whelan , Librar ian of the Kev in Street Publ ic Library,Dubl in , has rendered m e every ass istance in h is power .

D r . J . S . Crone, Of London , Editor of the I r ish Book Lover ,has on several occas ions kindly o pened to m e the pages of

his per iodical . Lastly ,I m ust acknowledge here, with

s incere thanks , m uch help of var ious kinds given m e bym any m em bers Of m y own Order ,

and notably , Rev .

M . Russel l , S .J . , Rev . M . Corbett , S .J . , Rev . P. J . Connolly,

SJ ,and the Rev . J . F . X. O

’

Br ien , S .J .— the last Of

whom very kindly undertook the tediou s labour of revis ingm y proofs .

CONTENT S

PREFACEACKNOW LED GM ENTS

ent1N ABBREV I ATI ONSH I STORI CAL N OV ELSSnbd tm

’

ded according to per i ods .

S TORIES OF I RISH L IF E IN THE PASTS ubd ivi ded according to per i ods .

PRESENT- DAY I RI SH L IFE

IV .

V .

V I .

V I I .

VI I I .

IX .

X .

XI .

XI I .

Chi ld L i feSchool L ifeTh ePeasan try (Snbdz

’

oz’

ded according to local i ty )Th e M iddle ClassesPr esen t -D ay Problem s and M ovem entsPol itical and Soc ia l SatireD ublin L i feTh e Coun try GentryProvinc ial Town L i feCathol ic Cler ical L i feM iscel laneou s

H UM OROU SCOLLECT I ONS OF M ISCELLANEOU S STORIESN OTE — Her o Ta le, Folk-Ta le, Fairy Tale

GAELI C EPI C AND R OM ANTI C L ITERATUREF OLK-TALES AN D LEGEND SFAIRY TALESADV ENTU RE S TOR IES “

FOR BOY SS TORIES F OR GIRLSI RISH -AM ERI CAN S TOR IE SM ISCELLANEOU S

General N otes on some of the Authors

Addenda

APPEND IXI ND EX

c . (before dates)O .p .

m.d .

ABBREVIATIONS

approxim ately.ou t of pr in t .no date pr inted by publisher .

and fol l owing (years o r pages) .edition , edited , ed itor .

which m ay b e referred to .New York .

I r ish M onthly, edited by Rev . M . R ussel l , S .J .

I r ish E cclesi astical Record .

N ew I reland Review.

The L i terary S upplem en t of th e T imes .

the public ation I r ish L i terature desc r ibed in theAppendix .

The Cab i net of I r i sh L i teratu re (see Appendix ) .Catholic Truth S oc iety of I reland .

Soc iety fo r the Prom otion of Chr ist ian Knowledge.

Religious Trac t Soc iety .

I r i sh L i/e i n I r ish F i ction , by H . S . Kr ans (seeAppendix )

IRISH FICTION

I— tb istorical “towelsOF late years m uch has been Wr itten in disparagem ent ofthe histor ical novel . Such a wr iter , fo r instance,

as Sir

Lesl ie Stephen goes so far as to condem n i t altogether ,as being either “ pure cram o r pure fict ion . ProfessorBrander Matthews has wr itten in a s im ilar strain . And

the prej udice against it has becom e pretty widespread .

It m ay be well , therefore,to preface such a list as th is

wi th a fewwords in favour of this class Of fict ion .

We m ight say in general of go od histor ical fiction whatProfessor Saintsbury has said of Quentin Durward

,that

it is the m ost pu rely refreshing Of al l reading becauseof its con j unct ion Of rom ance and real ity .

” But I passover the quest ion Of what the story gains by being interwoven with the real even ts and personages Of the past .I Shall dwell rather on what history gains by taking fictionas its ally .

In the first p lace fiction ,in the hands of a m aster ,

doeswith com parat ive ease what the histor ian attains to butseldom and im perfectly -it m akes history live again tothe im aginat ion of the reader .

1 With all their endeavoursto pa int the m anners and custom s of past epochs

, h is

tor ians , even such as Macaulay or Green o r Taine, m ust ,after all, deal m ainly with the dest inies of peop les , governm ents and part ies . When they deal with m en it is ratheras factors In the m arch Of great events than as individualsworking out their own destinies . They m ay pause topaint for us portraits of such m en

, yet they give us , after

1 The young , says Mr . Baker in his Gu i de to the Best F i cti on,

m ust get a living idea of the past before they can get a correc tone.

” And he i s of opin ion that, from an educational point ofView,

even a fourth-rate h istorical novel m ay have am ple excusefor existence.”

2

2 IRISH-

“FICT ION

all,l ittle better than a catalog ue o f qual i t ies .

1 But in

fiction the great m an l ives o ut his life befo re us l ike anycomm on m o rtal . We see king and statesm an

, conquerorand popu lar leader , as i t were off the stage and str i p t ofal l p ro perty ” trap p ings . Mo reover

,we see how the

comm on m an,with whom History has no tim e to linger ,

p l ied his dai ly task in far - Off tim es,and m et the j oys

and sorrows that fall to the lot Of all . And hereby weview in a new light the events with which histor ies deal .Fo r we can watch how they affect , not those greatabstractions

,a governm ent o r a par ty

,but the l ives of

the comm on people,the interests Of what nowadays we

call “the m an in the street .”

Moreover , to the real izat ion of even the great eventso f history

,histor ical fict ion m ay contr ibute in a way that

no history— certainly not the histor ies that we usuallyread in schools —can do . Fo r the histor ical novel m ay be

sa id to bear to history pro per m uch the sam e relat ionthat an histor ical p lay o r a pageant does to a co llect iono f antique arm our in a m useum . Fo r the ant iquar ianand the spec ial ist , the sc ientifically

-ar ranged s pec im ens

m ay possess , no doubt,a higher value. But it is to be

thought that the average m an would gain m ore l ivingknowledge Of the past from Julius Caesar o r Henry VI II .effect ively staged ,

o r from such a spectac le as , say,the

Welsh Nat ional Pageant,than he cou ld even from m any

weary , though doubtless profitable,hou rs in the halls of

the Nat ional Museum .

But there is m o re in history than the chron ic ling of

past events and the p ictur ing of past scenes . We can

study in its pages the working out of those m ot ives and

pr inci p les and ideas which,because they are the ou tcom e

Of our hum an nature,are at work st i ll in the wor ld of

to- day. Now the novel ist,if he can truly portray hum an

nature at all, can surely hel p us here. It is surely not

im possible for h im to ca ll up before us vividly the passions

1 Clear ly this would not apply to som e of the greater andm ore am ple his tor ies , sti l l less to the great biographies . Yet howm any of these L ives fai l whol ly to ca l l up before us the li vingm an.

HI STORICAL NOVELS 3

and enthus iasm s that swayed m en’

s m inds,say ,

in the

days of the Renaissance o r the Revo lu tion,o r

,to com e

nearer hom e,in the Ireland Of 1 642 or o f 1 798 . All these

pass ions and enthus iasm s , but l itt le changed,are with

us st ill , though working in new condit ions . Reflect ionon their influences and fruits in the past m ay give us

m any a d ue for guidance am i d the confusion Of warr ingm ot ives and ideas in ou r - own days . Thus fiction m ayaid h istory to fu lfil the higher rOle

,nowadays so often

den ied to it— the inter pretat ion Of the present by the

ast.

If there be any truth in these cons iderat ions i t wou ldbe hard to overrate the im por tance of sto cking wel l thel ibrar ies Of ou r schools with Ir ish histor ical novels— at

least i fwe have any care for the nat ional sp ir i t of youngIreland . Fo r , whatever m ay be said about m aturer years ,certa inly when the m ind is fresh and im press ionable

,m ore

vivid and Often m ore last ing im press ions are m ade byfict ion read out Of school hours than by facts learnedwithin them . And if these im press ions are to be gainedfor Ireland there is l ittle else bes ides histor ical fict ionthat can do the work . A glance at the table of conten tsof this gu ide will show the reason . An Anglo- Ir ish l iterature nat ional in sentim ent and spec ially wr i tten for boyshardly exists . On the other hand , boys d o not as a ru le

care for tales of peasant l ife, nor for fo lk- tales , no r fo r

the great bulk Of novels of present- day Ir ish l ife ; theysoon get beyond fairy tales ,

and have not been taughtto read with zest Gael ic hero- legend and rom ance. Thererem ains l itt le else bes ides the histor ica l novel .More than fifty years ago Thom as Dav is wro te to h is

fr iend Maddyn I W ish to heaven som eonewould attem p tI r ish histor ical fict ion . Since then m u ch has been done,

though ,perhaps , l ittle that is really great and last ing .

From the following list it will be seen how m any gapsare left to be filled , what r ich veins rem ain to be worked ,by com ing wr i ters Of Ir ish fict ion .

For the accom p l ishm ent of Thom as Davis ’ wish wem ay look with hope to the r ise Of a new school of Ir ishfi ct ion which shall tell the story of Ireland in her ancient

4 IRI SH FICT I ON

language. Fo r the abandonm ent o f the anc ient tongue,

and the accom panying neglect o f all things Gael ic whichm arked the nineteenth centu ry

,has had this am ong its

o ther lam entable co nsequences ,that generat ions Of I r ish

wr iter s were cut off from the nat ional traditions as transm itted in the nat ional l iterature,

and that thus they who llyfai led to com prehend the Gael ic m ind and its outlo ok u ponthings at any given per iod Of the past . Gael ic I relandfu rther back than ’

98 was to them a sealed book ,and their

effo rts to po rtray it cou ld have but l ittle real value. The

field l ies Open to those who shall have re- steeped themselves in the tradit ions Of the Gaelic past .

BEFORE THE NORMAN INVAS ION

0. 500- 1 016. O

’

BYRNE (Lorcan) . Kings and Vi kings .

p p . 240. (Blackie ) 23 . 6d . 6 illustr . by Pau l Hardy .

n .d .

D rawn from published trans lations Of Gael ic MSS . , e.g . ,

S tandish H . O’

Grad y'

s S i lva Gadelz’

ca ; D r . Todd ’

s edi tion ofthe Wars 0/ the Gael and Ga ll ; D r . O

’

D on ovan’

s B attle ofIll agh Rath ,

etc . Contents : s tor ies of ear ly Chr istian tim es ,

ch iefly from the l ives of St.Patr ick , St. Br i gid,St . Co lum b ki lle,

and S t . Brendan ; the tr ia l of the Bards ; the batt les ofD unb o lg , M oira , etc stor ies of the D an ish invasi ons and in

par ticu lar of Br ian B o rum ha . Ful l of good inform a tion , bu tn o t strong in narrati ve interest .

500-

507. EBLANA. The Last Monarch Of Tara .

p p . 3 I r . (Gi ll ) zs . I st ed , 1880 ; several othersS ince.

Per iod r eigns of Tuathal and Diarm aid O Cearbhai l. Scenechiefly th e distr ic t around Tara . Aim s to presen t a detai ledpic ture Of the dai ly l i fe and c ivi li zation of I reland at the

tim e. Chief even ts : the m u rder of Tuathal, the j udgm en tof D iarm aid aga inst Co lum b k i lle, fol lowed by the ba tt le ofCoo ld revne, and final ly the Cu rsing and Abandonm en t Of

Tara . The s tory i s S l ight and m oves s lowly there i s no loveinterest . The histor ica l even ts are no t all, perhaps , verycer tain , but the author has brought very grea t industry anderudi tion (from the best sources) to the por trayal Of the l i feof the tim e. This edition was r evised and corrected bCanon U . J . Bourke, and is adm irably produce

6 IRIsn FICTION

1 152- 1 1 72 . G IBSON (C . B . ) Dearfo rgil, the Pr incesso f Breffny. pp . 287 . (Lo ud : Ho pe .) 1 857.

S tory Of D iarm uid MacM u rro ugh’

s abduc tion Of the wife ofO

’

R ua i rc of B reffn i , and su bsequen t even ts , inc lud ing an

ac count Of the N orm an Invas ion . The tone throughou t i santi - na tiona l and m os t Offens i ve to Cathol ic feel ing . The

frequent hum o rous passages a re near l y a lways vulgar , and

in m any ins tances coarse. The book is ful l of puer i l i tiesand Of m an i fest absu rdities .

1 167- 1 198. O

’

BYRNE (MISS M . L .) The Cou rt Of RathCroghan . p p . 465. (G i l l ) 2s . 6d . 1 887.

The story of the Norm an Invas ion of I reland , together withthe ser ies Of events tha t led to i t , and the con sequences tha tfol lowed , the cent ra l idea being tha t i t was the treachery anddisun ion of her Own pr inces tha t wrought the ruin of I reland .

All the chief m en connec ted with the even ts nar rated playprom inent par ts in the story . St . Lau rence O ’

Too le is finel yd rawn . The last Ard R igh , Roder ick ,

i s shown weak and

unfit to r ule in per i lous tim es . S trongbow i s a leading charac ter ; h is death i s vivi dly descr ibed . Ar t MacM urr ough is ,of cou r se , the vi l lain . The style i s som ewha t high -flown ,

and often loaded with antiquated phrases and latin i zed ex

press ions . Y et the story , apar t from i ts histor ica l value,

which is considerable, has a strong in terest of its own .

THE INVASION AND AFTER

1 169 sgq. O’

BYRNE (Lorcan) . The Falcon King .

p p . 240. (Blackie) 2 s . 6d . 6 illustr . by Paul Hardyp icture cover . 1907.

Sketches of Hen ry I I . and of I reland dur ing h is invasion .

Causes of la tter dea l t with . Pic tu re of Derm ot MacMurr ough

and of I reland at the tim e, espec ial ly Of D ublin .

W YNNE (May) . Let Er in Rem em ber .

p p . 3 12 . (Green ing ) 63 . 1908 .

A sensa tiona l rom ance, very s im i lar in kind to the author ’

s

F or Church and C lue/ la i n , q .v . The I r ish are depic ted as a

wild , pass iona te people, torn by m u rderous feuds , led byselfish , unsc rupu lous Chiefta ins . The Norm ans , who appea rin th e story , S trongbow in par ticular , are represented as

gentle and cour teous kn ights .

c , 1 171 . MATURIN (C . R .) Eva,

HISTORICAL NOVELS 7

FERGUSON (Sir Sam uel) . T he Return OfClaneb oy,

in F irst Ser ies Hi bernian N i ghts’

Entertain

ments, q .v . p p . 43

-

98 .

Relates how 006 b u i vbe 6 ne1LL r egained hi s terr i tory ofC laneb oy in An tr im on the death Of W i l li am d e Burgh ,Ea r l Of U lster . The story i s rather an ordinary one—figh tingand in tr igues . There i s som e descr ipti on of m en and m anner s

and Of County An tr im scenery .

1375- 1417. O

’

BYRNE (M . L.) Art MacMurrough

O’

Kavanagh . p p . 716. (G ill ) 1 st ed .,1 885.

A full accoun t Of the li fe and exploi ts of Ar t MacMurrough ,

th m any adven tures Of fic titi ous charac ter s , and m uchdescr iption of the m anners and li fe of the tim es within and

thout the Pale . In the conversations the author a ttem ptsto repr oduce the spoken Engl ish of the tim e, with a lam en table r esul t . They are fu l l Of yclept, eftsoons , by my hali dom ,

m ar ry , etc ., etc so as to b e unin tel li gible at tim es . The

speech Of the I r ish charac ters i s near ly as fu l l Of Gael icexpressions . M any Of the even ts narrated in thi s storyare supplied from tradition (note by the author ) . Butthe author has been at m uch pains to uti li ze un doubtedlyauthentic sour ces . The s tyle, on the whole, is pleasan t .

1397. FERGUSON (Sir Sam uel) . The Cap tu reof Killeshin ,

in F irst Ser ies of Hi bernian Nights ,

q .v . pp . 98—146.

A tale Of the struggle of the Leinster Clans— ch iefly the

O’

No lan s— with the English settlers . Ful l of s tirr ing in c idents , inc luding a battle m ost vividly descr ibed .

c . 141 0. FERGUSON (Sir Sam uel) . Corby MacGill

m ore . pp . 1 40. Being Hi bernian N ights’

Entertai n

ments,Second Ser ies , q .v .

S cene Nor th An tr im at the beginning of the fifteen th century .

A Franc iscan preaches Ch r is tiani ty to the MacGi llm o res , whohad r elapsed in to barbar ism and pagan ism . There is a verywar li ke and um-Chr is tian abbot in the s tory . Th e chi efin terest i s th e enm i ty between th e Clan G i l lm ore and the

Clan Savage Of N or th D own , and the even ts , dark and tragicfo r th e m ost par t , that r esul t from i t.

SADLIER (Mrs . Jam es) . The Heiress Of

Kilorgan . (N .Y Kenedy) . 60 cents net. Newed ” 1909.

Sub -ti t le : “

Evenings wi th the Old Geraldines.

8 IRISII FICTION

1532- 1537. MAN IFOLD-CRAIG (R ) The Weird of The

S ilken Thom as . p p . 230. (Aberdeen : Mo ran .) 1900.

The s tory O f how Lord Thom as Fitzgera ld was d rawn intorevol t by the treachery Of a pr i vate enem y . Purports to bea nar rative wr i tten at the tim e by Mar tyn Baruch Fa l lon ,

sc r ivener and c r ipple, a loya l inhabitant of Maynooth ,

with som e accoun t o f the latter ’s pr iva te affairs . W r i ttenin quain t , antique language d ifficul t to fol low , espec ia l ly atthe ou tset o f the book . I t seem s of l i ttle va lue from an

histor ica l poin t of view .

1534-

5. FERGUSON (Sir Sam uel) . The Rebell ionOfS i lken Thom as . p p . 278 . Being Hibernian Nights ,

Third Ser ies . (Sealy , Bryers . ) paper . Severaleds .

The m ain features Of the rebel l ion are told in form of rom ance.

The rea l hero is S ir John Ta lbot , who first j oins Lord Thom as

bu t afterwards leaves h im . The story Of S ir John ’

s pr i vatefor tunes occupies a large par t Of the nar rative . The authoris , of course, per fec tly acquainted wi th the hi story Of the

tim e.

0. 1534. ANON . The S iege of Maynooth .

SEAGHAN O’

NEILL AND THE DESMOND WARS

1559- 1567 . FENNELL (Char lotte) and J .P. O

’CALLAGHAN .

A Pr ince of Tyrone. p p . 363 . (Blackwo od ) 1 897.

The am our s of Seaghan O’

Nei ll. Seem s wor thless froman histor ica l point of view . O

'

Nei ll appears as li ttle betterthan a vi l lain Of m elodrama .

e. 1560. O’BYRNE (M . L.) The Pale and the Sep ts .

2 vols . (G i ll . ) I st ed ., 1 876 .

The design i s to i l lustrate,in all its c ruel ty

,treachery , greed ,

and unscrupu lousness , the steady advance of the Englishsettlem en t . Y et by no m eans all the E nglish are pa in tedas vi l lains . W e are shown the forces Of governm en t at

work at hom e in the Castle. Carefu l por trai ts of Ar chbishop Loftus and the Old Ear l Of Kildare. D esc r ip tions Ofbatt le of Glenm alu re, H unger ford ’ s m assacre at Ba l tinglass ,the captu re and recapture of Glench ree, etc . , etc . Finedescr ip tion of scenery , e.g .

, Gongane Bar ra . The rel igiouspersecutions are vi vid ly por trayed . H ighly praised by the

Atlzeneeum .

HI STORICAL NOVELS 9

1565 $99. ELRINGTON (H .) Ralph VV'

ynward . p p . 310.

(Nelson ) Attractive binding . n .d .

Yougha l in the days OfQ ueen E li zabeth . A tale of adven tu rein wild tim es , ending in th e sack Of Youghal dur ing the

Desm ond W ars . W i thou t bias .

1577. WYNNE (May) . For Church and Chieftain .

pp . 314 . (M ills Bo on .) 63 . 1909 .

A r om ance Of the thr i l ling and popular typ e. Ful l of wond erful coinc iden ces and the sti l l m ore wonder fu l escapes ofthe heroes from the c lu tches of their enem ies . The s toryis li ttle con cerned with hi s tor ical even ts and persons . The

Ear l of D esm ond , Archbishop O’

Hu r ley ,D owdal l , and

Z ouch are in troduced occas iona l ly . The tone is hea l thy,the s tandpoin t I r ish and Catholic .

BOYCE (Rev . John ,D .D .) The Spaewife ;

or, The Queen

’

s Secret . (Boston : No onan .)See genera l note on thi s author . Begins at Ham pton Cour t .The fac i li ty wi th which Father Boyce m akes Nel l Gower ,

the Scotch Spaewife (a wom an gifted with second s i ght) , d iscour se in br oad Scottish dialec t , in con trast wi th the sta telyand im per ious language Of E l i zabeth , displays an unusua lpower Of transi tion . Adm irer s Of E li zabeth ’ s charac ter fo rspotless innocence wou ld no t recogni ze in her pic tur e as

drawn by Fa ther Boyce any s tr i king likeness . NO finercharac ter cou ld be depic ted than A lice W entwor th , daughterOf S ir Geoffr ey W en twor th , the represen tati ve Of an Old

English Catholic baronetage, who suffered per secuti on underE li zabeth ; whi lst Roger O

’

B r ien , attached to the Cour tOfMary Q ueen Of Scots , affords an oppor tuni ty Of presen tingthe hi gh-spir i ted and brave qua l i ties that ought to belong toan I r ish gentlem an .

O"GRADY (Standish) . The Bog Of Stars .

p p . 1 79. (Flsher Unwin .) 23 . (New Ir Ish LIbrary.)1 893 .

S tor ies and pic tures , ni ne in num ber , Of I reland in the daysof E li zabeth , not so m uch founded on fact as in fac t true

( I ) How a dr um m er - boy saved Clan Rana l fromdestruction by the Deputy (2) A sketch of Phi l ip O ’

Su lli van ,

hi stor ian , soldier , and poet ; (3) The destruc tion of the

O’

Falveys by Mac an Ear la Of the Clan M‘

Carthy (4 ) Thevengeance of the O ’

Hagans on Phel im O’

Nei ll ; (5) A sketchof S ir Ri chard Bingham , the in fam ous but mi ghty CaptainOf Connaught ; (6) H ow the Engli sh surpr ised by tr eacheryRory Og O ’

M ore and hi s people ; (7) The s tory of the grea tand proud Br ian of the Ram par ts O

’

Rourke ; (8) D on Juan

I RIS l l FICTION

d el Aqui la , the heroic d efender of Kinsa le ; (9 ) Deta i led and

vivid d esc r i ption Of the battle of the Cu r lew Mountainsfrom the I r ish point o f view . These have all the greatqual i ties Of the F light of the E agle, and indicate the sam e

views Of his to ry— the selfishness and frequen t savagery ofsom e Of the I r ish Chieftains ,

their hatred Of one another ,their constan t r ead iness to subm i t to the Q ueen

’

s gracewhen i t sui ted— all this i s brought ou t . Yet the au thor i son the s ide of I reland : he dwel ls on wha t i s heroic in o ur

his tory , he pain ts the E l i zabethan deputies and their sub

ordinates in dark colou rs .

1577—1582 . LAWLESS (Em i ly ) Maelcho . p p . 41 8 .

(Methuen ) 1 3 . (well bound in cloth) . [I st ed . ,1 895 ]

I 905.

G loom y pic tu re of m isery and devastation dur ing the Des

m ond rebel l ion . An Engl ish boy escaping from a n ighta ttack finds refuge in a Connem ara glen am ong the nat iveI r ish hideous wretches of savage appearanceand uncouth tongue . Then com es a con fused accoun t of them elod ram atic s truggles of Fitzm au r ice and h is wild fol lowersaga ins t the English , noble, steady , and c ivi l ized . There i s

a vague im press ion throughou t Of an I r ish race withou tidea ls o r rel igion , inevitably losing ground , m oved by no

im pulse bu t love Of s tr i fe and cr inging supersti tion .

ANON . Geraldine OfDesm ond or , I relandin the Reign Of Queen El izabeth . 3 vols . 1 829 .

I

GRANIA NI MHAILLE (GRACE O’

MALLEY)

- 1590. O’BRIEN (Wi ll iam ,

MP .) A Queen of

Men . p p . 32 1 . (Unwin ) 3rd ed .,1 899 .

S cene : Galway City, Clare I s land , and the opposi te coast ,j us t before the grea t W ar Of the Ear ls . A very highlycolou red r om ance,

fu l l of flash and dram atic sensati on , toldwith an exuberance of language that som etim es exceeds ,bu t at tim es is very effective. Som e Of the descr ip tive piecesare qu ite above the comm on and a ttain rem arkable vividness . The book was wr i tten in the m ids t Of the scenes

descr ibed . An effec tive device to secure colou r i s the fre

quen t inter j ec tion Of Gael ic phrases phonetica l ly spel t .The heroine Of the ta le is the fam ous Gran ia N i Mhaille, whoappears no t on ly as daun t less sea-queen of the O ’

Malleys ,

bu t abo ve all in her wom an ly charac ter . Fitzwi l l iam ,

Bingham , and Perrott also appear,the last as a

‘hero.

HI STORICAL NOVELS 1 1

Though m any Of the inc idents are quite ficti tious and fewhappened exactly as narra ted , yet som e Of those whichm ight seem m ost inc redible to anyone unacquain ted withthe S ta te Papers cou ld b e para l leled by r ea l happen ings .

Som e Of the inc iden ts narr ated are : the Com pos i tion ofConnaught , the disgrace of Perrott , the wreck ing of theArm ada on the Connaught coast , Grani a ’

s vis i t to E li zabeth .

W i th Grani a ’

s love story i s entwined another , that of Caha lO

’

Malley and Nuala O ’

D onn ell .

TAUNTON (M .) The Last of the Cathol icO

’

Malleys . Kenedy .) 40 cents net.

A wholesom e Ca tholic tale of the adven tures of Grace

O’

Malley

c . 1579. MACHRAY (Robert) . Grace O’

Malley, Pr incess and Pirate. p p . vi i i . 338 . (Cassell . ) 63 . 1 898 .

Purpor tin g to b e Told by Ruari Macdona ld , Redshank andRebel , The sam e set for th in the Tongue of the Engl ish .

S cene : var ious poin ts on th e west coast from Achi l l t oL im er ick . To a dua l love story— Of Grace (z Gran ia W ai le )and Ri chard Burke, R uari (th e hero) and Eva , Grace

’

s fosters ister— are added m any s tir r ing descr ip ti ons of sea—fights andescapes , sieges and hos tings . H istor ica l personages , suchas S ir N icholas Malb ie, the Ear l Of D esm ond , and S tephenL yn ch of Ga lway , are in troduced . Th e m ora l tone is en tirelygood . The poin t of view i s Grace O

’

Malley’

s.

c . 1585. PETREL (Fulm ar ) . Gran ia Waile. pp . 285,

large pr int . (Unwin .) Frontisp iece and m ap . 1 895.

A fanc i fu l story wr i tten aroun d the ear ly life and aftercareer Of th e O

’

Malley Sea—queen . Her r obbing , when onl y

a young gir l , Of the eagle’

s nes t , h er desperate sea-fights ,

and her m any other adven tures m ake pleasan t r eadi ng .The a tm osphere Of the per iod i s wel l brought ou t . Bu tfew of the inc iden ts narra ted are hi s tor ica l fac ts .

MAXWELL (W . H .) The Dark Lady of

Doona . [1836 ]A weak hi stor ica l novel in Scott ’s m anner whi ch attem pts

a pic ture of s ixteenth -cen tury li fe ”

(Krans) . The heroinei s Grace O

’

Malley.

1580- 1 600. MATHEW (Frank) . The Spani sh Wine. p p .

1 80. (Lane ) 33 . 6d . 1 898 .

A ta le Of D un luce Castle, CO . An tr im ,in the days when the

M acDonn ells from Scotland were Lords Of An tr im , and

Perrott was E li zabeth ’ s deputy . The story is told in form of

IRISH FICTION

rem iniscence, the ac tua l m ovem ent Of the plot occupyingon ly a few hou rs . L i ttle a ttem pt at desc r iption of sceneso r tim es . The au tho r ’

s sym pathies a re with theMacDonnells ,

who were o n the Engl ish s ide at the tim e. The book has beeng rea tly adm ired , espec ia l ly fo r the vividness Of i ts hi s tor ica la tm osphere and i ts poetic and rom ant ic glam our .

1585- 1590. REED (Talbot Baines) . S ir Luder . p p .

343 . (Rel. Tract Soc .) 7 illustr . by Alfred Pearse.

Adven tu res Of an Engl ish ’prent ice boy in com pany withS ir Ludar , who is a son Of Sor ley Boy MacDonnell Of D un luceCastle, Co . An tr im . There i s a constan t su ccession of exc i ting inc idents . The retaking O i D un luce from the Englishi s the m os t notewor thy . The heroes are On board the

Arm ada dur ing i ts fight wi th the English . The tone i s

not anti- I r ish , bu t occasiona l ly unfair to Catholics . I t i s

a book for boys.

THE “(AR OF THE EARLS

O’GRADY (Standish) . Fl ight o f the Eagle .

pp . 298. (Sealy ,Bryers .) 33 . 6d . [I st publ .

New cd .,1908 .

The histor ical episode Of the ki dnapping Of Hugh Ro e

O’

D onnell and h is escape from D ubl in Cast le evoked in a

narrative of extraordinary d ram atic power and viv idness .

The author has breathed a spir i t into the d ry bones Of

innum erable c on tem porary docum ents and S tate Papers ,so tha t the m en Of E l izabethan I reland seem to l ive and

m ove before u s . The effec t i s great ly strengthened by the

vigour and r ush of the style, which rem inds one Of that ofCar lyle in h is F rench Revolution . The author has pec uliarand dec ided views about E li zabethan I r ish politics . The

au thor i ties fo r the s tory , he tel ls u s in h is Preface, are

the Annals of the F o u r Al asters the H istor ia H ibern ia; ofD on Phi lip O

’

S u llivan Beare, O C lc ry’

s L ife of H ugh Roe,

and the Calendar 0/ S tate Papers , I reland , from 1587 forwa rd .

”

END OF S IXTEENTH CENTURY

c . 1597. SADLIER (Mrs . Jam es) . MacCarthy MOI:

p p . 277 . (N .Y . Kenedy) . At present in p r int . n .d .

L i fe and charac ter Of Florence MacCar thy Mor based on

h i s L ife and Letters by D ani el M ‘

Car thy. M‘

Car thy is saidby the author (Pref,) a lmost to m er i t the nam e of the

I 4 IRIS II FICTION

the battle Of Kinsa le and the siege of Dunboy into the s toryof the young O '

S u lli van U lr ick . Ful l of vividly presenteddeta i ls of the publ ic and pr i vate l ife Of the tim e, and Of

novel and suggestive presentm ents Of i ts politica l and soc ia lideas . These i t br ings hom e to the reader as no historycould do . Yet the s tory i s no t neglec ted . S tandpoin t :im partia l , on the whole.

1603 sqq. SADLIER (Mrs . Jam es) . The Daughter Of

Tyrconnell. pp . 160 . (Duffy ) 1 s . Kenedy .)60 cents net.

A beautifu l s tory Of Mary S tewar t , on ly daughter ofRoder ick O ’

D onnell (Publ Kenedy) . See Addenda .

PENDER (Mrs . M . T . ) The Last of the

Ir ish Chiefs .

A sensati ona l rom ance of the t im e of S i r Cahir O ’

Doherty’

s

r ising and the governorship Of Pau lett in Derry .

1633 sqq. M ‘CHESNEY (Dora) . Kathleen Clare. pp .

286. (Blackwood . ) 6 illustr . by J . A. Shearm an . 1 895.

S tory Of W entwor th , Ear l Of S trafi‘o rd’

s Viceroya l ty in

I reland , told in form of d iary purpor ting to b e wr i t ten by a

kinswom an of S tratford ’ s , who sees h im in h is hom e l i fe and

acquires extraordinary love and reverence fo r h im . The

tale Of h is execu tion i s pathetical ly told . Q uain t E l izabethanEnglish . Pret ty E l izabethan love-songs intersper sed .

1633 sqq. MATHEW (Frank) . Love Of Com rades .

(Lane.) 33 . 6d . 1 900.

A rom an tic tale Of the days of S trafford , with a spr ightl yand adven turous I r ish heroine who m asquerades as a boyand per form s dashing exploits (Baker ) .

0. 1645. H INKSON (H . A.) S i lk and Steel . pp . 336.

(Chatto Windus .) 65 . Picture cover .

Adven tu res Of an I r ish sold ier Of for tune at the Cour t ofChar les I In the Nether lands , and in I reland . Br isk and

pic turesque in style. S ketch of Owen Roe and descr iptionOf Benburb . Na tional in sen tim en t .

c . 1640. LEPPER (J . H .) Frank Maxwell . (Sealy ,Bryers .) 6d . paper .

Adventures of an I r ish Pur i tan plan ter ’s son , who by an

un lucky ser ies Of acc idents finds him self on the royal ist and

p

n‘

_

f NOVELS 15

Ir ish s ide j ust before the rebel lion of 1 64 1 . The cen tra linc iden t of the story i s the j ourney of one Hugh O

’

Donnell

to G lasgow,where he m eets Char les secretly

,and i s retu rn ing

as Vicer oy when h e is wr ecked , an d Frank Maxwel l a longwi th him , on th e coast Of An tr im . Th e I r ish are, on the

whole, r epr esen ted as rather bloodthi r sty and barbar ic ,

espec ial ly Hugh O ’

D onnell.”

A good adven ture ” book .

399 . MAGENN IS (Peter ) . Tu lly Castle,a Tale

Of 1641 . p p . 266. (Enn iskillen : Tr im ble. ) 1 877.

A very c rude,ram bli ng ta le, br inging in a few inc iden ts Of

th e Con federate W ar and severa l hi stor ic charac ter s , bu tm ain ly taken up with pr i vate love affairs , abduc tions , etc .

NO charac ter study and no rea l portraya l of th e tim es .

Occasiona l vu lgar i ty . Scene : chi efly the shores Of LoughE rne.

THE CONFEDERATION AND THE PARLIAMENTARY

WARS

1 641—1652 . SADLIER (Mrs . Jam es) . The ConfederateChieftains . p p . 384 , derny 8vo . (Gill .) 45 . Manyedit ions .

A r om ance Of a popular kin d , wi thout great li terary p retens ion s , givin g a good pic ture of th e even ts Of the tim e

,

wr i t ten fr om a Catholi c s tandpoin t , and sym pathiz ing with theOld I r ish par ty led by O ’

Nei ll, who i s the her o Of the ta le.

All the chi ef m en Of the var ious par ties figure in th e narra tive.

Ful l express ion i s gi ven to th e author ’

s sym pathi es and d i s

li kes , yet wi thou t , we beli eve, hi stor ic un fai rness .

1641- 1 652 . SMYTHE (P. J .) The “li ld Rose Of LoughG i ll . pp . 306. (G i ll .) 23 . 6d . sth

ed ” 1 904 .

Though nom in a l ly not the heroes , Owen Roe O’

Nei ll andMyles the S lasher are th e chi ef figures in thi s fine novel Ofthe W ars Of th e Con federation . A love- story i s in terwovenwith the hi stor ical even ts . Th e

, view- poin t i s thoroughlynationa l . The sty le abounds in im ager y and fin e descr ip tivepassages . Th e novel is one Of the m os t popular ever issuedin I reland . The story ends shor tly after the fa l l Of Ga lwayin 1 652 .

1642-1652 . F INLAY (Rev . T . A.

,S .J . ) The Chances

OfWar . (G i ll . ) [1 st ed .,

New ed . , 1908 .

Aim s (cf. Pr eface) to indicate the causes that led to fa i l ure ofConfederati on of Ki lkenny . Represents in the characters

lRISII FICTION

introduc ed the aim s and m otives of the chief ac tors in theevents Of the per iod , such as Owen Ro e O

'

Nei ll, R inucc ini ,S i r Char les Coote, etc . There is a spi r i ted desc r iption OfBen

bu rb . Though the m a in a im is his tor ica l . this fac t in no waydetrac ts from the interes t and exc i tem ent of the rom ance .

W r i tten in a s tyle m uch above that Of the grea t m aj or i ty ofI r ish his tor ica l novels . S tandpoin t : Catholic and nationa l ,bu t free from violen t par tisanship .

1644 sqq. LEPPER (J . H .) Captain Harry . (Sealy ,Bryers .) 6d . 1908 .

Ta le Of Par l iam entary \Vars , introduc ing the pr inc i pa lcharac ters who took par t on the Roya l ist and the Par liam en tary s ides .

1647- 1654 . O

’BYRNE (M . L .) Lord Roche’

s Daughtersof Ferm oy . p p . 344. (Sealy ,

Bryers .) 1 892 .

In the course Of this rom ance the whole history Of the W ars

Of the Con federation Of Kilkenny and Of the Cromwel l ianI nvas ion i s r elated . The story i s desc r ibed by the au thoras a very encyc lopaedia of t raged ies . The au thor i s

strongly o n the s ide Of Owen Roe O’

Neill as aga inst theCon federate Cathol ic s Of the Pale, and ,

of course, the Pur i tan s .

A fine ser ies of adven tu res and Of histor ica l pic tu res , butspoi led by frequen t lapses from l i terary good taste.

1649 sqq. BRERETON (F . S .) In the K ing ’s Service.

p p . 352 . (Blackie ) Attrac tive cover . 8 illustr . byStanley L. Wood . n .d .

Exc i ting adven tu res, abounding in d ram atic clim axes, of anEnglish cava l ier dur ing Crom wel l ’ s I r ish cam paign . Chiefscenes of la tter desc ri bed from Engli sh cavalier standpoint .Bur lesque brogue.

CHURCH (Sam uel Harden) . John Marm aduke. (Putnam ) 63 . 1 st ed .

,1 897. sth ed . , 1 8g8 .

Opens 1649 at Ar klow . Captain M . , who tel ls the s tory ,i s an Officer under the Crom wel lian General I reton . Closesshor tly after m assacre of D rogheda . The author says in

h i s Oliver C romwell, a H istory (p . 487) He (Cromwel l) hadover thrown a bloody rebel l ion in I reland and transform ed theenvironm en t Of that m ad people into industry and peace.

”

E lsewhere he speaks of Crom wel l ’ s pu re patr iotism , hi s

sacr ifice to duty , h is public wisdom , h i s endeavour fo r ther ight cou rse in every difficul ty . The novel i s wri tten in

th e spir i t Of the hi story , a panegyr ic Of Cromwel l . I t is fu l lOf battles , sieges , and exc i ting adventures . The authortel ls us that he went to I reland , traced again the line of

HISTORICAL NOVELS I 7

the Cromwel l Invasion , and gave som e studious attentionto the language and li tera ture of the coun try ”Anti -Catholic in tone.

M‘DONNELL (Randal) . When Cromwel l

cam e to Drogheda . pp . 1 47 . (G ill .) 2s . 662. Map of

Drogheda and m ap Of Ireland in t ime Of Cromwell .1906.

Edited from the record Of Clarence S tranger , an Offi cer inthe arm y of Owen Roe O

’

Nei ll. Cover s pr inc ipa l even tsfrom Crom wel l ’ s landing to the Plan tati on , inc luding defenceOf Clonm el .

MOORE (F . Frankfor t) . Castle Omeragh .

(Constable) 63 . 1 903 .

Scene : the W est Of I reland dur ing Crom wel l ’s invas ion .

The cen tral figures are the Fawcetts , a Protestan t p lanterfam i ly , whose sym pathies have becom e I r ish . Th e eldes tson is an Officer in the arm y Of O

’

Nei ll. Th e second , thehero , i s l i terary and unwar l i ke, and inc l ined to Q uaker ism .

A Jesuit fr iend of the fam i ly figures prom inen t ly in the

s tory, and is presented in a very favourable l ight.

0. 1 649. MACMANUS (M iss L.) The S ilk Ofthe Kine.

pp . 282 . (F isher Unwin .) 3s . 6d . 1 896.

S cene : chiefly Connaught and south-west U lster dur ing thePar l iam en tary W ars . The heroine i s a daughter Of the

Maguire of Ferm anagh . H er capture by the R oundheads ,her r escue from the m an—hun ter s by a Par l iam entar ianOfficer , her condem nat ion to s lavery in S t. Kitt ’ s , and her

escape, are told in vi vid and thr i l l ing style. I t is a storyfor young readers espec ial ly .

ANON . (S E .A.) Father John , or Cromwellin I reland . (Gil l .) [I st ed .

,St ill repr inted .

c 1650. MOORE (F . Frankfor t) . Capta in Latym er .

(Cassel l .) 63 . Also 6d. ed . 1 908.

A sequel to Castle Omeragh . The eldest Fawcett i s con

dem ned by Crom wel l to the W estwith the daughter of H ugh O ’

Nei ll, nephew Of Owen Roe .

There are exc iting adven tures . The book , as does CastleOmeragh ,

gives a fai thfu l picture of the tim es .

0. 1650. F IELD (Mrs ) Ethne. pp . 31 2 . (Wells ,Gardner CO .) 33 . 6d . 3 o r 4 good illustr . 1 902 .

A ta le Of Cromwel l ’s transplantation Of the I r ishI to Con

naught. Purpor ts to be taken par tly from the diary Of

IRISl-I FICTION

Ethne O ’

Conno r , daughter Of one of the transplanted , andpar tly from the record Of Roger S tand fast -ou - the-Rock .

The fo rm er is conver ted to the rel ig ion Of the latter by a

s ingle reading O f the Bible. The interes t Of the book ism ain ly rel igious .

1 652- 1660 . F ITe TRICK (T ) The King of Claddagh .

p p . 249 . (Sands ) F rontisp . anc ient m ap Of Galwayin 1651 . 1 899.

Galway City and County dur ing Cromwel l ian per iod .

Atroc i t ies of the eight year s ' rule of the Roundheads .

Forc ible and vivid . Point of view : national and Cathol ic .

MACMANUS (L) Nessa . p p . 1 47. (Sealy ,i

BryerS .) 23 . n .d .

A tale of the Cromwel l ian Planta tion , charac ter i zed by a

sim ple unpretentious style, and cons iderable power Of

descr iption ,both of charac ter and scenery (Press notices) .

Th e l i ttle book was highly praised by the Academy and bythe I r i sh T imes . I t i s , Of course, strongly national in

sen tim ent .

THE W ILLIAMITE WARS

1671- 1748 . MORRIS (\V. O

’

Conno r) . Mem o i rs ofGeraldO

’

Connor . p p . 31 1 . (D igby , Long . ) 1903 .

Rem iniscences (told in the first person) Ofone Gerald O’

Conno r ,an an cestor Of the au thor . Com pi led par tly from Old

docum ents and papers in m y possess ion , pa r tly from r em in iscences handed down from father to son du r ing fi ve

generations , and par tly from m y own researches ”

But the author has freely fi l led in gaps in the authen ti cr ecords and suppl ied colour ing , though there i s prac tica l lyno dia logue. O

’

Conno r served in the W i l l iam i te W ars ,

1 689-

9 1 ,em igrated to France with Sar sfield , and j oined

the s taff of Mar sha l Vi l lars . W as in all the great battlesof the W ar of the Span ish Success ion . The au thor desc r ibeseffects on I reland Of conques t and confiscation from point Ofview Of O

’

Conno r , but adm i ts in Preface that he him sel flooks at m odern I reland from the landlord ’

s s tandpoin t .J udge O '

C . Mor r is is author Of m any works on I r ish politicswr i tten with Tory sym pa thies .

1685- 1691 . BAN IM (J ) The Boyne Water . p p . 564 .

(Duffy ) 2 3 .

In this great novel , which i s c losely m odel led on Scott,scene after scene of the great dram a of the W i l l iam i te W ars

HISTORICAL NOVELS 19

passes before the reader . Every detai l of scenery and cos

tum e i s carefu l ly reproduced . Great hi stor ica l personagesm ingle in the ac tion . The t wo ri va l k ings with all theirchi ef genera ls are r epres en ted wi th r em arkable vi vidness .

Then there are Sarsfield and Rev . George W alker , Ga l lopingO

’

Hogan the Rapparee, Carolan the bard , and m any others .

The politi cs and other burni ng questi ons Of the day are

thrashed out in the conver sations . The in terva ls Of the

great hi stor ica l even ts are fi l led by the adven tures Of the

fic ti tious charac ter s, exc itin g to the verge of sensati ona li sm ,

finely told , though the den s ex m achi na is rather frequen t lyca l led in , and the dialogue is som ewha t Old - fashi oned . Th e

wi ld scenery of the An tr im coast i s very ful ly descr ibed ,a lso the scenes thr ough which Sar sfield passed on hi s fam ousr ide. The standpoin t i s Cathol ic and Jacobite

,bu t grea t

effor ts are m ade to secure histor ica l fairness . The bookends with the Tr eaty Of L im er ick .

BUTT (Isaac) . The Gap of Barnesm ore.

3 vols ,each abou t 335 p p . (London ) 1 848 .

A ta le Of the I r ish H ighlands and the Revolu ti on of 1688 .

Appeared wi thou t the au thor ’ s nam e. An attem pt topor tray, without par tisan bias , the even ts of the tim e

and the heroism of both s ides in the W i l l iami te W ars .

PICKERING S (E ) Tru e to the Watchwo rd .

p p . 299. (Warne ) 8 illustr . 1 902 .

A spir i ted accoun t of the s iege of Derry from the poin t ofvi ew Of the besieged . Ful l Of hairbreadth escapes and Of

desperate en coun ter s with the I r ishr y , who are spoken ofthr oughou t as feroc ious savages . Apar t fr om thi s last poin tthere i s no notewor thy fa ls ificati on of history . For boys .

1 689 sqq. GRIFF ITH (Geo rge) . The Kn ights Of the

White Rose. p p . 31 1 . (J . F . Shaw 8: CO .) 33 . 6d .

Several good illustr . by Hal Hurst . (1908The adven tures Of three young soldier s , an Engli shm an

(th e her o) , an I r ishm an , and a S cotchm an , in a Roya l is tcrack regim en t . L i vely desc r ipti ons Of fighting before Der r yand at the Boyn e. Good outl ine of the cam pa ign , butli tt le hi stor ica l detai l o r descr ip tion . Told in pleasan ts tyle wi th plen ty of go . Fo r boys .

1689- 1690. KE IGHTLEY (S . R .) The Cr im son S ign . p p .

1 89. (Hu tch inson ) and 6d .

Adventures Of a M r . Gervase Orm e, som etim e li eutenan tin M ount y

’

s (W i l li am i te) regim en t Of foot ,” previ ous toand dur ing the siege Of Derry . The story is to ld with great

20 IRISH FICTION

verve, and is ful l Of rom antic and exc i ting adventure. Therei s l itt le o r no discussion Of pol itics , and no bitter partisanfeel ing .

1689- 1691 . HENTY (G . A.) Orange and Green . (Blackie )53 . Handsom e b inding 8 illustr . by Gordon Browne.

1907.

Adventures of two boys (one a Protestan t , the other a

Ca tholic ) in theW i l l iam i teW ar s . Battles of Boyn e,Aughr im ,

s ieges Of Athlone, Cork , and Lim er ick , descr ibed . Im par tia l .W i l l iam i te excesses condem ned . Sarsfield

’

s acti on afterL im er ick severely dea l t with .

1689- 1691 . M

‘DONNELL (Randal) . My Sword fo r

Patr ick Sarsfield . p p . 201 . (G il l .) 33 . 6d . 1 907.

Adven tu res of Phel im O’

Hara (charac ter wel l drawn ) , a

colonel in Sar sfield’

s horse, who witnesses siege of Derry,battle Of the Boyn e, two s ieges of L im er ick . Much hi storyvar ied by s tar tling adven tures .

1689-

91 . LE PANU (J . Sher idan) . The Fortunes Of

Col . To rlogh O’

Br ien . p p . 342 . (Ro utledge) 3s . 6d .

22 p lates by Phiz . [1 st ed . 1904 .

Reckoned am ong the three o r four best Ir ish histor icalnovels . Ma in them e : the effor ts of the hero , an Officer inthe Jacobite arm y , to regain possess ion Of h is estates in

Tipperary , which are held by the W i l l iam i te, Sir H ughVVi lloughby ,

whose daughter O ’

Br ien loves . There are m anym inor plots and subordina te issues , am ong them the un

scrupulous and near l y successfu l conspiracy aga ins t S i r

H ugh . The history i s no t the m ain interest , but there is

an account of the causes of Jacobi te down fa l l , descr iptionsOf Jam es

’

s Cour t at D ublin , and a fine descr iption OfAughr im .

There are excel len t pic tures of scenery , and som e ski lfu lthough roughly drawn charac ter sketches . The ac tion c losesshor tly after the Treaty Of L im er ick .

ELIZABETH (Char lotte) . Derry . [1862 ]Engli sh and Protestan t poin t Of view .

1689—1690. STRAIN (E . H .) A Man ’

s Foes . pp . 467.

(Ward ,Lock .) 63 . I llustr . by A. Forest ier . 1895.

A strongly conceived and vigorously wr i tten histor ica l taleOf the s iege Of Der ry . Poin t Of view aggressi vely Englishand Protestan t . The personages in the s tory Often expressbitter ly anti -Catholic sentim ents , bu t on ly such as m ayr easonably b e supposed to have been freely expressed at

the period.

IRISH FICTION

the pr i vate l ives O f som e Catholic fam i l ies at the tim e andthei r diffi c ul ties wi th Protestan t neighbours . Narrative som e

what ted ious and s low-m oving .

MACMAN US (M iss L .) In Sarsfield’

s Days .o

lllustr . (G i ll .) 3s . 6d . 1907.

A story Of love and adven tu re,fu l l Of l i fe and m ovem en t ,

in troduc ing the chief his tor ic events Of W i l l iam I I I .

’

s siegeOf L im er ic k . The s tory Of E thna N i Br ia in is power ful , andm uch Of the interest centres in the com pl ications that resu l tfrom her waywardness and her suprem e dom in ion over thosewhom sh e conquer s . The au thor has produced a play ,O

'

D onnell’

s Cross , ” founded on the inc iden ts of this novel .

BLAYNEY (Owen ) . The MacMahon . (Constable. ) 63 . 1 898 .

Battle of the Boyne.

1690- 1726. HANN IGAN (D . F .) Luttrell ’s Doom .

(Aberdeen : Mo ran .) 1 3 . c. 1891 .

Purpor ts to be extrac ts from an I r ish gent lewom an’

s diarykept between 1690 and 1 726.

THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

1696 . BAN IM (John) . The Denounced ; or , TheLast Baron OfCrana . p p . 235. (Duffy ) I st ed .

,1 826.

D ea ls with the for tunes of two Cathol ic fam i l ies in the

per iod im m ediately fol lowing the Treaty of L im er ick . De

pic ts their s truggles to prac tise their rel igion , and the vexat ions they had to undergo a t the hands of hosti le Protestants .

The ta le abounds in inc iden t , often sensationa l . There is a

good dea l in the s tory about the Rapparees .

1698. SYNAN (Arthu r) . The Com ing ofthe Kinga Jacobite Rom ance. p p . 1 43 . of Ireland .)1 3 . Pretty binding . 1909 .

Dea ls with an im aginary landing Of Jam es I I . to head a

r is ing in I reland . S cene : firs t on Shores of Ban try Bay ,

then in Celbr idge. A plot to seize D ubl in Cast le, in whichthe King is a ided by Swift , fa i ls '

th ro ugh d ivisions causedby sec ta r ian hatred . A rapid ly m oving story with m anyexc i ting si tuations . Though no elaborate pic ture Of the

tim es is attem pted , innum erable sm al l touches show the

ISTORICAL NOVELS Q3

au thor ’s thorough acquain tance with the history and l i terature Of the tim es . The s tyle i s pleasan t and the conversations seldom jar by being too m odern in tone.

This i s the first volum e of the I ona Ser ies ,”of the see Appendix .

a new ven ture

c . 1702 . HALPINE (C . G .) Mountcashel’

s Br igade ;o r

,The Rescue OfCrem ona . (Dublin ) 5th ed .

,1 882 .

c . 1 702 . MACMAN US (M iss L.) Lally of the Br igade.

(Duffy ) 2s .

Adven tu res , dur ing the W ar of the Span ish Succession , ofa Colonel Of the Br igade,

who after m any thr i l l ing exper i

ences distinguishes him self at Crem ona , and m arr ies a gir lwhom he had m et du r ing the war under r om an tic c ircumstances . The ta le is l ively and in teresting , and m akes one

rea l i ze som ewhat of the in tr igues and dangers Of warYoung r eaders m ay der i ve a grea t dea l Of am usem en t andinstruc tion from th e book (N .I .R .)

1 703- 171 0 . HENTY (G . A.) In the Ir ish Br igade. p p .

384 . (Blackie ) 6s . 12 excellent illustr . by Chas .

M . Sheldon . 1 901 .

Adven tures OfDesm ond Kennedy , O fficer Of the I r ish Br igade,in the service Of France, dur ing the W ar of the Span ishS uccession— ch iefly in Flander s and Spa in . The fac ts are

based on O’

Callaghan’

s H i story 0/ the I r i sh B r igade, and

Boyer ’

s Annals of the Reign of Q ueen Anne. N o I r ishNa tional is t cou ld quarrel with the views expressed in the

author ’

s Preface.

1 705- 171 0. LE PAN U (J . Sher idan) . The Cock and

Anchor : A Tale of Old Dublin . p p . 358 . (Duffy )33 . 6d . [I st ed .

,1 845 ; several s ince ] 1909.

A dreadfu l story Of the conspiracy of a num ber Of preterna tu ra l ly wicked and inhum an vi l lains to r uin a youngspendthr if t baronet , and to com pel h is s ister to m arry one

of them selves . The threads Of the s tory are woven withcons iderable sk i l l . The ta le, a gloom y one throughout,reaches i ts c l im ax in a scene of in tense and concen tratedexc i tem ent . The tim e i s the Viceroya l ty Of the Ear l Of

W har ton , the s tory ending in 1 7 10, but , exc ept fo r the

inc iden ta l introduc tion in one scene of Addison , Swift , and

the Viceroy him sel f , the even ts o r personages Of the tim e are

no t touched upon . There are som e s l ight pic tures Of the

l ife of the people of the per iod , bu t Of I reland there i s nothingunless i t be the talk Of som e com ic I r ish servants.

24 IRIS II FICTION

171 2 . WOODS (Margaret L .) Esther Vanhom r igh .

p p . 347. (Murray ) 1 892 .

A c lever and in teresting psychologica l s tudy Of the relati onsbetween Swift and the two E sthers ,

Johnson and Vanhom r igh ,the latter being the chief c entre Of interest . The scene,

par tly in I reland , par tly in England . The pol itica l even tsand questions of the tim e are scarcely touched upon , bu tthe a tm osphere, language, and costum e Of the tim e haveevidently been carefu l ly studied , and are vi vid ly reproduced .

Swift ’ s r elations to these two wom en are r epresen ted in a

convinc ing and sym pathetic m anner . There i s nothingObjec tionable in the tone of the book.

1715. WEYMAN (Stan ley) . The Wild Geese.

(Hodder Stoughton .) 63 . 1908.

S tory of an abort ive r ising in Kerry in reign of George Iwi th exc i ti ng si tuations and a love interest . S tyle c learand vi gorous. I r ish charac ters near ly all vac i l lating ,treacherous , and fanatical . General ly adm i tted to give an

unreal idea Of the tim es.

MASON (A. E. W .) Clem ent ina . (Methuen )6s . 8 illustr . by Bernard Partr idge. 2nd ed .

, 1903 .

The story Of the rom an tic escape Of the Pr incess Clem en tinaSobieski from Austr ia , and how sh e was conduc ted to Rom e

to b e m arr ied to the Pretender by the Cheva l ier Char lesW ogan , m em ber of an Anglo- I r ish fam i ly Of ClongowesW ood , in the Coun ty Kildare. Som e gl im pses of the I r ishBr igade. A l ively nar ra tive.

c . 1745. LOVER (Sam uel) . Treasure Trove ; or , He

Would be a Gentlem an . p p . 469. (Constable) 3s . 6d .

[I st ed ., 1844 ; m any s ince ] 1 899.

Cr itical introduc tion by D . J . O’

Donoghue.

Adven tures Of a som ewhat stagey her o , Ned Corkery , withthe I r ish Br igade in the ser vice Of France and of the YoungPretender . Fon tenoy , and th e

’

45 in Scotland , are in trod uced . The novel , says the editor

, can on ly be ca l ledpseudo - histor ical . The wr i ter had bu t im per fec tly m asteredthe history , and treats i t unconvinc ingly . The hum our i sbelow the author ’ s usua l standard , bu t the in terest i s wel lsu stained . I t i s unnecessar i ly coarse and vulgar in par ts .

6 . 1745. KE IGHTLEY (S . R .) The Last Recru i t OfClare’s . (Hutchinson ) 1908 .

A stirr ing and exc i ting story Of the I r ish Br igade in Jacobi tedays , told in bold , dashi ng style. S trong p ro

- Jacobitefeel ing . Par t Of the story takes place at Ki lm al lock, CO .

Lim eri ck, the res t on the Con ti nen t—Tou rnay , Fontenoy, etc .

HISTORICAL NOvELS 25

1 750- 1798 . FROUDE (J . A. ) The TW O Chiefs OfDunboy .

p p . 456. (Longrnans ) 3s . 6d . 1 st ed . , 1889 severalS ince.

S cene the O’

Su llivan’

s coun try in sou th-west Cork . Per iod1 750

-

98 . The ideas expressed in the author ’

s The E ngli sh

i n I reland put in to the form of fic tion . Thes is i f the Englishhad from the fir st str i ven to r eplace th e hopeless Cel t byAnglo-Saxon and Protestant colon ists she wou ld have avoidedher subsequen t troubles in I r eland , and all wou ld have beenwel l. The English charac ter (Colonel Gor ing) i s throughou tcon trasted wi th th e I r ish (M or ty Sul livan ) , the whole form inga power fu l indic tm en t Of I relan d and the I r ish as seen byFToude.

SADLIER (Mrs . Jam es) . The Fate OfFatherSheehy . pp . 178 ap pendix 76. (Duffy ) 1 3 . 6d .

Sti ll in pr int .The s tory (true, though told in form Of fiction) Of how the

her oic pa tr i ot-pr iest was j udi c ia l ly m urdered at Clonm el bythe ascendancy fac tion backed by the Br i tish Governm en t .Appendi x by D r . R . R . Madden , giving fu l l detai ls of thetr ial , depositi ons of witnesses, etc .

0. 1 770 . BODKIN (M . M D .) In the Days of Goldsm i th . pp . 309 . (Long ) 63 . 1903 .

A panegyr ic of Goldsm ith , dealing wi th the par t of hi s l i fespen t in England . Conversations in troduc ing Reynolds ,Beauc ler k , J ohn son , etc .

, the latter ’

s tal k recorded withBoswel li an fidel i ty . A pic ture, too , of the li fe and m anner s

of the day drawn with such frankness as to r ender the bookunfit for the per usa l Of cer ta in c lasses Of readers .

0. 1 771 . MOORE (F . Frankfort) . The Jessam y Br ide.

(Hutchinson ) 63 . 1 897 .

Th e story of the las t year s and death of Goldsm i th , toldwith all the author ’

s wel l-kn own verve. Ful l of dia logue,

wi tty and l ively , yet no t m erely flashy , in whi ch Johnson ,

Burke, Garr ick , and other wits and wor thi es of the d aytake par t . The cen tra l them e is Goldsm i th ’

s a ttachm en t tothe beauti fu l Mary H orneck , ca l led the Jessam y Br ide.

There i s m uch true pathos in the story , and no t a word thatcou ld offend susceptibi li ties .

c 1785. HINKSON (H . A.) The King ’s Deputy .

p p . 236. (Lawrence Bu llen .) 1 899 .

Per iod t he days Of Grattan’

s Par l iam en t , of which a vi vidp icture i s drawn . The in terest i s divided between a love

26 iRI'

S II FICTION

story and the story of a plot Of the Protestan t ar istocracyto es tabl ish an ind ependen t I r ish Republic on the Venetianm odel . G rat tan , Curran , Napper Tandy , S ir J ohn Parnel l ,etc .

, are introdu ced .

1782- 1 803 . W INGFIELD (Lewis) . My Lords ofStrogue.

3 vo ls . (Bentley ) 1 879 .

A Chronic le of I reland from the Convention to the Un ion .

H istory and rom ance cu r ious ly interm ingled , e.g . , Rober tEm m et ’ s Insur rec tion i s pu rposely an tedated by two year sand a ha l f . The prom inence given to such unpleasan tpersonages as M rs . G i l l in m akes the book unsuitable at leastfo r the lending l ibrar ies Of convents The au thor isfair-m inded and no t anti -na ti onal .

c . 1776. BODKIN (M . M‘Donnell) . Lord Edward

F itzgerald . p p . 415. (Chapm an Hall . ) 1 896 .

The s tory of the ear l ier years of Lord Edward i s woven intothe love- s tory Of one Mau r ice Blake. Pic tures I r ish soc ia lli fe at the tim e in a l ively , vivi d way . Hem penstal, the

walk ing gal lows ,

” Beresford and h is r id ing school , the

infam ous yeom anry and their doings , these are prom inen tin the book . The standpoin t is strongly nationa l . H istorysupplies the m ost rom antic par t of this his tor ical rom ance.

The m a in inc iden ts Of Lord Edward ’ s m arvel lous career ,

even h i s adoption in to the Indian tr ibe Of the Grea t Bear ,a re absolutely true. Som e l iber ties have, however , beentaken with da tes ”

1 793- 1 798 . MORGAN (Lady) . The O

’

Br iens and

O’

Flahertys . 3 e ds . in one year . [1827 ]May be said to have for i ts Obj ec t Cathol ic Em anc ipation ,

yet th e author was no adm irer Of O’

Connell, and in thisbook keen s trokes Of satire are a im ed at the Jesuits , and

even at the Pope. M r . Fitzpatr ick says that though p rofessed ly a fic tion i t i s rea l ly a work of som e histor ica l impor tance, and m ay b e safely consul ted in m any of the deta i lsby s ta tistic o r histor ic wr i ters .

”He tel ls us a lso that i t

con tains a few coarse express ions and ,in com m on with i ts

p redecessors , exhibits a som ewhat inconsis ten t love fo r

r epubl ican ism and ar is toc racy .

”The novel i s the s tory

Of a young patr iot wh o , expel led from Tr in i ty Col lege a longwi th Rober t Em m et and others , becom es a volun teer and a

U n i ted I r ishm an , and i s adm i tted to the counc i ls of Tone,Napper Tandy , R owan , and the rest . After ’

98 (which isno t desc r ibed in deta i l) he goes to France, where he r ises tob e a Genera l , and m ar r ies the heroine. The book depic tswith v i vidness and fidel i ty the m anners of the tim e (hencethe occas iona l coarseness) . There are l i vely descr iptionsOf Castle soc iety in the days of the Duke of Rutland .

HISTORICAL NOVELS

NiNETY-EIGHT

1793- 1809. LEVER (Char les) . Maur ice Tiernay . [1 852Adven tures Of a young Jacobite exi le in m any lands . Openswi th vi vid desc r ip tion of Th e Ter ror .

”Later M aur ice

j oin s the Arm y Of the Rhine, and then H um ber t ’ s expedi ti onto I reland . The latter is fu l ly rela ted and a lso the captureand death of V V

Olfe Tone. After som e adventures in

Am er ica , th e her o returns to Eur ope and i s in Genoa dur ingi ts s iege by th e Aus tr ian s . Taken pr isoner by the latter ,h e escapes and j oins Napoleon , Of whose Aus tr ian cam paigna br i l l ian t descr ip tion i s gi ven . Napoleon and som e Of hi s

grea t m arsha ls loom large in th e s tory , and the m i li tary l ifeof the per iod on the Con tinen t i s descr ibed . But perhapsthe best par t of th e book i s the accoun t of H um ber t ’ s invasi on Of I reland .

1796- 1 797. MURPHY (Jam es) . The House In the Rath .

p p . 291 . (Sea ly ,Bryer s .) New 6d .

, 1909.

Has the u sua l qua l it ies of thi s , author ’

s stor ies : plen ty ofexc i ting and dram a tic inc iden t , and stir r ing descr ip tionsam ong th e latter the ba tt le of Cam perdown . D ea ls with\Volfe Tone’

s effor ts to Obta in aid from France fo r th e Uni tedI r ishm en and with the plan s Of the latter at hom e. Lor dEdward Fitzgera ld an d O l i ver Bon d appear . There are

pic tures , too , of the a tr oc i ties Of th e yeom anry . In terwovenwi th these even ts there i s a rom ance of pr i vate l i fe cen ter ingin the c lever ly drawn char ac ter s Of Teague, the Fiddler , and

Kate Hatchrnan . As u sua l , the author m akes m uch‘

u se Of

the long arm Of coinc idence ”

,

-

I

1796 sqq. BODKIN (M . M‘Donnell) . The Rebels . p p .

358 . (Duffy ) 2 3 . 1 908 .

Sequel to Lord E dward . Later years Of Lord Edward ’ s l ife.

Shows Castlereagh and Clare plann ing th e rebel lion . Showsu s Governm en t br ibery and dea li ngs wi th in form er s . Som e

glim pses Of th e fighting under Father J ohn M urphy , a lsoOf H um ber t ’ s invas ion and the Races Of Cas tlebar . A

s ti rr ing and vigorous ta le.

LEVER (Charles) . The O’

Donoghue. pp .

369 [1 845iS cene : Glenfl esk (between Macroom and Ban try) and

Ki l larney . Per iod from j ust before to j ust after th e Fren chexp edi tion to Ban try . Th e O

’

D onogh ue, poor and proud ,i s intended as a type of the decaying Catholic gen try Of

anc ien t lineage, l i ving in a feudal , half-barbar ic sp lendour ,

(Bangor )

iRiSH FICTION

beset by c redi tors and ba i l i ffs whom fear Of the reta iner ’sblunderbu ss a lone kept a t a d istance . M ark O ’

D onoghue,

proud , gloom y , pass ionate, fi l led with hatred Of the Engl ish invader , wears a fr ieze c oa t l ike the peasan ts , sel ls horses , hun tsand fishes fo r a l ivel ihood . He j oins the Un i ted I r ishm en , whoare represen ted as m ak ing an ignoble traffic Of conspi racy,and takes par t in H oche’

s attem pted invas ion . O thercharac ters are : Kate O ’

D onoghue, educated abroad ; LantyLawler , horse- dea ler ,

who suppli es plen ty Of hum ou r ; inpar ticular S ir M arm aduke Travers , a wel l-m eaning bu t sel fsu ffi c ient Englishm an , who , knowing nothing Of I reland ,m akes l ud ic rou s attem pts to better h is tenants ’ c ondition .

I was no t sor ry to Show , says Lever (Pr ef) , that anyrea l and effec tive good to I reland m ust have i ts base in the

confidence of the people. F o r this book Lever was bi tter lyaccused of Repea l tendenc ies .

LYTTLE (W . G .) Betsy Gray A Tale Of ’

98.

A wel l - told story with a great dea l of local d ialec t , very wel lrendered , and Of loca l c olou r . A fa i thfu l pic tu re Of the

tim es . Rea l character s introduced .

MAXWELL (W . H .) O’

Hara . [1825]A Protestan t landowner casts in h is lo t with the Un i tedI r ishm en . The Governm en t a ttain ts hi m of treason ; he i str ied by a j u ry of dr unken bigots , and hanged as a trai tor .

H is son , the hero Of the ta le,then throws him sel f hear t and

sou l in to the rebel l ion . The interest c entres in the accountsof the fighting in the N or th . Th e her o i s a leader at the

bat tle of Antr im . Som e l ight i s thrown o n the nature Of

the fr icti on between the Cathol ic and the Pr otestant c om

m ander s , which c onstan tly threatens the disrupti on of therebel for ces (Krans) .

PENDER (Mrs . M . T . ) The Green Cockade.

p p . 380,c lose pr int . (Sealy ,

Bryers .) 33 . 6d .

A love story , the scene Of whi ch i s laid in U lster dur ing therebel l i on . Ful l of r om an tic adven tures . H istor ica l charac ters in troduced : Lord Edward , Putnam M

‘

Cab e, and

espec ia l ly Henry Joy M‘

Crack en . Battle of An tr im descr ibed ,bu t r em ainder Of inc iden ts a lm os t en tirely fic ti tious . NO

a ttem pt at im par tia l i ty . The Governm en t s ide is paintedin the darkes t colours .

M‘HENRY (Jam es , MD . ) The Insurgent.

Chief. p p . 1 28,very close pr int . (G i ll .) Bo und up

with Hearts of Steel . m.d .

Adven tures Of a young loya l ist in the Antr im rebel l ion ,

pleasant ly told , bu t with im probabi li ties and a good dea l

IRISH FICTION

M‘DONNELL (Randal ) . Kathleen Mavou r

neen . p p . 270 . (Sealy ,Bryers .) 23 . Wi th frontisp iece.

1 898 .

Pic tu res fi rs t the causes and even ts that led to the rebel l ion,

Tone’

s vis i t to Am er ica , h is schem es . the French invas ion .

Then vivi d desc r ipt ion Of the outbreak in VVick low, the fightat Tub b erneer ing , the ba ttle of New Ross , the capture and

death Of Lord Edward Fi tzgerald .

KE I GHTLEY (S . R .) The Pikem en ..

(Hutchinson ) 63 . 1 903 .

The supposed narrative Of Rev . Patr ick S ti r l ing , M .A. ,

Of D renton Sangam on CO . , I ll form er ly of Ardkeen ,

CO . D own , tel l ing h is exper iences in the Ards Of D own(dis tr ic t between S trangford Lough and the sea) du r ing ther ising . Presbyter ian -Na tional is t bias . S trong charac ters tudy . Fa i thfu l desc r iptions Of scenery . The study Of the

Governm en t spy is espec ia l ly notewor thy

MULHOLLAND (Ro sa) . Hester ’s Histo ry ..

pp . 237. (Chapm an 8: Hall .) 1 869 .

Pastora l l ife in the G lens Of An tr im ,the m ain them e being

a love s tory . H um ou r and tragedy a l ternate . Inc idents Of

the rebel l ion , inc l ud ing an at tack on a castle in the G lens bythe Engl ish sold iery . S om e histor ica l charac ters a re intr od uced . D ur ing par t of the ac ti on the scene shifts to London .

The s tory was wr i tten at the reques t Of Char les D ickens ,

and he thought highly Of i t .

MURPHY (Jam es) . The Forge Of Clohogue.

p p . 332 . (Sealy ,Bryers , and G i ll . ) [I st cd .

, 1 885several s ince ]The s tory opens on Chr istm as Eve, 1 797 , and ends wi th th ebattle Of Ross , inc lud ing very stirr ing desc r iptions Of the

battles of Oular t and Ross . As i s usua l with this au thor ,

the plot is som ewhat loose, there are im probabi li ties , and

the love in terest is Of a stereotyped kind ; yet the readeri s carr ied a l ong by the qu ick succession of exc i ting inc iden t .Of c ourse the standpoint is na tiona l . A good idea i s gi venof the s ta te Of the coun try at the tim e.

D’

ESPARBES (Geo rges) . Le Br iseu r de Fers .

pp . 316 . (Par is : Lou is -M ichaud . ) 33 . 1 od .

Dedication (to Colonel Ar thu r Lynch) , and Preface (tel l ingabou t the erec ti on of the H um ber t M em or ia l a t Ba l l ina ) .Hum ber t ’ s invasion told in im passioned and som ewhat high

HISTORICAL NOVELS 31

flown Ianguage. Descr ibes som e Of the episodes wi th extraordi nary vi vidness . Based m ain ly on reliable works , bu tnot str ic tly histor ical .

BENNETT (Louie) . A Pr isoner ofhis Word .

p p . 240. (Maunsel ) 63 Handsom e cover . 1 908 .

A tale_Of real happen ings (sub - ti t le) . Opens at Ballyn a

hi nch , CO . D own , in J une,1 797 . A pleasan t , exc i ting

rom ance, wr i tten in vigorous and nervous sty le. A youngEngli shm an j oins the N or thern rebel li on . He pledges hi mself to r evenge hi s fr iend taken after the fight at Ballynahinch and hanged as a rebel . Th e s tory tel ls how h e carr iesou t the pledge. The on ly histor ica l charac ter in tr oduced i sThom as R ussel l . H is pi ti fu l fai lure in 1 803 to ra ise anotherrebel li on in U lster i s r elated . The li ttle heroine, KateMaxwel l , is fin ely drawn .

SCOTT (F lorence) and HODGE (Alm a) . The

Round Tower . p p . 229 . (Nelson ) 1 3 . 6d . Prettyp icture cover . 1 906.

A very s light story cen ter ing in the landing of the Frenchat Killa la in 1 798 . Adven tures Of two sm al l English boys .

An in teres ting but one- sided gl im pse Of som e of the episodesOf th e tim e. Fo r boys .

HOLLAND (D ) Donal Dun O’

Byrne : A

Tale Of the Rising in Wexford in 1 798 . p p . 224 .

(Gill . ) 1 3 . n .d .

Th e story Of the r ising (inc luding Oular t , Tub b erneering ,

Gorey , and Ross , and the guer i l la war fare after Vinegar H i l l)from an insurgen t ’s poin t Of view . The book i s fu l l of scenesOf blood and breathes a spir i t Of vengeance. The narra ti vei s not rem arkable. Som e Of the scenes border on indel icacy .

B IRM INGHAM (George A.) The Nor thernIron . p p . 320. (Maunsel ) Bound in Ir ish l inen .

1907. Newed . at 1909.

S cene : Antr im a few inc iden ts Of the r ising woven in to athr i l ling and power fu l r om ance. Splendid portrai ts—m theUni ted I r ishm en Jam es Hope, Feli x M a tier , and M icah W ard ,the loyal Lord D unsever ick , chi valr ous and fear les s , Fin laythe Inform er , and others . Vivid presen tm en t of the feel ingsand ideas of the tim e, wi thou t undue bias , yet en li st ing all

the reader ’

s sym path ies on th e s ide of I reland .

BAN IM (M ichael) . The Crop py . p p . 420 .

(Duffy ) 23 . Still repr inted . 1 st ed ., 1 828 .

Opens wi th a long and ser ious hi stor ical in troduc ti on . There

32 IRIS II FICTION

fol low m any pages of a l ove story of the better c lasses whichis , perhaps , no t very convinc ing . Sam ples of the outragesby which the people were d r i ven to revol t are given . Thenthere are m any scenes from the hear t Of the rebel l ion i tsel f ,som e Of them acquired from conversation with eye

-witnesses .

The atti tude is that Of a m i ld Nationa l is t , o r rather L ibera l ,contem pla ting wi th sor row no t unm ixed with con tem pt thesavage excesses of h is m isguided c ountrym en . The rebel l ionis shown in i ts vulgarest and least rom ant ic aspec t , and

there are harrowing descr iptions Of rebel outrages on VinegarH i l l and elsewhere. The one noble o r even respec tablecharac ter in the book , S i r Thom as Har tley , is representedas in sym pathy wi th consti tutiona l agi ta tion , bu t u tter l yabhor r ing rebel l ion . The other chief ac tors in the storyare unattrac ti ve. They have no sym pathy wi th the insu rgen ts , and the par ts they play are connec ted m er el y acc iden ta l ly wi th the rebel l ion . There is m uch m ovem ent andspir i t in the descr ip tive por tions .

ORPEN (Mrs ) Co rrageen in’

98 . (Methuen )63 . 1 898.

W r i tten with sym pathy fo r the l oya l is ts . A real isticdesc r iption Of the m ore hor r ible featu res (Baker ) .

LOVER (Sam uel) . Rory O ’

Mo re. p p . 452 .

(Constable ) 33 . 6d . Very m any edit ions .

In trodu c tion and notes by D . J . O’

Dono ghue, who cons ider sthis to b e Lover ’ s best long story. A ta le of adven ture witha S l ight hi stor ica l background . Nationa l in sentim ent withou t being unfair ly biased . Con tains som e of Lover ’

s bes thum our ,

espec ial ly the endless drol lery and whim sical i tiesof the hero , R ory . S om e Of the types are very true to l ife.

There are passages of genuine pathos .

BUCKLEY (Wi ll iam ) . Crop p ies Lie Down ..

pp . 51 1 . (Duckworth ) 63 . 1 903 .

Scene W exford the year Of the r ising . The author ban ishesall rom ance and ar tistic glam our , and dea ls with the horrorsOf the tim e in a spir i t Of relentless rea l ism . Q uite apar t fromhi stor ica l interest , the book i s thr i l l ing as a story Ofadven ture.

The tone is im par tia l , bu t the wr i ter c lear ly m eans the eventsand scenes descr ibed to tel l fo r the I r ish s ide. The N ewI reland Review says that i t sketches the or igin and cou rseOf the W exford insur rec ti on with a consc ient ious accuracywhich would do c redi t to a professed histor ian ”

, and i tpraises the author ’ s exceptional l i terary abi li ty and the

in tense rea l i ty Of his charac ters .

Hi sroRIcAL NOVELS 33

ARGYLE (Anna) . Ol ive Lacy . Philadelphia.BeforeThi s au thor has also published Ceci li a ; or , The F orce ofC i rcum stances (N .Y

.

Cupi d’

s Album (N .Y

The General’

s D aughter A Rom ance ofH i story (N .Y

H INKSON (H . A.) Up for the Green . pp .

327. (Lawrence Bul len .) 63 . 1 898.

Fo r several Of the inc iden ts related in this story, the au thori s indebted to the narrative Of Sam uel R i ley , a yeom an

[Q uaker ] Of Cork , who was captured by the rebels , whi leon h is way to D ubl in , in Septem ber , This wor thym an discovers the rebels to be very di fferen t fr om what hehad taken them to b e. A hea l thy , breezy tale with m oreadventure than history . S tandpoin t : thoroughly nationa l .There is quiet hum ou r in the quain tly told narrative Of the

Q uaker .

CONYNGHAM (D . P.) The O’

Mahony,Chief

Of the Com eraghs . pp . 268 . (N .Y . Sadlier .) 1 879.

A ta le of CO. W ater ford in 1 798 , wr i tten from a stronglyI r ish and Catholic standpoin t . Depic ts the tyranny Of the

Protestan t gentry , the savagery Of the yeom anry . Typ ica lscenes are in troduced , e.g.

, a flogging at the car t ’ s tai lthrough the s treets Of Clonm el , sei zures for ti thes, the execu

tion Of Fa ther Sheehy (an avowed anachr onism ) , etc . Chiefhi stor ical per sonages S ir J udkin Fitzgera ld , the floggingSher iff , and Ca r l Kingston . A vi d id pic ture

,though Obvious ly

par ti san , and m arred by som e inar ti s tic m elodram a.

1798 399. ANON . Hugh Bryan ; or, The AutOb i

ography Of an Ir ish Rebel . 1861 .

Scene : Val ley of B lackwater , L ism ore. Tim e : end ofeighteen th cen tury (1 798) and beginn ing of n ineteen thc entury. May b e descr ibed as a souper story . Purpor tsto be a m oving pic ture of the las t s tr uggle Of the Gael againstthe English plan ter , ending in fai lure, and r esu lting , in the

hero ’ s case, in c onversion to Pr otestantism . He fina l lym arr ies an escaped nun whom he m eets in an Engli sh townwhi le engaged in slum -work .

BOYSE (E . C .) That Most D istressfulCountry . 3 vols . (F . V. White.) 1886.

A tale of love and marr iage. Scene : first in W exford.opening wi th p leasant p ic tures of country-house l i fe and

m erry-making. Then there is an account of som e m inor

incidents of the rebel lion , viewed from loyal ist standpoint,wi th insi stence on savage cruelty of rebels. Then the scene

IRISH FICTION

shi fts to London , and thence to D ubl in , where we havepic tures of l i fe in m i l i tary soc iety. Fina l ly the scene i s

t ransferred to Tuam ,where word i s brought of Hum ber t ’ s

cam paign in the W est . Pleasan t style, bu t the conversations , fu l l o f chafi and nonsense, are long drawn out .

NEV ILLE (Ralph) . Lloyd Pennant . 2 vols .

(Chapm an Hall .) 1 864 .

The landing of the Fr ench at Ki l lala .

MURPHY (Jam es) . The Shari Van Vo cht , aTale of p p . 347. (G i ll . 2 3 . 6d . m.d .

A m elodram atic story , fu l l of hairbreadth escapes , relatedwith a good dea l of dash , and at tim es of power . Tel ls ofTone’s negotiations in Par is leading to the var ious attem ptedFrench invasions of I reland , with a detai led and vi vid accoun tof tha t in which Adm ira l Bom part was defeated in LoughSwi lly and Tone him sel f captu red , a lso detai ls of the latter ’

s

tr ia l and execution .

1797- 1801 . O

’BYRNE (M . L .) Ill-won Peerages ; or ,An Unhallowed Un i on . p p . 716. (G il l . ) 1 884 .

At the outset of this book we are in troduced in a ser ies ofpic tures to the hom es of representat ives people of var i ouspar ties , and l ong , im aginary pol itical c onversations betweenthe prom inen t m en of the tim e are given . Then there i s a

fu l l accoun t of the rebel l ion from the battle of Ki lcu llen toVinegar H i l l . Practical ly every notewor thy personage ofthe tim e is descr ibed in pr ivate and in publ ic l i fe. The t o

m an tic interest i s en tirely subservien t to the hi stor ical , yetthere i s plen ty of adven ture. The bias is u ltra-nationa l is t .The style, and espec ial ly the descr iptions , were highly praisedby a reviewer in the Tablet.

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

1798- 1805. CAMPION (Dr .) M ichael Dwyer , the Insurgent Captain . p p . 1 28 . (G il l .) I S . 6d . Very cheappaper and pr int . n .d .

A repr in t of a book first published m any years ago . Anaccoun t of the l i fe,

exploi ts , and death of a W icklow outlaw .

The anecdotes are fo r the m ost par t given as handed downam ong the W icklow peasantry. They are not arranged inany spec ia l order . Many of them are so wonder fu l as to bescarcely credible, yet m os t of them are, in the m ain ,

wel lau then ti cated . The style is turgid and hi ghfiown to theverge of absurdity.

HI STORICAL NOVELS 35

1797- 1803 . G ILBERT (George) . The Island of Sorr ow .

pp . 384 . (Long) 63 . 1 903 .

Dea ls , in c ons iderable detai l , with poli tica l and soc ia l li fein the I reland of the tim e. The c irc les of Lord Edwardand Pam ela Fitzgera ld (cen ter in g in Leinster H ouse) , of theEmm et fam i ly (at the Cas ino , M i l ltown ) , and of the Curranfam i ly (at the Pr iory , Rathfarnh am ) are fu l ly por tr ayed and

neatly in ter li nked in pr i va te li fe. The whole rom ance ofEmm et and Sarah Curran i s related . There are m any po rtrai ts— Char les Jam es Fox , Cur ran (depic ted as a dom esticm onster ) , m any m en of the Go vernm en t par ty , above all,Emm et . This por tra i t i s not lacking

‘in sym pathy, though

th e thea tr ica l and in con sid era te charac ter of hi s a im s i s

insisted on . The whole work shows cons iderable power ofdram at

-

i’

z i’

ng hi story , and i s m ade distinc tly in teres ting .The au thor , says M r . Baker , tr ies to b e im par tial , bu t

cannot di ves t him self of an Englishm an’

s lack of sym pathywi th I reland . The book is preceded by a va luable list ofauthor i ti es and sources .

GWYNN (Stephen) . Robert Emm et .(Macm illan ) 63 . Map of Dubl in in 1803 . 1909.

An account of the Emm et r is ing related wi th scrupulousfideli ty to fac t and in m inu te deta i l . The author in troducesno reflec tions of hi s own , leav ing the fac ts to speak . H isnarra ti ve i s graphic and vivid , the style of hi gh li teraryva lue. The m in or ac tors in th e dram a— Q ui gley , R ussel l ,Ham i l ton ,

Dwyer— are carefu l ly drawn . Though he givesa prom inen t place in the s tory to Emm et ’ s r om an ti c lovefo r Sarah Curran , Mr . Gwynn has sought rather to drawa vivi d picture of th e even t by whi ch the young patr io t isknown to hi story than to recons truc t hi s personali ty

BODKIN (M . M‘D .) True Man and Trai tor .(Duffy ) 1910.

The career of Rober t Emm et fr om hi s Tr ini ty days to hi str agic end , told in the author ’

s usua l spiri ted fashi on .

Emm et i s represen ted as an able '

and prac ti ca l organi zer ,but the s tory of hi s l ove for Sarah Curran i s n ot neglected .The hi stori ca l fac ts are thoroughly leavened wi th rom ance

—Emm et ’ s per i lous voyage to France in a fi shing-hooker ,

the,detai led accounts of hi s interviews wi th Napoleon , the

character of Ma lachi Neelin , the trai tor : these and m anyother things are blended wi th the narrati ve of real even ts .

THYNNE (Robert) . Ravensdale. 3 vols .

(Tinsley ) 1 873 .

An attem pt to represent the m en and m oti ves of th e Emm et

insurrecti on. Point of view Uni onist. Free from caricature,

IRISH FICTION

vulgari ty , patois . and conventional local colou r . Scene at

first in England . bu t m ainly Dublin and Co .W icklow . Dea lswi th for tunes of a fam i ly nam ed Featherstone— l oya l is ts ,

with one excepti on ,Les l ie , who is a fr iend of Emm et . M ichael

Dwyer , Emm et , Lord Kilwarden , etc ., figu re in the tale.

Love, hatred , m u rder , inc iden ts of 1 803 , Emm et 's tr ia l , escapeof Lesl ie and h is u ltim ate restorati on keep up the interest tothe end , when the rea l m u rderer confesses .

c . 1800- 1814 . LEVER (Char les) . Torn Burke of Ours .

pp . 660. [1844 ]2 The ear ly scenes ( 150 pp .) of Tom ’

s l ife (told throughou t inthe firs t per son) take place in I reland . Lever tel ls u s

(Pref ) tha t he tr ied to m ake Tom in tensely I r ish beforelaunching h im into French life. Tom en l ists , bu t in c on

sequence of a quarr el wi th a fata l ending has to fly the

coun try . H e goes to France, then under the Fir s t Consu l ,and j oins the arm y . Mi li tar y , c ivi l , and poli tica l l i fe at

Pari s i s descr ibed with wonderfu l vi vidness and kn owledge.

These form a background to the exc i ting and d ram at icadven tures and l ove aflai rs of the her o . Then there is the

Auster l i tz cam pa ign fu l ly descr ibed ; then l i fe at Par is in

1806. Then the cam paign of Jena . Final ly we havea descr i p tion of the last cam pai gn that ended with the

abdicati on at Fon tainebleau . The por tra i t of Napoleon i s

l i fel ike and c onvinc ing . Lever throws him sel f thoroughlyin to h is French scenes . A patheti c episode i s the love ofMi nette, the Vivandiere, fo r Tom , and her heroic death at

the Br idge of M ontereau . Darby the Blast i s a charac terof the c lass of M ickey Free and Tipperary J oe, yet quitedisti nc t and or igina l . The scene near the c lose where Darbyi s in th e witness-box i s a com pan ion pic tu re to Sam W el lerin court , and i s one of the best things of i ts kind in fic ti on .

0. 1 808 . WOODS (Margaret L .) The K ing’

s Revoke.

pp . 334. (Sm i th , E lder .) 63 . 2nd im press ion . 1905.

The strange adventures of Patr ick D i l l on , an offi cer in the

S pani sh arm y , in the cour se of h is attem pt to set freeFerdinand VI I . of Spain , im pr isoned in France by Napoleon I .I ts pic tu res of Catholi c l i fe in Spain are no t a lways flatter ing ,though doubtless not inten ti onal ly offensive.

c. 1810. MACMANUS (L.) Nuala . pp . 322 . (BrowneNolan .) 3s . 6d . 4 illustr . by Oswa ld Cunn ingham .

Tel ls how the on ly chi ld , aged fi fteen , of the head of theO

’

Donnells , then in the servi ce of the Austr ian Governm ent,is entrusted by her father j ust before hi s death wi th the

I I— S torics of 31~

isb l ife in the“East

(Not str ictly Histor ical)NOTE — I have thought it well to separate fi om the

LE" histor ical novels proper those which do not dea lexp l ic it ly with histor ical characters and events

,

yet which portray— o r purport to portray— Ir ish l ifeat som e part icular per iod in the past . Of such thefollowing sect ion is com posed .

End of4th cent. COLLINS (Will iam ) . Dalarad ia . (N .Y

Kenedy .) 36 cents net.

A tale of the days of King M i lcho , the tim e of St.Patr ick.

ANON . The Old Ir ish Kn ight , a M i les ianTa le of the F ifth Century . 1828 .

SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES

c. 1450. O’KEEFFE (Chr istopher M .) The Knights

of the Pale. p p . vi i i 263 . (Glasgow : CameronFerguson .) 1857 and 1870.

Firs t appeared in th e Cell . The author,was sentenced

abou t 1 866 to pena l servi tude fo r Fenian ism ,was released

abou t 1 877 , wen t to and d ied in Brooklyn abou t1 889 . (W rote a lso a L ife of O ’

Connell in two vols .) Sub

ti tle, I reland 400 Years Ago .

"The obj ec t of the story

i s to give the im pression which a prolonged study of I r ishan tiqu ities has produced on the author ’

s m indIn ter spersed with the nar ra ti ve are severa l pieces of verse,som e or igina l , som e translated by the author from the Gael ic.

O’

DONNELL (Lucy) . St. Patr ick ’s Cathedral . (Dublin ) 1 855.

A ta le of the sixteen th cen tury .

O’GRADY (Standish) . In the Wake of

K ing James . p p . 242 . (Dent ) 4s . 6d . 1896.

A wild and n ightm are- l ike tale. S cene : a lonely castle on

the west coast inhabited by a gang of Jacobite desperadoes ,

Contains no histor ical38

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 39

1675. CARLETON (Will iam ) . Redm ond O’

Hanlon .

pp . 199. 16m o . (Duffy ) 1 3 . Still repr inted .

The exp loi ts of a dar ing Rapparee. A fine subj ec t feeblytreated . Fr om nationa l poin t of view the book i s no ti nspir ing . Very s l ight plot , consisting m ain ly in the rescueby O ’

Hanlon of a gi r l who had been abduc ted . M ora l tonegood . A good appendi x (32 pages ) by T . C. Luby givesthe hi stor ica l fac ts connected Wi th the hero .1

6 . 1730. DUFF GORDON (Lady) . Stella and Vanessa .trans . (Ward

,Lock .) 1859.

Days of Swi ft . From the French of L éon de W ai l ly .

PENAL TIMES

CROWE (E . E .) Co rrani ahon (in Yesterdayin I reland) .— See Addenda .

c . 1728. BAN IM (John) . The Conforinists . pp . 202 .

(Duffy) I st ed .,1 829.

Peri od : reign of George I I . A very s in gular story , whosein terest cen tres in the den ia l under the Pena l Laws of th er ight of education to Catholi cs . A young m an , crossed inlove, resolves to becom e a conform ist o r perver t , and

thus at once disgrace h is fam i ly and oust hi s father fr omthe proper ty .

ANON . Vultures of Er in . A Tale of the

Penal Laws . 53 . net.

KAVANAGH (Rev . M .) Shem us Dhu ,the

Black Pedlar of Galway . (Duffy) 23 . Very m anyeditions . Still in pr int .L ife in and abou t Ga lway dur ing Pena l tim es . The peasan tryare por trayed as wel l as the c i ti zens and the upper c lasses .

The plot is som ewhat ram bli ng , yet the book i s in teres ting .

ARCHDEACON (Matthew) . Shawn na

Saggarth ,The Pr iesthunter . (Duffy ) 65. 1 843 .

A ta le of the Pena l tim es.

See als o Addenda The Robber Chiefta in.

40 IRISH FICTION

c. 1750. NEWCOMEN (George) . A Left-handedSwordsm an. (Sm i thers) 63 . 1900.

Dublin Society .

1750-1 783 . DAUNT (W . J . O

’

Neill) . The Gentlem anin Debt . 339 pp . (Cam eron Ferguson) . I S .

1848 .

Adventures of a penn i less young gentlem an trying to get a

posi ti on . Pic tu res (after Lever ) , firs t l i fe in Galway , am ongim pecun iou s , fox-hun ting , hard -d r inking , duel l ing squ i res(Blakes ,

Bodkins , and O’

Carr o lls) ; then the vapid l ife ofCastle D ublin ar isto crary of the tim e, with its place-hun tingand i gnoble tim e-serving . Inc identa l ly (fo r the au thor doesno t m oral ise) we have glim pses of the worki ng of the pena llaws . The story is an unexc i ting one of rather m a tter -o i

fac t c our tship and of dom estic intr igue. There are no t a

few am using scenes , n othi ng objectionable, and no bias . A

strking charac ter study is tha t of the Rev . J u l ius B lake.

who is of the tr ibe of Pecksniff , bu t with qu ite distinctivefeatu res. y ;

HINKSON (H . A.) The Point of Honour .

(Lawrence Bullen .) 63 . 1901 .

S tor ies abou t the quarrelsom e,bottle- loving , duel l ing

gen try of the eighteen th cen tu ry (Baker ) .

1761- 1764 . M

‘HENRY (James , MD .) The Hearts of

Steel . (G i ll .) 6d . Still in pr int . I st ed . , 1 825.

A s tory ful l of sensa tiona l adventu re. There is a good dea labou t the Oak Boys and S teel Boys , U ls ter Protestan tsecret soc ieties which indu lged in agrar ian outrages as a

protes t against var ious abuses . The wr i ter praises the

Presbyter ian r el igion som ewha t at the expense of the Cathol ic .

S om e of the inc iden ts r elated are rather coarse. Inc l udeslegends of Carr ickfergus , a lso a good dea l of verse.

1760 sqq.

’

GAMBLE (Dr . John) . Sarsfield o r, Wan

derings of Youth . 3 vols . 1 2m 0. (London ) 1 814.

A ta le of U lster at the tim e of Thurot’s expediti on , h iscapture of Carr ick fergus , and the fervour of Protestan t andloyal ist resistance aroused by this feat.

1761- 1779. GWYNN (Stephen) . John Maxwell ’s Marr iage. (Macm 1llan .) 63 . 1903 .

S cene : chiefly Donega l . A s trong and in tense s tory. Interesting no t on ly fo r i ts power fu l p lot, bu t for the adm i rably

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 4I

painted background of scenery and m anners , and for itsstudies of charac ter . It depic ts in s trong colours the tyrannyof Pr otestant colon ists , and the hate which it produces inthe outcas t Cathol ics . One of the main m otives of thestory is a forced m ar r iage of a pecul iar ly odious ki nd . In

connexion with this m arr iage there is one scene in the booktha t i s drawn with a rea l ism which , we think, m akes the

book unsuitable for cer tain c lasses of readers .

M‘AULIFFE (E . F .) Grace O

’

Donnell, aTale of the. 18th Century. (Cork : Guy C0 .) 1 891 .

1770. EBLANA. The Str ike. (Sealy, Bryers .)6d . 1909.

A s tirr ing tale Of D ubl in in the eighteenth cen tury“, whenI reland stood wel l ahead in industr ia l ac ti vi ty , and the

D ublin L iber ties Were the hub of I r ish Industr ialism .

”

ANON . (G . O’

C .) Andre Besnard . (Cork )1889.

A ta le of Old Cork, giving good descr ip tions of i ts people.bui ldings , etc . Per iod : that preced ing the tim es of theVolun teer s . A ta le of cour tship and adven ture. One ofthe chi ef characters is Paul J ones , the celebrated Am er icanadm iral .

1775. LEVER (Charles) . Char les O’

Malley_

. pp .

632 ,c lose pr int .

From elec tioneer ing , hun ting , and duel l ing with the Galwayc oun try gen try, the scene changes to Tr in i ty , where the

her o goes in for rois ter ing , lar king , and genera l fas t l ivingWi th the wildes t scam ps in town . Then he gets a comm issionin the dragoons , and goes to the Peni nsu la (p . Ther ehe goes through the whole cam pa ign , and ends by viewingW a ter loo from the Fr ench cam p . Throughou t, the nar

rative i s en l i vened by the rac ies t and spic ies t s tor ies . The

nat ive I r ish , where they appear , are drawn in broad car icature.

LEVER (Char les) . Harry Lorrequer . pp .

380. [1839 ]The fi rst of Lever ’s rol l ic king m i l i tary novels . The hero i sa dashi ng young English offi cer , who com es to Cork with hisr egim en t , and there passes thr ough what the au thor cal ls a

m ass of incongruous adventures . S uch was our l i fe in Cork ,din ing , dr ink ing , r iding steeplechases , pigeon -shooting , and

tandem dr i ving .” The book abounds in hum orous inc iden tsand i s packed with good s tor ies and anecdotes . All sor ts ofIr ish charac ters are introduced . There are sketches of

42 IRISH FICTION

Ca tholic c ler ica l l i fe in a vein of bur lesque. The lat ter par tof the s tory takes the reader to the Continent (var ious par tsof France and Germ any) , where we m eet Ar thu r O '

Leary,

afterwards m ade the hero of another s tory .

HALL (E .) The Barrys of Beigh . pp. 394.

(M‘Glashan G ill .)

Scene : banks of Shannon twenty m i les bel ow L im er ick .

S tory opens abou t 1 775.

1780. EDGEWORrH (Mar ia) . Castle Rackrent .(Macm illan ,

etc .)A pic ture of the feudal gen try in the latter hal f of the seven ~

teenth cen tury , in the form of rem ini scences by an old reta inerof the glor ies of the fam i ly he had served . One a fter another ,

he tel ls the careers of h is var ious m asters , the wild waste and

endless prodigali ty of one, the skinfl int exac tingness ofanother . There i s no rel igious bias no r discussion ofproblem s , the chief interes t being the ingenuous and nuquestioning devotion of the old ser van t and h is qua in t o b ser

vations . The l i terary m er i ts of the book are usua l ly ratedvery high .

EDGEWOR1H (Mar1a) . The Absentee. (Macm 1llan

, etc .) [1809 ]A vi vid im pression of the I r ish nobi li ty trying to dazzleLondon soc iety , and to prove i tsel f m ore English than the

English them selves , whi le the Engl ish great ladies m ock at

their parvenu extravagance and outlandish ways . The fine

lady spends her days in soc ia l em ulation whi le her lord s inksto the com pany of toadies and hangers-on , unti l the consc ienceof the young heir i s aroused by a tour in I reland , and he

br ings the fam i ly back to their es tates . The peasants are

drawn purely in their r elation of gratefu l and patien tdependents .

EDGEWORTH (Mar ia) . Orm ond . pp. 379.

(Macm i llan ,Dent

, etc .) [I st cd .,

Pic tures Of the schem ing , pol itica l , extravagant gen try,espec ial ly a type of the Catholic c ountry gen tlem an , the

good -natured , happy -

go- lucky Corneli us O ’

shane, known toh is worshipping tenan try as King Corny . There is a lso a

sketch of Par is soc iety , to which Orm ond , the a ttrac ti ve,

im pulsi ve young hero , is in troduced by an officer of the I r ishBr igade. General ly thought the m ost interesting , gayest ,and m ost hum orous of M iss Edgewo rth

’

s books .

EDGEWORTH (Mar ia) . Ennui . [1809 ]The Ear l of G lenthorn , an Engl ish-bred absentee landlord ,is_afflicted_ wi th ennu i . He determ ines to attempt a cure by

STORIES OF I RISH LIFE IN THE PAST 43

a vi si t to Ireland , and the cure is effec ted in a very un l ookedfo r way . The author draws in an am using and v i vid waythe con trast , as fel t by Lord G len thorn , between Engli shtastes , p rej udices and decorum s and the s trange I r ish ways ,whi ch surp r ise him at every turn (Krans) .

c. 1780. MORGAN (Lady) . F lorence Macarthy.

Com bines , as so m any of Lady Morgan ’

s books do, pol i tica lsatire wi th a r om an tic love ta le. A kidn apped heir asser tshi s c laim to a peerage and es tates and unwitt in gly woos ther om an tic Florence, to whom he had been betrothed in h is

youth . Mr . Fitzpatr ick ca l ls the book an exceedinglyin teres ting and er udite novel , and tel ls us how , beforeattem pting i t , she had saturated her m em ory with a largeam ount of reading whi ch bore upon the subj ec t of i t .” The

charac ter of Counsel lor Con Crawley constitutes a bitterat tack on Lady M organ ’

s unscrupu lous enem y , J ohn W i lsonCr oker . The ha l f-m ad schoolm aster , Terence Oge O ’

Leary,

i s a cur ious type.

MORGAN (Lady) . TheWild Ir ish Gir l .A l ove s tory of a lm ost gushing sen tim en t . The scene i s the

barony of Ti rerragh in S l igo (where the book was ac tual lywr i tten) . H ere the Pr ince ” of In ism ore, though fa l lenon evi l days , s ti l l keeps up all the old custom s of the chieftains , h is ancestors . H e wear s the old dress , uses the oldsa lu tations , has h is harper and hi s shanachi e, etc . H isdaughter , Glo rvina ,

i s th e a lm os t etherea l heroine. The

per sonages of the book frequen t ly c onver se abou t anc ien tI r ish hi story , legend , m usic , ornam en ts , weapons , and cos

tum es . There i s m uch acute pol i tica l discussion and argum en t in the book . I t i s ferven tly on the si de of I r ishnationali ty . Father John is a fine charac ter , m odel ledon the then D ean of S l igo . I t con tain s m any other po rtrai ts drawn from rea l li fe. I ts success at the tim e wasenorm ous . In two years i t passed through seven editions.(Fitzpatr ick, Kr ans ,

MORGAN (Lady) . O’

Donnel. pp . 288.

(Downey ) 2s . 6d . 1895.

The centra l figure of this tale is a sc ion of the O ’

Donnells

of Tyr connell, proud , c our teous , travel led , who has foughtin the arm i es of Austr ia and of France, and fina l ly that ofEngland . He i s a typ e of the old Catholi c nobi lity , and

hi s s tory i s m ade to i l lustra te the wor king of the Pena llaws . Near ly all the personages of the story are people offashi on ,

m os tly ti tled . There i s m uch elaborate charac ters tudy , and not a l i tt le soc ia l sa tire. The native

LI r ish of

the lower orders appear in the person of M ‘

Rorykalone, a

44 1111511 FICTION

hum orous fai thfu l old retainer , whose conversat ion is fu l l o fbul ls . Lady S ingleton , the m eddl ing , showy , fl ippantlytalkati ve wom an of fashion , and M r . Dexter , the obsequiou s,are wel l d rawn . The m ain pu rpose o f the book , says the

au thor ,was to exhibi t Cathol ic disabi l i ties . There are

in teres ting descr iptions of scenery a l ong the Antr im coas tand in D onega l . As fic t ion i t is s l ow reading , yet S ir W a l terS cott speaks highly of i t .

c . 1 790. MORGAN (Lady) . St. Clair o r,The Heiress

of Desm ond . [1804 ]S t. C la i r , in sen tim en t and s i tuation a weak im i tation of

W er ter , introduces an I r ish antiquary , who discourses uponl oca l legends and traditions anc ient I r ish MSSL, and Cel t ichis tory , poetry , and m us ic (Krans) . Aim s a t upsettingthe notion of the possibi l i ty of p laton ic l ove between the

sexes wi thou t any approach to rea l a t tachm en t . In to the

desc r ip tion of plac es and scenes th e authoress worked m uchof her Connaught exper ience.

BANIM (M ichael) . The Mayor ofWindgap .

p p . 190. (Duffy ) I st cd .,1 834 .

R om antic and sensationa l— at tem pted m u rders , abduc tions ,etc . N o t sui table fo r the young . I nteres t and m ys terywel l susta ined . S cene : Kilkenny in 1 779 .

BAN IM (John) . Peter of the Castle. pp .

191 . (Duffy) I st ed .,1 826.

A sensationa l and rom an tic tale. The open ing chapters (byM ichael Banim ) give a detai led desc r iption of country m atchm aking and m arr iage fes tivi ties a t the tim e.

c . 1 780. BAN IM (John ) . The Fetches . (Duffy )[1825]A gloom y s tory , tu rn ing on the influence of supers ti tiou sim aginations o n two ner vous and high-s trung m inds . The

fetch is the spi r i t of a person abou t to d ie sa id to appear tofr iends . The s tory i s som ewhat l igh tened by the intro d uction of two farc ica l charac ters .

1 815- 1825. BAN IM (Michael) . Crohoore of the Billhook . (Duffy )Has been a very popular book . The ac tion l ies in one ofthe darkes t per iods of I r ish his tory , when the peasantry,c rushed under ti the-proc tor , m idd lem an , and Pena l laws ,retor ted by the savage outrages of the secret soc ieties . One ofthese la tter was the W hiteboys , with the doings Of whichthe book largely dea ls . The author does no t j u stify _

o ut1'

age,

46 IRISH FICTION

Madame Roland , the Pretender him sel f , whose cou r t atRom e i s descr ibed , etc .

, etc . There is l i ttle hum ou r , thebook being a sober histor ical o r quas i-histor ica l rom ance.

There are som e passages o ffensi ve to Catholic feel ing .

PORTER (A. M .) Rose de Blaqu i ere(London : C . H . Clare.) 1 856.

D isturbances at end o f eighteenth cen tu ry. Ki llarney.

1780-1797. CROTT IE (Julia M .) The Lost Land . p p .

266. (F isher Unwin .) 65. 1907.

A tale of a Cromwel l ian I r ish town [ in M unster] . Beingthe autobiography of M iss Ann i ta Lom bard .

”A pic ture of

the piti fu l fa i lur e of the Un i ted I r ishm en to raise and inspir i ta people turned to m ean , tim id , and c rawling s laves by agesof oppression . Thad Lom bard , sacr ific ing for tune,

hom e,

happiness and at last h is l i fe fo r the Los t Land , i s a n oblefigure. The book i s a bi ting and power fu l sa ti re uponvar ious types of anglic ized o r vu lgar o r phar isaica l Cathol ic ism(the author i s a Cathol ic) . The whole i s a pic ture of nurel ieved gloom . The s tyle, beau ti fu l , and often poetic ,

bu tdeepens the sadness . Thad Lom bard , a hundred yearsbefore the t im e, pursues the ideals of the Gael ic League.

ANON . The Un ited Ir ishm an ; or,The

Fatal Effects of Credulity. 2 vols . (Dublin ) 1 819

A Uni ted I r ishm an who had escaped from Dubl in Castle bythe heroism of a s ister , tel ls the ta le of h is woes to an Englishm an , who m eets h im by acc iden t . The lat ter i h turn tel lshi s s tory, equa l ly woefu l. The wr i ter seem s to be a Ca tholicand to sym pathize m ore o r less with the Un ited I r ishm an .

The book con tains m ater ia l fo r a good story , but i t is toldin a ram bling m anner , wi thou t ar t, and is fu l l of sentim en tal i ty . No a ttem pt to picture events o r li fe of thetim es .

1792-1 798. REED (Talbot Ba ines) . Kilgorm an . pp .

'

420. (Nelson ) 6 illustr . (good) . 1906.

Scene : m ainl y in D onega l . Rela tes adven tures of D onega lfisherb oy,

firs t at hom e, then in Par is dur ing Rei gn of Terror ,then at batt le of Cam perdown , then in

‘

Dub lin , where he

frequents m eeti ngs of Un i ted I r ishm en and m eets LordEdward . S tandpoin t : no t anti- I r ish , bu t hosti le to a im s ofUni ted I r ishm en . Full of exc i ting adven ture. J uv.The book i s preceded by a shor t notice of T . B . Reed ’s l ifeand work, in whi ch he is represented as m uch attached toI reland .

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 47

1795 399. GAMBLE (Dr . John) . Char lton ; or , Scenesin the North of Ireland . 3 vols . 1 2m 0 . (London )1823 , and new ed . 1 827.

Depic ts , with sym pathy fo r the views of the Un i ted I r ishm en , the s tate of I reland dur ing the year s that im m ediatelypreceded the rebel l ion . The her o is a young surgeon in a

N or th of I reland town .

ARCHDEACON (Matthew) . Connaught,a

Tale of 1798. 1830.

The author was born at Castlebar , 1 800 died , 1 862 .

TYNAN (Kath ar ine) . A King’s Wom an .

pp . 155. (Hurst Blackett .) 6d . 1905.

Told by Penelope Fayle, a young Q uaker gen t lewom an , a

l oya l ist o r King ’ s wom an , but sym patheti c to the I r ish .

S cene : a Lein ster coun try house. N o descr ipt ions of thefighting , but glim pses of the cr uel ty of Anc ien t Br i tons ,yeom an ry, etc and of the dark pass ions of the tim e. Racy,pic turesque s tyle,

with exc i ting inc idents and dram atics i tuations .

0. 1800. LEVER (Char les) . The Knight of Gwynne.

1 847.

A C lose study , based on cons iderable knowledge, of the waysand. m eans adopted by the Engl ish Governm en t to destroythe I r ish Par l iam en t . Castlereagh figures in no flatter ingfashion . Con H effernan is a type of h is unscrupulou s tools .

Th e Kn ight him sel f i s an engaging por trai t of a lovable old

I r ish gen tlem an , frank, high-spir i ted , cour teous , chiva lrous .

At first placed in ideal c ircum stances for the display of allh is best qua l i t ies , he shows him sel f no less n oble in m eetingadversi ty . O ther n otable charac ter s are Bagenal Daly (a.p or trai t of Beaucham p Bagenal) , the vi l lainous attorneyH ickm an , and M r . Dem psey the story- tel l ing innkeeper .

In descr ibing the coasts of Antr im and Derr y and the coun tryabou t Cast lebar and W estpor t, Lever draws upon h is ownexper iences .

BANIM (John) . John Doe ; o r , The Peep 0’

Day. 1825.

The story of a young m an who , for revenge, j oins the Shanavests, a secret soc iety , terr ible a l i ke to landlord , tithe-proc tor ,and even pr iest . The rem arks m ade about Crohoore app lyequal ly to th is book.

1 Fo r some other no vels dealing with the ’

98 period see Addenda.

43 1111511 FICTION

CARLETON (Wi ll iam ) . The Tithe-Proctor.(Belfast : S imm s M

‘Intyre. ) [1849 ]

Founded o n rea l events , the m u rder of the Bolands , a terr ibleagrar ian c r im e. W r i tten in a m ood of savage resentm en taga ins t h is c oun trym en . D . J . O

'

Donoghue says of thisbook : I t is a vic iou s pic tu re of the worst passions of thepeople, a rancorous desc r iption of the j ustwar of the peasan tryagains t t i thes , and som e of the vi lest types of the race are

there held up to odium , no t as rare instances of vi l lainy , bu tas spec im ens of hum an i ty qu ite c omm on ly to be m et with .

”

Yet there are good por trai ts and good scenes . Am ong theform er are M ogue M oylan , the Canni e Soogah , Dare- devi lO

'

D r isco ll, Buck Engl ish , and the Proc tor him sel f . The

lat ter , ha ted of the peoples ,i s painted in dark colours . As

a s tudy in vi l lainy , says M r . O’

D onoghue, the book isconvinc ing . There i s one touching and fine scene— that inwhich the pr iest s teal thi ly carr ies a sack of oats to the starvingProtestant m in ister and hi s fam i ly .

”As a study of I r ish

l ife,

”says Mr . O

’

Donoghue again , even in the an ti - ti thewar tim e, i t i s a perver s ion of fac ts and a grotesque accum u

lation of m elodram atic horrors .

”

sqq. LEVER (Charles) . Jack H inton . pp . 402.

[1843lAdventures of a young Engl ish officer who arr i ves in I relanddur ing the Viceroya l ty of the Duke of Grafton . The hero ’ sI r ish exper iences inc l ude steeplechasing , fox-hunting , highli fe in D ubl in

, a glim pse of soc iety l i fe in the Castle, l ove,

and duel l ing , and m urder . But Lever wrote the book toshow how I r ish charac ter and I r i sh ways di ffered whol lyfrom Engl ish d itto , and he r epresen ts H in ton as constantlyhav ing h is prej ud iced Engl ish eyes opened with a vengeance.

Thi s n ovel contains som e of Lever ’s m ost fam ous charac ters :Corny Delaney , H in ton ’

s body servan t ; Mr . and M rs . Pau lR ooney, parvenu leaders of D ubl in soc iety ; Father Tom

Loftus , Lever '

s i dea of the j ol ly I r ish pr ies t ; Bob Mahon ,

the devi l -m ay-care, im pecun ious I r ish gen tlem an ; m ost of

all Tipperary J oe. Fo r these, says the authorI had no t to ca l l upon im agination . Tipperary J oe was

a rea l personage. F or the last 100 pages the scene shiftsto Spain, France, and I taly. Throughou t event succeedsevent at reckless speed . There are som e scenes of Connaughtli fe.

MATURIN (C. R.) Woman ; or, Pour et

Contre. [1818 ]

A fierce satire on the Irish Methodists by a c lergyman of

the Church of Ireland.

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 49

19th cent . GRIFFIN (Gerald) . The Collegians . (Duffy )23 . [I st ed .

,1828] sti ll repr inted .

Pronounced the best I r ish novel by Aubrey d e Vere, GavanD uffy , and J ustin M

‘

car thy . I ts m ain interest lies in i ts

being a tragedy of hum an passi on . The Charac ter of H ard ress

Cr egan , the chief ac tor , is power fu l ly and piti less ly ana lysed .

Danny Man , wi th h is dog - li ke fidel i ty M yles , the m oun tainym an , sim ple yet shrewd Fighting Pol l of the Reeks Hard ress

Cregan’

s m other , are charac ter s that l ive in the m ind , l ikethe m em or ies of r ea l per sons . There are pic tures , too , ofthe l i fe of the day , the drunken ,

duel l ing squireen , the

respec table m idd le- c lass Da lys , the m anners and ways ofthe peasan try , whose quain t , hum orous , anecdota l ta l k i sper fec tly reproduced , bu t who are shown m erely fromwi thout . Th e scene is la id par tly in L im er ick and par tlyin Ki l larn ey.

c . 1 820. GRIFFIN (Gerald) . Tales of the MunsterFestivals .

Scene : the wild c l iffs and crags of Kerry and W est Clare.

Them e : the play of pass ions as wi ld and terr ible as the scenesyet there are gl im pses of pleasan t hom e- l ife and hospita l i ty ,and m any touches of hum our . The tales appeared in

three ser ies , 1 827 , 1 829 , and 1 832 . The fir st (H ol land Tide)con tained the Aylmers O/ B allyaylmer , a story abou t a fam i lyof sm a l l gen try on the Ker ry coast , with m any detai ls ofsm uggl ing ; The Hand and Word ,

The B arber ofB antry , withits pic ture of the M oynahans , a typica l m iddle—C lass fam i ly ,l i ke the Dalys in The C ollegz

'

ans , and severa l shor ter ta les .

The second ser ies contains Card - drawing, The Half-S i r , and

S uz’

l D huv the C oi ner , which deals wi th the Pa latines Of

L im er ick . The thi rd ser ies con ta ins The Rivals and Tr acy’

s

Am bi lz’

on . These are sensationa l s tor ies . The firs t has an

in teresting pic ture of a hedge—school , th e second br ings ou tthe people’

s suffer ings at the hands of loya l ists ”and

Governm en t offic ials . They c ontain severa l instances ofseduc tion and of elopem en t.

c . 1810. CARLETON (Wi ll iam ) . Valentine M‘Clutchy.

(Duffy ) 2 3 . [1845] numerous eds . s ince ; sti ll repr inted .

A detai led study Of the charac ter and career of an I r ishland agen t of the worst type. I t puts the reader on in tim ateterm s wi th the prej ud ices , feeli ngs , arm s , and manners ofthe Orangem en of the day , and bitter ly satir izes them . I t

gives vi vid pic tures gof both Angl ican and D issenting p roselytiz ing effor ts . W r i tten from a s trongly nationa l and evenCatholic standpoin t . Con tains severa l rem ar kable charac ter studies . There is Solom on M

‘

Slim e, the rel igious

50 IRISH FICTION

attorney , sanc tim on ious , canting , hypocr i tical ; DarbyO

’

Dr ive, M‘

C lutchy’

s rufli anly bai l i ff, a c onver ted Papis t ;the Rev . M r . Luc re, a very super ior absen tee c lergym an ofthe Establishm en t , and an arden t proselyti zer ; the oldpr ies t , Father Roche, very sym pa thet ica l ly drawn . The

bias throughou t i s very strong and undisguised . There are

som e grotesquel y and irres istibly com ic scenes , bu t there are

a lso fine scenes of tragic interes t . N othing in l i tera ture,

”

says M r . O’

Donogh ue, cou ld b e m ore ter r ible than som e

of the scenes in thi s book .

”He ca l ls i t one of Car leton ’

s

m os t am azing effor ts . Of the book as a whole, Mr . Kranssays I t is one of the m ost dar ing pic tures of I r ish coun tryl ife ever executed .

c. 181 2 . MURPHY (James) . Luke Talbot . pp . 278.

(Sealy , Bryers . ) I s . 1890.

A sensati onal story fi l led , wi thou t any interval of du l lness,with exc i ting adventures— sea batt les , wr ecks , ha irbreadthescapes , figh ting under W el l ington in Spain , etc etc . The

m ain them e i s a m urder comm i tted by a wicked land agen tin I reland— Ma lcolm M

‘

Nab—and of which Luke is suspec tedon strong C ir cum stantia l evidence. All through the book ,unti l j us t the end , M

‘

Nab is on top , bu t r ight final ly tr ium phs .

Ther e i s no at tem p t at charac ter drawing and very l i tt leprobabi l i ty .

1814 sqq. RUSSELL (T. O’

N .) D ick Massey. pp . 300.

(G i ll .) I s . Newed . , poor pr int , 1908 .

Fam i ne in 1 8 14 and fol lowing years , as background for a

story ful l of inc iden t , hum our , and pathos , with fai thfu lpic tures of m any sides of I r ish l ife— the emi gran t shi p , a

wedding , relations of good and bad land lords wi th tenan ts .

Al together on the side of the peasant .

c . 1815. HALL (Mrs . S . C .) Sketches of Ir ish Character . p p . 443 . 7s . 6d . With 61i llustrations by Maclise

,G i lbert

, Harvey,George

Cruikshank , etc . [1 st ed .,

1 854 (sth) , 1892 ,

etc .

Mr s. Hal l intends in these sketches to do fo r her vi l lage ofBannow , in W exford , what Mi ss Mi tford did fo r her Englishvi l lage. This distr ic t , she says , possesses to a very rem arkable extent all the m oral , soc ial , and natural advantages ,which are to be found throughou t the country.

”I ts people

are chi efly descendants of Anglo -Norm an settlers and havel i ttle o r no I r ish blood . The author proc laim s (cf. Introduction) her inten tion so to picture the I r ish charac teras to make it more j ustly appreciated and morerespected

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST SI

in England . She appli es to the peasan tr y the sayingtheir vi r tues are their own ; bu t their vi ces have beenforced upon them .

”Again she says , the charac ters here

are all por trai ts . Yet i t m ust b e con fessed that the standpoin t i s , after all, a l ien , and som ething s trangely like the

traditiona l s tage I r ishm an appear s often in these pages .

There is , however , no t a shadow of reli gious bias . The

Ram blin g In troduc ti on m akes very pleasan t readi ng .

c . 1815. HALL (Mrs . S . C .) Tales of Ir ish Life and

Character . (T. N. Foulis .) 53 . Wi th 16 illustr . in

colour from the fam ous Ir ish paintings of ErskineNichol

, R .S .A. 1909.

HALL (Mrs . S . C .) Stor ies of the Ir ishPeasantry . pp . 302 ,

close pr int . (Cham bers ) 1 851 .

Aim s to reconc i le land lords and peasan try . To thi s end

tr ies to Show each to what their enm i ty i s d ue and how theym ay rem edy the evi l . The s tor ies are to Show the peasan trythat their pr esen t condi tion i s d ue to defec ts in the na ti ona lcharac ter and in the pr eva i ling na ti ona l habits— chieflydr ink , ear ly m arr iages , laziness , conservati sm , super sti t ion .

I‘

he authoress has a good grasp of the ways of the peop le,

but her reasoni ng i s pecul iar . W hen a peasan t , dr i ven todesperation by a cruel evic tion , swears vengeance,

this i sput down to innate lawlessness , s in fu lnes s , and a m urderousdispositi on . Twenty s tor ies in all, som e m elodr am a tic ,

som e pastora l .

CARLETON (Will iam ) . The Black Prophet .pp . 408. (Lawrence Bullen .) [I st ed .

,

Introduct ion by D . J . O’

D onoghue, and illustr . byJ . B . Yeats . 1 899.

The plot cen tres in a r ura l m urder m ys tery, bu t there are

m any threads in the narrative. As a background there is theFam ine and typhus-plague of 18 1 7, descr ibed wi th appa l l ingpower and real ism . Of thi s the author him self was a witness ,and h e assures us that h e has in no wi se exaggera ted the

horrors . All thr ough there are passages of true and hear tr ending pathos l i t up by the hum orous passages of arm s

between Jem m y Brani gan and h is m as ter the m i dd lem an ,

D ick 0’

the Grange. Many peculiar types of tha t day appearSkinad re the rural m iser , Donnel l Dhu the Prophecym an .

There is not a word in the book that could hurt Catholi cor

, national feeling.

52 IRISH FICTION

1817- 1818 . KENNEDY (Patr ick) . The Banks of the

Boro . p p . 362 . (M‘Glashan G i ll .) 23 . 1867 ;

new ed . 1875, etc .

Into the tissue of a p leasan t and touching s tory of qu ietcoun try li fe in Nor th-wes t W exford the author has wovena. collec tion of ta les , ba l lads , and legends , som e of whichare of high m er i t . They con tai n a wea lth of in form ationon loca l custom s and traditions . Inc iden ta l ly , I r ish peasan tcharac ter is tru thful ly pai n ted in all i ts phases— grave, gay,

hum orous , and grotesque. The m ora l s tandard is veryhi gh throughou t . There are m any vivi d descr iptions ofscenery . The whole i s told in a s im ple, pleasan t , gen ia ls tyle. The author tel ls us that the chief inc iden ts , c ir cums tances and fireside con ferences m entioned in the bookreal ly occu rred .

KENNEDY (Patr ick) . Evenings in the

Duffrey. p p . 396. (M‘Glashan G i ll .) 23 . 1869 .

A kind of] sequel t o The Banks of the Bo ro . The adven tu resof the hero , Edward O ’

B r ien , are con tinued , the story being ,as before,

intersper sed wi th legends and ba l lads . I t has the

sam e good qua l i ties as th e ear l ier book , the tone being aga inthoroughly hea l thy .

1820. MARTIN (M iss H . L . ) Canvass ing. (Duffy )Still in pr int Kenedy .) [1832 ]Publ ished as one of the O ’

Hara Tales . An elaborate tale ofm atchm aking and m arr iage am ong the upper c lasses , wr i ttenwith a m ora l purpose. Inc iden tal ly there i s a good pic tureof an elec tion contest in the fir st quar ter of the nineteenthcentury .

LEVER (Char les) . S ir Brooke Fo sb rooke.

[1 866] (Routledge, etc .) 33 . 6d .

Reproduces m uch of the hum ou r and frol ic of h is ear l ierta les , the m ess—room scene in the o ffi cers

’ quar ters at D ublin ,

with whi ch the dr am a Opens , reca l li ng the spr ightly Com edyof Harr y Lor requer . The vigor ous story that fol lows con

tai ns m uch m ore ser ious charac ter ization and portrai ture ofrea l li fe than the ear l ier books (Baker ) .

1 820. LEVER (Char les) . Barr ington . [1862 ]A novel of soc ia l and dom estic l ife in the m idd le C lasses .

S cene a queer l i ttle house, the Angler ’s H om e, on the banksof the Nore, Co . Ki lkenny . Here the Bar r ingtons l i ve.

Am ong the s tr i king charac ter s are the fi re-eati ng Maj orM

‘

Co rm ack D r . D i l l , an excel lent study of a coun try m edical

54 IRISH FICTION

e. 18zo -1845. Ar scouon (John) . Drom ina . pp . 437.

(Arrowsm ith .) 63 . 1909.

The author br ings together in a queer old castle on the

W es tern coast the M ‘

M o r rogh , descendan t of a long l ine ofCel tic pr inces , h is chi ld ren by an I ta l ian wi fe

,h i s French

sister - in - law, a band of gypsies of a higher type, whose kingis Lou is XV I I . of France, rescued from h i s persecutors ofthe Terror and ha l f- ignoran t of h is or igin . These are som e

of the personages of the ta le. I t is notewor thy tha t no t o neof the charac ter s has a d rop of English blood . I shal l no tgive the plot of the story . The last por tion is fu l l of thehighest m ora l beauty . The lad Enr ique o r Mudo , son ofHenry M ‘

M o rrogh (whose m other was an I tal ian) and of aSpan ish gypsy pr incess ,

is a wonder fu l concepti on . W henthe author speaks , as he does constantly , of things Cathol ic(notably the rel i gious l i fe and the Blessed Sacram en t) hedoes so n o t on l y c or rec t ly bu t in a reverentia l and unders tanding spir i t . The one excepti on is the charac ter ofFather O

’

Her lihy , whi ch is offens ive to Ca tholic feel ing ,and unnatural . The m ora l tone throughou t is hi gh . One

of the episodes i s the seduc ti on of a peasan t gir l , but i t isE deal t with delicately and wi thou t sugges ti veness .

ELIZABETH (Char lotte) . The Rockite.

[1832 ]In sym pathy wi th Protestan t vi ew . Captain Rock was a

fam ous leader of W hiteboys dur ing the anti- ti the war .

The M em oi rs of Captai n Rock were publ ished in anonym ously 1 824 , in Par is , by Thom as M oore.

CARLETON (Will iam ) . Tra its and Stor iesof the Ir ish Peasantry . Many eds. ,

e.g. , Routledge,1 vol . , 33 . 6d .

Perhaps the best i s that edited in four volum es, 3s . 6d . net each ,by D . J . O

’

D onoghue, and published in 1 896 by Den t . I ts

spec ial features are : handsom e binding,pr in t , and genera l

get—up ; r eproduc tion of or i gina l i l lustration s by Phi z ; por

trai ts of Car leton ; inc l usion of Car leton ’

s Introduction ;biography and cr i tica l introduc ti on by Edi tor . The or igina ledi tion firs t appeared in 1 830

-

33 .,Contents : ( I ) Ned

L M‘

Keown ; (2) Thr ee Tasks ; (3) Shane Fadh ’

s W edd ing ; (4)Larry M ‘

Far land’

s W ake ; (5) The S tation (6) An E ssay on

I r ish Swear ing ; (7) The Battle of the Fac ti ons ; (8) TheMi dnight Mass ; (9 ) The Par ty Fight and Funera l ; (To ) TheHedge S chool ; ( 1 1 ) The Lough D erg Pi lgr im ; ( 1 2 ) TheD onagh , or the Horse S tealers ; ( 1 3) Phi l Purcel, the PigD r i ver ; ( 1 4) The Leanhan Shee ; ( 15) The Geography ofan I r ish Oath ( 16) The Poor Scholar ( I 7) W ildgoose Lodge

STORIES or IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 55

(1 8) Tubber Derg ; ( 19) Denn is O’

Shaughn essy going toMaynooth ; (20) Phel im O

’

To o le’

s Cour tship ; (2 1 ) NealMalone.

This work consti tutes the com pletest and m ost authent i cpic ture ever gi ven to u s of the l i fe of the peasan tr y in th e

fir s t quar ter of the last cen tury . I t is th e m ore in teres tingi n that i t depic ts an I reland whol ly differen t fr om the I relandof our days , a s tate of things that has qui te passed away .

Speaking of the Tr ai ts , Mr . D . J . O’

D onoghue says that ,taken as a whole, there is nothing in I r ish li terature wi thin

reasonable distance of them fo r com pleteness , var ietycharacter -drawing , hum our , pathos and dram atic power .

And m ost I r ishm en would b e at one wi th hi m . About theabsolute l i fe~ l i ke real i ty of hi s peasants there can b e no

d oubt . But reser ves m ust b e m ade as to hi s fairness and

im par tia l i ty . To the editi on of 1 854 he prefixed an in troduc tion ,

in which he sta tes h is inten ti on to ai d in rem ovingm any absurd prej ud ices against h is coun trym en ,

”and

in par ti cular the conception of the s tage I r ishm an .

”H e

then enters in to a vindica tion and a eulogy of the na ti ona lcharac ter which i s fu l ly in accord with na tiona l sen tim en t .But m any of the stor ies wer e or igi na l ly wr i tten for a violen tlyan ti -na ti ona l and anti - Cathol ic per i odica l . Som e of the

Trai ts were consequen t ly m arred by offensi ve passages ,som e of whi ch the author hi m self afterwards regretted . He

frequen tly betrays the rancour he fel t aga in st the rel igionwhich he had abandoned . The Cathol ic c lergy in parti cular he never treated fair ly , and in som e of the Tr ai ts

r idicule i s showered upon them , e .g .,in The S tati on .

”

Yet in others , e.g ., The Poor Scholar , things Catholic are

treated wi th per fec t propr iety . In 1 845 Thom as D aviswr ote for th e N ati art a very apprec iati ve ar tic le on

~Car leton .

The i l lustrati ons by Phiz are very c lever , but m any of themare sim ply car icatures of the I r ish peasan try .

CARLETON (Wi ll iam ) . Tales and Stor iesofthe Ir ish Peasantry. 1845.

I s as good as the Traits , and has, m oreover , l i ttle that isobjec ti onable.

CARLETON (W illiam ) . Tales of Ireland .

1834.

Contains : The Death of a Devotee ; The Pr ies t ’s Funera l ;Lach lin M urray and the Blessed Candle ; Nea l Ma lone ; Th eDream of a Broken Hear t , etc . Thi s last has been desc r ibedas one of the purest and noblest s tor ies in our li terature ;but the rem ainder are am ong Car leton ’

s feeblest effor ts , andare ful l of rank bigotry.

56 IRISH FICTION

Sto r ies from Carleto n,with an Introduction

by W . B . Yeats . p p . xv i i . 302 . (Walter Sco tt .)I s . 6d .

,now reduced to 1 3 . n .d .

Conta ins The Poor Schola r Tubber Derg W ildgo o seLodgeShane Fadh ’

s W edding ; The H edge School . M r . Yeats saysof Car leton He i s the greates t n ovel ist Of I reland ,

by r ightOf the m os t Cel tic eyes that ever gazed from under the browsof s torytel ler .

”

c. 1820. CARLETON (Wi ll iam ) . Fardo rougha the

M iser . pp . 280. (Downey ) [1839 ] n .d .

Prefaces by the Author and by D . J . O’

D onoghue. Apower fu l novel , fu l l of strong charac ter study , and of deepand tragic pathos , relieved by hum orous scenes . Car letontel ls u s that all the charac ters save one are d rawn fromor igina ls wel l kn own to him sel f . The or i gina l of the m iser '

s

wife, a per fec t type of the Catholic I r ish m other,was h is

own m other . Una O’

B r ien i s one of the lovel ies t ofCar leton ’

s heroines . The m ental struggles of the m iser ,torn

between the love of h is son and the love of h is m oney , arefinely depic ted .

c . 1 825. CARLETON (W ill iam ) . Paddy -

gO-Easy and

h is Wife Nancy . (Duffy ) I s . [1845] still repr inted .

Racy sketch Of hum orous and good -natu red but lazy , thr i ftless good -fo r -n othing I r ishm an , drawn wi th m uch hum ou rand with the fai thfulness Of a keen observer . But the bookleaves on the reader the absu rd im pression that this charac ter is typica l Of the average peasant . The s tory i s a p ro

to typ e Of the fam ous Adventu res 0/ M i ck M‘

Quaid . The

title of thi s book was or iginal ly Parra Sastha.

c. 1 82O- I S4O . CARLETON (Will iam ) . Rody the Rover .

(Duffy) I s . [1845] st ill in pr int .S tudy of the or igin of Ri bbon ism and of its efi ects uponc ountryside. The hero i s an em issary of the Soc iety . The

latter i s represen ted as organ i zed and worked by a set ofsel f- in teres ted rasca ls who deluded the peasantry withhopes of rem oving gr ievances whi lst they them selves pursued their per sonal ends , and were often at the sam e tim e

in the p ay of the Castle. The governm ent spy sys tem i s

denounced .

CARLETON (Wi lliam ) . The Em igr ants Of

Ahadarra. (Downey )A story of rural l ife depic ting wi th m uch beauty and pathosthe sadness of em igration . The book is first and forem os

STORIES or IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 57

a l ove story and has no didac tic obj ec t . The book containsone of Car leton ’

s m ost exquis ite por trai ts Of an I r ish peasan tgir l . Th e str uggle between h er love and h er stern and un

com prom is ing zea l fo r the faith i s finely drawn . O’

Fini gan ,

with hi s half- tipsy grandi loquen ce,is a lso c lever ly done. A

kindly Spir i t pervades th e book, and i t i s a lm ost en ti relyfree fr om th e bad taste, coar seness , and rancour whi ch Showthem selves at tim es in Car leton .

c . 1820. CARLETON (William ) . The Squanders of

Castle Squander .

An attem pt to presen t the l i fe of the gen tr y , a task fo r whi chCar leton was im per fec tly qual ified . I t rem inds one,

says Mr . O’

D onoghue, at a superfic ia l exam i nation , Of

Lever , but i s far in fer ior to any Of that wr i ter ’

s works . I t

is full of rancour and rage, and m akes pa in ful and exasperat

ing r eading : the best that can b e said fo r i t i s tha t therear e pages here and there no t unwor thy of the author ’ s betterself . The latter par t of the book i s an acr id poli tica l argum en t . There i s an am using story of a tr ick played upona gauger . At presen t being r e- i ssued as a ser ia l in th e

Bel fast newspaper th e I r i sh Weekly .

CARLETON (Wi lliam ) . Anne Cosgrave.

A vigorous attem pt to exhi bit the m anners and custom s,

and espec ia lly the rel igi ous feelin gs , of the U lster people.

Som e of the chapter s are very graphi c , and there i s n o lackOf Car leton ’

s pecul iar hum our

c . 1 820. BODKIN (M . M‘D .) Shi llelagh and Shamrock . (Chatto .) 3s . 6d .

Shor t stor ies dea ling m ai nly wi th the wi ld scenes Of oldelection days . Pic tures of evictions and th e old- tim e foxhun ting , whiskey-dr inki ng landlord . Always on the peasan ts ’side. Ta las fu l l of voluble hum our an d go . The peasants ’ta lk i s fai thfu l ly and vi vid ly repr oduced .

HAL

L (Mrs . S . C .) The Whiteboy . (Ward,

Lock , Routledge) . and 6d . [1 845] Several eds .

Si nce.

In the height of the W hi teboy disturbances ,whi ch are

l uri dly descr ibed , a young Englishm an com es to I relandwith the in ten ti on of upli f ting the peasantry and better ingtheir l ot . After som e terr i ble exper iences h e at lengthsucceed s to a wonder fu l exten t in h is benevolent purposes .The book i s Of a di dac tic type (Kr ans) .

58 IRISlI FICTION

1820- 1850. EDGE (J . H .) An Ir ish Utopia . pp . 296.

(Hodges F iggis .) 3s . 6d . Frontisp , View Of

Glendalough . 1906 and

A S tory of a Phase of the Land Problem . Scene W icklowCounty and Shropshi re, England . A s lender plot , tel l ing ofthe abor tive attem pt of a younger twin to ous t the r ightfu lhei r from ti tle and proper ty

, ending wi th a lawsui t in whichsom e

.

wel l known lawyers are in troduced under S l ightlyd i sgu i sed nam es . Father O ’

Too le i s a very pleasan t charac ter s tudy . The fam ous J . K . L D r . D oyle, Bishop ofK i ldare and Leighlin , figu res in the s tory . The standpoin tI s that of an I r ish Conservative,

withou t rel igious bias , andsym pathiz ing with cer tain I r ish gr ievances . H um ourpathos , and brogue are absen t.

MAGENNIS (Peter ) . The Ribbon Informer ,a Tale ofLough Erne. p p . 158. (London ) 1 874 .

An unski lfu l ly construc ted , ram bl ing narra tive interspersedwith indifferent verse. The author says in h is Preface :

This novel is founded on fac t , alm ost every inc iden t in i ta c tua l ly occu rred , and m any of them within the recol lec tionof the wr i ter . I t c on tains loca l trad it ions and legendarylore. I t treats of highway robbery , i l l ic i t d isti l l ing , ruralm anners , par ty feel ing , and a rather d isorgani zed state o fsoc iety .

”

1829 $99. SHEEHAN (Canon P. A.) Glenanaar . pp .

32 1 . (Longm ans ) 6S . 1905.

Tain ted blood,inher i ted Sham e, is a terr ible thing am ongs t

a people who attach suprem e im por tance to these th ings .

This i s , perhaps , the cen tral them e of the story . The nar

rative Opens in 1 829 with the fam ous Donerai le Conspiracytr ial in Cork, when O

’

Connell, sum m oned in hot has te fromD er rynane, was j ust in tim e to save the l ives o f the innocen taccused . The stor y traces to the third generation the

s trange for tunes of the descendants of one of the inform ers

in this tr ia l . There are gl im pses of the fam ine of ’

48 and ofthe spir i t of the m en of ’

67.

1829 3991. LEVER (Char les) . The Martins of Cro’

Mart in. pp . 625.

Scene : chiefly Connem ara ; the novel Open ing with a fine

pic ture of the Old - tim e Splendours of Ba l lyn ahinch Castle,the seat o f the Mar tins . Fo r awhi le the scene shifts toPar is dur ing the Revolu tion Of 1 833 . The story i l lustratesthe prac tica l working of the Em anc ipation Act . Mar tin is

a type of the ease- loving I r ish land lord , Sh irking the cares

of hi s estates, wi th an im mense sel f-esteem , narrow, obstinate,

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 59

weak, without ideas , and wi th a b ound less fa i th in hi s ownd igni ty , elegance, and divine r ight to r ule h is tenan ts(Krans) . Rej ec ted by h is. tenan try at an elec tion h e quitsthe country in disgust , leaving them to the m erc ies of aScotch agen t . Lever pic tures vividly the suffer ings of thepeople both from this evi l and from the cholera

,drawing

fo r the latter upon h i s own exper iences when m in ister ing tocholera patien ts in Clare. He says of th e people that no

words,

of h i s cou ld do j ustice to the splend id her oism theyshowed each other in m isfor tune. Mary Mar tin i s one ofLever ’

s m ost adm irable her oines . There is a fine study , a lso ,of a young m an of the people, son of a sm a l l shopkeeper inOughterard , who by h i s ster l ing wor th raises him sel f to thehighest posi ti ons .

KELLY (Peter Burrowes) . The Manor Of

Glenm ore. 3 vols . (Lond . Ed . Bu ll .) 1839.

S cene : S tradba l ly in the Q ueen’

s Coun ty . M ost of the personages of the ta le and m any of i ts inc i den ts are real . I l lustrates fai thfu l ly the soc ia l condition of I reland at the tim e .

I t i s on the side of th e peasan try . The coun try i s very wel ldescr ibed th e book has m any in teresting inc iden ts peasan tl ife i s pic tured with kn owledge and sym pathy .

CARLETON (Will iam ) . Jane S inclair ; or ,

The Fawn of Spr ingvale. [1 841 ]A m elancholy story of m idd le- c lass l ife, with m any truthfultouches , but overcharged with a sen tim en t that to m oderntaste appear s som ewhat strained and som ewhat “ fade.

Con tain s a highly eulogistic por tra i t of a dissen t ing m in ister ,J ohn S inc lair— Ca lvin istic , d idac tic , but warm - hear ted and

tr uly char i table.

c. 1 830. CARLETON (Will iam ) . The Black Baronet.pp . 476,

c lose pr int . (Duffy ) 23 . Several eds [I st,1 856] still repr inted .

A tragedy of upper—c lass soc iety l ife. The in teres t l ieschiefly in the in tr icate plot , which , however , i s of a verycom m onplace type, and dis tinct ly m elodram atic . There is

l i ttle attem pt to por tray th e m anner s of th e soc iety abou twhi ch the book treats , and there i s l ittle charac ter—drawing .

The tragedy i s rel ieved by hum or ous sc enes from peasan tl ife. In th e Preface the author tel ls u s that the c ircumstances related in the story rea l l y happened . Con tains a

touchi ng pic ture of an evi c ted tenan t , who leaves th e hu tin which his wife l ies dead and h is chi ldren fever - str ickento seek subs istence by a l i fe of cr im e.

CARLETON (Will iam ) . The Red HairedMan ’

s Wife. [I st ed .,

60 IRISH FICTION

c. 1830. SADLIER (Mrs . James) . The Old House bythe Boyne. pp . 319. (G ill . ) 2s . 6d . Newed .

,1904.

Scene : D rogheda . Many descr iption s of old histor ic spots ,and m uch legendary lore. There is a love interest , a lso ,but the book is hardly up to the author 's usua l s tandardAt the outset of the book D rogheda i s wel l descr ibed .

0. 1830. MURPHY (Jam es) . Hugh Roach theRibbonm an . (Duffy ) I s . New ed .

,1909.

One of the m ost popular of the au thor ’ s stor ies . The lead inginc idents are founded on occu r rences of the t im e. Ful l ofthr i ll ing and d ram atic s i tuations and hi stor ic a l pic tures(F reem an) .

1 830- 1840. TROLLOPE (Anthony) . The MacDerm ottS

ofBallycloran . (Lane.) I S . [1 844] 1909.

S cene : Co . Lei tr im . Chief charac ter s : the m em bers of a

broken -down Cathol ic county fam i ly . M iss MacDerm o tt i sengaged to a Sub - I nspec tor of police. This latter , becauseof c er tain d ifficu lties that stand in theway of their m arr iage,

a ttem pts to el ope wi th her . H er br other com es on the

scene, and there i s an affray , in which the Sub - Inspec tor iski l led . Young MacDerm o tt is tr ied and public ly hanged .

This is the m ere outl ine. M ore interest ing is the backgroundof I r ish rura l l i fe, seen in i ts com ic and quaint aspec t , by an

observant and no t whol ly unsym pathetic Englishm an . The

por tra i t of the grand old Father J ohn M ‘

Grath i s m ost l i fel i ke and engaging , but the pic tures of low li fe in the vi l lageand am ong the i l l ic i t sti lls is vu lgar in tone and the hum oursom ewhat coarse. The book i s spoken of by a com peten tc r it ic , Si r G . O . Trevelyan , as in som e respects the author ’

s

bes t . The au thor him sel f consi ders this h i s best pl ot .

I 83O LEVER (Char les) . Ro land Cashel . pp . 61 2 .

Opens with wonder ful ly vivid and picturesque descr iptionof l i fe in the Republ ic of Colum bia . A harum -scarum youngI r ish sold ier of fortune a lm os t prom ises m arr iage to the

daughter of a Colum bian adven turer . Then h e learns he i shei r to a large proper ty in I reland , and he im m ed iatelyreturns there. In D ubl in the daughters of h is lawyer ,M r . Kennyfeck , and others try to capture the young heir ,but instead he fa l ls in love with a penn i less gir l . Thenthere are exc i ting and rom antic adventures . The vi l la in ,

Tom L inton ,with th e intenti on of ruin ing Roland , intro

duces h im to fast soc iety , near ly im pl icates h im with the

young wife of Lord Ki lgotf the Colum bian adventurer turnsup to c laim h im he is charged w i th m urder but eventual ly

62

'

[c . 1845]

IRISH FICTION

in Lever ’

s pages . The m ystery that runs through the bookis kept vei led with grea t c leverness to the very end . Final ly ,the book is packed with wi tty epigram m at ic talk .

MEANY (Stephen Joseph ) . The Terry Alt,a Tale of 183 1 . 3 vols . 1 841 .

LEVER (Charles) . St. Patr ick ’

s Eve.

A shor t and som ewhat gloom y tale of a per iod that Leverknew wel l— the pesti lence of 1 832 . S cene : borders ofLough Co r r ib . The l i fe desc r ibed is that of the sm a l l farm er

and the peasan t struggl ing to m ake ends m eet . Fac tionfighting is dea l t with in the open ing of the ta le, and the

relations between land lord and agent and tenan try , at the

per iod , are descr ibed with insight . W hen I wrote i t , Ides ired to incu lcate the truth that prosper i ty has as m anydu ties as advers i ty has sorrows .

DAUNT (W . J . O’

Neill) . Saints and Sinners .0

2 vols . aftd s . 1 vo l. (Duffy ) 1 843 ,etc .

The reader who expec ts in this narrative what i s c om m on l ycal led the plot , o r story

,of a novel , wil l , we fair ly warn h im ,

b e disappointed . Ou r Obj ec t in becom ing the histor ian ofH oward i s m erely t o trace the im pressi ons produced on h is

m ind by the very var ied pr inc iples and notions with whichhe c am e in con tac t ” (beginn ing of chap . xi i i .) The booki s besides a very satir ic a l study of var i ous types of U lsterPr otestantism , and a controversia l novel , reference to S cr ipture and to var ious Cathol ic author ities being frequen tlygiven in footnotes . The story , a sl i ght one, m oves s lowly ,but the s i tuations have a good deal of hum our .

1840. O’BRIEN (Mgr ) Jack Hazl it t , A.M . pp .

380. (Duffy ) 3rd ed . n .d . Still in pr int .The Preface tel ls u s that Jack Hazl i tt , whose for tunes are

fo l lowed in this book , was a rea l per son known to the author ,

and tha t m any of the adventu res recorded are true. Sc ene

fi rs t , banks of Shannon (King ’ s County o r W estni eath ) , thenAm er ica . S tory of sensationa l kind , bu t with m any m ora llessons ,

often verging on hom i l ies , direc ted chiefly againstfree- thought and undeno rn inational education .

KICKHAM (Char les J . ) Knocknagow. p p .

628. (Duffy) 3s. 6d. [I st ed 0. 1860 ; upwards of

14 eds . since]One of the greatest , i f not the greatest , Of all

o

lrish novels .

Yet it is not so much a. novel as a ser ies of pi ctures of l i fe

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 63

in a Tipperary vi l lage. W e are in troduced to every one

of its inhabitan ts , and learn to love them near ly all beforethe end . Everything in the book had been no t on ly seen

from without but lived by the author . I t i s fu l l of exquis i tel i tt le hum orous and pathetic tra i ts . The descr i ption of thedetai ls of peasant l i fe i s quite photographic in fideli ty , yetnot wear isom e. There is the c losest observa tion of hum an

nature and of indivi dua l pecu liar i t ies . I t is rea l ism of thebest kind . The inc idents related and som e of the discuss ionsthrow m uch l ight on the Land Q uesti on . The au thor doesno t, however , lec ture o r ran t on the subjec t . Occas ional lythere are trac ts of m i dd le—C lass conversa tion that would ,I bel ieve, b e dul l fo r m ost reader s .

KICKHAM (Char les J .) For the Old Land .

pp . 384 . (Gi ll .) new ed .,1904.

Main them e : the for tunes and the sufler ings of an I r ishfami ly of sm al l farm ers under the old land system . The

peasan t ’ s love of hom e and the bi tter sadness of em i gra ti onare brou ght out in the un folding of the ta le. All throughthere runs a love- ta le told with the author ’ s usua l res trai n t ,s im pl ic i ty, and del icate ana lysis of m otive. There i s a

hum or ous elem en t , too , am us ing bai l iffs and policem en

furn ishing m uch of i t . Constable Sprou le’

s dr ivi ng hom e

the pigs i s capita l ly done. R ody Flynn i s a grand oldCharac ter , eviden tly sketched from l i fe.

KICKHAM (Char les J .) Sally Cavanagh .

(Duffy ) zs . New ed .,1902 .

Kickham’

s fir s t story . Con ta ins in germ all the gr eatqua l i t ies of Knocknagow. W e feel all thr ough that i t isthe work of a m an of warm , tender , hom ely hear t— a m an

born and bred one of the people about whom h e wr i tes . I t

is a s im ple and natura l ta le of love am ong the sm al l farm er

c lass . Sal ly Cavanagh ’ s tragedy i s d ue to the com binedevi ls of landlordism and em igrat ion . S om e of the saddestaspec ts of the latter are dwel t upon . The book i s quitefree from dec lam ati on and m oral iz ing, the events bein g lef tto tel l their own sad ta le. Perhaps the n oblest charac tersin the book are the Protestan t Mr . and Mrs . Hazl i tt . Therei s no trace of rel igious bigotry . There are touches ofhum our , to o—fo r exam ple, the love affairs of M r . Mooneyand the inim i table scene between Shawn Gow and his wife.

1840. DOWLING (Richard) . The Mystery of

Killard . pp . 357. (Tinsley Bros .) Newed . 1884 .

Ta le of the Clare coast and its fishing popu la ti on (drawnwith m uch ski l l and fideli ty) half a century back. The

story centres in a. m ysterious and romantic rock unapproach.ab le by sea and connected wi th the land by a. Si ngle rope

IRISH FICTION

only. There is a m yster i ous owner , o r rather a ser ies ofthem , and m yster i ous gold . But the centra l idea of thebook (one of the m ost or igina l in l i terature, i t has beenj ustly cal led ) i s the study of a deaf-m ute who , by brood ingon h is own m isfor tune, grows to envy and then to ha te h isown Chi ld , because the Chi ld can hear and speak.

SADLIER (Mrs . James) . Maureen Dhu . pp .

391 . Sadlier . ) [I st cd .,

A ta le of the Claddagh , the fam ous fishing vi l lage besideGa lway C i ty . I ts m anners and ways are descr ibed in detai l ,and with fidel i ty . Tel ls how the beau ti fu l daughter of theChief fisherm an i s wooed and won from all com peti tors bya wea l thy young m erchan t of the C i ty . The plot i s wel lsustained and in teresting , though som ewhat c om pl icatedand ham pered by digressions .

CARLETON (Will iam ) . Art Maguire.

(Duffy ) I s . F irst publ . 1 847 ; st il l repr inted .

The story of a m an r uined by dr ink . Conven ti onal andobvious ly wr i t ten for a pu rpose, yet en l ivened by scenes ofhum our and pathos , wr i tten in Car leton ’

s best vein . D edicated in very fla tter ing term s t o Father Theoba ld Mathew ,

and irreproachab le from a Cathol ic poin t of v iew . Inc iden tal lythere i s an interesting pic ture of one of Father M athew ’

s

m eetings . Father Mathew him sel f thought hi ghly of thebook .

0. 1840. TYNAN (Kathar ine) . Peggy the Daughter .

pp . 335. (Cassell . ) 1 909.

A r om ance of I reland in ear ly Vic tor ian days . A youngspendthr i ft noblem an , a widower , runs away with Pr isc i l la ,

a Q uakeress , and a lso an heiress. The descr iption of thepursui t i s exc i ting and dram atic . The pena lty of hi s deedi s a l ong im pr isonm ent , from which he i ssues a sadder and

wiser m an . Pr isc i l la ’

s care of h is li ttle daughter , Peggy , inthe m eantim e i s a pathetic story .

NOTE — Emancipation and Repeal. There seem s to be astrange dearth of novels deal ing with these m ovem ents . I have succeeded in finding only the twofollowing , though , doubtless , there are others .

BLESS INGTON (Lady) . [1 789- 1849 ] The

Repealers o r ,Grace Cassidy . (Lond .) I st ed .

,1 833 .

Con tains scarcel y any plot and few delineations of character , the greater part being fi l led with dial ogues , cr i tic ism s ,

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST

and reflec ti ons . Her ladyshi p i s som etim es sarcastic , som e

tim es m ora l , and m ore frequen tly per sonal . One fem alesketch ,

tha t of Grace Cassidy , a young I r ish wife, Shows tha tthe author was m os t at hom e am ong the scenes of her ear lydays (Cham b ers

’

s Cyclope d i a of Engli sh L i terature) .

TROLLOPE (Anthony) . The Kellys and the

O’

Kellys . (Chapm an 8c Hall . ) Newed .,1 907. (Lane. )

I S .

S cene : D unm ore,Co . Ga lway , at the tim e of O ’

Connell’

s

tr ia l . Main ly a love story of the upper Classes . S om e

c lever portra i ts , e.g. , th e W idow Kel ly and the her o , FrankO

’

Kelly , Lord Ba l lin dine. Pic ture of hard-r i ding , harddr inking, landlord c lass.

THE FAMINE YEARS AND YOUNG IRELAND

1840- 1850 O

’MEARA (Kathleen) . The Battle of Conne~

m ara . (Washbourne ) 3s.

A beauti fu l story of pr iests and people in Connaught in the

days of th e Souper s (ci rc . 1 840 50 ) by an author distinguishedin other field s . The scene i s lai d par tly in Par i s . Notewor thy character s are Mr . Ri ngwood , an Engl ish conver tc lergym an , and Father Fa l lon , an I r ish coun try pr iest .

c. 1 844- 1856. TENCH (Mary F . A. ) Against the Pikes .

p p . 357. (Russell ) n .d . (recent) .H ow th e s ins of the fathers are vis i ted upon the Chi ldren tothe th ird and four th generati on . Phi l O ’

Br ien return ing toI reland after l ong years of sin and suffer ing in Austral ia fin dshi s fir s t love unchanged in hear t—on ly to see her taken fromhim by dea th . He foregoes for h er sake revenge on the m an

who h ad wr ecked hi s l i fe, and dies to save h i s enem y . Thoughth e charac ters are I r ish there is l i ttle abou t I r ish l ife (nothi ngabout pikes) . The whole book i s very sad , the pathos o fthe c l ose is pain fu l , navr ant. By sam e author : Wherethe Su rfB reaks , A Pr ince from the Great Never -N ever , etc .

1 846 sqq. SADLIER (Mrs . Jam es) . New Lights ; o r,

Life in Galway . p p . 443 . (N .Y . Sadl ier .) [1853]Peasan t l i fe in Fami ne t im es . W r i tten with a s trong sympathy fo r the suflier ings of the peop le and with adm irati onfor their vir tu es . There i s a good deal about the proselyti sm o r souper ism that was r i fe at the tim e. The evi lsof land lordism , resu lting in evic tions, etc ., are depicted .There is no love interest.

66 IRISH FICTION

1 846- 1848. F IELD (Mrs . E . M .) Den is . (Macm i llan)23 . St ill in pr int .A story of the Fam ine. Interesting por trai t of YoungI reland leader . S tandpoint : rather ant i-nat ional .

1 845- 1 848. KEARY (M iss) . Castle Daly . p p . 576.

4th ed . (Macm i llan ) 3s . 6d . [I st oftenrepr inted . 1 889.

A s tory of the for tunes of an old I r ish fam i ly . Per iod : theFam ine years and Sm i th O ’

B r ien r is ing . The suffer ings ofthe people sym pathetical ly descr ibed . The Young I relandm ovem ent dwel t on both from an Engl ish and an I r ishs tandpoin t . All through the book constan t con trast betweenEngl ish and I r ish charac ters , showin g their incom patibi l i tyand on the whole the super i or i ty of the Engl ish ; yet thebook shows sym pathies with H om e R u le, to whi ch one ofthe chief charac ter s i s conver ted .

1845- 1 848. CONYNGHAM (D . P.) The O

’

Donnells of

G len Co ttage. p p . 498. Kenedy . ) n .d

sti ll in pr int .S cene : Tipperary dur ing the Fam ine year s . Th e for tunesof a fam i ly in th e bad tim es . Fam ine and evict ion and

death wr eck i ts peace,and th ings are on ly par tia l ly r ighted

after m any year s . The author , whose view-poin t is nationa l is tand Cathol ic , vivid ly descr ibes the evi ls of the t im e—theterr ible suffer ings of the Fam ine, evic tion as carr ied out bya hear t less agen t , souper ism in the per son of Rev . M r . Sly,

j ud ic ial m urder as exem pl ified by the execution of the

M‘

Co rm ack s .

1 846 sqq. O’

RYAN (Julia and Edm und) . I n Re

Gar land . (Richardson ) 1 873 .

Tim e : after Fam ine of 1 846, when the Encum bered EstatesCou r t was in ful l swing . Clever ly wr itten , and showingintim ate knowledge of M unster ways of speech and thoughtam ong the farm ing and lower c lasses . Good tas te and strongfai th in the people and in the people’

s fai th are everywherediscernible. The wr i ter s eschew all m orali zing and a lso all

descr iption of scenery

1846- 1 847. TROLLOPE (Anthony) . Castle Richm ond.

p p . 474 . (Har per ; Ward ,Lock .) zs . to be

“hadfo r I s . [1860]Scene Co . Cork dur ing the Fam ine y ears , 1847 , and fol lowing ,with which i t deals fu l ly. Ta le of two old I r ish fam ilies.

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST

Chief Charac ters : I r ish gentlem en . Faithful pic ture of theI reland of hi s tim e by a sym pathetic and unprej ud icedEngli shm an .

1846- 1 850 . BURROW (Char les Kennett ) . Patr ic ia of

the Hills .pp . 330. (Lawrence "Bu llen .) 6s .

“

1902 .

A l ove stor y of which the inc iden ts take place dur ing theFam ine year s and the Young I reland m ovem en t . W i th thelatter the her o , who tel ls the story , i s c lear ly in sym pathy

,

though n o con tr oversia l m atter is introduced . The character s (exceptiona l ly wel l drawn ) are types , but a lso verylive per sona l i ties . Local i ty no t indicated . An in teres tingand unc omm on ta le. By sam e au thor , The L ifted S hadow,The Way of the W ind , etc .

WALSHE (M iss E . H .) Golden Hills1 865.

Th e Fam ine.

MERRY (Andr ew) . The Hunger . BeingReal it ies of the Fam ine Years in Ireland, 1 8457 1 848 .

p p . 436. (Melr ose ) 6s . 191 0.

This i s , in the form of fic tion , a nar rative of happeni ngs at

one dis tr ic t , wi th a plot and persona l dram a and talk properto the novel , and all of these show the gi fts of a practisedand able novel ist ; but every inc iden t ,” th e wr i ter as suresu s ,

i s fac t , not fic t ion . H i s m atter i s m ain ly der ived fromoral s tatem en ts ,

helped and ver ified from books , records , andtrus tworthy pr ivate sour ces ; and in an in tr oduc ti on M r .

M er ry dea ls with the causes an d charac ter is tics of th e fam ine,

the hor ror s of which were such that even m any of the inc identshere selec ted had to b e m odified in their deta i ls to becom e

publishable (T . Lit . Suppl ) .

M‘CARTHY (Just in Huntly) . Lilv Lass .

pp .

- 150. (Chatto 8c Wi ndus .) 1 3 . 661.

Picture from nationa l ist poin t of view of Young I relandm ovem en t , espec ia l ly in Cork . Ful l of sensationa l inc iden tstold with m uch verve.

M‘CARTHY (Just in ) . Mononia. pp . 383.

(Chatto 8c Windus .) 63 . Newedi t ion . 1902.

Scene a large M un ster town , presum ably Cork . Tim e the

a ttem pted r ising in 1 848 . Th e chief interest i s the un

folding in ac tion of the var ious character s . Som e of theseare str iki ngly and di stinctively por trayed . The treatm ent

IRISH FICTION

of the l ove e lem en t is or iginal , the cou rse of true l ove beingsm ooth from the star t . Here and there are pleasan t bitso f desc r i ption . The standpoint is Cathol ic and nati ona l ist ,bu t withou t an ti -Engl ish feel ing , severa l of the pr inc ipa land m os t adm irable charac ter s being Engl ish .

SAVAGE (Marm ion) . The Falcon Fam ily .

(Ward ,Lock . ) [c . 1 849 ]

The bes t kn own and choicest of the author ’ s num erousstor ies . I t i s intended as a sati re on the leader s o f theYoung I reland Par ty ; and som e of the satire is very keenand am us ing , but as pol itica l pic tures h is sketches are no

better than car icatures ”

(Read ) The author was born1 823 ; d ied 1 872 .

c. 1 848 . O’B RIEN (Monsignor R . B ) . Ailey Moore.

pp . 31 1 . (Duffy ) 3s . 6d . 5th ed . n .d .

Per iod : the year s before and after ’

48 . Plot pleasant , bu tm a in interes t abundance of s ide inc idents , character stud iesand deta i ls of I r ish l i fe,

introduc ed ch iefly to pic ture th e

evi ls of m isgovernm ent preva i l ing at the t im e . The stylei s agreeable,

though there are rather lengthy m o rali zings .

1 848- 1 849. O

’BRIEN (Monsignor R . B .) The D’

Altons

of Crag . (Duffy ) 23 . 1882 . St ill in pr int .A tale la id in a t im e of helplessness and hopelessness ,

in

which the author gives m any i l lustrations of the beaut ifu land devoted love that has ever bound together the peopleand the pr iests of I reland The author tel ls u s

tha t every one of the m ain inc idents i s based on fac t , and

that m any of the Charac ters are port ra i ts of rea l per sons .

The s tory is told wi th great vigou r , and i s fu l l of d ivers ifiedinc ident of no hum drum or comm onplace charac ter (I .M

LEVER (Char les ) . The Daltons ; or , ThreeRoads in Life. p p . 700. [1852 ]The longest and m ost elaborate of Lever ’s novels . Subj ec tthe career s of Peter Da l ton , an absen tee I r ish land lordneedy , feckless , selfish , M icawber ish— and h is Chi ldren , on

the Continen t in Germ any , Austr ia , and I ta ly . Som e of theleading charac ters are involved in the Aus tro - I tal ian cam

paign of 1848 , and in the Tuscan Revolution . There i s a

study— a flatter ing one— of Austr ian m i l itary l ife, and l ively ,am us ing pic tures of Anglo- I tal ian l ife in Florence. A notewor thy charac ter is the I r ish Abbé d ’

Esm onde,who towards

the c lose of the book takes par t in som e dram atic inc idents

70 IRISH FICTION

Connaught . Th roughout , Rom an ism and Rom ishprac tises are c ontrasted with Protestant ism , greatly to thed isadvantage of the form er . The book is wel l and interestingly wr i tten .

1 858 sqq. SYKES (Jessica S . C . ) The M‘Donnells .

p p . 299 . (Heinem ann ) 6s . 1 905.

Aim s at presen t ing pic ture of ear ly Vic tor ian m anners and

m orals as seen in the l i fe of this (rather unattract ive) fam i ly ,of I r ish or igin but l iving in England , and in their sur round ings .

I t was a per iod lacki ng in ideals and un stir red by new ideas ,ar tistic ,

l i terary , o r other . The au thor paints i t s tupidgross , and m ater ia l , and seem s to sum i t up as hum bug( from a review in the Atlzcnwum ) .Lord Char les Beres ford , in a let ter to the wr iter (see Pref .)acknowledges the book as a true pic ture of Engl ish and

I r ish l i fe in the upper c i rc les of soc iety fi ve and for ty year sago , and that i t explains the id ioc ras ies (s i c) of the I r ishpeople , both Nationa l ist and O range, and gi ves a c lear ex

planat ion of the rea l c auses of the unceas ing discon ten t andstr i fe existing in o u r s ister is le . I have tr ied to give a

desc r iption of the cond it ion to which Engl ish fem a les ofpos i tion were reduced by a wave of Evangel ical can t and

exaggerated m oral i ty .

c. 1860. SADLIER (Mrs . Jam es ) . The Herm i t of theRock . pp . 320. (Gill . ) 23 . 6d . m.d .

S tory of I r ish soc iety in the’

S ixties . The herm i t,who

tends the graves and m onum en ts on the Rock of Cashel , isa sor t of I r ish Old M or ta l i ty ,” and is a storehouse of legendand trad i tion . The story i s by no m ean s a tam e one thereis a m urder m ys tery , and sensation ,

though the latter doesno t degenerate into m elodram a .

BANIM (Michael ) . TheTown ofthe Cascades .

2 vo ls . p p . 283 283 . (Chapm an Hall . ) 1 864 .

S cene sea-board town in W es t . A power fu l story in whichthe chief inter est i s a tragedy brought about by d r ink . The

town seem s to b e Enn is tym’

on ,Co . Clare . The character s

belong to the peasan t C lass , and of cou rse are drawn withthorough knowled ge. The work could eas i ly go in one not

very large volum e.

0. 1860. COSTELLO (Mary) . Peggy the Mil lionaire.

o f Ireland . ) I s . 1 9 10 .

The story of an I r ish gir l l iving in a country town som e fi ftyyear s ago . Sh e i s the thi rd and plain daughter of a d is

appointed fine lady ,” who has m arr ied a country doc tor

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 71

out of pique, and Files her fate fo r the rest of her li fe, as

she c ann ot apprec iate h er husband ’s good hear t , and hecannot gi ve her luxur ies and grandeur . To thi s hom e Peggyc om es from school . And the book tel ls u s , wi th plenty of goodfun in th e tel l ing , how she m ade h er for tune (Press N otice) .

LEVER (Char les ) . Tony Bu tler . [1865]S cene : par tly in N or th of I reland , par t ly on the Con tinen t .Tony gets a post in the diplom ati c service, and h as m anyadventures , s trange, hum orous , o r sti rr ing . D iplom a tic l ife(Lever was a Br i tish Consul abroad fo r m ost of hi s days) i sdescr ibed wi th a cunnin g hand . Som e of “ Tony ’ s exper i

ences take place dur ing the Gar ibald ian war . The m osts tr i king figure in the book i s M aj or M

‘

Cas k ey , the noisy,swagger ing , im puden t sold ier of for tune. Sk eff D am er , the

young d iplom at , i s a lso interesting , and D ol ly S tewar t i s a

m ost pleasin g study .

1 859—1 864 . KELLY (W ; P.) Schoolboys Three. pp .

320. (Routledge ) 3s . 6d . 8 illustr . (good) . 1 895.

Several new eds .

A story of school-boy li fe at Clongowes W ood Col lege in the

ear ly ’

sixties ,told in a pleasan t and pic turesque style, and ,

alm ost all thr ough ,with frank fidel i ty to rea li ty . I t is fu l l of

l ively inc iden t . W as highly praised by the leading l iteraryr evi ews .

1 860 sqq. THYNNE (Robert) . Torn Delany . 3 vols .

(Tinsley .) 1 876 .

Begins wi th sa le,in Encum bered Estates Cour t , of Mr s .

D elany’

s pr oper ty in the W est . The fam i ly then emi gratet o Melbou rne, where th e rest of the story takes place. M os tof the charac ters , however , are I r ish , from Sergean t D oolanto M r . Brabazon . There are var ious love afl ai rs , ending ;som e br ightly

,others sadly , and there are pictures of li fe i n

the gold - di ggings . Even tua l ly the estate is restored , and

the fami ly com es back to I reland .

MARSH (Mrs ) The Nevilles ofGarretstown .

(Sanders 8c Otley . ) 1 860.

D isturbances of the per iod.

c . 1860. CASSIDY (Patr ick Sarsfield ) . Glenveagh .

1 870.

Fir st appeared in the Boston Pi lot ; afterwards in book form .

The author was born at D unki neely , Co . D onega l , 1 852 . In

1 869 o r so he emi grated to Am er ica , where he became a

72 IRISH FICTION

j ou rnal ist . Deals with the celebrated Glenveagh tr ials ,ar is ing from diffi culties between land lord and tenan t , at

which the author had been presen t in boyhood .

RHY S (Grace) . The Pr ince of Lisnover .

(Methuen ) 1904.

I reland in the ear ly ’

s ixties . Has sam e qual i ties as M aryD om in i c . Devotion of the people to the old and dispossessedlord of the soi l ” is touchingly brought ou t . A pretty gir l

and boy love s tory runs through the whole.

0. 1860—1870. TYNAN (Kather ine) . The Story of Bawn .

p p . 31 2 . (Sm ith ,Elder . ) 1 906.

One of the author ’ s prettiest s tor ies . Fam i ly of highs tanding fal ls into the m eshes of m oney- lender . The

daughter con sents to m ar ry him— bu t the plot m ust no t berevea led . The scene appears to b e Co . Ker ry in the ear ly’

sixties, but there seem to be som e anachron ism s . n

c. 1860- 1 870. LAFFAN (May —Mrs . Hart ley) . Chr istyCarew. p p . 429. (Macm illan ) 23 . [1880 ] New cd .

,

1883 st il l in pr int .W r itten in spir i t of revol t against Catholic discouragem en tof m ixed m ar r iages , showing the soc ial d isabi l i ties which i tdraws upon Catholics . Severa l por trai ts of pr ies ts , e.g . , a

c ol lec tor of old books and a m odel pr iest . S tudies of var iousaspec ts of Catholic li fe.

FENIANISM

c. 1 865. LEVER (Char les) . Lord Kilgobb in. [1872 ]

Lever ’s last novel . I t pic tu res soc ial and poli tica l c onditionsin I reland abou t 1 865, the days of the Fen ians . The booki s m arked by a lm ost national ist sym pa thies , one of the

finest Charac ters being Dan iel Donogan , Fen ian Head - Cen treand Tr in i ty Col lege s tuden t , who whi le on h is keepingi s elec ted M .P. fo r Ki ng ’ s Coun ty . Matthew Kearney

,

styled local ly Lord Ki lgob bin , i s a shrewd , good -natured ,old- fashioned type of broken - down Catholic genti l i ty

,l iving

in an old castle in King ’s Coun ty . H i s daughter Kate, is a

high - spir i ted ,c lever and am iable gir l , bu t the real heroine

is the br i l l iant N ina Ko stalergi , of m ixed paren tage (them other I r ish , the fa ther a Greek pr ince and adven tu rer) , whobewitches in tu rn Fenians , so ldiers , politicians , and Vice

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 73

rega l offic ials. A rem arkable Creati on i s J o e Atlee, a kin dof Bohem ian studen t of Tr in i ty , cyn ica l , indolen t , bu tm i raculous ly c lever and ver sati le. I t teem s with wi ttytalk and dram atic si tuati ons . Throughou t there i s food fo rthought about the afi airs of I reland .

0. 1 865. MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . Marcella Grace an

Ir ish Novel . (Kegan Pau l . ) 63 . 1 886.

A story wi th an elabora te plot , fu l l of dram atic inc iden t .Inc iden tal ly the evi ls of landlordism and Feni ani sm are

dwel t upon , the form er in the pic tu re drawn of the hovels ,the star ved land , and the m eek m isery of th e people— and

here the author i s at h er best . The'

m ino r charac ter s are

C lear ly and sym pathet ical ly drawn ,eviden tly fr om l i fe.

There is m uch sadness and even tragedy in the story .

O’BRIEN (Wi l l iam ,

M .P. ) When We wereBoys . pp . 550. (Longm ans ) 6s . 1 890.

One of the m ost r em arkable of I r ish novels . A ta le ofI reland in Fen ian tim es . Scene : G lengarr iff , Co . Ker ry .

A very br i l li an t book, sparkling wi th epigram and m etaphor .

Ful l of cr i tic ism , argum en t , thought and dream abou t I reland .

The s tory itself i s str ong in rom an ti c and hum an in terest .The charac ter i zati on i s fu l l of l ife and real ity , yet m any ofthe charac ter s are typ es . In the cour se of the ta le m anyaspec ts of I r ish life, am ong all C lasses , pass in review . Thereare m any touches of satire. Over all the Charac ters and

scenes the author ’

s exuberan t im aginati on has cast v a glareas of the foot lights , m ak ing them stand out in vi vid colour sand c lear outlines . Yet there i s li tt le o r n o di stor tion o r

m isrepresentati on . The author ’ s sym path ies are str onglynati ona l ist and Ca thol ic , yet nati ona l fai l ings are n ot blinked ,and som e of the por trai ts of pr ies ts are dis tinc tly sa tir ica l .Th e centra l interes t , perhaps , i s the rom an t ic exc i tem en t ,enthus iasm , and exal tation of an im pending r is ing .

1 866 $99. FABER (Chr ist ine) . Carroll 0’Donoghue

A Tale of the Ir ish Struggles of 1 866 and of recentt im es . p p . 501 . Pretty cover . (Duffy ) 3s . 6d 1903 .

Sc ene laid chi efly in Kerry , at the tim e of the Fen ian m ovem ent , though it i s no t a narrative of the latter . A verydram a ti c story finely wr ought ou t . Ful l of loca l colour ,

hum our , and path os . Thi s author h as also wr i tten An

Or igi n al Gi r l, Am bi ti on’

s C ontest, A F atal Resem blance,

A Chi valrous Deed , The Gu ard i an s M ystery,A M other

’

s

S acr ifice,Reaping the W

'

hi rlwi .nd All of these are publi shedby P. J . Kenedy of NewYork.

74 IRISH FICTION

c . 1866 . S IME (Wm ) The Red Route ; o r,Saving

a Nat ion . 3 vo ls . (Sonnenschein ) 1884Scene : \Ve.s t and South of I reland ,

beginn ing wi th Ga lway ,

where the her o,Finn O

'

B r ien,goes to c ollege and suffer s

m uch both from collegians and peasantry . Finn becom es a

Fenian , bu t fa l ls in l ove with an English widow who hadbecom e a Ca thol ic t o escape the pursu i t of bishops and

par sons of her own Chu rch . The heroine is a Claddagh gir l ,whose l ove fo r an Engli sh captain Jeffrey i s c rossed by thefac t that she is a Fen ian . One of the love affairs ends happi ly ,

the other tragical ly . The author is no t ant i - I r ish , but knowsl i ttle abou t I reland . He d rags in pr iests sm el lin g s tronglyof whiskey and nuns who have broken their vows .

1 865- 1 883 . MAGINN (J . D . ) F itzgerald ,

the Fenian .

2 vols . p p . 576. (Chapm an Hal l . ) 1 889.

Dea ls wi th Fen ian and Land League m ovem en ts . The

author is unacquainted with the history and organ i zationof Fen ian ism . Th e land agi ta tion he represen ts as forcedupon an unwil l ing peasan try by a ki nd of m u rder -c lub inAm er ica . S cene : m ain ly Co . S ligo . Parnel l and Biggarare br ought in under assum ed nam es , and are broadly car icatu red . The por traya l of Bu tt i s truer to real i ty and lessm arr ed by bias . The author i s un in form ed and , on the

whole, uncom prehending : hence som e absu rd statem entsabou t things I r ish , som e obj ec tionable (but eviden tly un intentionally so ) r eferences to the Ca tholic Chu rch , and a

quite im possible I r ish brogue. But he is on the whole not

unfr iendly to I reland .

c . 1 867. M‘Carthy (Just in) . A Fair Saxon . p p . 386.

(Chatto 8c Windus . ) 3s . 6d . [I st ed .,1 873] several

s ince. New ed . about 1907.

Main them e the l ove of an English gir l fo r M au r ice F i tzHugh

Tyrone, an I r ish M .P. , fam ous in the House as a c lever and

insuppress ible opponen t of the Governm en t . Mu ch of thes tory (a com pl ica ted one) is c oncerned wi th the effor ts ofanother l over of the Fai r Saxon to supplan t Tyrone, and

a lso to get him to vi olate the condi tions of a legacy . The

latter are ( 1 ) that Tyrone Sha l l no t m arry before for ty ;(2 ) that he shal l no t j oin the Fen ians ; (3) that he sha l l no tfight a duel . H is effor ts m eet with a wonder fu l successionof a l ternate success and fai lure. Inc idental ly we haveglim pses of Fen ian plotting , the Fenian m ovem en t beingpor trayed with l i tt le Sym pathy . The Charac ters are near lyall ins ipid o r vic ious wor ld li ngs , drawn in a satir ica l andsom et im es cyni ca l vein . S uch i s M rs . Lorn

, the r ichAm er ican widow , of fast l i fe. The heroine, and to a cer tainexten t the hero , are exc eption s . Th e prec oc iou s youngAm er ican , Theodore, is one of the best thi ngs in the book.

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 75

MORAN (J . J . ) The Dunferry Risin’

.

(Digby ,Long .) 1894.

A study of the Fen ian m ovem en t . The Even ing S un ofLondon devoted a two-colum n review to the book , wr i ttenby an old part ic ipa tor in the Fen ian m ovem en t (we unders tand that the wr i ter was a wel l -known nati onal i stin which th e s tory Was descr ibed as one of the m ost viv idpic tures of the I r ish Republ ican Brotherhood and theirm ovem en t that had yet been wr i tten .

O’BRIEN (Char lotte Grace) . Light and

Shade. 2 vols . p p . 287, 256. (Kegan Paul .) 2 15.

1 878 .

A ta le of th e Fen ian r ising by the daughter of W i l liamSm i th O ’

Br ien , m any of the inc iden ts being der i ved fr ompar tic ipator s in the r ising . A double love story runs throughthe book . Th e descr iption s of the scenery of the Shannonand neighbour ing distr ic ts are der ived from l i felong o b ser

vations . Tone pure and hea lthy , dia lec t per fec t .

c . 1867. K ING (R ichard Ashe Basil The

Wear ing of the Green . pp . 299. (Chatto 8c Windus .)23 . 6d . 1 886.

A story of the course of true love, in which the l over s are

long kept apar t by m any untoward happen ings . The

wr i ter ’s sym pathi es and the charac ter s of h is story are Protestan t , yet there i s no hosti li ty to Cathol ics , and one ofthe pleasan test Charac ters in the book i s Father Mac . Oneof the m inor inc iden ts of the story i s connec ted with the

Fen ian c on spiracy . Th e Chief in terest of the book l ies ,perhaps , in the drawing of th e lesser charac ter s . In his

del ineation of all the English per sonages in the book the

author is unspar ingly cau stic . Th e book i s br ightly wr i ttenthe conversat ion par ticu lar ly good ; there is a vein of sarcasm throughou t ; and plen ty of inc iden t . The authorevident ly sym pathizes with I r ish gr ievances , and i s proudof hi s c oun try .

O’MEARA (Graves ) . Owen Donovan

,

Fen ian . (Sealy , Bryers .) 6d . Paper . 1 909.

Adven tures of a Fen ian in England , and of h is lady- love,

a pr im a donna at Coven t Garden . Plen ty of sensation ,of

a crude and im probable type. A tim e- s layer ,” as the

author ca l ls it,

76 IRISH FICTION

1867. LAFFAN (May— Mrs . Hartley) . Ism ay ’

s

Children . (Macm i l lan ) 2s .

Tale of Fenian t im es , l i ttle c oncerned with pol itica l aim s ,

bu t rather with persona l for tunes of the lads who are drawninto the m idn ight ( lr i llings . L i tt le pol itic a l bias , bu t sympathic s with the qual i ty . Close studies of I r ish m idd lec lass dom estic l ife.

FREDERICK (Harold) . The Return of the

O’

Mahoney. A Rom ant ic Fantasy . p p . 279 (Heinem ann .) 3s. 6d . 1 893 .

Scene : South -west Cork . The O’

Mah oney i s a returnedAm er ican veteran of the Civi l W ar .

LE FANU (J. Sher idan) . The House by theChurchyard . (Duffy ) 3s . 6d .

A sensationa l story with a m ystery plot based on a m urder .

Black D i l lon , a s in ister and exper t ruffian , i s a pr om inen tfigure of m elodram at ic s tam p . S cenes of soc ia l l i fe am ongofficer s and t heir fam i l ies settled in a l i ttle vi l lage outsideD ubl in (Baker ) .

0. 1870. LAFFAN (May—Mrs . Hartley ) . Hogan ,M.P.

p p . 491 . (Macm il lan ) 3s . 6d . Newed . ,1 882 .

Pic ture of D ubl in soc iety , showing how Cathol ics are handicapped by thei r wan t of educ ation and good breeding , d ue,

in the au thor ’ s view , to whol ly wrong system of Cathol iceducation . D iscu r s ive and garrulou s . Fu l l of soc ia lm anoeuvres , pet ty intri gues , goss ip , and scanda l . Conven teducation from within .

c . 1 87o . HOPKIN S (Tighe) . The Nugents of Car iconna . (Ward Downey .) 1 890 .

A story of m uch grace and hum ou r , in which the dram aticinteres t i s centred in an Inspec tor of Pol ice, a type probablyno t introduced into any other I r ish s tory of d is tinc ti on .

The author , who was born about fifty years ago ,in Sur rey ,

of I r ish parents , has wr i tten m any other novels and shor ts tor ies , - but this is the on ly one that i s distinc tly I r ish .

S cene : the King ’ s Coun ty .

0. 1 870 o r later . KNOW LE S (R . B . Sher idan) . Glencoonoge.

3 vo ls . (Blackwood . ) 1891 .

Three threads of r om ance ski lfu l ly inter twined , the chiefof which is the l ove story of an Engl ish gir l of gentle bir th

78 IRISH FICTION

as a picture o f m anners i t is true to l i fe, i f som ewhat idyl lic .

The author is the second daughter of the Rev . AlexanderRentou l , M .D D .D of Manor Cunn ingham , C0 . Donega l .Bes ides the novel noted her e, she has wr itten : The Way 0/Transgressors The Way they Loved at Gr im / mt,’

M id Green Pastu res ,Youth at the Prow,

The Trackless

Way

1875- 1887. VERNE (Jules ) . Foundl ing M ick (P

’

tit

Bonhomm e) . p p . 303 . (Sam pson ,Low. ) 76 good

illustr . 1895.

The very var ied and often exc i ting adven tures of a poorwai f . Rescued from a travel l ing showm an at W estpor t ,Co . Mayo , he i s sent to a poor school in Ga lway , resem blingthe work hou se in Oliver Twi st. Fur ther adven tures br ingh im to L im er ic k , and then to Tralee, and afterwards to m anyother par ts of I reland . The book is wr itten in thoroughsym pathy with I reland , and in par ticu lar with the suffer ingsof the poor under in iqu i tous Land Laws , though at t im es

with a l itt le exaggeration . There i s a vivid descr iption ofan eviction . O ther aspec ts of I r ish l i fe are touched on ,

and with considerable knowledge . Dubl in , Bel fast , Ki l larney ,

Bray , are som e of the places descr ibed . The spir i t is Catholic :witness the k ind ly words on page 8 abou t I r ish pr iests .

THE LAND LEAGUE

c. 1880. READE (Am os ) . Norah Mor iarty ; or,

Revelations of Ir ish Life. (Blackwood . ) 2 vols .

1886.

A rom ance bound up with the story of the Land League,

i ts r ise in 1 880, its developm en t and the outrages and

bitter suffer ings endured by the vic tim s”

(Baker ) .

0. 1 880. KENNY (Lou ise) . The Red -haired Wom anHer Autobiography . p p . 400. (Murray) 63 . 1905.

The interest centres in an old county fam i ly of Thom ond ,

the O’

Cu rrys . Charac ters typical of var ious conditions ofl ife in I reland : an unpopular police-protec ted landlord , a.

landowner with an encum bered estate, an upstar t usu r er ,

fai thfu l retainers , evic ted tenants , etc . Dec . , 190

c . 1880 . RYAN (W . P. ) The Heart o f Tipperary .

(Ward Downey . ) 1893 .

A rom ance of the Land League, but not too m uch taken upwi th poli tics . Nationa l ist .

STORIES OF IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 79

THYNNE (Robert ) . Story of a Cam paignEstate. p p . 429. (Long ) 63 . Several edi t ions .

A tale of th e Land League and the Plan of Cam pai gn ,wr i tten

from the landlord ’ s poin t of vi ew . The estate i s placed nearthe Cur ragh of Ki ldare. The chi ef charac ter s are near ly a ll

drawn from th e Protestant m idd le and upper c lasses . Therei s a lso a fana tica l Land League pr iest and a peace-m aki ngpr iest of whom a favourable por trai t is drawn . M orecr uel , says th e her o , m ore selfish , m or e des tr uc ti ve thanou r father s’ loin s i s the li tt le finger of thi s unwr itten law ofthe land— thi s j uggern aut before whi ch the people bow ,

and are cru shed .

”The question i s ably argued out in m any

places in the book . The author seem s to iden ti fy the LandLeague with the wor st secret soc ieties , such as the Invi n c ib les .

The tone is not violen t ; there i s no car icatur in g , and no

brogue.

c. 1 880. HEALY (Cahir ) . A Sower of the W ind . p p .

168 . (Sealy ,Bryers . ) 6d . paper .

Scene : the D onega l coas t . A sensati ona l and rom an ti cs tory . L ocal Land League doings descr ibed . The authorwr i tes of the people with lm owledge and sym pathy.

1 880 399. LAWLEss (Em ily) . Hurr ish . pp . 342 .

(Methuen ) 1 902 .

Scene a wi ld and poverty- s tr icken di str ic t in Clare. A vi ewof th e b ad days of the ’

eighties by one to whom the LandLeague stands for lawlessness and cr im e. The people are

depic ted as half- savage. The story i s a gloom y one, fu l l ofassassinati ons and th e other dark doin gs of the Land League .

The pic ture i t gi ves of an I r ish m other wi ll j ar har shly on

the feeli ngs of m ost I r ishm en . Th e I r ish dialec t i s all but acar icature.

TROLLOPE (Anthony) . The Land Leaguers .

pp . 304. (Chatto 8: Windus . ) 1 885.

S tory of an English Protestant fami l y who buy a propertyand sett le in Ga lway . The book was never finished , and has ,perhaps , l i tt le in terest as a novel . But the life and inc iden tsof the per iod are wel l r endered , notably th e tr ials of peoplewho are boycotted . M uch sym pathy with the people is d i sp layed by th e author , and , on th e whole, fair Vi ews of thefau lts and m isunderstandings on both sides are expressed .

The plot turns on the enm i ty of a peasan t towards hi s landlord , whom h e tr ies to in j ure in every way. The landlord ’ sli tt le son is the onl y wi tness against the peasant . The chi ldi s m urdered fo r tel ling what he kn ows. There is som e harshcri ticism of Catholic pr iests.

80 imsu FICTION

TRENC II (W . Stewart) . Ierne. (Longmans )2 vo ls . 1 871 .

A s tudy of agrar ian c r im e in whi ch the author usedm ater ia l col lec ted fo r a history of I reland ,

which he refrainedfrom publ ishing owing to the feel ing occas ioned by the

c on troversy over the I r ish Land Bil l . H e endeavour sto Show the c au ses of the obstina te resistance by the I r ishto m easures under taken fo r their benefit , and to show th e

m ethod of cu re.

”(Baker ) .

The author was land-agent in I reland to the Marquess ofLansdowne,

the Marquess of Bath , and Lord D igby . Owi ngto h is very adm irable charac ter he cam e to b e respec ted andbeloved by the people. H is opinion of I r ish charac ter wasvery high .

1880 sqq. MORAN (J . author of Ir ish Stew,

etc . Two Li ttle G ir ls in Green . (Aberdeen Moran . )63 . 1898.

Land League s tory— extrem e popular poin t of view ; givesvivid idea of feel ings of people dur ing hottest years of theagi tati on . Introduces am iable Engl ishm an who sees j us ticedone fo r his tenants. Clear and pleasan t style

STEUART (John A.) Kilgr oom . pp . 228.

(Low) 63 . and 23 . 6d . 1890 and 1 900.

Author (born 1 86 1 ) of A M i lli onai re’

s D aughter , 5e Exi led ,

I n the D ay ofBattle, The M i n i ster of S tate,Wi ne on the Lees ,

The E ternal Quest, A S on ofGad ,The Rebel Woo ing, etc . , etc .

W as born in Per thshire, l ived in I reland , Am er ica, and

England . Edi ted Publi shers’

C i rcular , 1 896- 1 900 . The

in teres t o f the present s tory turns o n inc idents of the LandW ar in a southern county . The author takes the populars ide, and paints the evi ls of land lordism in the darkes tc olour s . M ost o f the charac ter s are hum ble folk, inc lud ingan am us ing Scotchm an , Sandy M ‘

Tear . The story tel ls howa thirs t fo r vengeance,

engendered by oppression ,takes

possessi on o f the young peasant , Ned Blake, a lm ost stifl ingh i s love fo r h is betrothed and ruin ing h is l i fe.

MOORE (George) . A Dram a in Musl in. pp .

329. (Vizetelly ) 1 886.

Per iod : j ust before and j ust after Phoeni x Park m urders .

Som e attent i on is given in this book to Land League tyrannybefore, and coerc i on after . The interest centres in a par tyof gi r ls educated at a convent school at St. Leonard ’s, andtheir subsequent adventures in I r ish soc iety looking fo r

husbands , and all eventual ly going to the bad , with two

STORIES o r IRISH LIFE IN THE PAST 81

exceptions . Of these la tter , one i s a m ad vis ionary and a

Protestan t , who becom es a Cathol ic and a nun , the other i sa free- thi nker and an authoress , a

'

c om b inati on whi ch the

au thor con siders natura l . Fo r the I r ish peasan t the authorh as on ly d isgus t . The pic ture of a Mass in an I r ish chapel(pp . 70

-

72) would b e offens ive and pain fu l to a Cathol ic .

‘BREW (Miss M . W . ) Chron ic les of CastleCloyne. 3 vols . (Chapm an 85 Hall . ) 1886.

H igh ly praised by the Tim es, th e S tandard , the M orn ing Post,

the S cotsm an , etc ., etc . The I r i sh M onthly says : I t i s an

excel len t I r ish tale, fu l l of truth and sym pathy , without anyharsh car icatur ing on the one hand , o r any patron i zing sen tim en tali ty ou the other . The heroine, Oonagh M ‘

D erm o tt , the

D i l l on s , Pat Flanagan , and Father Raffer ty are th e pr inc ipa lper sonages , all excel len t por trai ts in their way and som e ofthe m inor charac ter s are very happi ly drawn . The con

ver sation of the hum bler people i s fu l l of wit and com m onsense ; and the changes of th e s tory give r oom for pathossom etim es as a con trast to the hum our which predom inates .

M iss Brew understands well the I r ish hear t and language ;and a ltogether her Pic tures of M unster L i fe (fo r this i sthe second ti t le of the tale) i s one of th e

'

m ost sat isfac toryaddit ions to the s tore of I r ish fic tion fr om Castle Rackrent

to M arcella Grace.

0. H INKSON (H . A.) O’

Grady of Tr inity .

(Lawrence 85 Bullen .) 6s . Re- issued by C . H .Whiteat 6d . 1 909.

Fun ,fr ol ic , and love in a s tuden t ’s career . A gay and whole

som e novel . Sym pathet ic pic ture of Tr inity Col lege li fe.

H ighly pra ised by L ionel Johnson .

STRAHAN (Sam uel A. K.

, M .D .) The

Resident Magistrate . (London Alexander 8:

Shepherd .) I s . 1 888 .

A tale of the J ubi lee Coer c ion days . The leading charac ter i s founded on Captain Plunket of D on ’ t hes i tate toshoot ” fam e. W ith the doings of thi s per sonage (whichlook like c lippings fr om the S tar newspaper of those days) i sm i ngled th e story of a persecuted heroine suffer in g from an

uncom m on form of m ani a (in whi ch the author was a spec ia l ist)Dr . S trahan was a Bel fast m an . The m ater ials of the storyare handled , we think, with but l i tt le ski l l .

I I I— p resents bag Br ie") l ifeNOTE —As far as poss ible I have co nfined this section

to books portraying co ndit ions which still preva i l .

CHILD LIFE

ARTHUR (F . B . ) The Duchess . (Nelson ) 23 . 6d . Prettycover ; 2 coloured illustr . 1908.

Scene : m ain ly in D onegal . S tandpoin t , Protestant and

English . No t unfair to peasantry . A pleasan tly told li ttles tory . The her o im plicated in Fen ian m ovem en t , and

arrested , escapes from pr ison thr ough the c leverness of hi sli t tle daughter , the D uchess .

O’MAHONY (Nora Tynan ) . Una ’s Enter pr ise. p p . 241 .

(Gi l l .) Neat binding . 1907.

S truggles of a young gir l of good soc ial posi ti on t o m ain tainher widowed m other and l i ttle br other and sister . She

eventua l ly does thi s by m eans of pou ltry farm ing , of whichm uch is sai d . There is l i ttle distinc tively I r ish in the story .

The sty le is gracefu l and pleasing .

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . Terry . pp . 1 1 2 . (Blackie ) 1 3good illustr . by E . A. Cab itt. 1902 .

Scene : W est of I reland . A story for chi ldren , abou t a

gi r l and boy of an adven turous turn , relating their doingswhi le l iving wi th their grandm other and their nurse,

theirparents being away in Afr ica . j

VAIZEY (Mrs . G . de Horne) . Pixie O ’

Shaughnessy.

Scene : first , a fashi onable Engli sh gi r ls ’ school , afterwardsa ha l f-ruined castle in the W est of I reland . The book i staken up with the am u sing sc rapes and other adventures ofa wi ld li ttle I r ish gir l , and with the l ove aflairs of her sister s .

G ives a good , i f som ewhat overdrawn , pic ture of I r ishcharac ter , espec ia l ly of tradi tiona l I r ish hospita li ty . Sam e

author, M ore about Pixie, a sequel to the above.

F INNY (Vio let G . ) The Revolt o fthe Young MacCorm acks .

p p . 227. (Ward Downey . ) Illustr . by EdithScannell . 1896.

A story written fo r chi ldren and m uch apprec iated by them .

PRESENT-DAY IRISH L IFE (CHILD LIFE ) 83

The four y oung M acCo rm ack s are very live and r eal chi ldren .

Their del ightfu l ly novel pranks are told in a breezy , natura ls tyle. M any a grown -up wi l l find in terest in the book .

S cene par tly in Dubl in , par tly in W est of I reland .

MALONE (Mol ly) . The Golden Lad . 16m o . of

Ireland .) 1 8 . 1 910.

A study of Dubl in s lum -chi ldren , to ld with hum our , insi ght,and sym pathy , by one who thoroughly knows their ways .

The dia lec t is fa ithfu l ly rendered .

F ITZPATR ICK (Kathleen) . The VVeanS at Rowallan . pp .

234 . (Methuen ) 6s . Illustr . 2nd ed .,1 905.

W e think i t is one of the best books abou t chi ldren publishedsince the days of M r s . Ewing (Speaker ) .Am usin g and pleasan t . S om e of the fun i s tinged with theunconsc ious pathos of chi ld - l ife and the m ixed m ir th and

m elancholy of the I r ish peasan try (Athene um ) .

CALW ELL (J . M . ) A Little Ir ish G ir l . p p . 240 . (Blackie )23 . 6d . 4 good p ictures by Harold Copp ing . 1908 .

Scenq est of I r eland . The doings and adven tures of al ot o f very natura l and hum an chi ldren , par ticu lar ly thebr ight , wi ld l i ttle heroine, and Manus , a typic a l Englishr eared school -boy . Peasan ts seen in relation to bet ter c lass ,but treatedwi th sym pathy and understanding . N o m orali zing .

MULHOLLAND (Clara) . The Little Bogtrotters . (Belfast'

Ward Balt im ore, U .S .A. John Mur phy .)Fo r chi ldren . I r ish and Cathol ic .

MULHOLLAND (Clara) . Li ttle Snowdrop and other Stor ies .

pp . 1 92 . (Washbourne ) 23 . 6d . Illustr . 1 889.

The scene of the pr inc ipa l s tory , a grea t favour i te wi thchi ldren ,

i s laid in Kil liney, near D ublin . I t tel ls of a chi ldkidnapped by gyps ies .

MULHOLLAND (Clara ) . D im pling’

s Success . (N . Y

Benziger . )Fo r chi ldren .

MULHOLLAND (Clara) . Bunt and B ill . (N . Y . : Benziger .)1 902 .

A good m oral s tory for chi ldren.

81 IR ISH FICTION

MULHOLLAND (Clara) . Little Mer ry Face and his Crowno fCo ntent . turns Oates . ) 1 889.

S tor ies fo r child ren . I r ish and Catholic .

MULHOLLAND (Clara) . Naughty Miss Bunny . (Blackie )1 888 .

A li vely s tory fo r young chi ld ren .

SCHOOL LIFE

( see also W . P. Kel ly ’s S choolboys Three and Banim’

s

F ather C onnell.)

BULLOCK (Shan F .) The Cubs . p p . 349 . (\Verner Lau r ie .)65 . 1 906 .

A story of l ife in an I r ish school , rec ognized by old schoolfel l ows of the au thor as bear ing a strong resem blance t o theauthor ’s old school of Farra , near M ul lingar . I t i s na tura l lythought to b e par tly au tobiographi c a l . I t i s th e his tory ofa great fr iendship . I t inc lu des a lso som e scenes of hom e

li fe .

SHEEHAN (Canon P. A ) . Geoffrey Aust in,Student . (G i l l .)

3s . 6d . sth ed .,1 908 .

S tory of li fe in a sec ondary school , near D ubl in , nom inal l yc ontrol led by the c lergy , bu t in r ea l i ty left to the care of agr inder of m ore than doubtfu l charac ter . A m ost uncatholicwor ld l iness prevai ls at M ayfield , and the standards of c ondu c tand of rel igion are very low . Geoffrey ’

s fai th i s weakenedand wel l -n i gh ruined . The cur tain fal ls upon him as he goesou t to face the wor ld , and we are left to c on j ec t ure h is fate.

S I IEEHAN (Canon P. A.) The Tr ium ph o fF a i lu re. p p . 383 .

(Burns 8: Oates . ) 2nd ed .,1 900.

A sequel to the preceding . I t i s a C l ose and sym patheticsoul—study . Geo ffrey loses all h is wor ld ly hopes and fa l lsl ow indeed . He su ffer s the shi pwreck of h is fai th . Bu t inthe va l ley of hum i l iati on he learns strength to r ise and

c oncei ves far di fferen t hopes , and we leave him on the heightsof atonem en t and of regenera tion . The book is phi l osophicin tone, and is enr iched wi th m any elevating thoughts fromGerm an , French , and English m ora l ists . I t is sai d to be the

au thor ’

s favou r i te. I t has been translated into severa llanguages .

86 IRISH FICTION

DOLLARD (Rev . J . B . ) The Gaels o fMoondharr ig. pp . 1 24.

(Sealy , Bryers . ) 6d .

A c ol lec ti on of pleasan t , breezy ta les of the exploi ts , espec i

a l ly in hur l ing , of the young m en of M oond harr ig (SouthKi lkenny) , Showing an in t im ate knowledge and l ove of thepe0p1e of the author ’s native place. An unobtrusi ve spir i tof piety runs th rough it .

THE M IDLANDS

KEEGAN (John) . Legends and Poem s . pp . 552 . (Sealy ,Bryers . ) 3s . 6d . 1 907.

Mem oi r of au thor by D . J . O’

Donoghue, pp . v .—xxxi i i . He

was a sel f -educated M id land peasant , who l ived in the

fir s t hal f of the last cen tu ry . This m iscel lany c onsists of(a ) six ta les of th e R o cki tes , the bruta l doings of a secretsoc iety that flour ished about 1 830 ; (b) legends and tales ofthe peasan try of Q ueen ’

s County and Nor th Munster (c) pp .

289-

446 , G lean ings in the Green I s le,

"a ser ies of letters

wr i tten in 1 846 to D olm an’

s , a London Cathol ic m agazine,

which deal wi th I r ish country l ife, and are intersper sedwith s tor ies ; (d ) pp . 493

-

552 , Poem s .

MURPHY (Nicholas P.) A Corner in Ballybeg . pp . 256.

(Long ) 63 . 1902 .

A col lec ti on of shor t , hum orous Sketches of l i fe in a M i dlandvi l lage in I reland at the presen t d ay . The dialec t i s wel l done.

The book i s no t wr i tten in a spir i t of car icature.

O’

HIGGINS (Brian) . By a Hearth in Bir inu . (G ill .) I s .

1 908.

The gay and h om orous s ide of the language m ovem en t seen

from a Leaguer ’s point of v iew—~ the Seon in , the Feis ,the

Gael ic Chr is tm as hear th . One sketch gives a glim pse of theear ly years of J ohn Boyle O ’

Rei lly .

O’

H IGGINS (Br ian) . Gl impses of Glen—na-Mona . pp . 1 15.

(Duffy ) 6d . paper . 1 908.

Sketches of peasan t l i fe in a rem ote glen (place not indicated ) .Alm ost whol ly taken up with the sadness and the m iser iesof em igrati on . S im ple, pathetic , and rel igious .

DEASE (Al ice) . The Beckon ing of the Wand . pp . 164.

(Sands ) 3s . 6d . Very tastefu lly bound . 1 908.

We are u sed to having depic ted wi th pa in fu l real ismall our fau lts, all the defects of I r ish life on the m ater ial side.

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE (PEASANTRY) 87

This l i ttle book den ies none of these,but i t shows another

s ide of the I r ish charac ter , the deep - rooted , in tense Cathol icfai th , the un i on with the supernatura l , that br ightens eventhe m ost squal id l ives . The anecdotes ,

which are true, are

related with del icate insi ght by one who knows and l ovesthe people. There i s a vivid sketch of a Lough D ergpi lgr im age.

The sam e author h ad previously published a l ittle book ,Acorns (D uffy ; 25 . neat binding ; pp . I t i s a col lec ti onof shor t s tor ies , each dea l ing with som e inc iden t in the l ifeof a form er pupi l of a c er tain Span ish c onvent . M ost ofthe

l

se have a m oral , and are wr i tten in a pretty and gracefu lsty e.

GU INAN (Rev . Joseph) . Donal Kenny . (Washbourne)1910 .

D ona l tel ls h is own s tory— h is m other ’s ear ly death , fol lowedby h i s fa ther ’

s rapid fa l l into habits of dr ink ; h is own ear lys truggles ; h i s l ove fo r N orah Kenny ; h is search fo r tracesof her rea l iden ti ty and th e happy ending of i t all. D isplaysall the author ’

s knowledge of I r ish l ife in sketches of pr iestsand people. E spec ial ly good i s the Char ac ter study of thefai thfu l old nurse, Nancy , with her quaint sayings (PressN otice) .

S to r ies by Kath ar ine Tynan

The Handsom e Quaker . pp . 252 (A. H . Bullen) 1902 .

E i ghteen exquis i te l i ttle stor ies and sketches dea l ing , near l yall, wi th th e l i ves of the poores t peasan try . They have all

the author ’

s best qua l i ties .

House of the Cr ickets . (Sm ith , Elder .) 1908.

A story of I r ish peasan t farm er l i fe . The heroine l ives , withh er br other s and s ister s , a l i fe of abjec t s laver y , ruled by a

tyrann ica l and pur i tan ica l fa ther . In thi s wretched hom e

sh e and h er br other , R ichard , devel op n oble qua l i t ies ofcharac ter and m ind . The m em bers of the fam i ly are veryl ife- l i ke por traits , and the pic ture of I r ish life is drawn withm uch care and ski l l .

A Cluster ofNuts . pp . 242 . (Lawrence Bullen .) 1894

Seven teen shor t sketches wr i t ten fo r Engl ish per i odica ls .

S ubjec t dai ly l i fe of the peasan try— th e vi l lage charac ter s ,a spoi l t pr iest , th e m igrating harvesters , and a patheticpic ture of a poor old vi l lage pr iest . Charm ing descr ipti onsof scenery , no t too long -drawn -out . M uch tender and un

affected pathos.

88 IRISH Fi cTIoN

NORTH M UNSTER (LIMERI CK, TIPPERARY,

CLARE)

O’

KENNEDY (Father ) . Co ttage Life in Ireland .

W e cannot ascer tain whether the above h as been publ ished involum e form . Father O ’

Kenned y was born in 1850 ,was

educated in L im er ick and in Maynooth . H as been fo r a

l ong tim e contr ibutor to var ious I r i sh and Am er ican m agazines . He knows h is people intim ately , and knows how tointerest u s in the s im ple pains and pleasur es of the poor .

H is s tyle is charm ing . He h as an eye fo r the s im plic i t ies ofl i fe (I . L it) .

RYAN (W . P. Kevin Kennedy Star l ight Throughthe Roof. pp . 240. (Downey . ) 1895.

Scene : an in land vi l lage of M unster (presum ably in Co . Tipperary) . A ta le of peasan t l i fe —Utopian reform s rea l i zed bya retu rned em i gran t , opposed by land-agents and a landlord ’ spr ies t ; par tia l conver s ion of the latter to the people’

s side ;arres t of reform er on fa lse charge of m urder ; breaking openof pr ison , and r escue, etc . An ear ly and c rude effor t inficti on . Pleasant , em otional style. Very strong Nati onal istbias.

SOUTH M UNS TER (WATERFORD, CORK, KERRY)

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . Onora . pp . 354. (Grant Richards . )1900.

A story of country li fe in W ater ford in the days of the LandLeague. Evic tion scenes . L i fe in Land League huts on

the Ponsonby Es ta te. Has a strong em oti ona l interest , withm uch study of the fam i ly affec ti ons and of the interplay ofcharacter . Many touches of hum ou r . H ighly praised in

English l iterary r eviews . I nc iden ta l ly there are glim psesof M ount Mel leray and of the {scenery on the Blackwater .

The ster ling goodness of obscu re people i s rendered withwom an ly sym pathy .

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . Nanno . pp . 287. (Grant Richards .)33 . 6d . 1 899.

A ru ra l l ove-story . Scene : Dublin and Youghal and Ardm ore.

The heroine is a gir l born in the workhouse,who i s saved from

I ts danger ous and degrading atm osphere, and raised , by trueaffec ti on and by l iving am ong good country pe0p1e, t o highm ora l feel ing and pur pose and to the hei ghts of sel f-sacr ifi ce.

The m ost real istic and the strongest of Lady G i lber t ’ s works .

IRISH FICTION

CROKER (Mrs . B . M . ) In the Kingdom of Kerry . (ChattoWindus . ) 3s . 6d .

Seven sketchy l ittle s tor ies of poor folk, wr i tten in l ightand m err y sty le (Baker ) .

STEWART (Rev . J . ) The Killarney Poor Scholar . Illustr .

1866.

Sketches of I r ish charac ter .

M‘LEAN (A. J . ) Em an More. A Tale ofKillarney . 1752 .

THE WEST (GALWAY,MAYO, SLIGO)

S to r ies by J ane Ba r low

Ir ish Idylls . pp . 284 . (Hodder Stoughton .) 63 .

9th ed . ,1908 .

D oings at L isconnell, a pover ty -str icken l i ttle ham let , l ostam idst a waste of un lovely bogland . These sketches havebeen well descr ibed as saturated with the pathos of elem entary tragedy .

”Yet there is hum our , too , and even fun ,

as in the s tory of how the shebeeners tr icked the pol ice.

The i l lustrated edi ti on con tains about thir ty excepti ona l l ygood repr oduc t ions of photographs of W estern l i fe and

scenery . See genera l n ote on this author .

Strangers at Lisconnell. pp . 341 . (Hodder Stoughton . )6s . [I st ed . ,

A sec ond ser ies of I r ish I dyl ls , showing the author 's qua l ities in perhaps a h i gher degree even than the fir st . A

m ore exquis i te story than A Good Turn i t would b e hardto find . Throughout there is the m ost thor ough sym pathywi th the poor folk . The peasan t d ialec t i s never r enderedso as to appear vulgar o r absurd . I t i s fu l l of an end lessvar iety of pic turesqueness and quain t turn s . No problem s

are discussed , yet the all but im possibi li ty of l i fe under landlo rd i sm i s brought out (see p . There are s tudies ofm any types fam i l iar in I r ish coun try l ife— the tinkers ; Mr .

Po lym ath ers , the pedagogue (a m ost pathetic figu re) Mad

Bel l , the crazy tram p and Con the Q uare One. I t shouldbe n oted that , though there i s in M iss Bar low ’

s stor ies m uchpathos , there i s an entire absence of em otiona l gush .

From the East unto the West . pp . 342 . (Methuen ) I S.

c loth,8v0 . I st ed .

,1 898 ; newed 1 905.

The first six of this col lec tion of fifteen stor ies are tales offoreign lands—Arabia, Greece, and others. The remainder

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE (PEASANTRY) 91

deal with I r ish peasan t l i fe. They tel l of the r om ance and

pathos that i s hidden in l i ves that seem m ost com m onplace.

The Field of th e Fr i ghtfu l Beasts is a pretty l itt le storyof chi ld ish fanc ies . An Advance Sheet i s weird and has

a tragi c ending .

Ir ish Neighbours . pp . 342 . (Hutchinson ) 1907.

Seven teen sto r ies'

of I r ish li fe, chiefly am ong the peasan try .

They have all M iss Bar l ow ’

s won ted sym pathy and insight ,her quiet hum our and cheer fu l out look .

Mrs . Mart in ’

s Com pany . (Dent ) Un iform with Maureen ’

s

Fair ing .

Seven s tor ies chiefly of a l ight and hum orous kind , verytender in their por traya l of th e hear ts of th e poor . There isa touching sketch of chi ld - l ife and a pol ice- cour t com edy ”(Baker) .

Maureen ’

s Fa ir ing. pp . 191 . (Dent ) 6 illustr . , of no

great value. 1 895.

E ight l ittle stor ies repr in ted from var ious m agazines in a

very dain ty l ittle volum e. L i ke all of Jane Bar low ’

s stor iesthey tel l of the tear and the sm i le in l owly peasan t l ives ,wi th gracefu l hum our o r s im ple

,tender

'

path os . The stor iesare very var ied in kind .

By Beach and Bogland . pp . 301 . (F isher Unwin. ) 6s .

1 illustr . 1 905.

Seven teen stor ies up to the level of the author ’

s best , theusua l vein of quiet hum our ,

th e pathos that i s never m awkish ,

the per fec t accuracy of th e c onver sa ti on s and the fa i thfulpor traya l of character is tics . Th e s tudy in A M oney -cr opat L i sconnell,

” of the struggle between the W idow M ‘

Gurk’

s

deep -r ooted Celt ic pr ide and h er k in d hear t , i s m ost am us ing .

As usual , there are del ightfu l por trai ts of Chi ldren .

From the Land of the Sham rock . pp . 318 . (Methuen )53 . 1900.

Four teen stor ies , som e hum or ous, som e pathetic , inc lu dingsom e of the author ’

s best work . There is th e usua l sym

pathetic insight in to the eccen tr ic it ies and queernesses ofthe m inds of the peasan t c lass , but li ttle about the hi gherspir itual qua l i ties of the people,

for tha t i s not th e author ’

s

province. Am ong the m ost am using of the sketches i s thatwhi ch tel ls the doings of a young harum -scarum , the terrorof hi s elders.

92 IRISH F icTIoN

A Creel of Ir ish Sto r ies . (Methuen ) I s . Clo th ,8vo .

The firs t of these, Th e Keys of the Chest , is a cu r i ou sand or iginal c onception , showing with wha t strange notionsa Chi ld grew up in a l onely m ansi on by the sea . The storyof the suic ide is a gem of story - tel l ing .

The Founding of Fortunes . pp . 335. (Methuen )Cloth

, 8v0 . 1902 ; new ed . ,1906.

The tale of how Tim othy Ga lvi n , a ragged urchin l iv ing in a

m ud cabin and rem arkable on ly fo r genera l d ishonesty and

shrewd selfishness ,i s given a s tar t in l i fe by an i l l -gotten

pur se, and r ises by hi s m other -wit t o wea lth . The study ofthe despic able charac ter of the parvenu is C lever and un

spar ing . Other types are in troduced , the landlord of theold type

, and two reform ing land lords ,who appear a lso

in Kerr igan’

s Qu a li ty. The book displays J ane Bar l ow ’

s

qual iti es t o the fu ll .Kerr igan

’

s Qual ity . pp . 254 . (Hodder Stoughton .)6s . 8 illustr . zud ed .

In this story the peasan ts on l y appear in c ident a l ly . The

m ain charac ters are M ar tin Ker r i gan , a returned I r ishAustra l ian ,

the inval id Lady O ’

Conno r ; her son ,Si r Ben ;

and her neice, Mer le. The s tory i s one of intense, a lm os thopeless , sadness , y et i t i s ennobling in a hi gh degree. I t

is fu l l of exquisi te sc raps of desc r iption .

Ir ish Ways . pp . 262 . (GeorgeAllen . ) 153 . Sq . dem y 8vo .

16 illustr . in colour ; headp ieces to chapters . 1909.

Chapter I Ourselves and Our I s land ,gives the author ’

s

thoughts abou t I reland , i ts outward aspec t , the pecu l iar it iesof i ts soc ia l l ife, i ts sou l . I t inc ludes an exquisite pen

pic ture of I r ish landscape beauty . The rem a in ing four teenSketches are chapters fr om the history of som e I r ish c ountryfolk , whom she descr ibes as soc ia l , pleasure- l ovi ng , keenwitted ,

” bu t prone t o m elancholy and m ysti c ism .

”The

las t sketch i s a pic ture, a lm ost photographic in its fidel ity ,of a li ttle out - of-the-way country town and its neighbourhood .

The i l lustrati ons are pretty and the ar tist , who , un li ke m anyi l lustrator s of I r ish books , h as eviden t ly been in I reland ,has m ade a great effor t to inc lude in h is pic tures as m uchloca l c olour a s poss ib le. Yet i t seem s to us tha t nu - I r ishtra i ts often intrude them selves despite h im .

LAWLESS (Hon . Em ily) . Gran ia : the Story of an Is land .

(Sm ith , Elder . ) 3s . 6d .,and zs . 6d .

A sym patheti c pic ture of l i fe in the Aran I s lands , whereexistence i s a s truggle against the elem ents . There are

94 IRISH FICTION

YEATS (W . B .) John Sherm an,

and Dhoya. (F isherUnwin . ) 2nd ed . ,

1 891 .

j ohn S herm an is no t wi ld and fantast ic l i ke The Secret Rose,

etc . , but a pleasan t nar rative dea ling with l i fe in Ba l lah ,a l i ttle town in the W es t , the scene at t im es shifting toLondon . The desc r iptions both of scenery and characterare ful l of quain t l ittle touches of very subtle observation .

The style is rem arkable for a dainty s im pl ic i ty , l i t up nowand then by a str ik ing thought o r even a br i l l ian t aphor ism .

Dh oya”

( last 25 pp .) is a wild Cel tic phan tasyMACNAMARA (Lewis) . Blind Larry Ir ish Idylls . (Jarrold )

Ar tless records of l i fe am ong the very poor in W est ofI reland , the frui t of k ind ly observati on , and , obvious l y ,essays in the Thru ins style. Larry i s a poor blind fidd ler ,

whose one j oy in l ife is hi s son , and he turns ou t a r eproachto h is father . Katty

'

s W edding is a very I r ish bi t offarce, and M ul l igan ’

s Revenge ”expresses the vindic tive

passi ons of the Cel t , an episode of j eal ousy and c r im e, al leviated at the c l ose by repentance and reconc i l iati on (Baker ) .

TYNAN (K athar ine) . An Isle in the Water . pp . 221 .

(Black ) 1 895.

Fi fteen shor t pieces c ol lec ted ou t of var ious Engl ish per i odicals . The scene of abou t ha l f of them i s an unnam ed is landoff the W es t c oast . The scene of one other i s Achi l l . The

t i t le does not c over the r est . Sketches chiefly of peasan tl i fe in which nar rative (som etim es told in dia l ogue) p redom inates . The stor ies are very var ied . There are patheticsketches of young gi r ls Mauryeen ,

” Katie,

”H owM ary

cam e H om e ta les of the supernatural , such as The DeathSpancel a racy story , A R ich W om an of legacy hunting ;whi le heroic sel f - sacr ifice i s depic ted in Th e Man who wasH anged and A S ol itary .

”Th e last two pieces in th e

book are not stor ies : they are m us ings o r subj ec tiveim press i ons .

ANON . Confessors ofConnaught ; or ,TheTenants ofa Lord

Bisho p . (N . Y . Kenedy) . 40 Cents net.

A tale of evictions in I reland

THE NORTH

l . Doneg a l

CARBERY (Ethna) . The Pass ionate Hear ts . p p . 1 28.

(G ill ) 23 . 1903 .

S tudies of the hear t , tender , passi onate, and deep , told inlanguage of refined beauty . No one else has wr i tten , o r

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE (PEASANTRY ) 95

perhaps wi l l ever wr i te, li ke this , of pure l ove in the hear t ofa pure peasant gir l . These are pr ose poem s , as per fec t inar ti stic c onstruc ti on as a sonn et . They are fu l l too of thel ove of nature, as seen in the glens and c oas ts of D onega l .They are all intensely sad , bu t withou t m orbidnes s and

pessimi sm .

M ACMANUS (Seum as) . A Lad of the O’

Fr iels . pp . 31 8 .

(Gill ; Duffy .) 23 23 . 6d ., 33 . 3rd ed . ,

1906.

In thi s book one ac tua l ly seem s to have been li ving am ongthe chi ldli ke and quaint yet deep -natured , true and a lt ogether l ovable litt le c ir c le of Kn o ck agar , and to have sharedi ts j oys and sorr ows . Every charac ter descr ibed stands ou ta l together distinc t , old Toa l a ’

Gallagh er the sen ten ti ous ;hi s wife, Susie of the sharp tongue ; their son , Toa l the“V agab one, wi th hi s wi ld pranks , the grandi loquen tMasth er ,

”and all the res t . Through it all runs the sim ple

l ove story of Dinn y O ’

F r iel and Nua la G i ldea , c om pani onsfrom chi ldh ood . The book is fu l l of deep , but quiet and

restra ined , feeli ng . The descr ipti on of the pi lgr im age toL ough Derg h as m uch beauty .

MACMAN US (Seum as) . TheBend oftheRoad . (G il l Duffy . )35 .

Thi s i s a sequel t o A Lad of the O’

F r iels , but c onsists ofdetached sketches , and is not told in the fir s t person . M os tof the sketches are hum orous , n otably Father D an and

Fidd lers Four but there i s pathos , too , as in The W idow ’

s

M ary ,

”a scene at a wake before an evic ti on . The In tr o

duc ti on i s an adm i rable sum m i ng up of the pecul iari t ies ,em otions , and vi c issi tudes of l i fe in an out -of-the-way D onega lcoun tryside.

MACMAN US (Seum as) . Through the Turf Smoke. (F isherUnwin . ) 23 . 1 901 .

S im ple tales of the D onegal peasan try . There i s both pathosand hum our— th e form er deep , and at tim es poignan t ; thela tter a lways r ich and often far c ica l . The author wr i tes wi thall theJ vi vidnes s of one who h as l ived all he wr i tes about .He h as fu l l comm and of every device of the story~ tel ler , yet

never a l lows hi s per sona l i ty to show except , as i t Should ,thr ough the m edium of the ac tors .

GW YNN (Stephen) . The Glade in the Forest . pp . 224.

(Maunsel ) I s. Cloth . 1907.

Seven shor t stor ies , chi efly abou t D onega l , five of them dea l ingwi th peasan t li fe, of whi ch the author wr i tes wi th in tim ateand k indly knowledge. The Gr ip of the Land descr ibes

96 IR ISH FICTION

the struggles of a sm a l l farm er and the l ove of h is bleak fieldsthat found no c ounterpart in h is eldest boy , who has h is hear tset o n em i grati on . Com pare Bazin ’

s La Ter re qu i .M eu r t.

All the stor ies had previ ous ly appeared in such m agazines as

the C o rn/ti ll and B lackwood ’

s .

LIPSETT (Caldwell) . Where the Atlant ic Meets the Land .

p p . 268 . (Lane. ) 33 . 6d . net. 1 896.

S ixteen stor ies , m any of them ar tistic al ly c onstruc ted , andtold wi th l i terary grace and finish . The I r ish charac ter i sviewed fr om an unsym pathet ic and , at tim es , host i le standpoint . Only a few of the stor ies dea l wi th the peasan ts o r

have any spec ia l bear ing on I r ish l ife. Two o r three dea lwith seduc ti on in rather a l ight m anner .

WYNDHAM (Eleanor ) . The Wine in the Cup . p p . 380.

(Werner Laur ie. ) 63 . 1909.

Scene laid in Rath lin I s land , but the book c annot be said todepic t the li fe of the placewi th fidel i ty to rea l condi tions .

2 . The Pres byter ian Pea san t ry

HOBHOUSE (Violet ) . lVarp and Weft . (Skeffington )A consc ientious render ing of hom el y aspec ts of l i fe in Co .

Antr im ”

(Baker ) .M‘ILROY (Archibald) . The Hum ou r of Dru id ’s Island .

p p . 1 27. (Hodges , Figgis and Mullan,Belfast . )

zs . 6d . 1902 .

Scene : c ountry d istr ic t of Nor th - east An tr im . A ser ies ofvery shor t anecdotes told to one another by the Presbyter ianc oun try people,

in their pecul iar Scoto - I r ish dia lec t , and fu l lof the d ry, pawky hum our of the Nor th . G ives glim psesof the m anners and l i fe of the place .

M‘ILROY (Archibald) . The Au ld Meetin

’

Hoose Green .

pp . 260. (Belfast M‘

Caw, Stevenson Orr . ) 1 898.

S tor ies of the Co . Antr im peasantry . Tim e : thir ty o r for tyyears ago . Im i tative of the Kai lyard school in England .

An in tim ate pic ture of U lster Presbyter iani sm and its m ethodsof thought . Has both hum ou r and pathos . I s oflensive tono c reed o r c lass . U lster -Scoto dia lec t true to li fe.

M ‘ILROY (Archibald) . By Lone Craig Linnie Burn . p p .

1 53 . (Unwin . ) 1 900. When Li nt was in the Bel l .(Unwin . ) 1 898.

Two ser ies of local s tor ies of the Scoto - I r ish folk of U ls ter .

the chat of v i l lage gossi ps , charac ter -sketches of doc tor .

98 IRISH FICTION

Squireen . pp . 288 . (Methuen ) I s . Cloth ,full -sized .

1 903 .

A study of U lster m ar r iage custom s . Jane Fa l l on is p raet ical ly sold to the Squi reen by her fam i ly , and , after l ongres istance , yield s , and m a rr ies h im . Tragic c onsequencesfol low . M os t of the charac ters are U lster Protestan t peasants .

The S qu i reen i s a study of the old type of fox -hunting gent lem an - farm er .

Barrys . pp . 422 . (Methuen ) I s . Cloth ,full- sized .

1899.

Book I . has its scene on Inni sh rath , an is land in Lough Erne.

Frank Barry , on a visi t from London to h is unc le, betrays a

peasan t gir l nam ed Nan . In Book I I . we find Nan in London .

She discovers Frank ’s treachery . So does Frank ’ s wi fe, and

the nem es is of h is deeds over takes h im . But Nan findsconsolati on with her sti l l fai thful lover ,

Ted . A study in

tem peram ents .

Ring 0’

Rushes . pp . 195. (Ward ,Lock . ) 1 3 . 6d . 1 896.

A cyc le of eleven stor ies dea l ing wi th var i ous aspec ts ofU lster l i fe in the neighbou rhood of Lough Erne.

Thrasna R iver . p p . 403 . (Ward ,Lock . ) 6s . Illustr .

1 895.

The exper iences of two lads on an U lster farm in the distr ic twhere the author lays near ly all hi s scenes . There are m anyc lever studies of peasan t typ es . The hero is an Englishm an ,

an am using charac ter . Th e story of h i s unsuccessfu l l oveaffair wi th the Poppy Charm er i s told by one of the ladsfam i l iar to u s as J an Farm er . There i s no approach t oanything objec ti onable in the book . Chapter XXL , Our

D istressfu l Country ,” i s good read ing .

HAM ILTON (M . ) Across an Ir ish Bog . (Heinem ann) 1896.

An ugly , bu t very power ful , tale of seducti on in I r ish peasan tli fe. The study of the i gnom ini ous aspirati ons of the seducer ,a Protestan t c lergym an , after soc ia l elevati on form s the

pith of the book . The difficulty of h is pos i tion , techn ica l l yon a level with the gentry , though h e i s wholly unequa l tothem in breeding , is brought ou t .

HAM ILTON Beyond the Boundary (Ulster) . p p . 306.

(Hurst Blackett . ) 1 902 .

S cene : first at London , afterwards am ong U lster peasantry(dialec t c lever ly reproduced) . Them e : a cur i ously i l l

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE (PEASANTRY) 99

assorted m arr iage. Br ian L indsay , son of Presbyter ianU lster peasan ts , h ad dur ing a pani c deser ted hi s m en in

ac ti on . Afterwards he had been ‘ decorated m istaken ly ,instead of the m an who had died to save hi m . In Londonhe m eets thi s m an

’

s Sister , a sol itary work ing -gir l , but a

lady . They are m arr ied , and he takes her hom e. Dis

i llusi onm ent on the wife’

s par t fol lows , and Br ian i s thr ea tened with the disc overy of h i s secret . \Vhat cam e of i t alli s told in a beauti fu l and convi nc ing story . N ot gloom y no rm orbi d . R unni ng thr ough the m ain plot i s the s tory ofpoor li ttle French Pipette, deser ted by the foolish , selfishm other , whom sh e ador es . Old L indsay , dour and godly ,i s very wel l done. An elem en t of hum our i s found in th e

charac ters of Mi ss Arnold of the venom ous tongue fat li ttleMr . Les l ie, who loves hi s dinn ers and Maggie, the Lindsay ’sm ai d-of-all-work .

M I SCELLANEOUS

MOORE (George) . TheUnt illed F ield . (Unwin . ) 6s. 1903.

Ser ies of unconnec ted sketches of I r ish c oun try life, m ostof whi ch dea l wi th rela ti ons between pr iests and peopleevi l effec ts of rel igion on th e latter , ban ish ing j oy , produc ingsuper sti ti on , k i l l ing ar t . In som e of the sketches pr iests are

depic ted favourably . In th e fir s t sketch the subj ec t of thenude in ar tist ’ s m odels is treated wi th c om plete frankness .

Som e of th e Sketches are exquisi te ; m ost of them ,reli gious

bias apar t , true to li fe.

RHYs (Grace) . Marv Dom inic . pp . 296. (Dent ) 1 898.

The m a in them e i s the seduc ti on of a young peasan t gir l bythe son of the land lord , and the nem esis tha t over took thesedu cer after m any years . The story i s told wi th power and

pathos . There i s no sen sua l and prur ien t descr iption ,

un less one hal f-page m i ght b e objec ted to on thi s score.

The peasan ts are natura l and l i fe- l i ke, but there i s som ethingstrangely repel lan t in the pic tures of th e upper c lasses .

There are inc idents br inging ou t the darker aspec ts of theland -war . There i s no an t i - rel igious bias .

R HYS (Grace) . The Wooing of Sheila . (Methuen ) 63

2nd ed .,1 908.

A gentlem an , from unnatura l m oti ves , deliberatel y br ings uphi s son as a c omm on labourer . The boy fa l ls in l ove withand m arr ies a peasan t gir l , whom he h ad saved fr om thepur sui t of a rascal ly young squire. On her m arr iage m orni ngshe learns that h er husband h as ki l led her unwor thy lover .

She at once leaves her husband , bu t a pr iest induces her to

TOO IRISH FICTION

retu rn , and the c r im e is hushed up in a rather im probablem anner . As in the au thor ’

s other books there i s a subtlecharm of s tyle ,

del icate ana lys is of charac ter , and fa irknowledge of peasan t l i fe .

FLYNN (T. M . ) A Cel t ic F ireside Tales o fIr ish Rural Life.

(Seal y ,Bryers . ) I s . 1 907.

N ine l i tt le ta les tragedies and Com ed ies— o f I r ish l i fe in

country and c i ty . M any l i ttle touches show how wel l theau thor knows I r ish l ife . He h as a power , too , of m akinthe truth of hi s pic tures go hom e to o u r hear ts

CROKER (Mrs . T . Crofton) . Barney Mahoney .

Has fo r a hero an I r ish peasan t , who conceals under a vacan tcountenance and blunder ing dem eanou r shrewdness , quic kwi t

, and , despite a touch of rasca l i ty , rea l ki ndness of hear t(Krans) .

FRANC IS , M . E . (Mrs . Blundel l) . The Sto ry of Dan.

(London : Osgo od , M‘Ilvaine.) 1 894 .

A br ief ta le, told with d irec tness and tragic sim pl ic i ty ofa m agnan im ous peasant , who adores with infatuati on a

wor thless gir l , and s ac r ifices him sel f useless ly and bli nd ly .

Fr iend ly por trai ts of I r ish c ountry people are am ong the

m inor charac ters (Baker ) .

FRANCIS,M . E . (Mrs . Blundell ) . Miss Er in . p p . 357.

(Methuen ) 63 . [I st ed . ,

The story of a gir l who , br ought up as a peasan t , afterwardsbecom es a landowner . She tr ies to do h er best fo r her

tenan ts and her d iffi cul ties in th e task are wel l depic ted ,

the author fu l ly sym pa thiz ing wi th I r ish gr ievances . Thereare som e sensati ona l scenes —am ong them an evic tion . Th e

l ove in terest i s wel l sustained , and the charac ter -drawingvery c lever .

MAYNE (Thom as Ekenhead ) . The Heart 0’

the Peat ‘

Ir ish F ires ide and lVayS ide Sketches . 1 899.

These are all I r ish stor ies , wr i t ten on the spot wi th a

fai thfu lness that can b e felt in every line. There i s no at tem ptat m eretr ic ious workm anship , no m audl in sentim en ta l i ty , nom ock heroics . They are s im ple ta les , sim ply told ; bu toccasiona l ly the restraint , which is everywhere d iscern ible

,

is relaxed fo r a m om en t , and the fi re of the poet glows inha lf a dozen l ines , as a landsc ape o r a sea -piece i s enthusi

astically drawn , o r som e inc ident touches the gentle hum an

hear t of the wr i ter (J am es H . Cou s ins , in S inn F étn) .

102 IRISII FICTION

ALEXANDER (Eleanor ) . The Ram bling Rector . pp . 344 .

(Arno ld ) . 3rd im press i on , 1 904 .

A s tory of l ove, m ar r iage , and soc ial in tercourse am ong

var iou s c lasses of Chu rch of I reland pe0p1e in U lster . D rawsa sym pathetic pic tu re of c ler ica l l i fe

,the her o being a c lergy

m an . Every charac ter , and there are very m any in terest ing types ,

i s d rawn wi th su re and distinc t trai ts . Thereare no m ere lay figu res . J ohn R ober t is a cur i ous and am usings tudy of a cer tain type of servant . Ful l of shrewd observati on and knowledge of hum an natu re, at least in all i ts ou tward aspec ts . Very wel l wr i t ten . By th e sam e au thor :L ady Anne

’

s Wa lk , etc .

HOPKINS (Tighe) . The Nugents of Carr iconna . 3 vols ,

afterwards 1 vol . (Ward D owney .) 1890 .

Main th em e : an old im pover ished fam i ly sudden ly enr ichedby Au stra l ian legacy . In terwoven there i s an in terestingl ove-s tory . Anthony N ugen t , ec centr ic ,

of astronom ica ltastes , h as on h is housetop a telescope which plays a p ro

E: m inen t par t in the story . Brogue wel l done.

BLACK (Wi lliam ) . Shandon Bells . p p . 428 . (Sam pson , Low. )23 . 6d . Newand revised ed .

,1893 .

S cene par tly in London ,par tl y in c i ty and c oun ty of Cork .

A young I r ishm an goes to London to m ake hi s for tune.

D isappoin ted in h i s fir st l ove he turns to l ove of natu re. The

book h as all the fine qua l i ti es of W . B lack ’

s work . Sym

pathetic r eferences t o I r ish l ife and beauti fu l descr iptions ofI r ish scenery in Cork .

DOWNEY (Edmund) . Clashm ore . p p . 406 . (VVaterford'

Downey .) I s . 1903 . Newed .,1909 .

A ta le of a m ystery c enter ing in the s trange d isappearanceof Lord Clashm ore and h i s agen t . The story i s hea l thy intone, and never flags . Ther e i s a pleasan t l ove interest .The d énouem en t i s of an or iginal and unexpec ted kind . Th e

scene i s the nei ghbou rhood of Tr am ore and D unm ore, Co .W ater ford . There i s l i t tle o r no study of na tiona l problem s

o r nati onal l i fe,bu t som e shrewd rem arks abou t things I r ish

are scat tered here and there in th e book . The charac tersare no t elabora tely studied , bu t are wel l drawn .

LANGBRIDGE (Rosam und) . The F lam e and F lood . pp .

xii .+339 . (F irst Novel Library .) 1903 .

A l ove- story . The l overs m arry other people not fo r l ove.

I t i s only the presence of a chi ld that preven ts the herom e

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE (MIDDLE CLASSES ) 1 03

from leaving h er husband for h er l over . There are accordingly cu r i ous s i tuati ons bu t nothi ng pos i ti vely imm ora l inthe tone. Th e story i s wel l c on s truc ted . Scene : par t ly inI reland , par t ly in England .

LANGBRIDGE (Rosam und) . Im per ial Richenda . pp . 313 .

(Alston Rivers .) 63 . 1 908 .

S cene : a sm al l wa ter ing -place near D ublin . A fan tasti ccom edy , som ewhat vulgar in places , bu t on th e whole am u sing ,abounding as i t does in br i gh t d ial ogue, and in absurdlyc om i ca l S i tuati ons . S om e shrewd str okes of satire are a im edat D ublin soc iety , and there are piquan t sayings on othersubj ec ts . Th e cen tra l figure i s a young lady who takes a

s i tuati on as wai tress in a sm al l hotel . Her charac ter i s so

equ ivoeal that the book cannot b e recom m ended for genera lreadi ng .

LANGBRIDGE (Ro sam und) . Am bush of Young Days .

p p . vi i .+344 . (Duckworth ) 1906 .

Th e scene i s lai d in a tem perance hotel . Th e central Charac ter i s a young gir l , daughter of propr ietor , who i s given t otell ing ou t th e truth in a m ost unnecessary and inconvenien tm anner . The l odger s c om e prom inen t ly in to th e st ory , and

the heroine ends by m arryi ng one of them .

GUINAN (Rev . J .) The Moores o f G lynn .

p p . 354 . (Washbou rne ) 3s . 6d . 1 907 .

Th e for tunes of a fam i ly of four chi ldren . Th e m other i s a

ver y beautifu l charac ter . Ful l of pic tures of m any phasesof I r ish li fe,

the r elati ons between landlor d and tenan tpr iests and people, evi ct i ons , emi grati on , a spoi led pr ies t .A typic a l descr ipt ion i s the reali stic pic ture of the pig fa ir .

Ful l of t rue pa thos with an occasi onal touch of k indly hum our .

CROKER (B . M .) A Nine Days ’ Wonder . pp . 310.

(Methuen ) 6s . I st ed ., 1 905.

H ow Mary Foley , brought up for twen ty - one year s in an

I r ish cabin , i s sudden ly c laim ed as hi s daugh ter by an Englishpeer , and bec om es Lady J o seli ne Dene. H ow she givessoc iety a sensati on by her c ountr ifi ed speech and m anners

and by h er too tr uth ful and poin ted r em ar ks , but c ar r ies i tby storm in the end , and m arr ies h er ear ly love. Th e wr i terh as a good knowledge of th e speech of th e l ower m iddlec lasses . There i s no bias in the story,

which i s a thoroughlyp leasant one

104 IRISH FICTION

LANGBRI l lcE (Freder ick) . The Call ing of theWei r . pp . 304

(large p r int) . (Digby ,Long . ) 1902 .

A l ove sto ry of Protestant m idd le c lasses . S cene : near the

Shannon W eir and Fa l ls o f D o onass , Co . L im er ick . Twogir ls becom e engaged to two m en r ather thr ough for ce ofc ir cum stan ces than fo r l ove. Problem : ar e the c i rcums tanc es such as t o j usti fy M ary in m arrying the m an she

does no t l ove. In a strange u ay i t c om es about that eachgir l m ar r ies th e other ’

s fiance, and finds happiness . N o t

withou t im probabi l i ties,but livel y and piquan t in style.

I r ish flavour and hum our pr ovided by M rs . M ack ,the house

k eeper , and Constable Keogh . By sam e author The D ream s

o f D ani a , Love has no Pi ty, M iss H onor i a ,etc .

MORRI S (E . O’

Conno r ) . Clare Nugent . p p . 324 . (D igby ,

Long .) 1902 .

A r ather sentim en tal ta le of an I r ish gir l who goes t o workin England ,

in order to retr ieve the fal len for tunes of th efam i ly . This a par ticular ly su cces sfu l m arr iage enables h ert o do , and all end s m ost idea l ly . An ordinary plot , som e

wha t l on g d rawn out . One o r two charm ing descr iptions ofI r ish scenery .

RITA (Mrs . Hum phreys) . The S in of J asper Standish .

p p . 342 . (Constable ) 1901 .

S cene one of th e m i d land counties . A sc oundrel ly inspectorof pol ice m urders th e l ocal bank-m anager ,

then him sel f c onduc ts th e investigat i on , bu t i s unm asked and br ought toj ustice by th e English heroine and h er housekeeper . Am orbid and sensati onal type of book with no t a few tracesof religi ou s and national bias . The Engl ish char acters are

belauded , the I r ish fo r the m os t par t represen ted as fools .

There i s m u ch stage- I r ish dia l ogue.

HINKSON (H . A.) VVlIen Love is Kind . p p . 320. (Long )1 898 .

A wholesom e I r ish l ove- stor y of the presen t d ay. The her o ,Ruper t S tandish , i s a soldier and a soldier '

s son .=.The story

br ings ou t th e com r adeship which m ay exis t between fatherand son . Th e page-boy , Peter , with h is gruesom e tales , isa cur i ous s tudy . There are m any passages descr ip ti ve of

scenes and inc idents in I reland .

HINKSON (H . A. ) Go lden Morn . p p . 303 . (Cassell .)F rontISp . 1907.

Tel ls th e s tange adven tures in I reland , London , and Franceof Captain O

’

Grady. At Leopards town Races h is m are

I O IRIS II FICTION

the workhouse sys tem . This subjec t i s also treated in

R osa Mulh o lland’

s N arm o , q .v .

M iss H am i l ton , a nati ve of Co . Der ry , h as also wr i tten The

F reedom 0/ Henry M eredyth , The D istress of F rank S cott,

M‘

Leod o/ the Camerons , Poor E lizabeth , A S ell-denyi ngOrd inance.

B UTLER (Mary) . The Ring ofDay. pp . 360. (Hutchinson )63 . 1906 .

A r om ance th e in terest of which centres in the aspir ati onsof the I r ish I reland m ovem ent . H i ghly idea l i zed , bu t fu l lo f in tense earnestness and convic t ion . Th e charac ters are

types and tal k as such . E oin ,however

,i s a stong personal i ty .

THURSTON (E . Tem p le) . Traffic . pp . 452 . (Duckworth )1906.

Sc ene W ater ford and London . H as been wel l descr ibed byth e Atherze um as a pam phlet in guise of a s tory , the thesi sbeing tha t the refusa l of th e r i ght of di vorce in the CatholicChu rch m ay lead in prac tice t o resu l ts disastr ou s t o m oral i ty .

This is c onveyed in the story of a gir l who leaves an unwor thyI r ish husband , and goes to London , where, being obli ged tor efuse an o fler of m ar r iage from an honourable Protestan t ,she tak es to the streets . Con tains strange m isconcepti ons ofCathol ic doctr ine and m or a l i ty .

LYALL (Edna) . (Ada E llen Doreen . p p . 490 .

(Longm ans ) Var ious pr ices from 6d . to 63 . 1902 .

Doreen , daugh t er of an old ’

48 m an and Fen ian , and hersel fan arden t Na ti ona l ist , i s a professi ona l s inger , bu t helps theH om e R u le cause by h er singing . Th e chief in terest i s a

l ove- story , but in the background there i s the nati ona lstruggle and a vivid pic ture i s d rawn of th e feel ings of thoseengaged on both sides . The author i s on the N ati onal ist si de,

and th e m ost str i king figure in the book i s D ona l M oore, a

Na tional ist m em ber .

MERRY (Andrew) . Paddy Risky ,o r Ir ish Real it ies of

To - day . pp . 367 . (Grant Richards .) 1903 .

Seven s tor ies dea l ing with aspec ts of I r ish l ife from the

landlord and Un i on ist poin t of view , yet tone no t anti - I r ish ,no r un j us t to any c lass . The spir i t i s that of Davis' Cel tand Saxon , qu oted at ou tset

W hat m at ter that at differen t tim es

Your fathers won this sod "

In for tune and in nam e we’

re boundBy stronger l inks than steel ," etc .

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE I07

One s tory shows th e hardshi p o f com pulsory sa le of grasslands . An other dea ls (del icately ) n 1th seduc ti on in peasan tl i fe. Mest of th e ch ar actei s In th e stor ies ar e peasan ts of th eM id lands . Charm ing descr ipti on s of I r ish scenery .

LANGBRI DGE (Rosam und) . The Star s Beyond . pp .

V II .+375.

O (Nash .) 1907 .

A problem n ovel dea l ing wi th an i l l - assor ted m arr iage—the

wife’

s nam e (sym bol ic ) i s Vér ité,

”th e husband 's V ir tue

henc e the c lash . Rel i gion en ter s lar gely in t o th e book .

Types of I r ish Pr otestan t c ler gy . Th e wr i ter ’ s sym pathyseem s to waver between Cathol ic ism and Pr otestan tism , bu tth e her oine r ej ec ts both . The servants ’ ta lk In c onvent i ona lbrogue.

HINKSON (H . A.) The Wine of Love. 1904 .

D ea ls m ain ly with th e upper c lasses in th e W es t of I reland .

Abuses of land lor di sm not spared . Pic ture of hor se-dealing ,fox -hun ting , and car d -playi ng li ves . Also pic ture of typ ical lygood landlords . S tandpoin t on th e whole nati ona l and evenCatholic . S tyle : breezy and vigor ous . Good kn owledgeshown of inner l i ves and feel ings of all c lasses .

HINKSON (H . A .) Fan F i tzgerald . pp . 340. (ChattoW indus .) 65 . 1 902 .

Youn g D i ck Burke,br ough t up in England ,

feels th e ca l l ofthe Cel t , an d returns t o h i s inher i ted estates with inten t t ob e a m odel landlord . W e are told in a l i vely and am us ingsty le how h e succeeds o r fai ls . The author i s N ati onal is t ,bu t by n o m eans a bitter par tisan .

SHEEHAN (Canon P. A. ) Li sheen or , The Test of the

Sp Ir Its . p p . 454 . (Longm ans ) 63 . 1 907 .

The conception i s that of Tols toi ’ s Resu rrecti on , with th e

scene transferred to Ker ry . I t i s the story of how a youn gm an of th e I r ish landlord c lass determ ines to put to th e tes tof prac tice hi s idea ls of a l truism . To thi s end he abandonsth e soc iety of hi s equa ls , and l ives th e li fe of a labourer . H e

finds how ful l of pai n and hear tburning and disappoin tm en ti s th e way of th e reform er . There are m any r eflec ti ons on

the nat i onal character and i ts defec ts are no t wh i t tled down .

THYNNE (Robert ) . Ir ish Hol idays . pp . 317 . (Long)63 . 1 898 ,

1906,etc .

S tory of an Engl ishm an who goes down t o spend hi s holidayswith the Rev . j ohn Good , Curate of Coolgreany , som ewherein th e Bog of Al len , six m i les from Birr and six fr om Banagher .

Chiefiy concerned , apart from a few spor ting inc i dents , wi th

108 IRISH r icr ion

aspec ts of agrar ian agi tati on . Trad i ti ona l English Conservat ive standpoint , accen tuated by ignorance of I r ish historyand presen t c onditions , and by ludic rou s m isconceptions .

Fanc i fu l descr iptions of m oon l ighting , in which the peasan tryappear as a m ixtur e of fools and r uffian s . But li ttle hum ourand that unconsc i ous . N o obj ec ti onable m atter from rel igiouso r m ora l s tandpoin t .

B IRMINGHAM (G . A. ) Benedict Kavanagh . pp . 324 .

(Arnold ) 63 . 1 907 .

Dedicat i on in I r ish . Foreword in which th e au thor statestha t by R ob een

” Conven t he did no t in tend Foxford(cf. Hyac i nth) . A c r i tic ism of I r ish pol itica l l i fe,

free fr omrancour and from in j ustice t o any pa rticular c lass of I r i shm en , showing s tr ong sym pathy fo r the Gael ic League and

all i t stands fo r . Th e her o i s left at the par ting of the ways ,with the choice before h im of r espec tabi l i ty and ease,

o r work fo r I reland . The book shou ld set people asking whyi s i t that I r ishm en m —no m atter wha t their c reed o r poli ticsc annot work together fo r their c om m on coun try "

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL SATIRE

B IRM INGHAM (G . A.) The Seething Pot . p p . 299 .

(Arnold ) 65 . 1905.

Main th em e the apparent ly hopeless em broi lm en t of pol iticsand i deas in I reland . Many aspec ts of I r ish questi ons and

c onditi ons of li fe are dea l t wi th . Many of the charac ters ar e

types of contem por ary I r ish l i fe, som e are thin l y disguisedpor trai ts of c on tem porary I r ishm en , e .g . , D enn is Br owne,

poet , aesthete,egoist ; D esm ond O

’

Har a , j ourna l ist ic freelance (sa i d to b e m odel led on S tandish O ’

Grady) S i r GeraldGeoghegan , nati ona l is t landlord ; j ohn O

’

Nei ll,th e I r ish

leader , who i s deser ted by h i s par ty and r uined by c ler ica linfluence ; and m any others . All this i s woven in to a r om ance

with a l ove interest and a good dea l of inc i den t . See GeneralN ote.

B IRM INGHAM (G . A.) H yac inth . (Arnold ) 63 . 1906.

An accoun t , conveyed by m eans of a s l ight plot, of contem porary m ovem en ts and personages in I reland . M ost ofthese are sa tir ized and even car icatu red , espec ial l y R ob een

Conven t , by which seem ed to b e m ean t Foxford M i l ls ,

direc ted by the S isters of Char i ty (see N ew I reland Review,

March ,A grasping , unscr upu lous sel fishness i s repre

sented to b e one of th e chi ef charac ter istics of the CatholicChu rch in I reland .

I I O IRISH FICTION

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . The Tragedy o f Chr is . pp . 335.

(Sands ) 1903 .

A s tudy of a D ubl in flower gir l . The s tory i s l i ke N anno in

i ts c onception . I t is no t fo r g ir ls at school , bu t fo r m aturereaders .

THE COUNTRY GENTRY

(Upper Classes ,“County Fam i l ies

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . The Story of Ellen . p p . 434 .

(Burns Oates .) 53 . 1907.

A good love-s tory , wi th a very wel l worked ou t plot and

plenty of exc i t ing inc i den t . M any of the inc iden ts take p laceat Dunm ara Castle, in the W es t of I reland , the hom e ofa (presum ably) Engl ish fam i ly , which fu rn ishes m ost of thecharac ters . The s tory shows the author ’

s str ik ing power ofm aking us feel wi th the charac ters , and take an a lm os tpersona l in teres t in their fates . I t i s fu l l of qu iet beau tyand of l i terary charm .

THURSTON (K . C . ) The Gam bler . (Hutch inson ) 6s .

,and

6d . n .d . (very recent ) .A psychologica l s tudy of an I r ish wom an

’

s character . Treatsof Protes tan t upper m iddle c lass soc iety , bu t questi ons ofc reed do no t en ter in to the book . Th e scene fo r abou t thefirst third of the book is lai d in I reland , in an ou t - of ~ the-wayc oun try distr ic t . Then i t shifts to Ven ice, and afterwards t oLondon . In both places th e heroine m oves in a sm ar t set ,whose em pty l i fe and pet ty fol l ies ar e wel l d rawn . Therei s a pr oblem of pathetic in teres t cen ter ing in two i l l - assor tedm arr iages . The par t abou t I r ish li fe, showing th e foolishpr ide of som e of the I r ish gen try , i s ski lfu l ly and

sym pa thetic a l ly done.

RORISON (E . S .) A Taste of Qual ity . pp .

‘

3 rg. (Long )63 . 1904 .

Fam i ly l i fe am ong Protestan t upper m idd le c lass folk in a

c oun try distr ic t—v ery pleasan t and refined soc iety . A“

ki ndly , hum an s tory , em inent ly true to l i fe, withou t bias ofan y kind . One bec om es qu ite fam i l iar wi th th e c lever lyd r awn charac ters— the kindly , cu l tured Archdeacon and h i s

s ister pat ien t , c r ippled Lar ry , with hi s cheery slang devotedAun tie Nel l , br inging c om for t and br ightness where she goesthe Au str ian coun tess ; and the twins .

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE (COUNTRY GENTRY) I I I

HINKSON (H . A.) Golden Lads and G ir ls . pp . 3 I 2 .

(Downey .) 1 895.

A l ove-story of the upper m idd le c lasses . Pic tures of wes tern(Ga lway) coun try fam i l y l i fe , and of studen t l ife in Tr in i ty ,both s trongly rem in iscen t of Lever . Good por tr ai ts ofI r ish typ es ,

the coun try doc tor , the unpopular agen t , thereform ing landlord (Engl ish and a c onver t to Cathol ic ism ) ,the Protestant coun try c lergym an ,

etc . This latter por tra i ti s rather satir ical . The t one on the whole is Nati ona l istand Cath ol ic .

MOORE (F . Frankfort) . The Or iginal Wom an . p p . 343 .

(Hutchinson ) 1904 .

Thesis : whatever cul ture m ay have done for the m odernwom an , she rever ts t o the ins ti nc ts of th e or igina l wom an in

the cr is is of a l i fe-dec ision . S cene : fir st , c oun try house inGa lway . The her oine i s a typ ica l m odern gir l of the bes tkind . Th e hero , who i s a lso the vi l la in ,

i s a singular ly a ttraetive persona l i ty , th e com plicated wor kings of whose m ind theauthor deli ghts t o analyse. Later th e scene changes t oMar tin ique. Here an elem en t of th e superna tu ra l and

unc anny en ter s the story . The s tyle is wi tty ,the charac ter

drawing very c lever .

ANON Hal S ir Roger Delaney of Meath . p p . 228 .

(S im pkin ,Marshall ) 63 . 1908 .

The S ir R oger of the s tory (he i s‘

I o th Baron Navani s an elder ly m arr ied m an ,

bluster ing , cur s ing , lyin g , Cheating ,

but descr ibed in such a way tha t one does no t see whetherth e author m ean s h im fo r a her o o r not. H e fa l ls in l ove withLady Kitty , who i s in l ove with som ebody else. Si r R ogertr ies to get the lat ter in to disreputable si tuati ons . Theyfight a duel and the cur tain fa l ls on S ir R oger m or tal lywounded . The book i s quite devoid of ser iousness .

STACPOOLE (H . de Vere) . Patsy . pp . 362 . (F isher Unwin . )63 . 1 908 .

A gay and hum orous story of a house-par ty In a countrym ansi on som ewhere in Mi d -Meath . Ful l of am us in gcharac ters , c lever ly sketched , e.g .

, the Englishm an , M r .

Fanshawe, and the naughty and na tura l chi ldren . Aboveall there i s Patsy , the page-boy

, an odd m ixture of softhear ted s im pl ic i ty and pr etern atural c u teness . He i s the

Deus ex m achi na of th e piece, br ings all sor ts of entanglem entsand unravels them again in the s tranges t way . There i s

j u st a l i ttle study of nati ona l charac ter is tic s , bu t no poli ticsno r problem s . Mr . Stacpoo le, though of French descent on

I I Z IRISH FICTION

h is m other ’ s side. reckons h im sel f an I r ishm an . He has

m i tten m any novels , am ong others an excepti onal ly successfu lstory , The B lue Lagoon.

S to r ies by Do r othea C o nyer s

This author ’

s books are hum orous , heal thy , rattl ing stor iesof I r ish spor t , fu l l of l i vely inc iden t , wi th quick per cepti on ofcharacter .

Peter ’s Pedigree . p p . 326 . (Arnold ) 65 . 1 904 .

Perhaps the bes t of the l ot . Hun ting , horse-deali ng , and

l ove-m aking in Co . Cork.

The Boy , Som e Horses,and a G ir l . p p . 307 . (Arnold )

63 . 1908 .

Of th e sam e type as th e last and scarcel y infer i or . I r ishpeasants and servants are descr ibed with m uch tru th a s wel las hum ou r . Ful l of glor i ous hun ts and pleasan t hunt ingpeople.

Aunt Jane and Unc le Jam es . p p . 342 . (Hutchinson ) 63 .

1908 .

A sequel t o th e las t wi th th e sam e vivid desc r ip ti ons ofruns and dea ls . A m u rder tr ia l en ters int o the plot .

The Thorn Bit . p p . 332 . (Hu tchinson ) 1900 .

An ear l ier effo rt '

with th e au thor ’

s qual i ties no t yet devel oped .

S oc iety in a sm al l c oun try town ,days wi th th e b o und s ,

c lever s i tuati on s .

Three G ir ls and a Herm it . p p . 328 . (Hu tchinson ) 63 .

1908 .

L i fe in a sm a l l gar r ison town . Many drol l s i tuat i ons .

Convers ion o f Con Cregan . p p . 327 . (Hu tchinson )63 . 1909 .

Thi r teen s tor ies , dea l ing m ostly wi th hor ses and hun ting .

Ful l of shrewd wi t and kind ly hum our . Shows a goodknowledge of I r ish l ife and charac ter , and an under standingof the rela ti ons between th e c lasses . One of the stor ies i s a

n ovel in i tsel f .

The Strayings of Sandv . p p . 362 . (Hutchinson ) 6s .

and I s . 1 909 .

The externa ls of I r ish c ountry li fe as seen by a Londonbusi ness m an on a holiday . S tudy of I r ish character as seen

1 14 IRISH FICTION

An Ir ish Cous in . p p . iv .+ 306. (Longm ans ) 6s . [I st ed .,

new cd . , qu ite re-wr itten ,1 903 .

M odern coun try -house l i fe in Co . Cork . A ser Ious study ofthe s l ow awakening of a young m an to the real i zat i on thatthere are things in l i fe m ore rea l to him than horses and

dogs . H is l ove fo r a c lever c ousin returned from Canadahas a tragic ending . The character s of the tale are drawnfrom Protes tant coun ty soc iety .

The S ilver Fox. (Longm ans ) 3s . 6d .

The Chief in terest of this story l ies in som e spor ting scenes

in th e W est of I reland . The peasantry are seen from an

uncom prehending standpoin t , and the chief figures are peopleof fash i on , of no par ticu lar nati onal ity .

The Real Char lotte . (Longm ans ) 3s . 6d .

A dark tale of a wor ld weary , stale, flat , and unprofitable.

An unscrupulous wom an works the ruin of a sweet -natured ,i l l- trained gir l . Scene : I r ish c oun try neighbou rhood . Characters , land-agents , farm er s , great ladies , drawn with impar tia l and relent less truth .J

CROKER (Mrs . B . M . ) Terence. p p . 342 . (Chatto 8c

Windus . ) 6s . 6 illustr . by S idney Paget . 1 899.

Scene W atervi l le,Co . Kerry

, and neighbourhood , whi ch theauthor knows and descr ibes wel l . A tale of love and fool ishj eal ousy . The personages bel ong to the Pr otestan t upperc lasses . The chief interest i s in the worki ng ou t of the plot ,in whi ch the interest i s wel l sustained all thr ough .

CROKER (Mrs . B . M .) Beyond the Pale. (Chatto 85

Windus . ) 3s . 6d . and 6d .

S tory of an I r ish gir l of good fam i ly , who i s obl iged to tr ainhor ses for a li ving , bu t ends successfu l ly . Scene : a hun tingc oun ty three hour s ’ j ourney from D ubl in . M uch stress i slaid on the feudal spir i t of the peasan try , who are vi ewedfr om the point of view of the upper Classes ,b ut sym pathetical l y.

S to r ies by Kathar ine Tynan

AUnion ofHearts . p p . 296. (Nisbet ) 23 . 6d . and 1 s . 6d .

n .d .

A typica l exam ple of M rs . H ink son’

s stories . The m ain ploti s a sim ple, idyl lic love-story . The her o , m uch ideal i zed , i s

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE 115

an Engli shm an who tr ies to do good to hi s I r ish tenants inh i s own way , and hence incur s their ha tred , fo r a tim e.

The heroine is an heiress com e of a good old stock . Severa lof the char ac ters ar e c lever ly sketched : old M iss LucyConsidine and her an tiquar ian br other ,

in par ticular . Scenes

of peasan t li fe act as in ter ludes to the m ain action whi chlies in county fam i ly soc iety . All the Chi ef persons are Pr otestants, but the reli gi ous elem en t i s qui te el im inated fr omth e book .

A Daughter of Kings . (Nash ) 63 . 1903 .

The daughter of a br oken -down , ar istocratic county fam i lyi s obli ged to take servi ce as chaperon in an Engli sh fam i ly .

Carefu l study of gir l ’ s l ovable charac ter . Contrast betweenthe pr ide and pover ty of W i tches ’ Cast le, Co . D onegal , and

opulence of English hom e.

Honourable Molly . pp . 31 2 . (Sm ith ,Elder .) 2nd

im pression,1903 .

Th e H onourable M ol ly i s of m ixed Anglo-I r ish ar i stocratic(h er father was a Creggs de la Poer ) and Sc oto - I r ish m i ddlec lass or igi n (her m other

’

s people were O ’

Nei lls and S inc lair s) .She h as two su i tors , one i s from her m other ’s people, th e

other i s th e heir to Castle Creggs and th e ti tle. Both are

em i nently wor thy of h er hand . She fina lly chooses one, af terhavin g accepted the other . H as all th e sweetn ess and

fem i ni ni ty of Kathar ine Tyn an’

s work . I s frankly rom an ti cbut not m awk ish . There i s no approach to a vi l lai n . Therei s som e quiet and good -natur ed satir e of old- fashionedar istocratic c lass-n oti ons . The portrai ts of the two oldm ai den aun ts are very c lever .

Ladyship . pp . 305. (Sm ith , Elder .) 63 . zud

Im press ion ,1907 .

Lady Anne Chute i s m istress of a vast estate in Co . Kerr y .

Fr om th e m om en t of h er succession to the pr operty she

resolves to act the par t of Pr ovi dence in her people’

s l ives .

She sets about im pr ovi ng their condi ti on ,founding industr ies ,

etc . , and wi th fu l l success . Thi s is the backgr ound to a

l ove- story . Old M iss Ch enevix ,once a lady ,” but n ow

li vin g a lm ost on the verge of starvati on in an obscure quar terof D ublin , is a pathetic figure. Pathetic also is the devoti onof her old servan t to th e fal len for tunes of the fam i ly. Thenthere i s the pic ture, drawn wi th exqui si te sym pathy, of thep oor gir l dyi ng of consum pti on , and of how her reli gi onexalted and br i ghtened her last days . The descr ip ti ons or

rather im pressi ons of nature whi ch br i ghten the story are

pecu li ar ly vivi d.

116 IRISH FICTION

of S i sters . p p . 344 . (Sm i th,Elder .) 6s . I st ed . ,

1902 3rd cd .,1 908 .

The scene var ies between the W est of I reland and D ubl in .

A l ove - s tory , in which the centra l figures are Phi l li ppaFeatherstonh augh and her sister , Colom be : a con trast incharac ter bu t each lovable in her own way . The plot turnson the unselfish devoti on of the form er , who bel ieving thather l over has transferred h is affec ti ons to her SIster , heroica l l ystands aside. W e shal l not revea l the dénouement. The

m i nor charac ters are capi tal , all evidently c l osely copiedfrom l ife. There are th e elder ly spinsters

, M iss Finola and M issPeggy , and quite a num ber of charm ing old ladies

, the

coun try pr iest and the s ister s ’ bu stl ing phi lanthr opic m other ,a lways in a whi r l of correspondence abou t her char i ties , andO thers equa l ly interesting .

\Valks in Beau ty . p p . 3 10. (Sm ith , Elder . ) 1 899.

Three del ightful gir ls of a c lass which the author del ights t opic ture—i m pover ished gentry and their l ove affair s . Th e

m inor charac ter s , servants , vi l lage people, etc . , are veryhum orous and true to l i fe. In th is story the cou rse of truel ove i s by no m ean s sm ooth , bu t all is wel l at th e last . The

scene var ies between Car r ickm oyle and London .

HUNGERFORD (Mrs ) Mo lly Bawn . (Sm ith, Elder . ) 6s .

and 23 . 1 878 .

A l ove tale of a tender , bu t fr ivolous and petulan t I r ish gir l ,who flir ts and ar ouses h er l over ’

s jea l ousy , and who offend sagainst the conven ti ons in all innocence. A gay and wi ttystory spiced with s lang and t ouched with pathos (Baker ) .M rs . Hunger ford died in 1 897 . The l ist of h er novels i s a

very long one. For ty-six are c ontained in Mud ie’

s c atalogue,inc luding A L i ttle I r i sh Gi r l, Rosm oyne, etc .

HUNGERFORD (Mrs ) No ra Creina . p p . 328. (ChattoWindus . ) 1903 .

A l ove-story from star t to finish , without pretence of thestudy of charac ter . The story of how N orah i s won fromdis l ike t o love i s pleasantly told . N o poli tics . Peasantshardly m en tioned . S cene no t spec ified .

HUNGERFORD (Mrs ) The O’

Connors of Ballynahinch .

pp . 261 . (Heinem ann ) 1 896.

A dom estic story of love and m arr iage in the author ’s lightestvein . The characters bel ong chiefly to the landlord c lass,a. l ocal carm an being th e on ly peasant introduced . There i sno expression of poli tical views. The scene i s lai d in Cork .

1 18 IRISH FICTION

THURSTON (Kathar ine Cec il ) . The Fly on the Wheel . pp .

327. (Blackwood . ) 63 . 1908 .

M idd le c lass Catholic soc iety in W ater ford , pic tured withou tsa ti re in i ts exter ior aspec ts by one quite fam i l iar with them .

The heroine i s an im pu ls ive, sel f-wil led gir l in revol t agai nstc onventi onal i ty . W i th h er S tephen Carey , a m idd le-agedm an , conven tional ly m ar r ied ,

fa l ls in l ove and i s l oved inretu rn . The them e on the whole i s treated wi th restraint ,yet there are passionate scenes . The com plicati on i s endedby the interven ti on of a pr iest whose charac ter is verysym patheti cal ly drawn . The end of all is the suic ide of thegi r l .

LANGBRIDGE (Rosam und) . The Third Exper im ent . pp .

300. (Unwin . ) 1 904 .

The scene i s laid am id very low c lass soc iety in an I r ishtown . The in terest cen tres in a young gir l who is reared on

char i ty , bu t final ly m arr ies a fair ly respectable tradesm an .

The per sonages of th e story seem to b e all Pr otes tants , bu treli gion i s scarcely touched on . The brogue is very thi ck ,bu t the Stage-I r ishm an hum our is absen t . There i s a

persistent attem pt to study types and charac ters .

DOW L ING (Richard) . Old Corcoran ’

s Money . pp . 310.

(Chatto 8c Windus .) Crown 8vo , Cloth , 33 . 6d .

M oney is s tolen from an old m iser . Th e in teres t of thec om plicated plot c en tres in the detec ti on of the thi ef . Cleversketches of l ife in a southern town . Charac ters c arefu l lyand fai thfu l ly drawn , espec ial ly Head Constable Cassidy ,R .I .C .

M‘

NULTY (Edward ) . Mrs . Mul l igan ’

s M il l ions . (Hurst 8cBlackett . ) 63 . 1 908 .

A broad farce with I r ish people (of the worst stage- I rishtype) as ac tors , and a sm al l , vulgar I r ish town fo r scene.

M r s . Mul li gan i s a very low spec ies of tram p . She is supposed sudden ly t o c om e in fo r a for tune, and her r elationstum ble over one another in effor ts to gain her favou r— un ti lth e bubble bursts . There is m uch car ica ture of I r ish tra i tsand m anners . Local j ournalism is spec ia l ly ri di culed (Newscuttings) .

DOWLING (Richard) . Sweet Inn isfail .Scene : chiefly the neighbourhood of Clonm el . The interesti s m ain ly in the plot , which i s fu l l of dram ati c adventure and

of m ovem ent without any; very ser i ous study of I r ishcharacter .

PRESENT-DAY IRISH LIFE 1 19

CROTT IE (Julia M . ) Neighbours . pp . 307. (Unwin .) 63 .

1 901 .

Pictures of very un l ovely aspec ts of li fe in a sm a l l stagnan ttown . Twen ty separate sketches . W onder fu l ly true t orea li ty , and to the petty unpleasan t s ides of hum an n ature.

The gossip of the back lane is fai thfu l ly repr oduced , thoughwi thout vulgar i ty . There i s no doubt that the stor ies are

told with great ski l l .

MORAN (D . P.) Tom O’

Kelly. p p . 232 . (Duffy ) 3s . 6d .

1 905.

An ugly pic ture of lower m idd le C lass li fe in a sm al l I r ishpr ovinc ia l t own . I t depic ts th e vu lgar i ty and sh oneeni sm

of thi s c lass ,its drunkenness , i ts effor ts to im i tate th e wel l

t o-do Pr otestan t better c lasses , etc . , etc . Unspar ing r idiculeis showered upon N ati onalist poli tics and poli tic ian s . The

unpleasan tness of the pictur e i s som ewhat r elieved by thedoings of Tom O

’

Kelly and the j uveni le Ballyt owner s .

BUCKLEY (Will iam ) . Cam bia Carty and Other Stor ies .

p p . 230. (Maunsel ) I s . 1 907 (in pr int ,Close descr ipti ons of lower and m i ddle c lasses in m odernY oughal . In places wi ll b e unpleasan t reading for the

people of Yougha l . Picture of Cork snobbery dec idedly un

favour able t o Cork people, and on the whole disagreeableand sordid .

CATHOLIC CLERICAL LIFE

NOTE — Som e of the books that I have p laced underthe above heading do not deal with present- clay Ir ish l ife,

but I have thought it usefu l for several reasons to grou pthem here.

BAN IM (M ichael) . Father Connell . pp . 358.

The scene i s Ki lkenny . The hero i s an I r ish c oun try pr iest .The Charac ter , m odel led s tr ic tly (see Pref .) on that of a pr iestwel l Lm own to the author , i s one of the n oblest in fic ti on .

H e is the ideal I r ish pr ies t , alm ost chi ld like in sim pli c i ty ,pious , lavishly char itable, m eek and long - su ffer in g , but terr ible when c ircum stances r oused him to ac ti on . In terwovenwi th hi s li fe- story is that of Neddy Fennel] , hi s orphanpr ot égé, brave, honest , generous , l oyal . Father Connel l ishi s mi ni stering angel , wardin g off suffer ing and disaster ,saving him also from him self. The last scene, where, to

120 IRISH FICTION

save his prot égé from an un j ust j ud ic ia l sentence,Father

Connel l goes before the Viceroy and dies at hi s feet , is a pieceof exquisi te pathos . There is an elem en t of the som breand the ter r ible. But the greater par t of the book sparkleswi th a hum ou r so kindly and so hom ely

,i f old fashioned ,

that the reader com es to love the author so revea led . The

episodes depic t m any aspec ts of I r ish l ife . The charac terdrawing is m aster ly , as the best c r i tics have acknowledged .

There i s M rs . M ol loy , Father Connel l ’ s redoubtable housekeeper ; Costigan , the m u rderer and r obber ; Mary Cooney ,

the poor outc ast and h er m other , the potato -beggar ; and

m any m ore. The author fai thfu l ly reproduces the talk ofthe peasan ts , and en ters in to their poin t of view . Ac

kn owledged to b e the m ost pleasing of the Bah im ’

s novels .

BAN IM (John) . The Nowlans . p p . 256 (c lo se pr int ) . [1 sted . , 1 826] 1 853 , etc .

The tem ptation and fa l l of a young pr iest , resulting inm isery which leads to repen tance. Contai ns som e of Bah im '

s

m ost power fu l scenes .

NEVILLE (E . O’

Reilly) . Father Tom of Connem ara .

CARLETON (Wi ll iam ) . The Poor Scholar and other Tales .

pp . 252 . (Duffy ) I S . St ill in pr int .

Selections , com pr is ing som e of Car leton ’

s best work , and qu i tefree from reli gious and poli ti ca l rancou r . The Poor S cho lar

is ful l of hum an interest . Car leton works power ful ly uponall o ur best feeli ngs in turn . Par ticular ly touching i s h ispic tu re of the depth and tenderness of fam i ly affect ions (hewas him self a doti ng father ) . The pic tu res of the hedgeschoolm aster ’ s br uta li ties and of the days of the pesti lenceare vivid . He i s in thi s s tory a ltogether o n the s ide of thepeasant . This l i t tle volum e c ontains a lso eight other s tor ies ,

hum orous for the m ost par t , all excel lent .

M‘CARTHY (M . J . F . ) Gallowglass . p p . 540. (Sim pkin ,

Marshall .) 63 . 1 904 .

Purpor ts to por tray the soc ia l and pol itic a l l i fe of var i ousc lasses in a typica l Sou th of I reland town Ga l l owglassW r i tten in a vein of bitter satire. Peasan t , shopkeeper ,poli tic ian , espec ia l ly pr iest , are held up to unm easured sc orn .

Aspers ions are cast upon Catholic teachings and prac tices .

Evic tion scenes , the worki ngs of a sec ret soc iety , pol itica lm eetings , a scene in Par l iam ent

,serve the wr i ter for h is

purpose in var i ous ways .

1 22 IRISH FICTION

BUCHANAN (Robert ) . Father Anthony . (Long ) 63 .

I 6 illustr . Many edit ions . 1903 .

Scene : a c ountry vi l lage in the W es t of I reland . FatherAnthony is a young pr ies t who fo r h is brother ’

s sake has

sacr ificed a c areer in the wor ld to devote him sel f to God ’ spoor . He finds h im sel f cal led upon in vir tue of h is sacredoffice to keep the sec ret of the con fessi ona l when by a wordhe c ou ld save h is brother from the hangm an

’

s hands . The

pathos of the young pr iest ’s agony of m ind is depic ted withgreat power and sym pathy . The other pr ies t , Father j ohn ,

is drawn as the true par ish pr ies t of the old type,blood and

bone of the people, j ovia l , hom ely , l ovable and beloved .

The author , though a l ien in faith and race, tel ls us that heknew intim ately and l oved both pr iests and people dur ingh is stay in I reland .

FREMDLING (A. ) Father Clancy . p p . 358 . (Duckworth )1 904 .

Fa ther Clancy i s an unselfish , devoted country par ish pr iest ,bel oved of h is people, unwor ld ly and sim ple to a fault . H is

vir tue serves t o throw in to deeper shadow the charac ter ofhi s curate, Father O ’

Keeffe, who is an abandoned and vic i ousruffian . The purpose of the book is not at all c lear to theaverage reader .

SHEEHAN (Canon P. A.) My New Curate. p p . 480. (Artand Book Co . ) 6s . 1 8th ed . I 8 rather poor illustr .

I st ed .,1 899.

Into a s leepy , backward , out - of—the-way par ish com es a

splendid young pr iest , cultured , energetic , zea l ous , up- to

date. He succeeds in m any reform s , bu t the m ora l of thewhole wou ld seem to b e, N othing on ear th can cure the

iner tia of I reland ,

”o r ra ther , perhaps , You cannot undo in

a d ay the oper ati ons of 300 years . The old par ish pr iesttel ls the story . There i s in the book intim ate sym pathy with ,and l ove of , the people,

their hum ours , and foibles , and vir tues .

Ther e i s plen ty of very hum orous inc iden t . Del ightful m ora li zings , l ike those in the author ’

s Under the Cedars and the

S tars . I t i s fu l l of undidac tic lessons‘fo r both pr iests and

pe0p1e. The reli gious l i fe of the people i s , of c ourse, m uchdwelt on , and a good dea l of light is thrown on the pr ivatel ife of the pr iests .

SHEEHAN (Canon P. A. ) Luke Delm ege. p p . 580. (Longm ans .) 63 . 1 901 .

The l i fe-story of a pr iest . The m ain them e of this great novelis the set ting for th of the spir i tual ideals of the race and of

PRESENT-DAY IR ISH LIFE (CLERI CAL LIFE) 1 23

the heights of m ora l beau ty and heroism to whi ch these idea lsc an lead . A str on g con trast is drawn between the idealswhi ch the hero sees at wor k around him dur in g hi s stay inEngland , and those whi ch he finds at work at hom e. Manyphases and inc idents of I r ish life are shown— the hom e- li feof the pr iest , the evic ti on , th e funera l , scenes in D ublinchur ches , the beauty of I r ish landscape. One of the best ,i f n ot the best , of I r ish novels.

SHEEHAN (Canon P. A.) The Spoi led Pr iest , and OtherStor ies . p p . 2 1 3 . (Gill or Burns 8: Oates .) 5s .

9 illustr . by M . Healy . 1 905.

E ight stor ies . The ti tle-story gives a glim pse of the work ingsof an ecc les ias tica l sem inary , and also of the I r ish peasan ts ’atti tude towards a s tudent who h as been refused ordi nation .

Rem anded is the story , founded on fac t , of a hero - pr ies tof Cork . The M onks of Tr ab olgan i s a cur i ous , fanc i fuls tory of I reland at som e fu tu re per i od . The rem ainingtales , R i ta , the S treet Singer ,

”A Thorough Gen tlem an ,

”

and Frank Fores t ’s M ince-Pie, etc . ,do n ot deal wi th

I r eland .

SHEEHAN (Canon P. A.) The Blindness ofDr . Gray ; o r ,The F inal Law. (Longm ans ) 63 . 1 909.

Th e in terest of thi s latest novel by Canon Sheehan centrespar tly in its pic tures of c ler ic a l l ife, par t ly in a charm inglove—story of an uncomm on type. The cen tra l figure i s

drawn with care and thoroughnes s . He is a s tr ic t d isc iplinar ian , a r igi d m ora li st , who wor shi ps the law wi th J anseni sti c narrowness and hardness . But as th e story goes on

we discover beneath this hard"sur face unsuspected depthsof hum an ki ndness . H e hi m self discovers before the end

that i t i s l ove, no t law,that r ules the wor ld . The s tory

contains m any beautifu l and touchi ng scenes , and som e fin e

descr ipti on , n otably in the S outh Afr ic an por ti on of the book .

There i s som e inc iden ta l cr i tic ism of var ious features ofI r ish life— popular poli tics , r eli gi ous di visi ons , the Gael icLeague

, the change in the m enta li ty of the people, and therei s in i t food fo r thought abou t som e of our beset ting faults .

Cons idered by m any to be the author ’s m ost fini shed and

m ost power fu l work .

GU INAN (Rev . J . ) Scenes and Sketches in an Ir ish Par isho r , Pr iests and Peop le in Doon . (G i ll .) 2 3 .

A fai thfu l picture of typ ical thin gs in I r ish li fe the S tati on ,

the Sunday M ass , the gr inding of land lordi sm ,the agrar ian

c rime, the evic tion , the em igration -wake. See espec ia l ly

the chapter “

Sunday in Doon .

”

1 24 IRISH FICTION

GU INAN (Rev . J .) The Soggarth Aro on . (G i ll and Duffy .)2 3 . 6d .

Pathetic exper iences of a c ountry cu rate in an out -o i -the-waypar ish , where the people’

s fa i th i s s trong and their l i vessupernatu ra l ly beautifu l . The S oggarth shares the few j oysand the m any sorrows of thei r l ives .

GU INAN (Rev . J . ) The Island Par ish . p p . 331 . (G i ll . ) 1 908 .

The work of an idea l young pr iest in Ballyvo ra , a kind ofS leepy H ol low

,where all is s tagna tion ,

poverty , and decay .

The pic tu re Of these squal id c onditions of l i fe i s one of photographic and unspar ing exac tness . Yet with loving ins ightthe au thor shows their quiet happiness , beauty of soul , and

down r i ght holiness of l i fe in the m i d s t of all thi s . There i sn o plot , the book is a ser ies of pic tures l oosely strung together .

There is a chapter on L isdoonvarna .

H ICKEY (Rev . P. ) Inn isfai l . p p . 284 . (G i ll . ) 3s . 6d . [I sted .

, 3rd cd ., 1907.

L i fe-story of a young pr iest from ear ly youth to depar tu re fo rAustra lia , largely told in letters from c ol lege, with ver seinterspersed . Sketches of l ife in Tipperary (fox -hun t ,school scenes ,

THURe N (E . Tem p le) . The Ap p le o f Eden . p p . 323 .

1905.

A diatr ibe aga inst the cel i bacy of th e c lergy c onveyed in thes tory Of a young pr ies t —h is chi ldhood , inexper ience, l i fe at

M aynooth , firs t exper iences in con fessi ona l . H ere he m eetsthe wom an whom he h ad l oved . He tel ls her that , bu t fo rthe fac t tha t she i s m a r r ied , he wou ld break all ties fo r hersake. There i s m u ch s tudy of I r ish li fe (in bu tthe author h as no good to say abou t any thing I r ish , c oun trydoc tors and pr iests being espec ial ly a ttacked .

MISCELLANEOUS

S tor ies by C la ra M ulh olland

Kathleen Mavourneen . (Balt im o re, U .S .A. Jo hn Murphy .)1890.

A sim ple r om ance. I r ish and Catholic .

Percy ’

s Revenge. (G ill . ) 1 887.

Ir ish and Catholic.

IV— 1bumour

NOTE — Many of the books inc luded under other headscontain hum o rous scenes . I have thought it well to inelude in this secti on a num ber o f books which are pro

fessedly and alm ost exc lus ively of a hum orous character .

O’DONOGHUE (D . J .) The Hum our of Ireland . pp . 432 .

(Internat ional Hum our Ser ies . Walter Scott .)Illustr . 1 894 .

A selection of about 100 p ieces from the leading I ri shhum or is ts . Claim s , and with j us tice, to b e a thoroughlyr epresen tative selec tion , the few om iss ions being d ue to therefusal of the r ight to repr oduce. The au thor has alm ostcom pletely exc luded the spur ious rubbish whi ch too oftenpasses fo r I r ish hum our— espec ial ly in England . W e cannotthink h e has qu ite exc luded obj ec tionable m atter . The vulgar i ty of som e of the pieces does no t seem to b e quite com

pensated fo r by qua l ities of wi t o r hum our . Such seem

to u s D onnybrook Fa ir , Nel l Flaher ty ’ s D rake,

”

Lanigan’

s Ba l l ,” King O’

Too le and hi s Goose,

O’

Shanahan Dhu ,

” W hiskey and W ather , and a fewothers . These seem to con trast wi th the genuine hum our ofTheW idow Ma lone,

”fo r instance, which belongs to the sam e

c lass . But , of course, thi s is m atter of Opini on . Extrac tsare inc luded from Swift , S teele, Farquhar , Goldsm i th ,O

’

Keeffe,Sher i dan , Maginn ,

Lover ,Lever , Le Panu , Kickham ,

A . P. Graves , F . A. Fahy , Edm und D own ey , P. J . M‘

,Call

and a host of other s . Of very few of these wr i ters are m orethan two extrac ts inc luded . The Introduc ti on dea ls c r iti

ca l ly with the history and charac ter of I r ish L i terature. At

th e end is a Biographica l Index of W r i ters . I thi nk anyI r ishm an will agree that the i l lustrati ons by O l iver Paqueare a blot on the book . W henever they even attem pt tob e I r ish they are vulgar car icatures . For this the authorwas no t respons ible.

MACDONAGH (M ichael ) . Ir ish Life and Character . pp . 382 .

(Hodder 85 Stoughton .) 63 . Many edit ions,the

5th being in 1905.

Objec t : To give a c lear , ful l , and fai thfu l pic ture of I rishli fe and charac ter , i l lustrated by anecdotes and by m y ownexper ience dur ing a twelve years’ connexion wi th I r ish

126

HUMOUR 127

journali sm I have adm i tted in to m y col lecti onon ly anecdotes that ar e truly genu ine, r ea l ly hum orous and

cer tai n ly charac ter is ti c of the I r ish people The

face of I reland as seen in these pages is a lways puckeredwi th a sm ile May b e described as anecdotes ,

chi efly com i c , c lassified and a cc’om pan ied by a r unn ing com

m en tary . Chapter s : The O ld I r ish Squire ; D uel li ngFac tion Fighting ; Som e D elus ion s about I relandS tage- I r ishm an Bulls ; In th e Law Cour ts ; Agin the

Governm en t ; I r ish Repar tee and Sarcasm ; Love-m aking inI reland (i ts m atter -of—factness , etc ) ; H um ours of PoliticsI n and Out of Par li am en t ; The U lster I r ishm an ; The Jarvey ;Th e Beggar ; S unn in ess of I r ish L i fe,

etc . I t i s t o b eObserved tha t the laugh i s often aga in st the I r ish thr oughou t

, and perhaps ou r nati ona l failin gs ar e r ather m ore p rom in en t here than ou r nationa l vi r tues , the seri ous s ide ofI r ish life being scar cely touched on at all.

HARVEY (W ) Ir ish Life and Hum our . pp . 221 . (St ir l ingEneas Mackey .) 23 . 6d . 1 906.

A collec ti on of shor t, wi tty anecdotes and j okes , four o r fi ve

to a page. Sour ce : n o t indi cated , bu t they are obvi ou slycul led fr om per iodi cals , o r from previ ous co llec ti ons ofthe kind . A few seem to b e taken from ser ious biographi es .

They ar e given wi thou t c om m en t , exac tly as h e found them ,

says the author They exhi bi t no religi ous no r rac ialbias (wi tn ess the last chapter on Pr iest and People) , bu tthr oughou t you have the Paddy ” of th e com i c paper ,

and in m any places the tradi tiona l S tage-I r ishm an whi r lshi s Shi l lelagh and hurr o o s for ould Oireland in a whol lyim poss ible brogue. Th e stor ies are c lass ified under var iousheads

,bu t for conven ien ce onl y . They do n ot i l lustrate

nationa l trai ts n o r phases of na tiona l life.

The above i s an abr idgm en t of a larger wor k wi th the sam e

title,of whi ch a new edi tion , pp . 488 ,

1 2 i l lustrati ons incolour , 55 . net, h as j ust been issued (August, 1 909) byS im pki n , Mar shal l .

KENNEDY (Patr ick) . The Book of Modern Ir ish Anecdotes .

pp . 192 . 1 21110 . New ed . (G il l .) 6d . ; has passedthrough several edit ions and is still in pr int .

Has no hi gher am bition than that of agreeably occupyin ga leisur e hour I t has en tered in to the pr esen twr i ter ’

s purpose to draw th e atten ti on of hi s readers tothe princ ipa l even ts in the history of hi s coun try since the

Revolu tion of 1 69 1 An ecdotes of Swift , Sher idan ,

Curran ,M oore, O ’

Connell, etc . S tor ies of duel lin g , gaming ,

C

a

IRISH FICTION

hunting, shooting , ac ting , elec ti oneer ing , d r inking. Takenfrom such au thors as R . R . M adden ,

W . J . Fitzpa tr ick , S ir

J ohn G i lber t , S ir J onah Barr ington ,H on . Edward W a lsh ,

etc . Free from coarseness , and practica l ly free from the

S tage- I r ishm an .

LEVER (Char les) . A Day’

s Ride. pp . 396. [1863 ]The whim sica l adven tu res of Algernon Sydney Potts , on l yson of a D ublin apothecary . An extravaganza in the veinof D on Q u ixote, and qu ite unl ike Lever ’

s other works . Potts ’exper iences begin in I reland , bu t m ost of them take place on

Continen t .

LOVER (Sam uel ) Handy Andy . pp . 460. (Constable )3s . 6d . Portra i t of Lover . [I st ed .

,1 842 ; m

num erable edit ions ] 1 898 . Cr it ical Introd . and

notes by D . J . O’

Donoghue.

A ser ies of s ide-spl i tting m isadven tures of a Com ic , blunder ingI r ishm an . D oes no t pretend to b e a pic tu re of rea l I r ish l i fe,

yet, though exaggerated , i t is no t without tru th . Besi desAndy ’

s adventur es there are scenes fr om the l i fe of theharum -scarum gen try , uproar iou s d inner s , a con testedelection

,prac tica l j okes . The charac ters inc lude peasants ,

duel l ists ,hedge-pr iests ,

hedge-schoolmasters , beggars , and

poteen d isti l lers . Coar se in places .

LOVER (Sam uel ) . Further Stor ies of Ireland . pp . 220.

(Constable ) 3s . 6d . 1 899. Cr i t ical and biographica lintroduct ion (pp . xxvi i i .) by D . J . O

’

Donoghue.

Chi efiy very shor t,hum orous sketches . S om e are stor ies

wr i t ten around var ious nati ona l pr overbs.

MACMANUS (Seum as) . The Leadin ’

Road to Donegal .pp . 246. (D igby , Long . ) 35. 6d . zud cd .

,1 898 ;

others s ince.

Twelve shor t s tor ies of the D onega l peasan try , fu l l of verygenuine, i f som ewhat broad , hum our and drol lery . Theyare no t m ean t as pic tures of peasan t l i fe. The d ia lect isexaggerated fo r hum orous purposes , and at tim es the fun

goes per i l ously near S tage- I r ishism .

”But they are never

coarse o r vulgar .

MACMANUS (Seum as) . TheHum ours ofDonegal . (Unwin.)I st ed .,

1898.

Seven stor ies adm irably told , and fu l l of the r ichest andm ost rol licking hum our . In the first on ly, via , When

1 30 IRISH FICTION

Cmsar figu re in the s tor ies . W e cannot see that these stor iesare I r reveren t In any ser i ous sense, though they havesom etim es been taxed wi th i r reverence.

DOWNEY (Edm und) . Brayhard . (Ward 8: Downey . )23 . 6d . 1 890.

Extravagan za founded 011 legends of the Seven Cham pionsof Chr istendom . Ful l of j okes , repar tees , and com ics i tuations .

The Voyage oftheArk . (Ward Downey .)1 3 . Severa l eds . ; 1 st, 1 888 .

The Round Tower of Babel . (WardDowney .) 1 3 . Several eds . I st, 1 892 .

Fur ther adven tures in foreign par ts of descendan ts of theCo . W ater ford voyagers in the Ar k .

Gl im pses of Engl ish History . (Downey .)3s . 6d . Illustr . by J . F . Sul l ivan . 1 901

Vers ions of episodes in English H istory told by Dan Banimin h is usual d ia lec t .

Ballybeg Junct ion . pp . 276. (Downey .)Very wel l illustr . by F . O

’

Hea . 1 895.

A c om edy of southern I r ish l ife, fu l l of fun , without far c ica lexaggeration ,

and true to real i ty .

BODKIN (M . M‘D .) Pat 0

’

Nine Tales . (G il l .) 1894.

S tor ies of var i ous ki nds , all pleasan tly told . The first andl onges t i s a pathetic ta le, in troduc ing an evic tion scene

vi vidly descr ibed . Am ong other s tor ies there i s The

Lep rachaun ,

” hum orous , and told in dialec t ; a ghost ”s tory ; a s tory of un l ooked for ‘

eviden ce at a tr ia l ; a ta le ofFon tenoy , etc . The last , The Prodiga l Daughter ,” is ,from i ts subjec t, hardly sui table for cer ta in c lasses ofreader s .

BODKIN (M . M‘D .) Poteen Punch . (G i l l .) I s . 1 890.

After -dinner stor ies of love-m aking , fun , and fighting .

supposed to b e told in presence of Lord Car lyle, one of theViceroys , in a house at Cong , whither he had been obligedto go , having b een '

refused a l odging at Maam by order ofLord Lei tr im . The stor ies are of a very strong Na ti onalistflavour , som e hum orous, som e pathetic .

HUMOUR 131

BODKIN (M . MD .) Patsy the Om adhaun . pp . 260.

(Chatto 8c Windu s .) 3s . 6d . 1 904 .

A dozen shor t s tor ies , in whi ch the vi l lage tai lor rec oun tsthe exploits of Patsy , who proves to be by n o m eans the

fool he seem s , and extr icates him sel f and hi s fr iends fr omall kinds of c om ica l si tuations . All told in broadest brogue.

S om ewhat far c ica l com ical i ty .

DOWLING (Richard) . Zo zim us Papers . Kenedy . )38 cents net. 1909.

A ser ies of com ic and sen tim en tal ta les and legends ofI reland .

”Or i gina l ly publ ished abou t 1 870 in a D ublin

com ic paper of this nam e, edi ted by D owling .

HEBLON . Studies in Blue. (Sealy, Bryers .) 23 .

Illustr . by C . A. Mil ls .

Sketches , true to li fe, of the m ost disreputable s ide Of D ubl ins lum - li fe, as seen , chiefly, in the Pol ice Cour ts . Am using,but at tim es verging on vulgar i ty

D UNNE (F . P.) The Dooley Books

1 . Mr . D . in Peace and War . (Routledge) 7th

ed ” 1 906.

Mr . D .

’

s Philosophy . (Heinem ann ) 3s . 6d .

Mr . D .

’

s Op in ions . (Heinem ann ) 3s . 6d . 1905.

Mr . D . in the Hearts of his Countrym en . 1909.

Observat ions by Mr . D . (Heinem ann ) 3s . 6d .

D isser tat ions by Mr . D . (Harper ) 63 .

ser ies of fic titious conversati ons purpor ti ng to take placeover th e c oun ter of hi s b ar in Ar chey Road , a seedy I r ishquar ter of New York , between Mr . D ooley , travel ler , h is

tor ian , soc ia l observer , saloon -keeper ,econom ist , and phi lo

sopher ,who has no t been out of his war d fo r twen ty -five

year s bu t twiet , and hi s fr iend H ennessy . Fr om the c oo lheights of li fe in the Ar chey Road M r . D ooley m uses , phi losophi zes , m ora li zes on the even ts and ideas of the d ay . He

ta lks in broad brogue (perhaps over done) , but hi s sayings arefu l l of d ry hum our and the laugh is a lways with him . Manyof these sayings have the poin t and brevity of epigram s .

No r id icule is cast on I r ish character , with which the author ,

him self an Ir ishm an , obvious ly sym pathi zes . The view ofpol itics , etc is wholly at variance with that which com es

to us from the English Press.

owe

we

132 IRISH FICTION

ARCHER (Patr ick) . The Hum ours of Shanwalla . pp .

162 . (G il l . ) 23 . 6d . Frontisp . photo of author .

1906.

A ser ies of sketches exhibi ting the hum orous side of vi l lagel ife in the N or th Coun ty D ubl in d istr ic t , o r thereabouts .

Q uite free from car ica tu re ; in fac t tending to set the peopledescr ibed in a favourable l ight and to m ake them m oreapprec iated . There i s a por trai t of a pr iest , earnest , persever ing , and whol ly taken up with his people’

s good .

Thoroughly hear ty , wholesom e hum our .

DOYLE (Lynn ) . Ballygullion . pp . 249. (Maunsel ) 6s .

Handsom e cover . 1 908 .

A dozen stor ies supposed to b e told by one Pat M urphy , inthe hum orous brogue affec ted by country story - tel lers .

Com ic charac ter and inc ident in nei ghbou rhood of N or therntown . Cons iderably above the usua l books of com ic sketches .

A good exam ple of the hum ou r is The Cream ery Soc ietythe visi t of the D epar tm en t ’s exper t and h is fai lu re to m akebutter from whi tev

‘

Vash , and the d ifficu lties that ar ise inc idental ly between Na tiona l ists and O rangem en , fol lowed byFather Connol ly ’

s fam ous speech . Perhaps Father Con ’

s

Card - table ought to have been om i tted .

MORAN (J . J .) Ir ish Stew . (D igby , Long .) 1895.

A col lec ti on of hum orous stor ies . Jack Arnold ’s Tour ,

the l ongest s tory, m ay be taken as typical . I t relates thec om ical adven tures of an Engl ish visi tor at Bundoran . The

stor ies are rem arkable for their spir i ted and racy dialogue.

MORAN (J . J .) Ir ish Dro ller ies . (Drane) 3s . 6d .

1909.

Ten com ic stor ies such as Pat M ul l igan ’

s Love-m aking , a

bashfu l young m an proposing ” by proxy ; M i ss M ul lan ’

s

M istake, s tory of an elder ly spinster who answers a m atr im on ia l adver tisem en t wi th am using resu lts . O thers are :

To r sney’

5 Ghost , O’

Hagan ’

3 Golden W eddin ’

, Tim

Mann ion the Hero ,” The W ake at Mr s . D oyle’

s, and so

on . Press N otice . M r . M oran has done m uch good workas a publisher of I r ish books in Aberdeen . In hi s hum oroussketches of I r ish l i fe he has ever str i ven to eschew the S tageIr ishm an

’ type of vu lgar com icali ty

. He wr i tes m uch forvar i ous pa ers . Besi des the boo s noted here, he has

ub

l

li shed he Dun/erry Risz'

n’

, I rish Stew, A Deformeddo , etc.

1 34 IRISH FICTION

WRIGHT (R . H . ) The Surpr ising Adventures of m yFr iend Patr ick Dem psey . (Sealy ,

Bryers .) 6d .

G ILL (M . H . ) CO . , Publ . I r ish Pleasantry and Fun .

pp . 380. 91 x 7 in . 3s . 6d . 16 illustr . by J . F .

O’

Hea . 1 910.

S ti l l repr in ted withou t change, and i s as popular as ever .

Seven ty—two stor ies , four teen anonym ous , the bulk of therem ainder by Car leton , Lover , and Lever . M aginn ,

M axwel l , and M . J . Barry are repr esented by two each ;I rwin , LeIF anu , Lynam , Coyne, Sul l ivan by one each . Prae

t ica l ly all the ta les are of the Lover H andy Andy q .v .)type, genu inely funny in their way bu t broad ly com ic ,

far c ica l , and fu l l of brogue. The i l l ustrati ons are som e ofthem c lever bu t inar tistic and of the m os t pronouncedlyS tage- I r ish kind .

LYTTLE (W. G . Robin Robin ’

s Readings . 8 vols .

Ser ies Of hum orous stor ies , poem s , and sketches in the

dia lec t of a Co . D own farm er , of which he h ad a thor oughm as tery . S om e ver se as wel l as pr ose. The author gavesevera l thousand rec i ta ls in var i ous par ts of the three kingdom s . Th e success Of the above books was im m ed ia te and

rem arkable. They have en j oyed great popular i ty ever s ince.

SAVILE (H .) M icky Mo oney,M .P. p p . 250. (Br istol

'

Arrowsm ith .) Illustr . by Nancy Ruxton . 1 902 .

Career of the her o from bog - tr otter to M .P. As a background a vulgar and absurd car icature of I rish l ife. H um ourthroughou t of a very broad kind . Charac ters speak in an

im poss ib le brogue.

V— Gollectione of S tor ies

(Miscellaneous)

NOTE .

~ VVhen the stor ies in a publ ished collect ion ar e

all of the sam e type, so as to be eas i ly c lass ifiable undersom e head other than the above,

I have so c lass ifiedthem . F or exam p le, Miss Jane Bar low ’

s stor ies wi l l befound c lassed under Studies of W

'

estern Peasant Life,

”

and som e of Edm und Downey ’

s under “ Hum our .

GAMBLE (Dr . John) . Northern Ir ish Tales . 2 vols . 8vo .

(London ) 1 81 8 .

S tan ley , th e fir st ta le,is founded on a rom antic episode

wel l known in U lster , the cour tshi p and m urder of Mi ssKnox , of Prehen ,

near D er ry , by Macnaughton , and hi s

subsequen t execution for . the c r im e. Nelson is a stor yof the Am er ican Revolut ionary W ar . Vol . I I . con tain son ly one ta le, Lesley . Th e hero i s a Nor th of Irelandm an , whose travels and love adventures on the Continen tand at hom e are descr ibed .

MAGINN (Wi ll iam ) . M iscellan ies : Prose and Verse.

(London ) [I st collection ,1 835 ] Select ions ed . by

Wi lliam Montagu . 1 885

Contains Bob Burke’ s D uel , The S tory without a Tai l ,and other I r ish stor ies , publ ished in m agazines between1 823 and 1 842 . These s tor ies are told m ostly in a vein ofbr oad com edy . Their charac ters are roysterer s and swaggerers . M aginn was a m an of br i l l ian t gifts . The fan

tasti c hum our and wild gaiety of hi s stor ies gi ve them an

or iginal flavour . M agi nn was a hi gh’

iTo ry and an Orangem an (Krans) . D r . M ackenzie edited

,in 1 857 , The M i s

cellanz’

es of W i lli am M aginn (5 vols ) , publ ished in Am er ica .

LOVER (Sam uel) . Legends and Stor ies of Ireland . 2 vo ls .

pp . xix . + 240 and xvi . + 274 . (Constable) 3s . 6d .

each . [1 832 and 1 834] m any edit ions s ince.

1 899.

Introduc tions by the author and by the editor , D . J .O

’

Donoghue. A m i scel lany cons isting chi efly of hum orous135

136 IRISH FICTION

stor ies with regular plots . I t contains a lso som e old legendstold in com ic vein , yarns told by guides and boatm en , and

severa l ser ious stor ies . There i s nothing to offend Catholicfeel ing. There i s a m os t sym pa thetic sketch of a pr ies t anda story about the secret of the confessional that any Catholicm ight have wr i tten . The peasantry are seen on ly fromouts ide,

though the author m ixed m uch am ong them . Theyare no t car icatured , though chiefly com ic typ es are selected .

There is plen ty of brogue,fai thful ly r endered on the whole.

The first volum e contains a hum orous essay on S treet Bal lads ,with spec im ens . Lover i s at h is best in uproar iously laughable stor ies such as The Gr id iron and

’

Paddy the Spor t .”

GRIFFIN (Gerald) . Tales of a Jury Room . pp . 463 .

(Duffy ) 23 . [I st ed . , 1 842] sti ll repr inted .

The scenes of three of these tales lie in foreign lands—Poland ,the East , France in the days of Bayard . The r em ain ingten are I r ish . Am ong them are fairy ta les , ta les of hum blel i fe, an episode of Clontar f , a story of the days of H ughO

’

Nei ll, and several , inc luding the Swans of Lir , that dea lwith pre-Chr istian tim es . All are wel l wor th read ing .

FERGUSON (Sir Samuel) . Hibern ian Nights ’ Entertainm ents . 3 vols . pp . 146 and 1 84 and 278 . (Sealy ,

Bryers . ) i s. each ,paper ; 23 . c loth . 1887.

W r i tten by the author in ear ly youth . Supposed to be toldin 1592 by Tur lough O ’

Hagan , O’

Nei ll’

s bard , to H ugh RoeO

’

D onnell and hi s com pani ons im pr isoned in D ubl in Cas t le.

They are alm ost entirely fic titious , but give m any detai ls ofloca l i ty and of the con tem porary m anners , cus tom s , and

m odes of fighting . There i s an histor ica l introduc tion .

Con tents : Chi ldren of U snach ,

” “The Capture of Ki l

les hin ,

” Corby MacGi llm o re,

”An Adventure of Seaghan

and the Rebel l ion of S i lken Thom as .

”Popular

in style and treatm en t .

KENNEDY (Patr ick) . Legends ofMount Leinster . (Dublin )1855.

Title of a m iscel lany publ ished under pseudonym of HarryW hi tney . Con tai ns a lso . ThreeM on ths In Ki ldarePlac e,

Bantry and Dufl rey Traditi ons ,”

The L ibrary in Patr ickS treet ”

RIDDELL (Mrs . J . H . ) The Banshee’

s Warn ing ando ther Tales . (London : Macqueen .) 6d . paper .

1 903 .

S ix s tor ies, four having som e concern with I reland . The

fi rst tel ls how the Banshee goes to London to warn the

138 IRISH FICTION

Ear l of Ki ldare, and that of Art MacMurrough , told in vivid ,rom an tic s tyle withou t pol i tical bias . Again , there are

extrem ely interesting m em or ies of the Fam ine of 1 846 -

7 .

On pages 1 42-150 is a rem arkable decr iption of Connem ara .

The story -tel l ing is fu l l of vivac i ty and pic turesqueness ,r em inding one of French s torytel lers , such as Daudet . The

book is fi l led from first to last with I reland .

DOWNEY (Edm und) . Pinches of Salt . (Downey .) 3s . 6d .

1 895.

I r ish tales , m ostly hum orous , not told in dialec t ful l of keenobservati on of I r ish l i fe (Review) .

LEAMY (Edmund) . By the Barrow River and otherStor ies . p p . 281 . (Sealy ,

Bryers . ) 3s . 6d . Portrait .1907.

Twenty d ram atic , exc i ti ng s tor ies , inc l uding"

severa l goodghost stor ies , tales of the exploi ts of the I r ish Br igade, of ear lyI reland , of tragedy, and of com edy . By a c apita l storytel ler . The book would m ake an excel lent presen t o r pr i ze.

DENNY (Madge E . ) I r ish Town and Country Tales .

p p . 232 . (Sealy ,Bryers . ) I s . An ugly cover .

Pleasan t l it t le tales , som e of them hum orous , wr i tten in a

l ight,breezy style . Many of them dea l with love and c our t

ship , and are sen tim ental enough bu t not in the leastObjec tionable.

BUTLER (E . L.) A Bundle of Rushes . p p . 150. (Sealy ,

Bryers .) I S . 1 899 .

A l i tt le volum e of shor t s tor ies , pleasan tly wr i tten ; I r ish intone and poeti c . W el l recei ved by the Press and by the

public (Press Notice) .Fifteen s tor ies in all. S ix are prose idyl ls of anc ien t Cel ticinspirat ion , n ine are l ively l i tt le m odern sketches in whichh e and she get happi ly m arr ied in the end ( I .M

SOMERVILLE (E . (E ,and Ro ss , Mart in) . Som e Ir ish

Yesterdays . 1 1 th thousand . (Longmans ) 6s .

32 illustr . by E . ( E . Som erville. 1 908 .

Adm irable i l lustrati ons of Connem ara scenery , c lever sketchesof nati ves (usua l ly of the lowest type) . L ight m agazinesketches wr itten in c lever , racy style. S ubjec ts H olidays inAran and Connem ara and Carbery , picn ics , coun try-houseanecdotes , superfic ia l studies of peasants in Connem ara and

Cork . I n S ickness and in Health pays a tr ibute to thestrength of the m ar r iage bond in I reland.

COLLECTIONS OF STORIES 139

ALEXANDER (L. C .) The Book of Ballynoggin . pp . 315.

(Grant Richards .) 63 . 1 902 .

S tor ies of a m iscel laneous kind , m ostly hum or ous , told in a

pleasan t and readab le sty le. Shows l i ttle kn owledge ofI r ish life

,Th e peasan try are tr eated som ewhat con

tem ptu ou sly . The in terest at t im es turns on the absurditiesOf I r ish polit ics and of I r ish lega l pr oceedin gs .

O’BRIEN (Hon . Georgina) . The Hear t of the Peasant

and other Sto r ies . pp . 277. (S is ley ) 63 . 1908 .

Twelve stor ies of var ious types . Som e have a s l ight m ean ingbehind th e m ere ta le. Four or five do n ot concern I r eland ,and severa l others do no t touch peasan t l i fe. The tone i so n the whole sym pathetic towards the

,

externa l aspec ts ofCatholic ism . The s tor ies do no t dea l in pol i tics o r in pr oblem s . They are chiefly li tt le aspec ts of l i fe an d feel ing .The last and l onges t i s a very m odern story of th e love affairof Rev . M ark D ibbs and a cer tain Lady G lynn .

JOYCE (Robert Dwyer ) . Ir ish F ires ide Tales . pp . 376.

(Boston ) 1 871 .

S ixteen stor ies , som e histor ica l (or p seudo -histor ica l) , som e

legendary , som e ser i ous , som e c om ic . The scenes are la id invar ious par ts of I r eland nd at var ious per iods . Told invery p leasan t i f som ewha old - fashioned s tyle. Con ten ts :

Th e Gera ld ine and h i s Br ide Fa ir E l len the Pear l Necklace(a l ove-s tory of Kilm a l l ock) the Bui lding of M ourne (Corkl egend) a L i ttle Bit of Spor t (four c om ic stor ies) Madel ine’

s Vow (m odern ) th e Golden Butterfly (Co . Clare)Creevan , the Br own -haired M un Carberry and the Phookaa story of D ubl in l i fe in the days of Q ueen Anne, etc . Veryl i ttle dia lec t .

DEASE (Al ice) . Good Men of Er in . (Browne NOlan. )22s . 6 illustr . 1 91 0.

S tor ies of a quain t legendary kind connec ted with hine I r ishSaints . Pret ti ly told .

ARCHDEACON (Matthew) . Legends of Connaught , Tales ,

etc . pp . 406. (Dubl in : John Cumm ing .) 1 829.

Seven s tor ies — Fitzgera ld , the Banshee, the E lec t i on ,

Al ice Thom son , M‘

Mah on ,the Rebel ’ s Grave, the

R ibbonm an . Alm os t every inc i den t in each ta le i s foundedon fac t ” Th e first s tory ( 165 pp .) depic ts Connaughtin a wild and storm y state of soc iety towards the c l oseof th e ei ghteen th c en tury, and r ecords the wild deeds andm em orable exit of th e very widely kn own individua l who isi ts her o . Th e author , a Castlebar m an , wrote also C on ~

naught in 1 798 .

140 IRISH FICTION

EPI C ,FOLK TALE,

FAI RY TALE

The contents of the three following sect ions tend toover lap at so m any points that i t is not easy to keep themseparate,

and indeed the division here adopted is ratherconvenient than str ict ly logical . The relat ions of the

three seem to be somewhat as follows .

In very ear ly t im es ,when m en were st i ll in their pr im i

t ive stage of develo pm ent , there grew u p a great b odvo f legend—lore. At the outset flo at ing and shadowy

,this

lore was handed down expanded , em bell ished , defined bythe pr iest ly and then the bardic caste,

unt i l at length i tbecame the perm anent her i tage of a pe0p1e. In general ,these tr adit ions consisted of god—m yths , nature-m yths(these two often inextr icably m ingled) and hero-m yths .

Moulded by the poet and the m an of letters su ch m ythsbecam e the EPIC l iterature of the nation in which theyhad ar isen .

But the unlettered peo p le cont inued through the agesto tell and to hand down the Old tales in their own way.

1

New elem ents were introduced ,new ep isodes added ,

and

as the tales passed from m outh to m outh they reflectedm ore and m ore unm istakably the character ist ics of the

fOlk m ind—the hom el iness , the hum our , the m anner ism ,

the extravagance,som et im es the vulgar ity ,

of the rust icstory- teller . Myth and legend so

~

transm itted const ituteroughly what is called FOLK-LORE .

2 The sect ion headedFolk-tales conta ins , therefore,

collect ions o f stor ieswhich , after long oral transm iss ion , have in recent t im es

been taken down as they were found on the l ips of thepeasantry .

For FAIRY TALES I have thought i t c onvenient tom ake a separate sect ion . Fa iry lore,

i t is true,is to be

1 The m ythology of one per i od , says Sir '

W alter Scott , wou ldappear to pass into the r om ance of the next , and that into thenu rsery ta les of subsequen t ages .

”

2 See E . S . Har tland , M ytho logy and Folk -tales : thei r Relation

and Interpretation . (Nutt ) 1900

VI— (Baeltc Ep ic anb 1Romauttc l iterature

Ear ly Ir ish ep ic and rom ant ic l iterature m ay,as we

have seen,be divided roughly into three m a in cycles .

Of the Mytho logical I need say nothing here,S ince i t

possesses com parat ively l ittle interest for the generalreader as dist ingui shed from the student .A word

,however ,

as to the other two— the Hero ic and

Oss ian ic— which,though very worthy of attent ion

,are.

st i ll so unfam i l iar to the Ir ish reading public .

Those who know m ost thor oughly the l iterature o f the

Hero ic Cyc le— Miss Hull,Dr . Hyde

,Mr . Alfred Nutt—are

agreed that i t contains som e of the finest l iterary workproduced in Ireland . They speak of its ep ic grandeur ,

of the wonderful tenderness and pathos of som e o f its

ep isodes , of the dram at ic force of others,o f the gleam s of

strange,wild hum our that l ight it here and t here. Mo st

readers of these tales wi ll adm it , too , their high m oral

value. For though there is m uch in them of pr im it iveferoc ity ,

they are fu ll of exam p les of nobleness and valourand chivalry ,

scarcely to be m atched in the noblest herolays of Greece and Rom e.

1

Add to the l iterary and m oral value of this saga itsgreat ant iqu ity ,

2 its purely Gael ic Oi igin ,

3 and its gr eatextent

,which

,as Mr . Nutt assures us

,

4 would ,if pr inted ,

run to som e two thousand 8vo pages ,and we m ay fair ly

c la im for i t a wo rthy rank in the ep ic l iterature of the

wor ld .

1 I have,however , no wish to pretend here that Cuchulainn and

h is peers are nobler m odels to set before ou r youth than the heroesof Chr istian chivalry , Roland and Bayard ,

S t. Louis and Godfreyd e Boui l lon , and the Cid , to say nothing of tim es m ore m odern .

2 A . N utt , Cuchu la inn , p . 3 . See a lso The D ate of the S hapingof the Cu chu lain S aga ,

by W . R idgway (Oxford : Clarendon Press) .35. net. 1907 .

3 E . Hul l , I t’ l Sh L i terature, vol . i . p . 24 .

4 Cuchu lai n ,p . 2 . See a lso D ’

Arbois de Jubainvi l le, Cataloguede la Li ttérature Epi gne de l

’

.I r lande

142

GAELIC EPIC AND ROMANTIC LITERATURE 143

The Fen ian tales represent , says M iss Hull , an

order of ideas and Soc iety , a m ethod of express ion and a

l iterary form totally different from those of the CuchulainSaga .

”1 Though what I have sa id of these tales as com

pared with the Hero ic Cyc le holds good in general , yetthere can be gleaned from the imm ense m ass of legendthat has gathered round the nam e of F ir m ep ic m ater ia lalm ost as noble as any to be found in the Cuchu lainn Saga.

No r are the nam es of the Oss ian ic heroes— F inn him self,and Cao ilte and Oisin and Oscar and D iarm uid O ’

Du ibhne

and G011 MacMorna_ —less worthy to l ive in story thanthose of Conchobar and Fergu s MacRoy,

Laeg and Perdia ,Conall Cam ach and Maeve and the rest .Moreover , the cycle of F ir m has one great advantage

over its r ival , nam ely, that , while the latter is well—n ighforgotten by the peop le,

the form er is st ill a l iving tradit ion ,

and to this day,if you will l isten to them

,old peasants

in the wilds of Connem ara will rec ite fo r you long and

stately Oss ian ic poem s of unknown ant iqu ity . The

Fen ian Saga ,

”says Mi ss Hull again ,

“ wi th its love of

the chase,of song and war

,wi th its pure del ight in nature,

its strong fairy elem ent,its love o f the hum orou s , the

grotesque,and the borribastic ,

and its m arkedly dem ocrat ic tone,

is the creat ion of the peop le,and i t ho lds its

place am ong them in ballad and song and st ory whereverthe Gael is found . In Scotland , as in Ireland

,tales of

the Fen ian heroes are fam i l iar at every gather ing, and

are told around every turf fire.

”2 It wou ld be hard to

overrate the s ignificance of this fact— the pers istent l ifeof such a tradition . S im p ly cons i der

,

”says Mr . Nutt ,

in h is Introduct ion to Cam pbell ’s The F ians , “ the cold,

abstract, sc ient ific value of an oral tradit ion which is st i ll

qu ick and flour ishing . All the other great ep ics— the

Chanson de Roland , the Niebelungenlied ,the lays ofTroy

and of King Arthur— are dead in a cer tain sense ; theyhave faded out of the folk consc iousness

,we kn ow of them

from books alone. But if every book in theworld were to

l l r i sh Li terature, vol. i i ., p . 10.

2 I bid vol . i i ., p . 16

144 IRISH rtcr rou

per ish ,we could find the talk o f F inn and h is men st i ll

ent ire in the mem or ies o fmen who know nothing ofbooks ,whose cu lture is due solely to oral tradit ion .

Though the bu lk o f the Fen ian Saga is cons iderablym ore m odern than its r ival , port ions of i t are scarcelyless anc ient . Its sp ir it is thoroughly and dist inct ivelyCelt ic . Last ly

,its extent is very great . Were a ll the

Oss ianic texts preserved in MSS . older than the presentcentury (the 19th ) to be pr inted they would fill som e eightto ten thousand 8vo pages . The m ere bulk of the l iterature, even i fwe allow for considerable repet it ion ofinc ident ,arrests attent ion .

” 1

For an introduct ion to Gael ic Literature the readerm ay be referred to "

Douglas Hyde : S tory 0/ Ear ly Gaelic L i terature.

M iss H ul l : Pagan I reland .

Text book of I r i sh Li terature.

Matthew Arnold : I ntrodu cti on to the S tudy of Celtic L i terature.

It m ay be useful to subj oin here a l ist of publicat ions2

(per iodical and other ) which conta in,generally along with

other m atter , anc ient Gaelic tales . I can give here onlya bare l ist

,but it wi ll serve to give an idea of what has

a lready been accom p l ished in this field .

(a) Publicat ions of the following SocietiesThe Gael ic Soc iety .

The Ossian ic Soc iety : 6 big volumes concerned exc lusi velywi th the Fenian Cyc le.

Th e I r ish Archaeological S oc iety and the Celtic S oc iety,afterwards un i ted as the I r ish Archaeological and Cel ticSoc iety : 2 7 volum es .

The R oya l H istor ica l Ar chaeologica l Associati on : 9 volum es .

The Royal I r ish” Academ y .

The I r ish Texts Soc iety : 10 volum es ; 5 o r 6 m ore in

preparati on .

The Gaelic League.

The Soc iety for the Preservation of the I r ish Language.

1 A. Nutt , Ossian, p . 42 I hoope to deal m ore

4ful lywi th these in a subsequent secti on of

thewor

146 IRI SH FICTION

FARADAY (Win ifred ) , MA . The Cattle Ra id of Cua i lnge(Tam bO Cua ilnge) . An ancient I r ish prose ep ic ,

translated ,for the first t im e,

from Lebar na h -Uidhr i .

[Gr imm Library , No . 16 ] p p . xxi . + 1 41 . (Nu tt )103 . 6d . 1 904 . Interest ing and Scholar ly Introd .

MEYER (Kuno ) . The Voyage ofBran , Son o fPerbal , to theLand of the Living . An o ld Ir ish saga , now firstedited , wi th Translat ion ,

Notes and Glossary by KunoMeyer . With an Essay u pon the Ir ish Vis ion of the

Happy Otherwor ld , and the Celt ic Doctr ine Of

Rebirth by Alfred Nutt . [Gr imm Library ,Vols . 4

and

Vol. I . The Hap py Otherwor ld . pp . xvii i .+ 331

Vol. I I . The Celt i c DoctrIne ofReb i rth . pp . x11.

+ 352 . 1 897. (Nutt ) 1 03 . 6d . each .

JOYCE (P. W . ) Old Celt ic Rom ances . pp . xx . 474 .

(Longm ans ) 3rd ed .,revi sed and enlarged . 1907.

Thir teen tales , selec ted and translated from the m anuscr ip tso f Tr in i ty Col lege and of the R oya l I r ish Academ y . Som e

h ad been already publ ished , bu t in a form inaccessi ble to thepubl ic , and in li teral trans lati ons m ade chiefly for l inguisticpurposes . The author j ustly c laim s that this is “ the firs tCol lec ti on Of the Old Gael ic prose r om ances tha t has everbeen publ ished in fair Engl ish trans lati on The

trans la ti ons are, as the au thor says , in S im ple, plain , hom el yEngl is He h as m ade l i tt le o r no attem pt to invest themwith the glam ou r Of poetry . The text i s preceded by som e

par ticulars conc ern ing these tales and their or i gin , and

fol l owed by notes and a l ist of proper nam es. The tales areThe Fates of the Chi ldren Of Li r , Tu i reann and U snach the

Voyages of Mai ldu in and of the S ons of O ’

c orra the Pursui tOf the G i l la Dacker and of D erm at and Grani a ; Conn la ofthe Golden Hai r O isin in Ti r -na-nOge, etc . I wou ld br ingou t, sai d S i r Ri chard Garnett , L ibrar ian of the Br i tishM useum , J oyce’

s I r i sh Rom ances in the cheapest possibleform and place them in the hands of every boy and gi r l inthe c oun try.”

GREGORY (Lady) . Cuchulain of Mu irthemne. pp . 360.

(Mur ray ) Os . Pref. by W . B . Yeats . 1 902 .

The Cuchulainn legends woven into an ordered narrative,The translati on for themost part is taken from texts already

GAELIC EPIC AND ROMANTIC LITERATURE 147

publi shed . Lady Gregory has m ade her own trans lati on ,

c om par in g it wi th tr ans lati ons already publi shed . I havefused differen t versions together and condensed m any passagesand I have left out m any . The narrati ve i s not told india lec t , but in the id iom of the peasan t who speaks in Englishand thi nks in Gaeli c . I have thought i t m ore natura l t o tel lthe s tor ies in the m anner of thatched houses where I haveheard so m any legends of Finn ,

etc . than in the m anner

Of the s lated houses where I have n o t heard them .

”Them atter

a lso i s O ften such as the peasan t S eanéu rne mi ght choose ;th e c lear epic flow being c logged wi th garbage of the Jackthe G ian t- k i l ler type. Fiona M acLeOd says very wel l of thestyle that it i s Over cold in i ts s tr ange sam eness Of em otion ,

a li tt le chi l l wi th the chi l l Of studious handicr aft , and speakselsewhere Of its m onotonous passi on lessness and its lackof v ir i li ty . Yet to the book as a whole h e gives high ,

i fqualifi ed , praise. W . B . Yeats , in h is en thusiasti c Preface,

sp eaks of i t as perhaps th e best book that h as ever c om e outof I reland . All these rem arks apply a lso t o

GREGORY (Lady) . Gods and F ight ing Men . pp . 476.

(Murray) . 6s . Pref. by W . B . Yeats . c . 1 904 .

Treats Of Par t I . The Gods (Tuatha De Danaan , Lugh , theCom i ng Of the Gael , Angus Og ,

the D agda , Fate Of Chi ldrenOfLi r , etc .) I I . The Fiann a (Finn O isin ,

D iarm uid and Grani a) .The Firm Cyc le i s treated as bein g whol ly legendary .

SKELLY (Rev . A. M ., O .P. ) Cuchulain OfMuirthem ne. pp .

48 . 1 d . 1 908 .

A paper read before the Cathol ic L i terary Soc iety , Tra lee.

The Cuchu lainn epic br iefly bu t adm irably rela ted . PassagesOf verse fr om Fer guson and D e Vere are ski lfu l ly in terwoven .

Excel len t notes at the end explai n di fficulties and references .

O’

MULLANE (M . ) F inn MacCOOle : HIS Life and Times .

1 d .

A shor t, popular acc oun t of the legends of Fionn .

HULL (Eleanor ) . The Cu chulli n Saga in Ir ish Literature.

pp . lxxx . 316. (Nutt ) 1 898 .

A co‘lection of four teen stor ies rela ting to Cuchulainn , trans

lated fr om th e I r ish by var ious scholar s (M eyer , O ’

Cu rry ,

'

7 S tokes,W indisch , O

’

Grady ,D uvan ,

A m ore va luablework

, says Fiona MacLeod (in substance) , fo r studen ts ofGaeli c legend and l i terature than the m ore recen t worksby Lady Gregory . The book i s not cast in an art15tIc m ou ld .

I t m erely contains the rude m ater ials from wh i ch epi c and

lyr ic inspirati on may be drawn, Important and valuable

148 IRI SH FICTION

Introduc tion deals with l iterary qual i t ies of the Saga , its

histor ica l aspec ts and i ts m yt hology . Map of I reland toi l lustrate Cuchula inn Saga . Append ix c ontains char t ofCuchula inn Saga . N otes pp . 289 -29 7 .

HULL (Eleanor ) . Cuchulain ,the Hound ofUlster . pp . 279.

(Harrap . ) 53 . net . Illustr . In colour by Stephen ReId .

[1909lI ntended fo r young bu t not very young readers . Told inm odern language, free from Gael ic ism s , archaism s , and

difficult nam es . The s tory is c ontinuous , no t t old in de

tached episodes . The s tyle, though without the strangewi ld grandeu r of S tandish O ’

Grady , i s on the whole beautifu l .The s tory itsel f is fu l l of the spir i t of heroism and chiva lry .

I t is selec ted and adapted from m any sources (indica ted inAppendix) , and the epic nar rative i s no t m ixed with puer i leo r absu rd episodes . S om e of the i l lustrati ons are excel len t ,others tend perhaps too m uch to quaintness .

ROLLESTON (T. W . ) The High Deeds o f F ir m and o therBardic Rom ances ofAnc ient Ireland . pp . l v . 2 1 4 .

(Harrap . ) 53 . 16 illustr . by Stephen Reid . 1 91 0.

Introduc t ion l ong , bu t very interes ting , by the wel l - knownm an of letters (au thor of near l y thi r ty volum es) , Rev . S topfo rd

Brooke. Dea ls with the relati onships and c ontrasts betweenthe var i ous cyc les of I r ish ba rdic l i terature and their severa lcharac ter istics— and thi s in a style fu l l of l i terary charm .

The s tor ies told by M r . R ol leston (than whom few m orec om peten t c ould b e found fo r the work) are re- tel l ings in a

style gracefu l and poetic , but s im ple and direc t , of anc ien tGael ic r om ances , som e already told in Engl ish elsewhere,

other s now firs t appear ing in an Engli sh dress . They are

drawn fr om all three cyc les above m entioned . Source fo reach m en ti oned at end of book . S om e of these tales are

a lready wel l known ,such as O isin in the Land of Youth ,

and the Chi ldren of L i r . The style, i t m ay b e added , h asn ot the fi re and the dram at ic force of S tandish O ’

Grad y,

bu t i t has prec i ous qual i ties of i ts own .

O’GRADY (Standish) . F inn and H is Com panions . pp .

1 82 . S ize 4 x 65. (Unwin , Children’

s Library . )Illustr . by J . B . Yeats . 1 892 .

Del ightfu l tales of the heroic age of the Fianna to ld in poeticbu t very sim ple language. W i l l appea l no t to chi ldren on lybu t to all. Par t IV . The Com ing of Fir m, is par tienl

él

j

rlyf )

fine. M ost of these ta les are, I think , quite newre

150 IRISH FICTIONl.SQU IRE (Charles ) . The Boy Hero o f Er in . pp . 240.

(Blackie. ) 2s . 6d . Handsome cover . 4 good illustr .

by A. A. D ixon . 1 907.

The Cuchulainn Saga told in sim ple and c lear , but som ewha tunem otiona l and m at ter -Of-fac t , s tyle . S ou rces : M iss Hul l ’sCnchu lli n S aga , and M iss W'ini fred Faraday ’

s Cattle Ra i d0] Cu a i lnge The author holds Cuchu lainn t o b e a herono t less brave and far m ore chiva lrous than any Greek o r

Troj an and that the anc ient Gael invented the

noble system of c onduc t which we c al l cour tesy .

O’BYRNE (\V. Lorcan ) . Children o f Kings . p p . 240 .

(Blackie. ) 23 . 6d . Illustr . by Paul Hardy . 1 904 .

The aim of this book i s to presen t tales from Three Cyc lesof R om ance, viz . , the Cuchu lain , the O ssian ic , and the

Ar thur ian , in terwoven after the m anner of a Celtic design(Introduc ti on) . The ch ief charac ters of the three cyc lesappear in var i ous stor ies (there are thir ty—one in all) . A

tr uly wonder fu l kn owledge of the per i od em braced by thesetales i s displayed in the book , but the glam our of r om ance

and the m agic of words are wanting .

O’BYRNE (W . Lorcan ) . A Land of Heroes . pp . 224 .

(Blackie. ) 23 . 6d . Well illustr . by J . H . Bacon .

Intended to reach the level of chi ldren . Very interes tingIn tr oduc ti on . The book i s a ser ies of I r ish hero tales fromvar ious cyc les , inc luding the best - kn own (Sons of Tu irean ,

Li r ,U snach , and the R om ance of the ear ly kin gs very

m uch as in M iss H ul l ’ s Pagan I reland . The book c on tainsa larger num ber of ta les than any other except the m ostexpensive. The bare story i s told wi thou t any attem pt towork up th e

‘m ater ials into poetic o r dram atic form .

O’GRADY (Standish ) . Com ing of Cuchulainn . p p . 160.

(Methuen ) 6 good illustrat ions by D . Murray Sm i th.

1 894.

The story of the her o ’s boyhood told in epic language, fu l lof an tique colour and sim i le, and r is ing at tim es to wi ldgrandeur . The grea t Shadows of anc ien t De Danaan godsare never far from the m or ta l heroes who figure in the Saga .

O’GRADY (Standish) TheGates oftheNorth . Newed . p p .

151 . (Sealy , Bryers . ) 3s . 6d . 1908.

A sequel t o the preceding , tel l ing the her oic tale of howCuchulai nn held the fords of U lster a lone against the hostsof Maeve. I t i s even fu l ler than is the firs t book of them yth and l ore of the pr im i tive Gael . There is a very interesting introduc ti on by the author .

GAELIC EPIC AND ROMANTIC LITERATURE 151

MAC‘

LEOD (F iona) . The Laughter of. Peterkin. pp. 288.

(Constable ) 4 d rawmgs by S. Rollenson. 1 897.

A re- tel li ng of old tales of the Celti c W onder -W or ld . Con

tains : The Laughter of Peterkin the Four W hi te Swans(Sons of Lir ) the Fate of the S ons of Tu ireann ; Darth o o l

and the Sons of U snach .

‘ Told in language of great beautyand s im plic ity .

N otices of other works of thi s poet and dream er of Gael icinsp irati on , notably hi s W i nged D esti ny,

wi l l be found underth e sec ti on I r ish L i terature (E ssays and Bel les Lettres) .Mes srs . Heinem ann are at presen t br inging ou t, in sevenvolum e (55 . each , net) , an editi on of the works wr i ttenbetween 1 894 and 1 905, by W i l l iam Sharp under hi s pennam e of “ Fiona MacLeod .

CARBERY (Ethne) . In the Celt ic Past . pp . 1 20. (G il l . ) 1904 .

Con ten ts The Sor r owin g of Cona l Cearnach ; the Travel lingS cholar s ; Pur sui t of D iarm uid and Grainne ; the Death ofD ia‘

rm uid O ’

D ubhi ne ; th e Shear ing of the Fairy Fleeces ;H ow O isin convinced Patr ic the Cler ic , etc . Told in refin edand poeti c language.

HOPPER (Nora—Mrs . W. H. Chesson ) . Bal lads in Prose,

pp . 186. (Lane. ) 53 . Beautifully bound and pr inted.

1 894.

S trange, wayward tales of far—off pagan days in whi ch one

m oves as in a m ist of dream s . S oaked with Gael ic fairyand legendary lor e. The pr ose pieces , all very shor t , are

in ter spersed with li ttle poem s that are s l ight and frai l aswr eaths of vapour . Som e of the stor ies are sym bolical .They are told in s im ple and gracefu l pr ose.

DEASE (Al ice) . Old -Tim e Stor ies ofEr in . p p . 215. (BrowneNolan .) 2s . Illustr . by C . A. M ills . 1 908.

S ixteen old Gaelic her o legends retold in S im ple, luc id stylefor chi ldr en . M ost of them are wel l kn own : The W iseJudgm en t of Corm ac Mac Ar t ; the Neck Pin of Q ueenMacha the Chi valry of Gol l Mac M orna , etc .

BUXTON (E . M . Wi lm ot ) . Old Celt ic Tales Retold . pp . 1 28.

(Harr ap .) I S . 1909.

All Tim e Tales Ser ies .

M‘CALL (P. J . ) Fen ian Nights ’ Enterta inm ents . pp . 1 32.

I st ed .,1 897 .

Twelve even ings of story- tel l ing at a W exford fireside. The

stor ies ar e m ostly Ossian ic legends , but there are a few fai ry

152 IRISH FICTION

tales . They pu rpor t to be told by a farm er w ith all the ar tsof the shanachie— the quaintness . the direc tness , the p i thysayings , the del i ghtfu l d i gress i ons , and the gay hum our .

They are,of cour se, in dia lec t .

YOUNG (Ella) . The Com ing o fLugh . (Maunsel ) 6d. net.

1 909.

A Celtic W onder - tale Retold for the young . A dain tyl itt le volum e in which is pretti ly told the story of LughLam h Fada ’

s soj ou rn in Ti r—na-nOg and h is return t o E r inwith the Sword of L ight to dr ive out the Fom or ians . The

i l lustrations by Madam e Gonne-M acBr ide are very wel ldone (Press Notice) .

SIMPSON (J ohn Hawkins ) . Poem s of Ois in ,Bard of Er in.

p p . 280. (M‘Glashan G ill .) 1 857.

Translated into Engl ish prose from I r ish by the author withhelp of nat ive Speaker s . Con ten ts : O is in , Bard of E r in(in tr oduc tory by the Author ) ; Deard ra ; Conloch S on ofCu th u llin (si c) ; the Feni i of Er in and Fionn M acCum hal ;D ial ogue between O is in and S t. Patr ick (pp . 6 1 - 1 84) M ayoM ythology (var ious Fen ian Ta les) the Battle of Ven try

CARM ICHAEL (Alexander ) . Deirdre and the Lay of the

ChIldren o f U isne. pp . 1 46. (G i l l , etc . ) 1 905.

Ora l ly col lec ted in 1 867 from th e rec i tal of J ohn MacNei ll

(aged 83 ) of the I s land of Barra . S cotch -Gael ic and Engl ishon opposi te pages. D iffers from the average I r ish version innum er ous deta i ls .

154 IRISH FICTION

Fol/e Stor ies /rom Southern Niger ia . By ElphinstoneDayrell . (Longm ans ) 4s . 6d .

F olk- lore o/ theHoly Land . By J . E . Hanauer . (Duckwo rth . ) 53 .

Legends 0/ the C i ty of M exi co [pure Folk- l ore] . ByT . A. Janvier . (Harper ) 5s .

M odern Greek F olk- lore. By John Cu thbert Lawson .

(Cam br i dge Un iversi ty Press .) 1 23 . net.

Wi tness , also ,the quanti ty and vari ety of the publica

t i ons ofthe Folk- lore Soc iety ofEngland (establishedBesi des i ts m any studies of English and Scotch folk- lore,

i t has published collections of the fo lk- lore of Hungary ,

French Congo,Jam aica , Spanish Mexico

,and Nor th

Amer ican Indians, etc . Sim i lar and no less active societies

exist in al l the chief European countr ies .

Folk- lo r ists seem to be unanim ous in saying that theremnants of theGael scattered along the western sea-boardsof Great Br i tain and Ireland possess a body Of l ivingfolk- lore more valuable than that of any other Europeanpeo ple. Nowhere else

,says Mr . Jacob , edi tor of F olk

lore,

“is there so large and cons istent a body of oral tra

dition abou t the nati onal and m ythical heroes as am ongstthe Gaels and the Ir ish tales and ballads have this peculiarity ,

that som e of them have been extant and can be

traced for wel l-nigh a thousand years .

”He reckons that

these tales num ber about two thousand , though com

paratively fewhave yet been pr inted . Nor is its antiqu i tyand extent the only c laim of Ir ish folk- lore to notice. As

the late Mr . Nutt has pointed out, they der i ve a Spec ialim portance from the fact that the Gael ic peoples developedup to histor ic tim es practically untouched by outside influence,

whether from the East or from Greece or Rome,

and thus the stream of Gael ic legend has flowed alm ostunm i xed from the old pagan days even to our ownt im es .

This is surely a spiri tual her i tage worth preserving . Allhonour to those who are no t suffer ing i t to fade unrecordedout ofm em ory— fer i t is fast fading— nor to go from us for

ever , to wither in the slums of Amer ican c i t ies.

FOLK-TALES AND LEGENDS 155

See F olk-lore What I t i s and what i s the Good of I t, al i ttle book by Mr . E . S . Hart land, President of the Folklore Soc iety .

CROKER (Thom as Crofton) . Fa iry Legends and Tradit ionsof the South of Ireland . New and comp lete ed .

Illustr . by Maclise Green . 1 882 .

Fir st appeared 1 825 ; often republ ished since. Tran s latedin to Germ an by the Brother s Gr im m . Classified under theheadin gs : The Shefr o ; the Clur icaune ; the Banshee ; thePhooka Thi erna na oge (si c) the M er r on the Dullahan , etc .

I m ake n o preten si on to or iginal i ty , and avow at once thatth er e i s no s tory in m y book whi ch has n o t been told by ha lfthe old wom en of the distr ic t in which the scene i s laid . I

give them as I found them This i s the first c o llecti on of I r ish folk - lore apar t from th e peddler ’

s Chap -books .

D r . D ouglas Hyde (Pref . to Bes i de the F i re) ca l ls thi s a

deli ghtfu l book , and speaks of Cr ok er ’

s li ght style, hi s

pleasan t paral lels fr om c lassi cs and forei gn li terature, and

hi s deli ghtfu l annotati on s , but says that h e m an ipu lated fo rthe English m arket , n ot on ly the form ,

bu t often the sub

stance, Of hi s stor ies .

CROKER (Thom as Crofton) . Legends of the Lakes. [I sted . ,

Killarney . A ser ies of stor ies , S im i lar t o those in the F ai ryLegends , o f fair ies , ghosts , banshees , etc .

WILDE (Lady Sper anza Anc ient Legend s of

Ireland . pp . 350. (Ward Downey .) 63 . 1 888 .

A col lecti on of fairy stor ies , legends , descr ipti ons of supersti ti ou s prac tic es , m edical cur es and charm s , r obber stor i es ,n otes on holy wel ls , etc . , taken down from the peasan try , som e

in Gaelic , som e in English . The legends , etc are preceded bya learned essay on the or igin and hi story of legend , and th e

book c onc ludes with chapter s on I r ish ar t and ethnol ogy and

a lectur e by Si r W . W i lde on the anc ient races of I reland .

Con tain s a vas t am oun t of m at ter usefu l to the folk- lor i st , tothe general reader , and even to th e hi stor ian . The stor iesare r ather pathetic and tender than hum or ous .

KENNEDY (Patr ick) . Legendary F icti ons of the Ir ishCelts . (Macm i l lan ) [I st ed ., several eds .

s ince.

Over 100 stor ies , given , fo r the m ost par t , as they werereceived fr om the story - tel lers wi th whom our youth wasfam i liar . They are der ived from the Engl ish -speaking

156 IRISH FICTION

peasantry of County W exford . They inc lude HouseholdS tor ies (wi ld and wonder fu l adventu res ) , Legends of theGood People ”

o r fair ies , witchc raft , sorcery , ghosts and

fetches Ossian ic ,etc . , legends , and “ Legends of the Cel tic

Sa in ts . All these are in this book published fo r the firs ttim e. All thr ough there is an interesting runn ing comm en t ,introduc tory and c onnec tive. The book i s hardly suitablefor chi ldren .

KENNEDY (Patr ick) . The F ireside Stor ies of Ireland .

pp . 162, 32m o . (M

‘Glashan G il l .) 1 s . 6d .

1 870.

A good book (D ouglas Hyde in Besi de the F i re) . Fiftyta les , chiefly fairy and folk- lore but of very var ied typ es ,fu l l of local colour and interes t . Many of them are of thekind found in the folk - ta les of all nati ons , but have an un

m istakably I r ish (not stage- I r ish) savour . M oreover , theyare told with vi vac i ty , quaintness , and sly hum our . A goodselec ti on sui table fo r r eader s of any age o r c lass .

KENNEDY (Patr ick) . The Bardic Stor ies o f Ireland .

pp . 227. 25 . 1 st ed . ,1 871 .

Fifty—eight stor ies , founded , som e on pagan m yth , others on

hi stor ic traditions of great fam i l ies . All were or iginal lyfound in poet ic form , and m any of them retain m uch of theirpoetic qual ities . Many are told with a singular hum orousnarveté . In all the language i s sim ple bu t very adequateand dign ified . They are free from a nything that would m akethem unsuitable for the young .

O’

HANLON (Canon John Lagen iensis Ir ish Folklore : Tradit ions and Superst it ions of the Country :with Hum ourous Tales . (Cam eron Ferguson .)2s . 1870.

A m iscel lany con taining folk- l ore proper , studies in popularsupersti tion viewed as rem nan ts of pagan ism , hi s tor ica l episodes, tales , etc ., gathered from anc ien t MSS with a grea tstore of an tiquar ian and hi stor ica l in form ation abou t all

per i ods of our anna ls and very m any par ts of I reland . M uchof all this is drawn from rare and no t eas i ly access ible sources .

Contains chapters on D r uidism , Legendary Voyages , Dungalthe Rec luse. A type of the hum or ous stor ies is the capita lMr . Patr ick O ’

Byrne in the Devi l ’ s G len .

”The book is

intended fo r the general public rather than for folk -lor ists .

I t is pleasan t and chatty in s tyle. The source of the stor iesis not, as a rule, indicated by the author .

158 IRISH PICTION

F o lk - ta les o/ the Russ ians , Western S lavs and M agyars ,

two works on the M ongols , and trans la tions of the works ofS ienk iewic z .

CURTIN (Jerem iah) . Hero Tales o f Ireland , collected by .

pp . l i i + 558. (Macm i l lan ) 7s . 6d . 1 894 .

Learned introduc tion , speculates on or i gin of m yths ofpr im it ive races . Com pares Gael ic m yths with those of otherraces , espec ia l ly Nor th Am er ican Indians . Contends thatthe charac ters in the tales are person ific ations of natu ra lforces and the elem en ts , and tha t the ta les them sel ves intheir ear l iest form give m an

’

s pr im i tive ideas of the creati on ,

etc . The volum e c onsists of twenty - four folk - lore s tor iesdea l ing chiefly with heroes of the Gael ic cyc les . No t in teresting in them sel ves , and with m uch sam eness in sty le,

m atter , and inc iden t . There is som e natura l istic coarsenes shere and there, and the tone in som e places i s rather vulgar .

The s tor ies were told to the author by Ker ry , Connem ara ,

and D onega l peasan ts , whose nam es are given in a note on

p . 549N .B .

— I can hardly c lass this book in the section “ Her oTales and Sagas . I t is j ust fo lk - l ore li ke the au thor ’s otherbooks .

CURTIN (Jerem iah) . Tales of the Fair ies and of the

Ghost Wor ld . pp . ix . + 198 . (Nutt ) 1 895.

Preface by Alfred Nutt . This col lecti on supplem ents the

two previous col lec tions . I t is col lec ted from ora l tradi tionchiefly in S .

-W . M unster . I l lustrates the presen t—day bel iefof the peasantry in ghosts , fair ies , etc . There are thi r ty ta les ,

m any of them new. A good num ber of them are, of c our se,

grotesque and extravagant . They c on ta in nothing ob j ectionab le,

bu t obvious ly are hard ly suitable fo r ch i ldren .

HYDE (Douglas) . Bes ide the Fire. Gael ic Folk-stor ies .

Collected , edited (Ir ish text fac ing Engl i sh ) , and

translated by D . H . W i th Introduct ion , Noteson the Ir ish text , and Notes on the tales , bythe Editor and Alfred Nutt . p p . lv111. 204.

(Nu tt ) 7s . 6d . 1 891 .

Extrem ely interesting and va luable Preface (50 pages) bythe author , in whi ch he reviews wha t had been hither todone fo r I r ish folk - lore, rem arks on the genesis of the folkta le,

its affin ities with the S cotch folk - ta le, and tel ls u s whereand from whom and in what c ircum stances he got h is stor ies ,ending by some explanations of the style of hi s translations.

FOLK-TALES AND LEGENDS 159

The preface is fol lowed by som e cr i tica l rem ar ks on i t byAlfred Nu tt . Th e English of the trans lati ons i s tha t of thepeasants . This is the fir st real ly sc ien tific treatm en t of I r ishfolk - l ore.

HYDE (Douglas) . An S géo tm'

Oe Saeo eatac (ConnaughtFolk- tales .) 3 Parts . With French trans lat ion byGeorges Dottin . (Rennes ) Parts I and 2 ,

Par t 3 , 23 .

LARM IN IE (W il l iam ) . West Ir ish Folk—tales and Rom ances .

pp . xxvi . 258 . (Ell iot Stock .) 33 . 6d . 1 898 .

Taken down by the editor (between 1 884 and 1 898) word fo rword in I r ish fr om peasants in Ga lway (Renvyle) , Mayo(Achi l l) , and D onegal (G lenc olum bki l le and Malinm o re) , and

trans lated l itera l ly . In teresting in tr oduc t i on on the or iginand sour ces of folk - lore. At the end are som e rem arks on

phonet ics , whi ch do not show a deep knowledge of the I r ishsys tem of or thography , and spec im ens of the ta les in I r ishwr i tten phonetica l ly . The book is pr im ar i ly fo r folk -lo r ists

and som e natural isti c express ions render i t unsuitable readingfo r the young . There are ei ghteen s tor ies in all.

N .B,.—The author tells u s (Intr oduc tion) that besides the

ta les in this book , he has in h is possession m any others not yetpublished .

YEATS (W . B .) The Celt ic Twil ight . pp . 235. (A. H .

Bullen .) 3s . [I st cd .,

new ed . , enlarged,

1902 .

D isconnec ted fragm ents of d im bel iefs in a supernatura lwor ld of fair ies , ghosts , and dev i ls , sti l l surviving am ong thepeasan try . Told in a style often beautifu l , bu t vague and

elusi ve,by a latter -day pagan ,

” who would fain share thesebel iefs him self. The tal k of hal f—crazy peasants , the authortel ls u s , is set down as he hear d i t . To the ord inary readerthe book cannot but seem fu l l of puer i l i t ies . The peasan tsof whom the author speaks are chiefly those of Nor th -Eas ternS l igo .

YEATS (W . B .) The Secret Rose : Ir ish Folk- lore.

Illustr . by J . B . Yeats . pp . 265. (Maunsel) 33 .

1 898.

W i ld,form less ta les , a ltogether from the land of dream s , told

with the author ’s accustom ed m agic of word and expressi on ,

but to the ordinary. reader wel l -nigh meaningless. In one of

160 IRISH FICTION

these tales som e m onks solem n ly c ruc i fy a wander ing gleem an because he had dared com plain of the fi l thy food and

l odging which they had given h im . This ta le m ay fair ly betaken as typical of m uch that is in the book.

YEATS (W . B .) Fa iry and Folk- tales ofthe Ir ish Peasantry.

p p . 326. (W . Scott .) 33 . 6d . and 1 s . [I st ed .,1 888]

often republ ished .

Introduc ti on and n otes by the editor . The Ta les , sixtyfour in num ber , a re selected fr om previous ly publ ishedc ol lec ti ons (Croker . Lover , Kennedy

,W i lde inc luding

several exam ples of poetry abou t the fai r ies . They are

c lassed under these heads : TheTrooping Fair ies , the S oli taryFair ies , Ghosts , W i tches , Ti r—na -n -Gg, Sain ts and Pr iests ,

the Devi l , Giants , etc . Each c lass i s in tr oduced by som e

genera l rem arks . There is n othing objec t ionable, bu t i ti s hard ly a book fo r chi ldren . The weird and grotesqueelem en t largely p rod om inates .

Sam e Author and Publisher . I r ish Fa iryand Folk- ta les . 3s . 6d . 1 2 full- page i llustrationsby Jam es Torrance.

GREGORY (Lady) . A Book of Sa ints and Wonders .

(Murray ) 53 . 1907.

A ser ies of very shor t (ha l f page o r so ) and disconnectedstor ies o r fragm en tary anecdotes . Told in language whichi s a l i tera l translation fr om the I r ish , and in the m anner ofi l l i terate peasan ts . Fir st , there are s tor ies of the sain ts , all

quite fanc i fu l , of cour se, and usua l ly devoid of defin i tem ean ing . Then there i s the Voyage of Maeldune, a strangepiece of fantastic im agina ti on often degenerating in to ex

travagance and s i l l iness . The book is not suitable fo r

cer ta in reader s owing to natura l istic expressi ons , such as

are to b e found,fo r instance, in H om er .

W ILDE (Sir W i l l iam ) . Ir ish Popular Superst it ions .

DEENEY (Dan iel) . Peasant Lore from Gael ic Ireland .

2nd - ed . pp . 80. (Nutt ) I S . St iff wrapper .

1 910.

Relates to the D onega l H i gh lands and Connem ara , in the

la tter of which (at Spidda l , I bel ieve) the wr i ter taughtI r ish . Cons ists of i l lustrati ons of the peasants ’ bel ief in the

preternatu ra l wor ld of spir i ts and fair ies and influences , withexam ples of com m on super stitious prac tices . The wr i ter ,

162 IRISH FICTION

LOVER and CROKER . Legends and Tales of Ireland .

p p . 436. (Sim pkin ,Marshal l , Ham ilton , Kent Co .)

m.d . nowin pr int .Con tains z— Lover ’s Legends and Tales 0/ I reland (twen tyfour in all) , and Crok er

’

s F ai ry Legends 0/ the S ou th of I reland .

Cr oker and Lover ,

”says W . B . Yeats , fu l l of the ideas of

harum -sc arum I r ish gen ti l i ty, saw everythi ng hum ou r i sed .

The im pulse of the I r ish li terature of their t im e cam e fr oma c lass that di d no t— m ain ly for pol i ti cal reasons— take thepeople ser i ous ly , and im agined the country as a hum or ist ’ sArcadia ; i ts passion , i ts gloom ,

its tragedy,they knew

n othing of . W hat they did was not whol ly fa lse ; theym erely m agn ified an irresponsible type, found oftenestam ong boatm en

, carm en , and gen tlem en’

s servants , into thetyp e of a whole nat ion , and created the S tage- I r ishm an

”

(Intr oduc ti on to F ai ry and F o lk—ta les of the I r i sh Peasantry) .

ANON . (C . J . T. ed . ) Fo lk- lore and Legends [Ireland] .16m o . p p . 1 92 (Gi bbm gs) . 1 889.

A volum e of a good popular ser ies which inc ludes vols . on

Or ien tal , English , Germ an , Am er ican , and other folk- l or es .

Thir ty- three tales chosen from published c ol lec tions . Agood selec t ion . H um or ous and extravagan t elem en t not

too pr om inen t . S om e in dialec t . S om e ti t les z— Fu in (s i c)MacCum hal and the Sa lm on of Knowledge, Flory Canti l l on ’

s

Funera l , Sain t Brandon (s i c) and D onagha , Larry Hayesand the En chan ted M an , the Brewery of Egg- shel ls , theField of Boliauns , etc .

O’

NE ILL (John) . Handerahan , the Ir ish Fairy Man , and

Legends of Car r ick [-0n-Suir ] . Edited by Mrs . S . C .

Hal l and publ . 1 854 .

The au thor was born in W ater ford . L i ved the last yearsof h i s chequered l i fe in pover ty in London . Pub l ishedseveral volum es of verse chi efly on Tem perance subjec ts .

(1. c . 1 860 .

BRUEYRE (Loys) . Contes Popul aires de la Grande Bretagne.

p p . 382 . (Par is Hachette. )Contains I OO tales . A very few are Engli sh (chiefly Corn ish) ,none are W elsh . The m a j or i ty ar e S cotch (largely fromCam pbel l ’ s col lect ion) bu t there are a good m any I r ish ,

taken from Croker and Kennedy. The book is en t irely inFrench .

NOTE — The Folk- lore of Gael ic Scotland being atbottom ident ical with that of Ireland, I have thought i t

FOLK-TALES AND LEGENDS 163

usefu l to inc lude notes on som e of the chi ef col lect ions ofthat folk- lore.

Wai fs and Str ays of Cel tic Tradit ion . Ser ies in it iated and

directed by Lord Archibald Cam pbell . Publ ished byNutt

Vol. I . Craign ish Tales collected by theRev . J . MacDougall ; and Notes on the War Dressof the Celts by Lord A. Cam pbel l . pp . xvi . + 98.

(Nutt ) 5s . 20 p lates . 1 889.

Vol. I I . Folk and Hero Tales . Collected ,edited (in Gael ic) , and translated by Rev . D .

MacInneS with a Study on the Developm ent of theOss ian ic or F inn Saga and cop ious Notes by AlfredNutt . pp . xxiv . + 497. (Nutt ) 15s . net. Portra i tof Cam pbel l of Islay and 2 illustr . by E . Gr iset .1 890.

Gaelic and Engl ish thr oughout on opposi te pages . The

ta les were taken down at in ter va ls dur ing 1 88 1—2 , chi eflyfrom the dic ta ti on of A . M acTavi sh , a shoem aker of 74 ,

a nati ve of M ul l . The ta les are typ ica l folk- tales , fu l l ofgian ts , m onster s , and other m ythic and m agic bein gs . Theyare often qua in t , im agina ti ve and pic turesque, bu t aboundin extravagance and absur dity . In M r . N utt ’s n otes ( pp .

443 t o end ) he studies chi efly— ( r ) W hat relation , i f any,

obtains between the folk- ta les curren t in Scotland and the

older Gael ic li terature ; (2 ) what traces of ear ly Cel ticbeli ef and custom s do these tales r eveal . They are ver yelaborate and scholar ly . Good Index .

Vol. I I I . Folk and Hero Tales . By Rev .

J . MacDougall. pp . xxx . 31 1 , dem y 8vo . (Nut t )7s . 6d . net. 3 illustr . by E . Gr iset . 1 891 .

Intr oduc ti on by A . N utt deals with aim s of study of folk- l ore,and var ious theor ies of the or i gin of this latter , and the

va lue of Celtic folk—l ore.

Ten ta les c ol lec ted in distr ic t of Duror (Ar gy l lshire) betweenSumm er of 1 889 and Spr ing of 1 890, obtained fr om a labour ingm an nam ed Cam er on , who had them in hi s boyhood fr omD onald MacPhi e and others . As folk- l ore they are thoroughly rel iable and genuine, the Gaeli c text gi ven after eachstory' being wr itten at the narrator ’

s dic tation with pai nstaking accuracy . The stor ies are typ ical . folk-tales—a

164 IRISH FICTION

str ing of m arvel lous adventures of som e hero wi th giants and

enchanted castles and witches , etc ., etc .

— often grotesqueand extravagan t and devoid of m ora l o r other s ignificancebeyond the m ere narrati ve Free from coarseness .

Fir m i s the hero in severa l of these tales . Good Index .

50 pp . of Notes , devoted chiefly to var iant vers ions of theta les , explanati ons of term s and com par isons wi th othertales .

Vol. IV. The Pians . By John Greg'

orson

Campbell of Tiree. pp . xxxvii i . + 292 . (Nutt )7s . 6d . net. 1 illustr . by E . Gr iset . 1 891 .

In tr od . by A. N utt treats of na ture and an ti quity of Gael icfolk- tales , theor ies about the Fen ian cyc le and the classifi

cati on o f texts com posing it , and m akes som e in terestingrem arks abou t i ts va l ue and im por t . H i s notes at the end

chiefly consist of references to D’

Arb o is d e J ub ainvi lle’

s

Li st of I r i sh Sources , and to Cam pbel l of I s lay ’ s Leabhar na

F éinne.

The book col lects a m ass of floating and fragm entary ora ltradi ti on about the Ei aus . S ou rces entirely ora l , m any ofthe trans lators kn owing no word of English . Thr ough thegreater par t of the book the c ol lec tor gives the substanceof what he heard , but he gives also verbatim in Gael ic ,

wi th anEnglish trans lati on , m any tales , poem s , ba l lads . Naturem yth , God -m yth , folk - fancy and her o tale, pr ose and poetry,are mingled . Natural ly the qual i ty var ies a good deal .S om e of the ta les are extravagan t and even si l ly . Many are

so corrupted in ora l transm ission as no l onger to b e intelligi b le. S om e are very archa ic , som e m odern . A few are

noble heroic legends in verse, bu t the l i teral prose tr anslati onm akes them som ewhat obscure. Index .

CAMPBELL (J [Iain) F .) of Islay. Popular Tales of the

West Highlands; 4 vols . contai ning in al l cxxxi .+1743 pp . (Paisley : Gardner .) New cd . ,

an exact repr int of I st, 1 890. Handsom e binding .

Ranks am ong the wor ld ’s greatest c ollections of folk- l ore.Of great sc ien tific value to the fo lk-lor ist, for each tale i sgi ven as i t was gathered in the r ough M oreover ,

the table of contents gives , bes ides ti t le of story , nam e of

tel ler and of col lec tor , date and place of tel l ing . Most, ifnot all of the stor ies are in or i gin I r ish . The Gaelic texti s gi ven a l ong wi th translation . Excepti onal ly interestingIntroduction — un techni cal , p leasantly wr i tten, and fu ll of

curious inform ation.

VI I I— fair" ( tales

GRAVES (Alfred Perceval) . The Ir ish Fa iry Book . (FisherUnwin .) Illustr . by George Denham . 1 909.

A c ol lec tion of fairy , folk , and hero tales near ly all selec tedfrom books a lready published (inc luding the books m en tionedin the presen t and the precedin g sec ti ons) , together withpoem s by Mangan , Tennyson ,

N ora H opper , etc . Also talesfrom S tandish H . O

’

Grady , Br ian O ’

Lo oney, Thom as Boyd ,Mr s . MacLintock , Mr s . Ewing , D ouglas Hyde, O

’

Kearney, etc .

All are inspired by Gael ic or igina ls . The book is one t odel ight chi ldren fo r its sim ple, d irec t nar rati ves of wonderand m ystery ,” whi le the fairy m ythology wil l interes t thestuden t of the ear ly li fe of m an . The i l lustrati ons are as

fanc i fu l and elusive as the beings whose doings are told inthe tales . Mr . Graves

’

s Preface i s a popu lar review of theor igin and charac ter of fairy lore (Press N otice) .

BAYNE (Mar ie) . Fa iry Stor ies from Er in ’

s Is le. pp . 1 31 .

(Sands ) 2s . 6d . net. Illustr . by Mabel Dawson and

John Petts . 1908.

Pretty and attrac ti ve pic ture-cover . Six l i ttle stor ies toldin pretty , poetic style, one abou t a fai ry Changeling , anotherabou t the m erm aids . The Luck of-the Gr idd le Darner i s in

pleasan t swinging verse. SO i s the S leep of Ear l Garret t .”Though intended for sm al l chi ldren ,

none of the stor ies are

si l ly .

HANNON (John) . The Kings and the Cats Munster Fa iryTales . pp . 78. S ize (Burns Oates . ) 23 . 6d .

1 3 illustr . by Louis Wain . 1 908.

H andsom ely pr oduced . Preface by Father M . Russel l , S .J .

In troduc tory verse by Kathar ine Tyn an . S tor ies gleanedfrom old I r ish peasants in England . Ful l of qua in t , am us ingturns of expr ession .

GRIERSON (El izabeth) . The Children ’

s Book of Celt icStor ies . pp . 324 . (Black ) 63 . 1 2 very good il lustrations in colour from drawings by Allan Stewar t .1908 .

S ixteen fairy , folk and her o -ta les , par tly I r ish , par tlyScotch , dealing , am ong other thi ngs , wi th wonder fu l ta l king

166

FAIRY TALES 167

anim a ls that prove to b e hum an bein gs transform ed , adven

tures of ki ng ’s sons am id all k inds of wonders , etc . One i s

The Fate of the Chi ldren of L ir ,

”and there are five o r six

abou t Finn . There i s li ttle o r no c om icali ty . The style iss im ple and refined , free fr om the usua l defec ts of folk- l ore.The book is beau tifu l ly and at tractively pr oduced .

MACMANUS (Seum as) . Donegal Fairy Stor ies . pp . 255.

(Isbister ) 1 902 .

D edication in I r ish and Engl ish . Thi r ty -four fu l l -page penand ink drawings , signed Verbeek . These latter are quain tand am us ingly gr otesque. The s tor ies are folk-ta les , toldj us t as the peasantry tel l them , wi thout br ogue, bu t wi th all

the repetiti ons , hum or ous extravagances and nai vete of thefolk -ta le. They are j ust the thing for chi ldren , and are

qui te free from coarseness and vu lgar i ty

MACMANUS (Seum as) . In Chimney Corners . pp . 281 .

(N .Y . : Harper .) Illustr . by Pam ela Colm an Sm i th .

1899.

S ubtle, m erry ta les of I r ish Folk- l ore The

s tor ies are very sim i lar in kind to the sam e author ’ s D onega l

F ai ry Ta les . There i s the sam e quain t , hum or ous , peasan tlanguage, the sam e extravagances and im possibi li ties . The

i l lustrations are very num er ous . They are very br ightlycoloured , but fo r the m ost par t extrem ely bizarre.

LEAMY (Edm und) . The Fairy M instrel of Glenm alure.

pp . 48, 4to . (Duffy) 1 s . Cover des ign and m anyvery pretty il lustrat ions by C . A. M i lls .

Adventures of I r ish chi ld ren in an I r ish fa ir yland of gian tsand li ttle old m en and l i tt le old wom en . Told in refined andgracefu l style qui te free from brogue, fo r very l i ttle chi ldren ,

with here and there an unobtrusive m oral .

LEAMY (Edm und) . Ir ish Fa iry Tales . Comp letely newedit ion . Wi th Introduction byMr . John E . Redm ond ,M .P. , and Note by T. P. G . Del ightful illustrationsby George Fagan . Crown 8vo . Handsom e art l inenbinding , 23 . 6d . 1906.

S ources of inspirati on : O’

Curry and Joyce. Child audiencea im ed at thr oughout . Hence na i vete in style. At tim es

there i s a sim ple, sweet beauty of language, and som e passages ,espec ial ly in the last tale of true prose poetry.

168 IRISH FICTION

YEATS (W . B.) :Ir ish Fa iry Tales , edited with Introd .

by . pp . 236. 16m o . (F isher Unwin .) 23 . 6d .

Illustr . by J . B . Yeats . 3rd impress . 1 892 .

A dain ty l it tle volum e, very popular with chi ldren . N oneof the s tor ies inc luded in i t are to be found in the sam e author ’

s

I r ish F a i ry and F o lk- ta les (W . Scott) .

Ir ish Fa iry Tales . Illustr . by Geoffry Strahan . (G ibbings) .2s . 6d .

A neat l it tle volum e, pret ti ly i l lustrated , sui table as a presentfor children .

DOWNEY (Edm und F . M . Al len The Little GreenMan . pp . 152 . (Downey .) Illustr . very tastefullyby Br insley Le Fanu .

The pranks of the Leprechaun and hi s dea l in gs wi th h ishum an fr iend Den is . A del ightfu l fairy—ta le, told wi th a

purpose, whi ch does not take anythi ng fr om i ts in terest .

FURLONG (Al ice) . Tales,of Fa iry Folks

, Queens , and

Heroes . p p . 2 1 2 . (Browne Nolan .) 2s. 4 o r 5illustr . by F . R igney . Pretty cover . 1909.

S tor ies from anc ien t Gael ic L i terature s im ply and pleasan tlytold . Con ten ts —I l lan Bwee and the M ouse ; Coun tryunder W ave ; the S tep M other ; the For tunes of the Shepherd ’5 Son ; the Golden Necklet ; the H arp of the DagdaM or ; the Chi ld that wen t into the Ear th ; and severa l others .

O’

NEILL (Mo ira) . The Elf Errant . pp . 1 09. (A. H .

Bullen .) 7 o r 8 illustr . by W . E . F . Br itten . Newed . ,

1902 .

An excur si on into Fairyland . A fanc i fu l ta le, told in ex

qu i site and s imp le language, with elves and fa ir ies fo r character s . All thr ough there is a subtle c om par ison , whi chon ly the grown and thoughtfu l chi ldren wil l notice, of Englishand I r ish charac ter . Thi s latter by no m eans inter fereswith the interes t o f the book fo r chi ldren , bu t m akes i t wel lwor th reading by the gr own -ups .

Republished , Xm as , 1909 , by S idgwick Jackson . 35. 6d .

IRW IN (Madge) . The D iam ond Mountain ; or , Flowers of

Fa iryland . (Dundalk : The Dundalgan Press .) 1 3 .

Illustr . by A. Donnelly. 1908. Cover in white and

gold ,

170 IRISH FICTION

Celt ic Fa iry Tales . By the same Authors . (Nutt )3s . 6d .

The above are chi ldren ’

S ed i tions of these wel l kn own books ,

an acc oun t of which wil l b e found at p . 1 69 . The text i sprac tical ly the sam e as in the c om plete edi ti on , but there are

two o r three i l lustrations om i tted , as wel l as the In troducti onand Notes . The ta les are wel l known to b e adm irablysuited to ch i ldren .

IX— Elbventure 5 toriee for 103095

NOTE — This c lass of Ir ish fict ion has been sadlyneglected

,wi th the result that Ir ish school librar ies m ust

alm ost unavoidably be stocked with num bers of wellwr itten

,attract ively bound books wherein are set forth

the ideals of the Br it ish boy, the wonders of the

em p ire to which he is heir , and the r ich and boundlesslands under the Br it ish flag beyond the sea where he can

find the fu llest scope for his am bit ions . It is not verywonderfu l then that the chi ef feel ing of m any Ir ish boystowards their own country is a longing to be out of i t .Bes ides the books included in this sect ion ,

a numberofother boys ’ bo oks have been c lassed under other headings .

It m ay be usefu l to m ent ion here som e of the t it les : W .

Lorcan O’

Byrne’

s books ; T. B . Reed ’s S i r Ladar and

Kilgorman ; Brereton’

s I n the King’

s Servi ce ; Henty ’sI n the I r i sh Br igade and Orange and Green ; Picker ing

’

s

True to theWatchword Gr iffith Kn ights oftheWhi teRoseL. MacManuS Lally oftheBr igade, etc . Scott and HodgeThe Round Tower ; J . Mur phy : The Shan Van

_

V0cht ,

W . P. Kelly Schoolboys Three J . Verne F oundlingM i ck .

Also a num ber of the hum orous books,fa iry ta les , and

hero legends .

H INKSON (H . A.) The Sp lendid Kn ight . pp . 262 . (Sealy,Bryers . ) I llustrated by Lawson Wood . 1905.

Adven tures of an I r ish boy in S i r W a lter Ra leigh ’ s expediti onup the Or inoco . A br isk and en ter taini ng narr ative.

H INKSON (H .A.) Sir Phelirn’

s Treasure. pp . 255.

1 s . 6d . Illustr . W . S . Stacey . m.d .

A boy ’ s adven ture- story of search for treasure. No m oralo r lesson . Good descr iption of Crusoe-li fe on a li ttle is landofi the I r ish coast . Pleasan t style ; no tedi ousness nor dul lness.

O’GRADY (Standish ) . Lost on Dhu Corr ig. pp . 284 .

(Cassell .) 9 good illustr . 1 894 .

S trange'

adventures am ong the caves and clifl s of the W es tcoast , with a touch of the uncanny and som e interes tingand cur i ous things about seals .

1 72 IRISH FICTION

O’GRADY (Standish) . The Chain ofGold . p p . 304. (F isher

Unwin .) 16 good illustr . Nice cover . 1 895.

A story of adven tu re on the wild W est coast of I reland .

Cur ious and or i gina l p lot with an elem ent of the supernatural .

STAVERT (A. A. B .) The Boys of Balt im ore. (BurnsOates .) 2s . 6d . 1 907.

A splendid boy ’s story . R ich in the vein of adventure, ofspor t and fight by land , of war by sea , of captivi ty and

S lavery after . W i th this there i s a solid , bu t no t tooobtrusive,

lesson of the va lue of fai th and piety in a boy ’ sl i fe. The piety of the y oung her oes h as nothing m awki shabou t i t . The spir i t i s , of course, Catholi c . The brogue isvery badly imi tated

K INGSTON (W. H . G .) Peter the Whaler . pp . 252 .

(Blackie : Library of Fam ous Books .) 1 s . Ful lS ize. Cloth . 1 illustr . At presen t in pr int .

Peter assoc iates with l ow com pany i n h is I r ish hom e and getsinto such scrapes that he h as to b e sen t to sea . Th e rest i s afine ser ies of adventures Such as boys l ove. Here and therea good m ora l lesson i s s l ipped in , not too obtrusi vely .

I 74 IRISH FICTION

shop . How they find new in terests in l i fe is told with m ingledhum our and pathos

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . The G irls ofBanshee Castle. p p . 384 .

(Blackie.) 3s . 6d . Illustr . by Jo hn Bacon . m.d .

Three gir ls brought up in pover ty by a governess in Londonm igra te t o Ga lway to occupy the castle, pending the d isc overy of the m iss ing heir . The latter tu rns up , but i s not

what he was thought to b e, and there are com pl icati ons .

The gir ls hear a great dea l of folk- l ore and legend from the

servants and from the peasantry .

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . A G ir l’

s Ideal . pp . 399 . (Blackie. )Bound in solid gift - book style ; cover attract ivethough not in perfect taste m any illustrat ions (som e

rather m ean ingless ) . 1908 .

Tel ls how an I r ish-Am er ican gir l com es t o I reland to spenda huge for tune to the greates t advantage of her c ountry .

There is a lso a l ove in terest . Inc iden ta l ly there i s a d esc r ipti on of the D ublin H or se Show ; a num ber of folk- lore ta lesare told by Dunc ie, and there are good descr iptions of Connaught scenery . The book i s rather c rowded with som e

what charac ter less personages , and there are im probabi l it iesnot a few.

MULHOLLAND (Rosa) . Our Sister Mais ie. p p . 383 . (Blackie. )6s . Illustr . by G . Dem ain Hamm ond

, R I . 1907.

Maisie, aged eighteen , com es from Rom e to take charge of awhole fam i ly of step -brothers and s isters . She owns an

island off the W est c oast . The fam i ly goes there. The

chi ldren , after m any vic issi tudes , turn out c lever , developspec ia l apti tudes , and pu t these to u se in helping the pooris lander s in var i ous ways . There i s a pretty love-storytowards the C l ose.

TYNAN (K ) SheWalks in Beauty . (Sm ith ,Elder . ) 63 . 1899.

The l ove r om ance, chequered but happi ly ended,of three

charm ing I r ish gir ls .

TYNAN (K ) TheAdventures ofAl ic ia . (White ) 6s . 1906.

A character istical ly winn ing story of a poor young I r ishgi r l , who had to serve Engl ish em ployers , but , in spite ofall tem ptations, rem ained true t o her I r ish lover ” (PressNot ice) .

STORIES FOR G IRLS 175

TYNAN (K ) That Sweet Enem y . 1901 .

A sentim en ta l story of two I r ish gi r ls , chi ldren of a decayedhou se ; their l ove affair s , the hi ndrance t o their happiness ,and the m atr im oni a l dénouement (Baker ) .

TYNAN (K ) A Gir l of Galway (Blackie. ) 5s. Handsom e

gift -book binding . 1 900.

She stays with her grandfather , a m iser ly old rec luse l ivi ngin th e wi lds of Connem ara , seeing nobody but hi s agen t ,an unscrupulous fel l ow ,

in whom he has per fect confidence.

A love affair is soon in tr oduced . I t seem s hopeless at first ,bu t turn s out all r ight owing to a strange, un looked-fo r even t .Pleasan t and faithful pic tur e of . Connem ara l i fe.

TYNAN (K ) Three Fair Mai ds .

‘ pp . (Blackie. ) 6s .

1 2 illustr . by G . Dem ain Hamm ond . 1 909.

The thr ee daughters of S ir Jasper Burke are of the reducedc oun ty fam i ly c lass , about whi ch the author l oves to wr i te.

The expedien t of r eceivi ng payin g guests r esu lts in m atr im ony fo r the three gir ls . W ith thi s sim ple plot there are

all the things that go to m ake Kathar ine Tynan ’

s worksdel i ghtful reading : insight in to charac ter , im pressi ons ofI r ish l ife, l ovable per sona l i ties of m any types .

TYNAN (K ) Cous ins and Others . pp . 324 . (Laur ie ) 63 .

1 909.

TYNAN (K ) The Handsom e Brandons . (Blackie.) 3s . 6d .

New ed . Illustr . by G . Dem ain Hamm ond .

MULHOLLAND (Clara) . Terence O’

Neill’

s Heiress . pp . 358 .

(Browne Nolan . ) 3s . 6d . Illustr . by C . A. Mi lls .

1 909.

A pleasan t story of a young gir l left an unpr ovided orphan ,

who i s cared fo r by generous relatives , whom in their hour ofneed she str i ves to repay . Suspected of a theft

, she i s vind i cated on ly a fter m uch sorr ow and hear t-burn ing . Theheroine is a noble and beauti fu l character . Refined and sen

sitive, l oving m usic and art , she i s obliged to take service as

a governess in an Engl ish fami ly . There she m eets the greattria l of her life, bu t a lso the final crown of her happiness .

IRISH FICTION

MULHOLLAND (Clara ) . In a Roundabout Way. pp . 224.

(Washbourne) 23 . 6d . 1908.

Main them e : a plot t o defraud an orphan gir l of inher i tedproper ty , which in a strange manner fai ls , and all is wel lagai n . Scene : first , London , then D onega l , of the sceneryof which the au thor gives vi vi d descr iptions . The l i fe ofthe peasan ts and their relations with their pr i ests are depic tedwith svm pathy and feel ing .

MORRIS (E . O’

Connor ) . Killeen , A Study of G irlhood .

pp . 348 . (Ell iot Stock . ) 1 895.

Scene : Ki l leen Castle, Q ueen ’

s County . The plot turnson Inisund er stand ings that keep lovers apart . The characters are of the Anglo-I r ish and English upper c lasses.

The book i s rel igious and m ora l in tone, the standpoin tProtestant . Peasan t character sym pathetical ly treated .

178 m tsu FICTION

RUSSELL (T. O’

N .) True Heart ’s Tr ials . (G il l .) rs.

and I S . 6d . St il l in p r int 1910.

A rather ram bling tale of the t roubles of a pair of lovers .S cene : first , the Lake distric t of Cavan and W estm eath ,where we have a glim pse of squ ireen l i fe. Afterwards thebackwoods nor th of Albany , U .S .A. Both light and shadeof Am er ican colon ist li fe depicted . There are many laughable episodes ih the book .

BOYCE (Rev . John , D .D .) Mary Lee or , The Yankee inIreland .

The las t story wr i tten by this au thor ,fo r whom see General

Note. I t i s consi dered to d isplay an in tim ate knowledge ofI r ish charac ter and to contain an excel lent descr iption of thetyp ica l Yankee.

EGAN (Maur ice Franc is ) . The Success ofPatr ick Desm ondpp . 400. (Notre Dam e, Ind iana : Office of Ave

M ar ia .) 1893 .

D r . Egan is a leading Cathol ic wr i ter of the U .S .A. A novelwi th a purpose. The au thor does not waste m uch spaceon descr iptions o r im persona l reflec ti ons , nor does he trustt o sensati onal inc iden ts . The devel opm en t of feeli ng and

character , very often as revealed in natura l conversation , seem s

t o b eh is strong poin t . He kn ows h is own people best, bu t weare sorry that he considers M i les and Nel li e to b e typ ica l ofthe m anners and disposi t ions of that c lass of the I r ish race

in the Uni ted S tates . The book is so c lever ly wr i tten tha tone m ight cu l l from its pages a very respec table col lecti onof epigram s

”

ANON (A M iss ionary Pr iest ) . The Cross and Sham rock .

pp . 240. (Duffy ) 23 . St i l l in pr int .R eli gious and m ora l instruc tion conveyed in the form of as tory of the tr ia ls and sufi er ings (am ounting at t im es tom ar tyrdom ) of a fam i ly of orphan chi ldren at the hands ofvar i ous typ es of proselytisers . A harsh and satir ica l toneis adopted in speaking of Am er ican Pr otestan tism . Inc idental ly there are s idel ights on severa l phases of Am er icanl i fe, notably rai l - r oad construc tion .

LANE (El inor Macartney) . Katr ine. (Har per ) 63 . 1909 .

An I r ish-Am er ican l ove-story with scenes of plan ters ’ l i fein Sou th Carolina . The au thoress has a keen apprec iationof the psychology of the I r ish charac ter , and in her por traya lof Derm ot MacDerm ott and Katr ine Du lany, she successful ly indicates the l ights and shades of tha t pu zzl ing c om

bination of m ysticism and prac tical i ty (I r ish Times) .

IRISH-AMERICAN STORIE S 1 79

DOWNE (Walm er ) . By Sham rock and Heather . pp . 325.

(D igby , Long . ) 1 898.

Scene m ai nly in Ar ds of D own , near S tr angford Lough , bu tshifts to Edi nburgh , London , and Cape Town . Them e : an

Am er ican gir l vis iting her father ’s na tive place in I reland .

Consists largely of gossip about the charac ters in tr oduced ,n ot r ising above this level . The wr i ter li kes I reland and theI r ish , bu t knows li tt le of them . There i s an ai r of unrea li tyand im pr obabi li ty abou t th e whole book . S om e prej udi ceagains t Chu rch of I reland c lergym en is displayed .

XII— m iscellaneous

MORGAN (Lady) . The M issi onary : An Indi an Tale. 1 81 1 .

A wi ldly rom antic story tel l ing how a m issi onary abandonshi s labours thr ough love for a beau tifu l H indoo lady . The

s truggle between duty and inc l inati on that fol l ows i s inthe highest degree terr ific . Im probable throughout , veryrhapsodica l in parts , and contain i ng severa l obj ec tionabledetai ls (Fitzpatr ick) .

ROCHE (Regina Mar ia) . The Children of the Abbey .

4 vo ls . 1 2m 0 . (Belfast ) 1 2th ed .,1 835.

A sentim en tal story of a very old—fashioned type . The per

sonages are chiefly ear ls and m arquises , the heroines havenam es l ike Am anda , M alvina . The authoress seem s to havebeen very popular in her d ay . She a lso wrote Contrast, The

D iscarded S on ,The Vi car ofL ansdowne,

The B r id a l ofD a na

m ore,The Tr adi tion of the Cas tle,

The Cas tle Chapel, etc .

Though in this novel I r ish places (Enn isk i l len ,D ubl in , Bray)

are m enti oned , the book does no t seem to pic tu re any rea l i tyof I r ish l ife.

GAMBLE (Dr . j ohn) . Howard . 2 vols . 1 2m 0. (London) .1 815.

The subjec t of the fol lowing tale was born in a rem o tepar t of I reland m y pr inc ipal character is not altogetheran im aginary one.

MATURIN (C . R .) The M i les ian Chief. 4 vols . I zm o .

(London ) 1 81 2 .

W as genera l ly wel l recei ved by the cr i tics . E ven Talfou rd ,

who h ad been rather hard on h is first novel (The F atal

Revenge) , said of this There is a bleak and m isty grandeurabou t i t whi ch , in spite of all i ts glar ing defec ts , sustains fo ri t an abidi ng place in the sou l ’ (Reade) .

MATURIN (C . R . ) The Wi ld Ir ish Boy . (London ) 1 808.

See general note on Matur in .

CARLETON (Wi l l iam ) . The Ev i l Eye ; o r , The Black Spectre.

(Duffy ) 23 . [1860] sti ll repr inted .

Pr obably the weakest of h is works . Per i l ous ly near the

ridiculous in style and plot .180

182 IRISH FICTION

form the pecul iar ities of all the others . There are m anyacute reflec ti ons on I r ish l i fe,

espec ia l ly in the letters of KennyD odd to his fr iend in Bru it (Co . L im er ick) . Kenny D odd i sa carefu l and thoughtfu l charac ter -study . The authorc ons idered Kate D odd to b e the true type of I r ishwom an .

Biddy Cobb , servan t of the D odds ,i s one of Lever ’

s m os thum orous wom en charac ters . Lever held that he h ad neverwr itten anything equa l to the D odds .

PANU (J . Sher i dan) . 1 814- 1872 .

H i s chief power was in desc r ibing scenes of a m yster i ouso r gr otesque character , and in the m ani pu lati on of the wei rdand the supernatural . The na ture of hi s books wi l l besuffi c ient l y seen from the fol l owing accoun ts of them takenfrom Baker ’ s Gu i de. An ed ition of Le Fanu ’ s novels, in 8vols .

, each 33 . 6d . , is publ ished by M essrs . D u ffy .

The House by the Churchyard . (Macm i llan )23 . 1 863 .

A sensationa l story with a m ystery-plot based on a m urder .

Black D i l l on , a s in ister and exper t r uffi an ,is a prom inen t

figure of a m el odram atic s tam p . There are scenes of soc ia lli fe am ong offi cer s and their fam i l ies settled in a li ttle vi l lageou tside D ubl in .

”

Uncle Si las : A Tale of Bartram Haugh .

(Macm i llan ) 23 . 1864 .

An uncanny story of vi l lainy and m ystery . The heroinei s the ward of her Unc le S i las , a m yster ious and m aleficent

old m an , who schem es to m arry h er t o her pr ofi i gate cousin ,

and to get hold of h er m oney. Fair m eans fai l ing , a fiendishplot i s dev ised , to which , however , one of the accom pl ices ,

a wicked French governess , fa l ls a vi c tim . Good tr ium phseventua l ly , and the heroine is recom pensed by a happym arr iage.

”

In a G lass Darkly . (Macm i l lan ) 43 . 1872 .

Five ta les from the diary of a neuropathi c doc tor , a verybanquet of horror s . In the first a c lergym an is haunted bya dem on iacal vi s itor in the shape of a b lack m onkey , whichfina l ly dr ives him to suic ide. The author d ips into Swedenb orgian ism . The other stor ies are about appar i tions ,trances , etc .

Thi s author a lso wrote The Tenan ts of M alory , W i lling toD ie, The Rose and Key,

The E vi l Guest, The Room i n the

D r agon Vo lant, A Chron i cle of Golden F r i ars , Checkm ate,

The Watcher , Wylder’

s H and ,A ll i n the D ark ,

G uyDeverel, Wyvern M ystery, etc . Near ly all publi shed byDowney Co.

MISCELLANEOUS 183

BOYCE (Rev . John ,D .D . ) Shandy Maguire ; or

,Tr icks

upon Travellers . 1 848 .

First appeared in a Boston per i odical , wi th the pen -nam e

of Paul Peppergrass . I t attractéd at once the atten tion ofBishop Fenwi ck of Boston . D r . Brown son , in hi s Quar ter lyRevi ew,

pr onounced upon the book the hi ghes t eulogi um , and

assigned to the wr i ter a place equal i f not super i or to anywri ters of I r ish r om ance. S handy M agu i re was recogni zedby the London Press , and the D ublin Review as a work ofgreat m er i t . I t has been successfu l ly dr am ati zed and translated in to Germ an

”

(from I n i showen and Ti rconnell, byW . J . D oher ty) .

DENVIR (John) . Olaf the Dane. pp . 1 03 . (Sealy ,Bryers .)

6d . paper .

Scene : D onega l . Extraordinary story, fu l l of sensati onalinc idents . I t turns chi efly on a pr ophecy m ade in the nin thcen tury about m en then li ving , wh ich is fu lfi l led in theirdescendants of the ni neteenth cen tury . One of thes e latteri s endowed with superna tural powers . There are som e

pretty fai thful pic tures of the peasan try .

DUGGAN (Ruby M .) Only a Lass . pp . 169. (Sealy , Bryers .)6d .

,paper .

A sensati ona l story wi th nothi ng real ly I r ish about it . The

on ly I r ish charac ter i s a lm ost a car icature.

LOWRY (Mary) . The Enchanted Por tal . pp . 142 . (Sealy ,Bryers . ) 6d .

, paper .

Scene : An tr im coast , whose scenery is vivi dly pictured . An ovel of r om ance, in tr igue, and adventure, pleasant and

hea lthy in tone, but fanc ifu l and som ewhat unrea l .

KENNY (M . L .) The Fortunes ofMaur ice Cron in . (Tinsley .)1 875.

A sensati ona l novel , with superabundance of inc ident . The

conversati ons are often very good (I .JVI

POWER (V. O’

D .) The Heir of Liscarragh (Art BookCo . ) 1 892 .

A story in which the r om antic elem en ts are very s trong .The author ’s Bonnie Dunraven was highly] praised by the

Athend urn ,the Academy, and by the Catholic Press

184 IR ISH FICTION

CROMARTIE (The Countess o f) . Sons o f the Mi lesians .

p p . 306. (Eveleigh Nash . ) 1 906.

Shor t stor ies , som e I r ish , som e H igh land Scotch , som ewh atin the m anner of Fiona M acLeod

’

S beau tifu l Barbar ic Ta les .

The s tor ies dea l with var ious per i ods from the tim e of theEm peror J u li an to the presen t d ay , and they are true andvi vid pic tures of l i fe and m anner s at these d i fleren t epochs .

The standpoin t i s thoroughly Gael ic , and there i s m uchpathos and m uch beauty in the ta les .

The Countess of Crom ar tie (S ibel l L i l ian Macken zie b .

h as a lso publ ished The End of the Song The Web ofthe Past

GW YNN (Stephen) . The Old Knowledge. (Macm i l lan ) 6s .

A book quite un ique in conception . Into the rom ance are

woven fishing episodes and cyc l ing episodes and adven tu resam ong flowers . There are exqu isi te glim pses ,

too , of I r ishhom e l ife, and the very spir i t of the m is ts and l oughs and

m oun tains of D onegal i s cal led up before the reader . Butabove all there i s the m ystic conception of Conroy , the

D onegal schoolm aster , whose sou l li ves with vis i ons , and

c om m unes with the spi r i ts of eld , the Nature—gods of paganI reland .

M‘CRAITH (L) A Green Tree. p p . 221 . (Sea ly , Bryers . )

3s . 6d . 1 908.

A pleasan t fam i ly story , with a sym pathetical ly thoughsom ewhat dimly -sketched I r ish background . All thr oughthere is the c on trast between English and I r ish ideals . One

o r t wo pecu liar I r ish types are wel l drawn .

FRANCIS , M . E . (Mrs . Blundell) . Fr ieze and Fustian .

The book i s in two parts— the first a reflec tion o r picture ofthe m ind and sou l of the I r ish peasan t , the second of thatof the English peasan t . The com par ison o r c on trast is not

elaborated no r ins isted upon . The pictures are there,the

reader j udges . A ser ies of shor t s tor ies o r studies form the

traits of the pic tu res , br inging out such poin ts as the kindness of the poor to one another , a m other ’

s love, a m other ’spr ide in her son becom e pr iest , a servan t ’ s fidel i ty , and var i ouss tor ies of l ove. All told with del icate feeling and insight .The author has l ived am ong both peoples . There i s a gooddea l of dia lec t .

FRANCIS , M . E . Nor th, South , and Over the Sea.

pp . 347. (Country Li/e, and Newnes .) Charm ingillustr . by H . M . Brock . 1902 .

S om ewha t on the plan of F r ieze and F ustian by the sam e

author , q .v . Thr ee par ts , each con ta in ing five stor ies or

186 IRISH FICTION

h is father ) whom he was to m arry— and this through theplotting of her rejec ted lover and a pr iest . Bul len h ad , fo r

the upraising of the I r ish people, star ted a great peat fac toryin I reland , and i t had prospered . This work i s wrecked bythe sam e agency tha t ruins his pr i va te happiness . Th ro ughout the book the author attacks all the cher ished ideas ofI r ish Nati onal ism and of the present I r ish reviva l , and setsover against them the idea ls of England and hi s persona lviews . M uch bitterness i s Shown against the pr iests ofI reland . The scene-painting and the handl ing of si tuationand of narrative are very c lever . There is nothi ng oh

jecti onab le from a m ora l point of vi ew .

BULLOCK (Shan F .) The Red Leaguers . p p . 315. (Methuen . )63 . 1904 .

Scenes from an im aginary rebel l ion in I reland , purportingto be related by a Protestan t who has sided with the rebelsand captains the m en of Arm oy , a barony a l i ttle to the nor thof the W oodford r i ver (the Th rasna of the s tory) , whichenters Lough E rne about two m i les to the west of where theR i ver E rne flows into the sam e. England having left I relanda lm ost wi thou t a garr ison , the Protestan ts are all (except in a

fewplaces) ki l led o r taken , the I r ish Republi c tr ium phs . Thenthe country gives i tself up to an orgy of thoughtless rej oic ingand m ore o r less drunken revel l ing . In a handful of weeksthe land is hungry , wasted , lawless , disorgan i zed , an I relandgone to wrack .

”The s tory c loses with the news of Engl ish

troops landing in Cork and Derry and Dubli n . The au thordoes no t wr i te s im ply from the standpoin t of the dom inantc lass , m uch less i s he sim ply an ti -Cathol ic and an ti -I r ish .

He m erely lacks fai th in the wisdom and staying power ofI r ish charac ter . He tr ies to Show the actua l i ties of therebel l i on in their naked rea l ism , eschewing all rom ance.

H e succeeds in being strangely vi vid and rea l istic withoutapparen t effor t. Of the leader s on the I r ish s ide one is a

c oward and a swaggerer , another i s bloodthir sty , all are

selfish and vulgar . The her oes are in the opposi te cam p .

N .B .—The scene of this story i s a lso the scene of the author ’

s

other Nor th of I reland studies and sketches .

EDMUND DOWNEY ’

S Sea Stor ies

1 . Dorothy Tuke. (Hurst "Blackett .) 63 . 1906.

Non-I r ish .

2. The Land- Sm eller . (Ward 8: Downey .) 1 892 ,and

several t im es s ince.

Yarns of sea-captains.

MISCELLANEOUS 187

3. Captain Lanagan ’

s Log. (Ward"Downey .) 23 . 1 891 ,

and s ince.

S tory of an I r ish-Canadian lad wh o runs away to sea and

goes thr ough all sor ts of adventures fu l l of exc i tem en t andfun .

4 . In OneTown . (Ward 81 Downey .) 23 . F ir st appeared1 884 .

A seafarer ’ s l i fe ashore. Scene : a port not un l ike W ater ford .

Many por trai ts of old salts , etc .,drawn fr om l i fe. Som e

descr ip tion s of scenery . By turns r om an tic , pathetic ,and hum orous (Review) .

5. Anchor Watch Yarns . p p . 315. (Downey.) [1 st ed . ]1 884 . 7th ed . n .d .

Yarns told in a quain t nau tica l l ingo by old sa lts around theinn fir e in a seapor t town . Th e charac ter s of the tel lers are

very c lever ly brought ou t in the tel l ing . Ful l of hum ourwi thout m ere farce.

CAMPBELL (Frances) . Love,the Atonem ent . pp . 345.

(D igby ,Long ) 63 . 2nd cd . , 1 902 .

A very pretty and hi ghly idea li zed li tt le rom ance of m arr iagewith a ser i ous lesson of li fe som ewhere in the backgroundall the whi le. It open s— and c loses—in an old baroni a l m ansi onsom ewhere in the W est of I reland , but the chi ef par t

_of the

acti on passes ami d vice- rega l soc iety in Aus tra lia . Twoqua in t Austral ian chi ldren furni sh deli ghtfu l inter ludes .

MACDERMOTT (S ) Leigh ofLar a a Novel ofCo . Wicklow .

(Gi ll ") 1 3 . 6d .

A s li ght but pleasan t tale, told in strai ghtforward m anner ,

without character -study , scene-pa in ting , problem s , o r poli tics .

Dea ls wi th the false and m isunderstood posi ti on o i a m an

who h as been en trusted with the charge of hi s S ister - in - law,

whi le hi s brother i s abr oad on hi s keeping , and the com plicati ons that ar ise fr om thi s pos i ti on .

EDGE (J . H . ) The Qui cksands of Life. pp . 392 . (Mi lne )6s . 1 908 .

Scene : fir st half in England , por tion of second half on an

estate som ewhere in the South of I reland . The in teres tcen tres ch iefly in the plot , whi ch is com plicated , a great m anyof the personages passing thr ough qui te an extraordinarynum ber of v ic issi tudes . Though the author i s never prur ien t ,a. considerable num ber of di shonest “ love in tr i gues are

IRISH FICTION

intr oduced , treated in a m at ter - o i - fac t way as every-dayoccur rences . Of I reland there is no t very m uch . The landtroubles fu rn ish inc idents fo r the s tory , bu t are not d iscussed .

’

The I r ish ar istoc racy shows up som ewha t bad ly in the book .bu t is no t explic i t ly discussed . Som e tr ibutes are paid to thexi r tues o f the I r ish peasan try .

MERED ITH (George) . Celt and Saxon . pp . 3oo . (Constable )63 . 1910.

Left unfin ished , l ike D ickens ’ s E dwi n D rood . The plot hashardly begun to work out . The chief interest l ies in the

purpose whi ch was —the author tel ls us —to con trast English ,

as typ ified in J ohn Bul l,with Cel t ic charac ter and idea ls .

Thi s is c arr ied out in the conversations ,wherein th e author

and hi s charac ters com bine in an attack on J . B a pieceof vu lgar real ism , con trary to all ideals . In theseconversati ons there i s no S i gn of fai l ing powers (T . L it.

Suppl )

MACLEOD (F i ona) . The collected works of the lateWi ll iam Shar p

,wr itten under the above pen

-nam e

(between 1 894 and ed . by h is widow,and

publ . by Heinem ann in 7 vols , 53 . net each . 3 V01s .

have appeared , v iz ,I . Pharai s , The M ountain

Lovers . I I . The S in Eater , The Washer of the F ord

(Apr i l) , pp . 450 . I I I . The Dom inion of Dream s ,

Under the Dark S tar (Apr i l) ; pp . 438 . The followingare announced . IV . The DivineAdventure , I ona,

etc .

V . The Winged Destiny. VI . The S i lence of Am or ,

Where the F orestM u rm urs . VI I . Poem s and Dramas .

These books of Fiona MacLeod’

s are, fo r the m os t par t ,shadowy , el usi ve dream -poem s in prose, wrought in to a formof beau ty from fragm ents of old Gaelic ta les heard in the

W estern isles (where the author l ived fo r year s) fr om fisherm en

and c .rofter s They are fu l l of the m agic of words subtlywoven, of vague m ystery , and of nature—wind and sea and

Sky . He s tr i ves to in fuse into h is stor ies the sadder and

m ore m ystic aspects of the Gael ic spir i t , as he conceives i t .I have not str iven t o depic t th e bli ther I r ish Cel t .” B ut

m any of h is stor ies are sim ply I r ish legends , e.g. , The H arpingof C ravetheen . The au thor thus descr ibes hi s work : In

c er tain sec ti ons are ta les of the old Gael ic and Cel tic Scandinavian li fe and m ythology ; in others there i s a blending ofpagan ism and Chr istiani ty ; in others again are ta les of thedream i ng im aginati on having their base in old m ythology,o r in a kindred m ythopoeic source. Many of these ta lesare of the grey wander ing wave of th e W est , and through

190 I RISH FICTION

SMITH (Agnes) , alias Mrs . Lewis . The Br ides ofArdm orea Story of Ir ish Life. (Sm i th , Elder .) 25. 6d . 1880.

An hi stor ica l and religious r om ance.

LYTTLE (W . G .) The Sm ugglers of Strangford Lough .

PORTER (A. M .) The Lake ofK illarney . A Novel . 1839.

A. H . C . Frank O ’

Donnell, a Tale Of Ir ish Life. (Dublin )1861 .

GRIERSON (Rober t) . Ballygowna . (Aberdeen : Moran .)1 898.

BROWN (John Patr ick) . The MacLaughlins of Clan Owen .

(Boston ) 1879.

Hi stori ca l . The author was born of I r i sh parents in

Phi ladelph ia , 1 839 .

HALPINE (Char les Graham ) . The Patr io t Brothers ; or ,

The Willows of the Golden Vale. (Dubl in ) 6th ed .,

1 884.

Sub - ti tle : A page from I reland ’s Mar tyr ology .

ANON . Sir Guy d ’

Esterre. (M‘Glashan G il l .)

ANON (Banna Borka) . Jabez Murdock . 2 vols . pp . 300

+ 335. (Duffy ) 1 3 . 6d . (2 vols . in I ) . [1 8873. 1 888,

st ill in pr int .Scene : South CO . D own . The cen tral figure is a rascal lyS cotch settler who dabbles in poetry and at tains to wea l th ,

as aj int, by unscrupu lous m eans . Between the episodesof hi s l i fe are in ter larded scenes i l lustrating near ly everyaspec t o f peasant l i fe at the tim e, all m inutely and vi vi dlydescr ibed , and conversations in whi ch the problem s of thetim es are discussed . A good dea l of hum orous inc iden t andcharac ter . The author eviden tly wr i tes from fi rst-handkn owledge. He i s on the Cathol ic and popular side. Per iodfirs t quar ter of n ineteenth cen tu ry .

EDWARDES (Mart in) . The Little Black Devil . p p . 190.

(Everett ) 3s . 6d . , and I s . 1 910.

A firs t novel by a new I r ish wr i ter . S cene : Bantry and

London . The story of a young I r ishm an who , bad ly treatedat hom e by hi s guardian , goes to London to m ake his for tune.

H is hear t is broken by an adven turess , bu t in the end he

m arr ies a true wom an . A l i ttle imm ature,bu t pleasant ,

an d sui table for any c lass of readers.

GENERAL NOTES ON SOM E OF

THE AUTHORS

THE following notes consist Of (I ) such particulars aboutsom e of the pr inci pal authors as m ay serve to throw li ghton the character Of their work ; (2) general rem arks on

the works Of certain au thors for the purpo se of avoi dingrepeti tion when deali ng with these works separately ;(3) notes on a few wr i ters Of Ir ish fiction about whosebooks I have been able to Obta in but li tt le detai ledinform ation .

THE BAHIMS. JOHN BAN IM ( 1 798 - 1 842) and M ICHAE L BAN IM5231 (1 796

- 1 876) wor ked together , and bear a c l ose resem blance toone another in s tyle and in the tr eatm en t of their m ater ial ;but th e work of John is Often gloom y and tr agic ; that OfM ichaelh as m ore hum our and i s br ighter . They have both a tendencyto be m el odr am ati c , and can pic tur e wel l savage and turbulen tpass ion . They have li ttle true hum our o r li terary deli cacy oftouch , bu t they Often wr i te wi th vigour and great realisticpower . The Objec t with whi ch th e O

’

Hara Ta les werewr i tten i s thus stated by M ichael Bani m : To in s inuate,

thr ough fiction , the causes of I r ish discon ten t and to insinua tea lso tha t if crim e were consequen t on di sconten t , i t was no

great wonder ; the conc lus ion to be arr ived at by the reader ,no t by insisting on i t on the par t of the au thor , bu t from sym

pathy with the c r im in als .

P. J . Kenedy, of New Yor k, publi shes an edi ti on of th e

Banim s’ works in ten volum es at seven dol lars the set.

JANE BARLOW. Born '

at Clon tar f , 1 857 ; daughter Of Rev .

J . W . Bar low ,Vice-Provos t of Tr ini ty Col lege. The li t tle

tr agedi es and c om edies Of the hom e li ves of the Connem ara

peasants form the them e of all her books . Of these li ves she

kn ows the mi n u tes t detai ls , and por trays them wi th s im pletruth . In her wr i tings n o one can fai l to recogni ze these qua liti es , a deli cate and quiet hum our , a pa thos pr oduced by no

elaborate appea ls to feeling bu t by the sim ple telling of the thingthat happened , a power of r eproduc ing wi th wonder fu l fideli tythe hum orous quai n tness and pic turesqueness of peasan t ta l k ,a strong sense of the beau ty of landscape and m uch li terarypower in pain ting i t “

above all, deep sym pathy wi th and

understandi ng of the j oys and sorr ows of thes e hum ble li ves .

These sketches are no t undu ly ideal i zed ; they pai nt the darkas well as the li ght.

192 IRISH FICTION

G. A. BIRMINGHAM. Thi s is the pen -nam e of the Rev . J . O .

Hannay , M inister of W estpor t , Co . Mayo . He is wel l knownas a lead ing Gael ic Leaguer . Has shown him sel f equa l lya t hom e in pol itical sat i re, hum orous fic ti on , and histor ica lfic ti on . The s tandpoint of h is ou tlook 011 I r ish afia i rs i s

pecul iar . I t is un -English , and o n the whole sym pathetic , i fsom ewhat pi tying , towards the I r ish Cel t . But , though he

r ec ogn i zes that individua l pr iests m ay b e estim able in Charac ter , he has an undisguised aversi on fo r the Cathol ic Church .

E. OWENS BLACKBURNE. See Mi ss E . O.B . Casey .

MRS. BLUNDELL M . E . Franc is Born at Ki l l iney Park ,near D ublin . I s the daughter of Mr . Sweetm an , of Lam ber tonPark , Q ueen

’

s County and was educated there and in Belgium .

In 1 879 she m arr ied the late Franc is Blundel l of L i verpool .Th is hom e of her m arr ied li fe i s the background of m any ofher s tor ies (I r . L i t ) . Am ong h er books are : Wh itherI n a N orth

,Country Vi llage, A D aughter of the S o i l, Am ong

Untrodden Ways , M aim ie o’

the C orner , Pastorals of D orset,

The M ano r F a rm ,The Tender Pass i on and sever a l

others , bes ides those noticed in this book— abou t thir ty in

all. All M rs . Blund ell’

s wr i tings are noted fo r thei r del ic acyof sentim ent , deftness of touch , pleasan tness of a tm osphere.

They are saved from excessi ve i deal ism by C l ose observati on ofcharac ter and m anners . H er I r ish stor ies show sym pathy and

even adm iration for the peasan try.

REV. JOHN BOYCE, D.D. [From I n i showen and Ti rconnell, byW . J . D oher ty .] Born in D onegal , 18 10. Ordained , Maynoo th , 1 837 . Em igrated to U .S .A . 1 845. D ied 1 864 . Bes idesthe three novels m en ti oned in the body Of this work , h e published lec tures on the Influence of Cathol ic i ty on the Ar ts and

Sc iences , Mary Q ueen of S cots , Q ueen E l i zabeth , Char lesD ickens , H enry Gra ttan , etc .

SHAN F. BULLOCK. Born CO . Ferm anagh , 1 865. Son of a Protestan t landowner on Lough Erne. Depic ts with vi gour and

truth the c ountry where the Pr otestan t N or th m eets the

Cathol ic and a lm os t I r ish - speaki ng W es t . There i s at tim es

a cur ious drear iness in h is outlook which m ars h is p opu

lar ity . But hi s work i s “extraordinar i ly s incere and at tim es

touched with a singular pathos and beauty “ Hewr ites alwayswith evi den t pass i on for the beauty of h is country , and an

alm os t patheti c des ire to assim i late, as i t were,nati ona l ideals ,

Of which one yet perceives h im a l i ttle incredulous (S tephenGwynn) .

MISS E. O. B CASEY E . Owens Blackb um e [ I 84S - I 894 .]Her stor i es a re m ostly occupied with descr iptions of I r ishpeasan t l ife, in which she was so thoroughly at hom e that she

194 IRISH FICTION

the two novels , Clashmore and The M erchant of Ki llogue. He

at present carr ies on a publishing business in W ater ford .

Am ong thi s author 's non -I r ish works are M r . Boyton , an ex

travagan za , the story Of an I r ish -Am er ican m ul ti -m i l l iona irewhobuys up Poland and becom es king (Edinburgh : Mac laren ,

The B rass R ing, an am using fairy tale of a London c lerk whoobtained the gift Of invis ibi l i ty (S im pkin , Marshal l ,Also the sensational stor ies London'

s Per i l, The Ugly M an ,

and The House of Tears, descr ibed as a tale of extraordinaryhorror .

MARIA EDGEWORTH. Scott , in h is Preface to Waverleyspeaks of the extended and wel l -m er i ted fam e of Mi ss Edgewor th , whose I r ish charac ters have gone so far to m ake theEngl ish fam iliar wi th the charac ter of their gay and kindhearted neighbours Of I reland .

”And he continues W i thou t

being so presum ptuous as to hope to em ulate the r ich hum ou r ,the pathetic tenderness , and adm i rable tac t , whi ch pervadethe works of m y acc om plished fr iend , I fel t that som ethingm ight be attem pted fo r m y own country , Of the sam e k ind as

that which M iss Edgewor th has so for tunately achieved fo rI reland .

”She cam e of an Old County L ongford fam i ly , bu t

was born in England in 1 767 ; her father was a c lergym an Of

the Established Chur ch . She cam e to know the I r ish peasan tryvery wel l , though from outs ide,

and a lso the coun try l ife ofthe nobi li ty and gen try . She had m uch sym pathy fo r I reland ,

bu t was unable to und erstan d that radica l changes were needfu li f the gr ievances that weighed upon I reland were to b e rem oved .

The Cir culati on of her books has been enorm ous , and they are

sti l l frequent ly repr inted both in these coun tr ies and in Am er ica .

Un i form editions of her works ( I ) Macm i l lan , with excel len ti l lustrati ons , 23 . 6d . and 3s . 6d . each ; pocket edi ti on , and

leather 3s . (2) Den t , in 1 2 vols ., 23 . 6d . each , very tastefu lbinding , etched fron tispiece. Messrs . Routledge a lso publishS tor ies of I reland in troduc ti on by Professor Henry M or ley ; 15.

MRS. E. M. FIELD. This author (born 1 856) i s daughter Of J . S tory ,J .P. , D .L . , of Bingfield , C0 . Cavan . Besides E thne, m enti onedfur ther on , she has publ ished Deni s (Macmi l lan , and

several other novels .

M. E. FRANCIS. See M rs . Blundel l .

DR. JOHN GAMBLE. I take the fol lowing account Of thi s wr i terfrom a note on h im contr ibu ted by Mr . A. A. Cam pbel l ofBel fas t to the I r ish Book Lover (Septem ber , 1909) D r . Gam blewas born in S trabane, CO . Tyr one, in the ear ly ’

seventies of theeighteenth cen tury . He was educated in Edinbur gh . He de

voted m ost Ofh is li fe to a s tudy Of the people and charac ter is ticsof U lster . He used to m ake frequen t j ourneys on foot , o r bycoach , through the coun try , cha tting wi th everyone he m et ,

p icking up story and legend and jest, and noting inc iden ts . All

GENERAL NOTES ON SOME OF THE AUTHORS 1 95

hi s wr i tings were im bued wi th a deep sym pathy for hi s fell owcoun tr ym en . As a viv id pic ture Of the U lster Of his day hi s

books are invaluable. They did m uch to produce in Englanda k indly feeling fo r hi s coun trym en . He died in 1 83 1 .

GERALD GRIFFIN i s one Of our forem ost novel ists Of the oldschool . Born 1 803 , died 1 840 . Br ought up on th e banks Of th eShannon , twen ty -ei ght m i les fr om L im er ick, at twen ty he

wen t to London , where all hi s wr i ting was done. Two yearsbefore hi s death he becam e a Chr is tian Br other . He wasthe fir st ,” ‘

says D r . S igerson , to presen t several Of our folkcustom s , tales , and anc ien t legends in Engli sh pr ose.

”P. J .

Kenedy , of N ew York , publishes an editi on Of hi s works in7 vols and Messrs . Duffy have an edi ti on in 1 0 vols . at

23 . each .

REV. JOSEPH GUINAN. Father Guinan i s cur ate of Ferbane, in

King ’s County . Before hi s appoin tm en t to thi s pari sh he

passed five years in L iverpool . Thi s gave him the fresheye,

”the power to see things which , had he rem ained in

I reland , he m i ght never have Obser ved . H is books deal withtwo thi ngs—the l ife of the poorest Classes in the M i dlands and

the li fe of the pr iests . Of both he has in tim ate per sonalknowledge and fo r both unbounded adm i ra tion . He wr i tess im ply and earnestly . TO the cr itic used on l y to Engli shliterature, h is work m ay seem wan ting in ar t istic restrain t ,for he gi ves free vein to em otion . But thi s is m ore thanatoned fo r by i ts Obvi ous sincer i ty .

MRS. S. C. HALL. Born in D ublin , 1 800 . Br ought by her m other(who was Of French H uguenot descent) to W exford in 1 806 .

H ere she lived , mi xing a good dea l with the peasan try , un ti lthe age of fifteen ,

when she was taken away to London , and

di d not agai n return to W exford . W rote ni ne novels , and

m any shor t stor ies and sketches . Bes ides th e thr ee wor ksn oticed elsewhere,

M rs . H al l publi shed , in 1 838 , her L ights and

S hadows of I r i sh Life, said to be h er bes t book . I t consistsof ta les i l lus tra ting both the br ighter and th e darker sides Of

I r ish li fe. She a lso published , in 1 862 ,The F ight of F ai th A

S tory of I reland She and her husband pr oduced betweenthem at least 50 volum es . Opini ons as to the value of herwork are very divided .

CHARLES GRAHAM HALPINE. Born 1 829 ,in Meath . W as a

Young I relander in’

4 8 , and wen t to Am er ica shor tly after .

There b e distin guished him self in j ourna l ism , in th e W ar Of

Secessi on , and in poli tics . W as m ade a genera l , and becam e

very wi dely kn own and popular in the U .S .A . He was a notedhum our ist . M uch of hi s work appeared with pseudonym ,

Pr ivate Myles O ’

Reilly. D ied 1 868 .

196 IRISH FICTION

EDWIN HAMILTON, M.A., B.L Born 1 849 . Residesat D onaghadee, Co . D own . Author of D ublin Doggerels

Ballym u ckbeg The M oderate M an ( 1888 , D owney) ,Waggish Tales ( 1897, Sea ly , B ryers) .

MRS. CASHEL HOEY. Born 1 830 . Has published m ore thantwenty -seven volum es ,

e.g. , The Q uestion of C a in The

Lover'

s C reed , N o S ign The Queen'

s Token ,A Stern

Chase,etc .

FRANKHUDSON. This au thor , a fter m any years' work fo r Dublinper iod ica ls , went to London ear ly in the

’

ei ghties . He wr ote a

few I r ish spor ting novels of a l ight and hum or ous kind , am ongother s , The Last H urdle ( 1 888) and Runni ng Double.

GEORGE H. JESSOP. Thi s author was born in I reland ; educatedat Tr ini ty . W en t to 1 873 . Edited j udge and

contr ibu ted to other hum orous papers . W r ote som e verysuccessfu l plays . H as publ ished a n ovel , j udge Lynch , and a

volum e of shor t stor ies : Gerald F rench ’

s F r iends . W rote a lsoan I r ish story, The Emergency M en .

S. R. KEIGHTLEY. Born in Bel fast , 1 859 . S tood ( 19 10) as L ibera lcandidate fo r a Nor thern consti tuency . Besides the booksm enti oned here Mr . Keightley h as also publ ished A Ki ng

’

s

D aughter ( 1 88 I ) , The Cavaliers Heron/0rd The

Return of the Prod igal A Beggar on H orseback

Rody Blake, The S i lver C ross

PATRICK KENNEDY. Born in CO . W exford , 1 80 1 . In 1 823 he

rem oved to D ublin , and fo r the greater par t of hi s l i fe he kepta bookshop in A nglesea S treet . H is sketches of I r ish rura ll i fe as he had known i t are told wi th tr uth and wi th spir i t ,and are very free fr om anything objec ti onable. D r . D ouglasH yde, speak ing of h is folk- lore, says tha t m any of hi ss tor ies appear to be the detr i tus of genuine Gael ic folk -stor iesfi ltered through an English idiom and m uch im paired and

stunted in the process . He appears, however , no t to haveadulterated them very m uch .

CHARLES J. KICKHAM. Born , in 1 825, at M ul linahone, Co .Tipperary . Very ear ly in l i fe he threw him sel f into nati ona lpoli ti cs ; he took par t in the

’

48 m ovem en t and afterwards inthe Feni an m ovem ent . In 1 865 he was arrested for his sharein this m ovem ent , tr ied , and condem ned to pena l servi tudefo r fifteen years ; bu t he was released in 1 869 . Before thistim e he had l ost both sight and hear ing , but lived ti l l 1 882 .

He knew thoroughly and l oved intensely hi s own place and

people. He had wonder fu l powers of observation and a greatfund of quiet hum our .

198 IRISH FICTION

WESLEY GUARD LYTTLE. Born , 1 844 , atNewtownards ,Co . Down .

Has been success i vely a j uni or repor ter , a school teacher , a

lec turer on D r . Cor ry '

s I r ish D io ram a , a teacher of shor thand ,an accountant , an ed itor . S tar ted ,

in 1 880,the N o rth Down

and Bangor Gazette, a strong L ibera l and H om e R ule paper .

Afterwards owned and edited the N orth D own Her ald .

JAMES M‘HENRY, M .D was born at Larne, 1 785. W r ote m uch

ver se, e .g.,

The Bard of E r in , and other poem s , m ostlynationa l (Bel fast , Patr i ck , a poetica l ta le of 1 798

(G lasgow ,W ent to Am er ica in 1 8 17 . D ied in Larne,

1 845. Bes ides Hearts of S teel (first edition ,1 824) he publi shed

O’

H alloran , the I nsu rgent Chief

SOPHIE M'

INTOSH. Born at Kinsa le, where she r es ided fo r m anyyears , un ti l her m ar r iage with H . M

‘

Into sh , of Methodis tCol lege, Bel fast . In her sketches she desc r ibes fai thful ly and

vivid ly the people of her native town . A few Of her stor ieshave been gathered into a volum e cal led The Las t F o rward( I .

LETITIA MacLINTOCK. The MacLintock fam i ly is pr inc i pal l yc onnec ted with D unda lk and other places in Co . Louth . W e

are no t aware that thi s au thoress has published any volum e,

but she has wr i t ten del ightfu l folk- lore c ontr ibuti ons to var i ousI r ish per iodica ls , such as the D ubli n Uni vers i ty M agazine, 1 878

(I .

SEAMUS MacMANUS. Born ,1 868 ; l i ves near h i s native place,

Moun t Char les, D onega l , in the m i ds t of the people aboutwhom he wr i tes . He i s the husband of E thn a Carbery . Be

s ides the books m en tioned fur ther on he has wr i tten S hu i lers

from Heathy H i lls , a very s lender volum e of s tor ies (publishedin The Red Poacher (published in The

Bewitched F i ddle (N . Y . D oubleday , a volum e of poem s,

and m any plays .

MISS L. MacMANUS holds a distinc t place am ong I r ish author s ofto -day as being prac tica l ly the on ly wr i ter of I r ish histor ica lfic tion which i s thor oughly nati ona l and Catholic in sen tim en t .Her books are straightforward , s tir r ing ta les , en thusiastica l lyI r ish , free from tedious disquis i t i ons , bu t based on consi derablehi stor ica l r esearch . She i s a worker in the ranks of the Gael icLeague, and in her Co . Mayo hom e does m uch for the cause ofI r ish I reland . Her book, The Red Star , does no t dea l withI reland .

FRANK MATHEW. A grand -nephew of Father Mathew , theApostleof Tem perance. Born , 1 865 ; educated at Beaum on t, Ki ng ’ sCol lege School

, and London Un i versi ty . The wr i ter of thePreface to the new edi ti on of the Cabinet of I r ish L i teraturesays : A good m any people of excel lent j udgment look upon

GENERAL NOTES oN SOME OF THE AUTHORS 199

Mr . Mathew as the I r ish novelis t we have been so l ong awai ti ng .H e does not wr i te m erely fr om the poin t of view of a sym

pathetic outsider . He h as the true Cel tic tem peram en t withthe advan tage of educati on ,

inh er i ted and otherwise, over thepeasan ts of geni us who have so l ong represented the I r ishspir i t .”

CHARLES ROBERT MATURIN [ 1 782 Born in D ublin ,

and educated at Tr ini ty Col lege. W as a c lergym an of theChurch of I reland , and all hi s l ife th e sworn enem y of Cathol icism and of Presbyter iani sm , both of whi ch , espec ia l ly the latter ,

h e treats unspar ingly in som e of hi s books . Bes ides hi s n ovelsh e wrote tragedies , such as Ber tr am ,

”and blood -curdlin g

m elodram as such as Fred o lph o .

”In hi s way of li fe he was

som ewhat of an oddity— the m adness of geni us , hi s admi rerssa id— and this i s reflec ted in hi s works . H i s r om ances

a ttr ac ted Scott and Byr on and m any cr i tics have given them greatthough qua li fied praise. Bom bastic extravagance of language,

tangled plots , and im possible inc iden ts charac ter i ze them all.

A r em arkable eloquence in descr ip tions of turbulen t pass i on i shi s s trong poin t .” Bes ides th e novels m en ti oned elsewher eh e wr ote M elm oth, the Wanderer , a r om ance of the raw-headand -bloody -bones var iety ,

”and The A lbigenses , hi s las t and

bes t wh ich was pr onounced by B lackwood to b e fourvolum es of vi gour , extravagance, absurdi ty , and splendour(com pi led fr om Kr ans and Reade) . I t shou ld b e n oted thatthi s wri ter som etim es violates good m orals by indecency.

W. HAMILTON MAXWELL. Born 1 792 , died 1 850 . H e was a

c lergym an of the Church of I reland , with a par ish at Ba l lagh , inthe wi lds of Connaught , but was largely rel ieved of pas tora lduties by the absence of a flock . He di vi ded hi s leisur e betweenfield spor ts of all ki nds and thewr i tin g of books . Wi ld Sportsofthe West

, S tor ies of Waterloo, and The B ivou ac were the m ostsuccess fu l of these ; they ar e sti ll m uch read . He tells a.

s tory capita l ly , wi th verve and spir it , and hi s s i tuati ons are

as exc iti ng as those of any m odern n ovelist . Maxwel l was thefir st wr i ter of m i l i tary novels : h e is the forer unner and eventhe inspi rer of Lever . Mr . Baker descr ibes hi s Stor ies ofWaterloo as a farrago of I r ish stor ies , sensational , with a

dash of H ibern ian character and l oca l colour ing .

” Thi s bookis s ti l l to be h ad (Routledge,

GEORGE MOORE—a distingui shed poet, novelist, d ram atist, and

art cr i tic—was born in I reland , 1 857, of a Catholi c fami ly ofCo . Mayo , m any of whose m em ber s were di stingui shed nationa li sts . He has produced som e twen ty books . M uch of Mr .

M oore’

s educati on has been acqu ir ed in France, with the resu lt,as D r . W il liam Barry says , he i s excessively, provok in glyun -Engli sh .

”At the sam e tim e he has li ttle but scorn for

things I r ish . He has , as he tel ls us in Confessi ons of a YoungM an, abandoned the Catholic Church . He may be said to be

200 IRISH FICTION

at war with all prevai l ing types of rel igion and cu rrent codesof m ora l i ty . H is books bear abundant evidence of the fac t .M any of them treat of m ost unsavou ry topics , and that withnatu ral istic freedom and absence of reserve . They were c on

sequently exc luded from lend ing l ibrar ies such as M ud ic’

s and

Sm i th ’s . Many cr i tics rank M r . M oor e very hi gh as a psychologist and as a c r i tic . An interesting ar tic le on him wi l l b efound in G . K . Chester ton ’

s Heretics . H is non—I r ish stor iesinc lude Evelyn I nnes ,

S i ster Theresa ,E sther Waters , A M ummer

’

s

W ife, Celibates , Va in F ortune, A M ere Acci dent, etc .

LADY‘

MORGAN. She was the daughter of a poor D ubl in actor ,nam ed Owenson , and was born in 1 777 . Her sel f -rel iance,

gaiety , and accom pl ishm ents won her a prom inent place in the

l i terary and soc ial l i fe of Dubl in . She m arr ied S ir T . C . M organ ,

physic ian to the Lord L ieutenant . She pr otests energetical lyin her books against the rel igious and pol i tica l gr ievances ofI reland . Her books are a S ign of the growth of a broaderspir i t of I r ish na ti ona l i ty and reflec t the gr owing interest inI r i sh history and antiqui ties (Krans) . She i s said to havepubl ished m ore than seven ty volum es . Her satires of the hi ghersoc ia l l i fe of Dublin are spir i ted and readable even to -d ay,

bu t their tone is often Sharp and b ad - tem pered . She caughtwel l the outward drol ler ies of the lower c lasses : posti li ons ,innkeepers , D ublin por ters , etc . but she seldom l ooks beneaththe su r face.

ROSA MULHOLLAND (Lady G i lber t) . Born in Belfast , abou t1 855. She spen t som e years in a rem ote m oun tainous par tof the W es t of I reland . Of the rest of her l i fe m ost has beenpassed in I reland , where She sti l l li ves . In her ear ly li terary lifeshe recei ved m uch help and encouragem en t from D ickens , whohighly valued h er work . She h as wr i t ten m uch poetry of hi ghl i terary qual i ty and m arked by a thought and dic tion pecul iart o hersel f (I . L i t) . Her n ovels are in tensely Catholic ,though without an ti -Pr otestan t feel ing , and intensely na ti ona l .But their m ost str iki ng qual ity i s a li terary style of s ingularpur i ty and grace, and a quiet beauty very differen t from the

flash and ra ttle of m uch recen t wr iting . This , however , c an

hardly be said of som e of her recen t books for gir ls . Am ongher non -I r ish novels m ay b e m en tioned The Late M i ss H olling

ford , The S qu i re’

s Granddaughter , The Wathing Trees , The

H aunted Organist. Lady G i lber t has also wr i tten m anychi ldren ’

s stor ies fu l l of or iginal i ty and playfu l fancy .

CLARA MULHOLLAND is a sister of Lady G i lber t . W as born in

Bel fast , bu t left i t at an ear ly age, and was educated inEngland and Belgium . The style of her stor ies is sim ple and

br ight , their tone thoroughly wholesom e. Even when thereis nothing direc tly about rel igion ,

they breathe an atm osphereof Catholic ism . All of them can safely, and with profit, be

202 IRISH FICTION

objec t . the i l lustration of o u r holy Fai th by m eans of tales or

s tor ies . Her sym pathies are strongly nationa l ist . Bes idesthe books here noticed she a lso publ ished The Red Wand ofUlster .

CANON P. A. SHEEHAN, D.D. Born, 1852 . Educated at S t.

Colm an’

s , Ferm oy , and Maynooth . Spent two years ( 1 875 77)on Engl ish m i ss i on in Devonshire. Par ish Pr iest of Donerai leS ince 1 895. H is books deal chiefly with Cathol ic c ler ica ll i fe in I reland—a subjec t whi ch he was the firs t to dea lwith from withi n . He br ings to bear on the features and

problem s of I r ish li fe a deeply thoughtful and cultured m ind .

He does not indulge in thoughtless panegyr ic of I r ish vir tues .

but touches firm ly , though sym pa thetical ly, upon our nationa lshor tcom ings and fai l ings . H i s idea ls are of the l oftiest , yetnever of an unsubstan tia l and airy, kind . H is style i s influencedtoo m uch perhaps in h is ear lier books by his very wide readingin m any l i teratures , but par ticular ly in Greek, Germ an , I tal ian ,

and English . Besides the novels m ent ioned here, he has pub

lished two books of s tudies and reflec ti ons, vi z . , Under the

Cedars and the S tars , and Parerga also a book of poem s, C i thara

M ea , and a selec ti on of E arly E ssays and Lectures . A newnovelfrom hi s pen

— The Sunetoi— is appear ing ser ial ly in the I r i sh

Rosary

E. TEMPLE THURSTON. H is novels are for the m ost par t a ser iesof studies o r rather pam phlets on the ac tion and influence ofthe Cathol ic Church on hum an nature. H is conc lusions are

usual ly hosti le to that Church . H is wr itings give constan tevidence of m isconception of Cathol ic doc tr ine. Inc identa l lyI r ish types and scenes are intr oduced , and the wr i ter i s fondof comm ents on I r ish l ife and charac ter . M oreover , hi s fir stfour books aim at bruta l rea l ism , o r natura l ism .

- H isrecent book , The C i ty of Beautifu l N onsense, i s a r eac t ion toI dea l ism . Bes ides h is I r ish novels , n oticed bel ow, he has

wr i tten S ally B ishop,The Evolution of Kather i ne, The Reali st,

and other ta les (m ore o r less an ti -Chr istian in tendency) , andM i rage.

ANTHONY TROLLOPE. L ived in I reland , 1 84 1- 1859 , at Banagher

and at Clonm el . Fin ished in I reland h is fi r st two novels ,The M acDermotts and The Kellys and O

’

Kellys

both fai lures with the public . He c laim s to have known the

people and was sym pathetic bu t anti -nationalist.

KATHARINE TYNAN (Mrs . H . A. H inkson) . Born at Dublin, 1861 ,educated at D om in ican Conven t , D rogheda . Has li ved for

m any years past in England . Her stor ies aim at the purelyrom antic . As they are not concerned with the seam y side ofli fe, their atm osphere is alm ost entirely a happy one. They

GENERAL NOTES ON SoME OF THE AUTHORS 203“

are never m orbid , nor depress ing . They do not preach , and

are not of the goody goody typ e. Th e sty le i s pleasan t andchatty with plenty of c olour , often fu l l of the poet ’ 3 vivid senseim pressi ons . The tone is thor oughly Cathol ic , the sentim en tI r ish . Mr s . H inkson i s a very prolific wr i ter . Besides the

novels m ent ioned , and severa l volum es of poem s which we hopeto notice later , she has wr i t ten severa l n ovels which are not

c oncerned with I reland , e .g. , A Red Red Rose, The Lu ck of theF ai rfaxes , D i ck Pentreath ,

F or M ai sie, M ary Gray , etc . In

choice of subj ec t she i s par tial to the broken -down gen try, andto the Q uakers .

ADDENDA

DAMANT (Mary) . Peggy . p p . 405. (Al len )1887.

D omestic li fe in Nor th Antr im previ ous to , and du r ing , the

Rebel l ion . Many of the fac ts of m y l i ttle ta le were toldm e in chi ldhood by those whose recollec ti on of the r isingwas rendered vi vid by desolate hom es , loss of relations , etc .

E schews histor ica l o r pol i tica l ques ti ons . Favourable to poor deluded peasan ts . Thinks l i ttle of Un i tedI r ishm en who are im bued wi th the poison of revolut ionary

pr inc ip les .

" W el l and pleasant ly wr i tten in autobiographica lorm .

WARD (Mrs ) Waves on the Ocean ofLifea Dalr iad ian Tale. pp . 322 . (Sim pkin . ) 1 869 .

D om estic l i fe, wi th gl im pses of rel igious and pol i tica l s tr i fe,

in U lster , c l ose of eighteen th cen tury . Scene : Lough Erneand Antr im . D oes no t disparage the ’

98 insurgents.

CURTIS (Robert ) . Rory of the Hi l ls . pp .

356. post 8vo . (Duffy ) 23 . [1 870] ; sti ll in pr int .A fa i thfu l and sym pathetic pic ture of the peasan t l i fe and

m anners at the tim e (ear ly n ineteenth century) . The author ,

a pol ice officer , has drawn on his profess ional exper iences .

The ta le, founded on fac t , is an edifying one despi te the

unrel ieved vi l lainy of Tom M urdock . The influence ofrel i gi on i s fel t throughou t , espec ia l ly in the heroic char i tyo f the her oine even towards the m urderer of h er l over .

Peasan t speech repr oduced to the l ife.

c . 1650-80 ANON . The Robber Chieftain . pp . 342 .

post 8vo . (Duffy ) 23 . st i ll in p r int .S cene chiefly D ubl in Castle. Cromwel l ian cruel ties underLudlow depic ted , and ear ly years of Restorati on . Th e

Robber Chieftain i s Redm ond O’

Hanlon ,the Rapparee.

The Ven . O l iver Plunket is a lso one of the characters . Som e

inc iden ts suggest Catholic standpoint , bu t in places the

book reads l ike a non-Catholic (though no t an ti -Cathol ic )trac t . The her o and heroine are Protestan t . Ful l of sensati onal inc iden ts , duels , waylayings by robber bands , policec our t scenes, tavern brawls . A lso m any repu lsi ve scenes ofdrunkenness am ong the native I r ish , and of m urder , wildvengeance, and vi l la iny of all k inds. Hardly sui table foryoung people.

206 IRISH FICTION

DOWNEY (Edm und) . The Merchant of

Killogue. p p . 369. (Downey .) Newcd .,1895.

A detai led p ic tu re of l ife , soc ia l and pol it ica l , in an I r ishprovinc ia l town. The au thor ’s v iews are large and tolerantunspoi led by par t isan bias. The pic tu re i s fa ithfu l w ithou ts train ing after effec t. The elec t ion in c iden ts are par t icu lar lywel l done, told w ith m uch hum ou r. The author '

s touch isno less su re in desc r ib ing scenes of pathos. The cen tralcharac ter of the book is a carefu l and power fu l s tudy. The

M erchant of K i llogue places M r. Downey in the l ine of su cc ess ion to Ca r leton and Ban im , and m u st l ive when h is

pleasan t drol ler ies are forgotten (Reade) .N .B.

—Th e note on th is m ost im por tan t novel was acc iden ta l ly m is la id , and the om iss ion not d iscovered t il l the restof th is book was pr inted.

APPEND IX

NOTES on some col lect i ons of Ir ish li terature,ser ies of

Ir ish novels,and other helps to the study of Ir ish

F ic ti on.

IRISH LITERATURE. 10 Vols . 4126 pp . , exc lus ive of

introductory essays , averaging over 20 pp .

Or iginal ly publ ished by John D . Morr is Co. Afterwards takenover by the D e Bower E l l i o t Co Chicago , and brought ou t in 1 904 .

Edited by Jus tin M ‘car thy , M .P. , wi th the help of an advisory

comm i ttee, inc luding S tephen Gwynn , M .P., Lady Gregory , S tandishO

’

Grady , D . J . O’

D onoghue, D ouglas H yde, LL .D J . E . Redm ond ,M .P G . W . Russel l A . E . J . J . Roche, LL .D . , of the BostonPi lot, Pr of . W . P. Tren t , of Colum bia Uni vers ity, Prof . F . N .

Robinson , of H arvard , H . S . Pancoast, and W . P. Ryan ; wi thChar les W elsh as Managing Edi tor .

S cope and Object To gi ve a c om prehensi ve, i f rapid , vi ew of thewhole developm en t o f I r ish L i terature from i ts ear li est days . In

the words of the Edi tor i t is an i l lustra ted c ata log of I reland ’ sl i terary con tr ibu tions to m anki nd ’ s in tel lec tua l stor e.

”

The Choice of Extracts i s determin ed by two canons : li teraryvalue and hum an in terest . Th e L ibrary gives exam ples of all

that i s best , br ightest , m ost attrac ti ve, readable, and am using , in

the wr i tings of I r ish authors . There i s no dry-as -dust . The ex

trac ts com prise m ythology , legend , folk—lore, poem s, songs , stfeetbal lads , essays , oratory , hi story, sc ience, m em oir s , fic ti on , travel ,dram a , wi t and hum our . The vast m aj or i ty are chosen as beingspec ia l ly expressi ve of I r ish na ti onali ty . Choice i s m ade both fr omthe Gaeli c and the Anglo -I r ish l i teratures , but the anc ien t Gaelicl i terature i s given solely in trans la ti on . A volum e (the ten th ) i sgiven to m odern Gaelic li terature, the I r ish text and Engl ish translati on being given on opposi te pages . This volum e also con tainsbr ief biographi es of anc ien t Gael ic author s . The extrac ts are

never shor t and scrappy , bu t near ly always c om plete in them selves .

Other Speci al F eatu res Thr ee hundr ed and fif ty I r ish au thors are

represen ted by extrac ts . Of these one hundred and twen ty are

c on tem porar ies , the great m odern in tel lec tua l revival being thusvery fu l ly represen ted .

The extrac ts are given under the nam e of the authors , and thesenam es are arranged a lphabetica lly, beginn ing in Vol . i . with Mr s .

Alexander , and ending wi th W . B . Yea ts in Vol . ix .

To the extrac ts from each author there i s prefixed a biographi ca lnotice,

inc luding , in m any cases , a li terary apprec iati on by a com

peten t author i ty, and a fa ir ly ful l bibli ography .

Each volume contains an artic le, by a dis tinguished wr i ter , on

208 IRISH FICTION

som e spec ia l depar tm ent of I r ish literatu re. Thus , the Edi tor - in

Chief gives a general su rvey of the whole subjec t . \V. B . Yeatswr i tes on I r ish Poetry , D ouglas Hyde on Ea r ly I r ish L i teratu re

,

D r . S igerson O II I reland 's I nfluence on Eu ropean L i teratu re,Maur ice

Franc is Egan on I r ish N ovels , Char les W elsh on Fa iry and FolkTales , J . F . Taylor , K.C .

, on I r ish Oratory , S tephen Gwynn on

the I r ish Theatre,etc .

I ndex of author s , books quoted from , ti tles and subjec ts dea l twi th —exceptiona l ly ful l and va luable (over 80Publi sher

’

s work 1 . I l lustrations ,over 100 (severa l in colou r ) ,

consisting of facsim i les of anc ien t I r ish MSS ., and of anc ient pr in tsand street -bal lads , por trai ts of I r ish authors , views of places , objec ts ,scenery and inc iden ts of I r ish interes t .

2 . Letterpress— large and c lear type.

3 . Binding— c l oth . and hal f -m orocc o .

4 . Pr ice— has var ied a good deal S ince first publicati on .

THE CABINET OF IRISH LITERATURE . 4 Vols .

Super royal 8v0 . pp . 31 1 +324+346 369 . (GreshamPublishing Co . ) 83 . 6d . each . I llustrat ions in blackand white by J . H . BACON

,C . M . SHELDON

,W . RAINEY

,

etc .,and portrai ts . 1 903 .

E d i tors Or igina l ly planned by C . A. Reade, who c ol lec tedm atter fo r th e firs t three volum es of the or igina l edition . Com

p leted and edi ted by T . P. O’

Conno r , M .P. New edition br oughtou t by M rs . Kathar ine Tynan H inkson .

N ew ed i ti on The or iginal edi tion ( 1879) was publ ished byBlackie. The new ed ition c ontains abou t the sam e quan ti ty ofm a tter , but large por ti ons of the or i gina l edition have been om i ttedto m ake room fo r newm atter , which occupies the whole of the four thvolum e, and a large par t of the th ird . A new In troduc tion (pp . xi .xxxiv .) has been prefixed . I t i s a genera l survey of I r ish li terature.

t S cope, arrangement, etc . The author s are ar ranged chronologica l ly .

There i s fir st a sketch (fu l l and carefu lly done) of each author '

s

l i fe and works ; then fol low extrac ts , as a rule very shor t , fr om h is

works . The pr inc iple of selec tion i s to give such extrac ts as wou ldbest i l lustrate the au thor ’s style, to avoid anything hackneyedand anything that would offend the taste of any c lass o r creed .

In the or igina l edition there was , perhaps inevitably , l i ttle ofI r ish I reland , sti l l less of Gael ic I reland . That h as been to a cer tainexten t rem edied in the new edition . But the old edition had the

advantage of con tain ing a m ass of inform ati on about l ittle kn ownwr i ters and of extrac ts from cur ious and r are books .

BAKER (ERNEST A M.A.) History in F ict ion . 2

Vo ls . 1 6m o . p p . (Routledge ) 2 3 . 6d .

each . n .d .

A kind of dic tionary of histor ical rom ance from the ear l iestsagas to the latest histor ical novel ” Aim s to inc lude every

Q I O IRISH FICTION

SEALY, BRYERS WALKER’

S SIXPENNY LIBRARY

OF FICTION.

OWEN DONOVAN, FENIAN. By GRAVES O’

MARA . A Ta leof th e '

67 R i s ing .

CAPTAINHARRY. By J . H . LEPPER . A Ta le of the Roya l i stW ar s .

A SOWER OF THE WIND. By CAH IR H EALY . A Ta le ofthe Land League.

OLAF THE DANE. By JOHN D ENV IR . A S tory of D onegal .THE GAELS OF MOONDHARRIG. By R EV . J . DOLLARD .

A Ta le of the Fam ous Ki lkenny Hur ler s .

FRANK MAXWELL. By J . H . LePPER . A Royal ist Ta le of164 1 .

PAUL FARQUHAR ’S LEGACY. By J . G . ROW E . A Thr i l l ingTa le of M in ing L i fe in South Afr ica .

ONLY A LASS. By RUBY M . D UGGAN . A Ta le of G ir l Schooll ife.

THE STRIKE. By T . J . ROON EY . A Ta le of the D ubl inL iber ties .

BULLY HAYES, BLACKBIRDER. By J . G . ROW E . AnAdventure Ta le of the South Seas .

THE ENCHANTED PORTAL. By M ARY LOW RY . A Ta le ofthe G ian t ’ s Causeway .

STORMY HALL. By M . L .~THOM PSON . A Th r i l l ing Ta le of

Adventure.

TOLD IN THE TWILIGHT. By ROBERT CROM IE . A Rom ance

of the N orwegian Fj ords .

BY THE STREAM OF KILLMEEN. By S EAMAS O’KELLY .

Exquis i te Sketches of I r ish Li fe.

THE MACHINATIONS OF CISSY. By M Rs . PI ERRE PATT IS ON .

A Ta le of a S ister ’

s Jea l ousy .

WHEN STRONGWILLS CLASH. By ANN IE COLLI NS . A Taleof Love and Pr ide.

THE HUMOURS OF ABLUE DEVIL IN THE ISLE OF SAINTS.By ALAN W ARREN ER . A Ta le of the Love E scapades ofa cer ta in Captain .

THE HONOUR OF THE DESBOROUGHS. By R I TA R I CHMON D .

Concerns the Love A ffairs of H onor D esbor ough , and a

fight fo r an E state.

THE LUCK OF THE KAVANAGHS. By C . J . HAM ILTON .

Relates the extraordinary Adventures of an Em igran tI r ish Boy .

THE DOCTOR ’S LOCUM-TENENS. By L Ize C . READ.

APPEND IX Q I I

LADY GREVILLE’

S ERROR. By M RS . W ATT .

SWEET NELLIE O’

FLAHERTY. By T . A . BR EW S TER .

NOTE .—MeSSI

‘

S . Sea ly , Bryers W a lker “

are, so far as I am

aware, the on ly I r i sh Firm tha t has attem pted a very cheap ser iesof or iginal I r ish fic tion . I think their venture wor thy of all

suppor t . These books can hard ly b e considered fi rst -c lass fic ti on ;

but they are c lean and heal thy , free from m orbid pr oblem s

m os t of them wel l wr itten ; m any of them deal with histor ica lthem es ; a lm ost all have that elem en t of sensati on and m el odram a

necessary to render them popular .

DOWNEY CO.

’

S IRISH NOVELISTS’

LIBRARY.

EDMUND DOWNEY,General Editor . Biogr aphical

Sketch prefixed to each volum e,and portrai t of author .

Pr ice, 2 8 . 6d . , c lo th .

INCLUDED :

O’

DONNEL. By LADY MORGAN . Biography by Mrs . CashelH oey .

ORMOND. By MAR IA E DGEW ORTH . Biography by M rs .

Cashel H oey .

FARDOROUGHATHE MISER. By W . CARLETON . Biographyby D . J . O ’

D onoghue.

THE EPICUREAN. By THOMAS MOORE . Biography byE . D owney .

RORY O’MORE. By SAMUEL LOVER . B iography by Mrs .

Cashel H oey .

THE COLLEGIANS. By GERALD GRI FFIN . Biography byE . D own ey .

THE O’DONOGHUE. By CHARLES L EVER . B iography by

E . D owney .

TORLOGH O’BRIEN. By J . SHER IDAN LE PANU . Biographyby E . D own ey .

Downey Co . issued ( 1902 ) paper - c overed , wel l pr inted , on

good paper , a S ixpenny L ibrary of N ovels , m any of whi ch were byI r ish author s such as Lever , Ban im , Lady M organ , Lover , and

Car leton . I r ish novels were inc luded in severa l ot her ser ies published by thi s Firm whi ch , unhappi ly, no l onger exists .

THE IONA SERIES. A. new ven ture of the Ir ish CatholicTruth Soc iety . Cons ists of r6m 0 volum es , pretti lybound in c loth , with fron tisp iece. Pr ice 1 3 .

ALREADY APPEARED

THE COMI NG OF THE KING. By A. SYNAN .

HIAWATHA’S BLACK-ROBE. By E . LEAHY .

21 2 IRISH FICTION

PEGGY THE MILLIONAIRE. By MARY COS TELLO .

EARL OR CHIEFTAIN" (Tim e of Hugh O'

Neill.) ByPATR I C IA D ILLON .

THE GOLDEN LAD. By M O LLY MALON E .

THE MAKING OF J IM O’NEILL. A S tory of Sem inary Li fe.

By M . J . F.

ANNOUNCEDTHE EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS. By JOHN C . J OY , S .J .

A GROUPOF NATION BUILDERS. By R EV . P. M‘

SW EENEY .

ST. MALACHI AND HIS WORK. By R EV . G . O’

N E ILL , S .J .

A DEFENDER OF THE RIGHT. By E ILEEN CON CANNON .

THE CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY of Ireland has

upwards of 100 num bers in its Ser ies of Penny Tales .

Mo st of these are excellent both in m atter and in

l iterary s tyle. A few are no t qu ite up to the m ark .

Near ly all are I r ish in subj ect .

DUFFY’S POPULAR LITERATURE. Messrs . Duffy

publ ish and keep in p r int very cheap editions of the

standard Ir ish novel ists .

( I ) The fol lowing by Car leton The Black Baronet, The E vi l Eye,Valentine M

‘

C lutchey , W i lly Rei lly, Art M agu i re,Paddy

—go

-E asy ,

The Poor S cholar , Tr ai ts and S tor ies ( rs .) The Red Well, Rody the

Rover , Redm ond Coun t O’

Hanlon . (2 ) All Gr iffin ’

s works , at 25 .

each . (3) All Kickh am’

s novels . (4) Banim’

s Boyne W ater and

The C rappy, at 2 3 . 6d . each . (5) M any stor ies by Lever , Mgr .

O’

Br ien, M rs . Sadlier , etc n oticed in the body of thi s work .

Besides these Messrs . D uffy issue seven o r eight ser ies of popularfic t i on . The volum es of these ser ies are neatly , in m any cases

tastefu l ly , bound , and very cheap . Many , however , are oldfashioned in tum —out , and pr in ted from old foun ts. The m a j or i tyof th e s tor ies are m ora l and r el igious in tendency , bu t by n o m eans

all. The l i terary s tandard in som e is no t very high , but in m anyi t is good . Of Pr i ze L ibrary , Ser ies I . (42 ti tles) , M rs . Sad lier

’

s

D aughter of Tyrconnell i s an exam ple ; of I I . (20 ti tles) th e sam e

author ’

s W i lly Burke ; of I I I . (24 t itles) , Cu r tis ’s Rory of the H i lls ,and Anon . The Robber Ch iefta in . Ser ies IV . h as 16 ti tles 25 . 6d .

each ; V . , 1 5 ti tles , at 35 . V I ., 9 ti tles at 35 . 6d . There 13 a lso a.

Popular L ibrary at 6d for the insttucti on

J uveni le L ibrary, with 24 stor ies , at 1 d . each .

214 IRISH

PAGEBARDAN (PATRI CK) .The Dead W atchers

BARLow (JANE) .nera l Note

o llections of S tor ies : I r ishIdylls , etc . 90

-

9 2

Ker r igan'

s Q ual i ty 9 2

The Founding of Fortunes 9 2

I r ish W ays 9 2

BARRON (PERCY) .The Hate—F lam e

BARRY (W ILLIAM) .The W i zard ’s Knot

BAYLEY (AD A E LLEN ) . - See“ Lyal l .

BAYNE (MARIE ) .Fairy S tor ies from Er in ’

s

I sleBEN NE TT (LOU IE ) .Proving of Pr isc i l la 1 25A Pr isoner of h is W ord 3 1

B I RM I NGHAM (G . A .)Genera l NoteSpanish GoldThe Bad Tim es

The Nor thern I ronHyac inthThe Seething Po tBenedic t KavanaghThe Search Par tyBLA CK (W I LLIAM ) .Shandon Bel ls

BLACKBURNE (E . O .)— SeeCasey ”

BLAKE -FORS TER (C . F.)The I r ish ChieftainsLegends of the Peasantryof Clare and Galway 1 57

BLAYNEY (OW EN ) .The MacMah on

BLESS INGTON (LADY) .The Repea lers ; o r , GraceCass idy

B LUNDELL (MRS — See

Franc is (M . E .)BODK IN (M . M

‘

D ONN ELL) .Lord Edward Fitzgeral d 26

The Rebels 2 7Shi l lelagh and Sham rock 57Pat 0

’

N ine Ta i ls 1 30

Patsy the Om adhaun 1 3 1

FICTION

PAGE

CABINET of I rish L iterature 208

BO DK I N (M . M ‘D .)— con.

Poteen PunchI n the Days of Goldsm i th 25True M an and Trai tor 35BOY CE (REV . J OHN ) .Genera l NoteThe Spaewi feM ary LeeShand y Magui reBOYLE (W I LL IAM) .A Kish of Brogues

BOYSE (E . C .)That Most D is tressfu lCoun try

BRERE TON (F . S .)In the Ki ng 's ServiceBREW (M IS S ) .Ch ron ic les of CastleCloyne 8 1

The Bu r tons of Dunroe 1 89BROW N (J . P.)TheMacLaugh lins o f ClanOwen

BRU EY RE (L .)Con tes Popu laires de la

Grande BretagneBU CHAN AN (ROBER T) .Father An thony

BU CKLEY (W . )Cam bia Car tyCroppies Lie D own

BULLO CK (SHAN F .)Genera l NoteThe CubsBy Th rasna R i verThe Red LeaguersTa les and Sketches ofN or thern Peasant L i fe 97-8

BuRRow (C . R .)Pa tr ic ia of the H i l lsBUTLER (M IS S M ARY E .)Bundle of RushesThe R ing of D ayBUTT (I S AA C ) .Th e Gap of Barnesm ore 1 9

“

B UX’

I‘

ON (E . M . W .)Old Cel tic Tales Re-told 151

INDEX 215

PAGE PAGECALDW E LLA L i ttle I r ish G ir l 1 89 , 193CAMPBELL (J . F .)Popu lar Tales o f theW es tH ighlands

CAMPBE LL (J . G .)3

The Fians

CAMPBE LL (F .)Love th e Atonem en tCAMPI ON (DR .)M ichael DwyerCAN N I N G (ALBER T S .)Bald earg O

'

D onnell

CARBERY (ETHNA) .In the Cel tic Past 151

The Pass ionate Hear ts 94CAR LE TON (W I LLI AM) .r’Traits and S tor ies , etc . 54W

' i l ly Rei l ly 1 8 1

The Black Bar onet 59addy -

go-Easy 56 100

he Blac k Pr ophet 51

Art M aguire . 64

VFard o rough a the M iser 56

Th e Em igran ts of Ah adarr aVa len tine M cClutchyThe Poor S cholarR ory the R overTh e Red -ha ired Man

’

s

W i feJane S inc la irRedm ond O ’

Hanlon

The Tithe Pr octorSquander s of CastleSquander

Anne CosgraveThe Evi l EyeCARM I CHAE L (A.)D eirdreCAS EY (E . O . B .)Genera l N oteBunch o f Sham rocksCAS S I DY (P. S .)Glenveagh

CHUR CH (S . H .)J ohn M arm adukeCLARKE (MRS . C . M .)S tr ong as D eathCO LLI NS (W I LLIAM) . D AMAN T (MARY) .Dalaradi a Peggy

COLTHURS T (B )Genera l N oteCONYN GHAM (D . P.)Th e O

’

D onnells o f G lenCottage

Th e O’

M ah onyCONYE RS (D ORO THE A) .N ovels byCOS TE LLO (M ARY) .Peggy the M i l l i onaireCRANE AND BARR .

Th e O’

Rud dyCRAW FORD (MRS )L ism oreCROKER (T . C .)Legends of the LakesFa iry Traditions and

Legends of the S . ofI r eland

CROKER (M RS . T . C .)Barney M ahoneyCROKER (MRS . B . M .)g In th e Kingdom of Ker ry 90

A‘Bird of Passage 1 0 1

J ohanna 1 25N ine D ays ’ W onde 1 03O ther N ovels 1 14CROMARTI E (COUN TES S OF ) .S on s of th e Mi les iansCROM IE (ROBER T) .Th e Shadow of the Cross 10 1

CRO TTIE (J ULI A M .)Nei ghbour sTh e L os t LandCROW E (E . E .)Genera l Note 1 93Yes terday in I relan d , etc . 205

CU N IN GHAM E (R I CHARD) .Br oken Sword of U lster 1 3CUR TI N (JEREMI AH ) .H er o Ta les of I reland 158

Ta les of the Fa ir ies and

of the Ghost W or ld 158

Myths and Folklore ofI reland

CURTI S (R OBERT) .Rory of the H i l ls

2 16 IRIS II FICTION

PAGEDAUN T (W . J . O N .)The Gentlem an in Debt 40

Sa in ts and S inners 62

D E ASE (ALI CE) .The Beckoning of theVVand 86

Acorns 86

O ld -Tim e S tor ies of Er in 151

Good Men of E r in 139D EENEY (D AN I E L) .Peasant Lore fr om Gael icI relandTa les and Supersti t i ons ofConnaught Peasants 16 1

DENNY (MADGE E .)I r ish Town and CountryTa les

DENV IR (JOHN) .O laf the Dane

D'

E SPARBE S (G .)Le Br iseur d e Fer s

D I LLON (PATR I CIA) .Ear l o r Chi efta in

DO LLARD (R EV. J . B )The Gaels of Mo ondh

arr igD ORSEY (MRs .)Genera l N ote

D OYLE (LYNN )Ballygullion 132

D OYLE (M .)Exi led from E r in

DOW LI NG (R I CHARD) .Genera l N ote 1 93Z o zim us Papers 1 3 1

O ld Corcoran ’

s M oney 1 18

The Mystery of Kil lard 63Sweet Inn isfai l 1 1 8

DOW NE (W .)By Sham r ock and Heather 1 79

D OW NEY (EDMUND) .General N otePinches of S al tThe Merchan t o f Ki l logueClashm oreTheL i ttleGreen Man

Sea S tor iesBal lybeg Junc ti on and

other Hum orous Books 1 29 ,

130

PAGED UFF-GORDON (LADY ) .S tel la and Vanessa

D UGC AN (R .)On ly a Lass

D UNBAR (ALDI S) .S ons 0

’ Corm ac

D UNNE (F. P.)The D o o lev Books 1 3 1

EBLANA (M I SS T . JROONEY) .

The S tr i keE i ly O ’

Hartigan

The Last M onarch ofTara

E CCLE S (CHARLO TTE O’

C .)Al iens o f the W es t

EDGE ( J . K.)The Q uicksands o fL i fe

An I r ish U topiaEDGEW ORTH (M AR IA) .

feneral NoteCastle Rackren tO rm ondEnnuiThe Absen tee

E DW ARDES (M ART IN ) .The L i ttle Black Devi l 1 90

EGAN (M . F .)The Success of Patr ickDesm ond

E LI ZABE TH (CHARLO TTE ) .The R o ck ite

D erryE LR I NGTON (H .)R a lph W ynward

E S LER (ERM I NDA) .Genera l N o tc

A M aid of the Manse

The W ardlaws

FABER (CHRIS T I NE ) .Car rol l O '

D onoghue

FALY (CORMAC O’

C .)N inety -EightFARADAY (W I N I FRE D) .The Ca ttle Raid ofCuaflnge

2 1 8

PAGEHA LL (MRS . C .

General NoteS ketches o f I r ish Char

ac ter 50

The W hiteboyS tor ies of the I r ishPeasan try

L i ghts and Shadows ofI r ish L i fe

H ALL (E .)The Barrys of Beigh

HALP I NE (C . G . )Genera l Note 1 95The Patr i ot Brothers 1 90

M ountcashel’

s Br igade 2 3HAM I LTON (EDW I N ) .Genera l N ote

H AM I LTON (M .)Genera l N ote 105Across an U lster Bog 98

On an U lster Farm 105Beyond th e Boundary 98

HANN IGAN (D . F . )Luttrel l ’s Doom

H ANNON ( JOHN ) .The Kings and the Cats 166

HARTLAN D (E . S .)Folk- l ore

HARVEY (W .)I r ish L i fe and H um our 1 27

HEALY (CAH IR) .A S ower of the W indHE BLON .

S tudies in Blue 1 3 1

H EN TY (G . A .)O range and Green

In th e I r ish Br i gadeH I CKEY (REV . P.)Inn is fa i l 1 24

H I NKS ON (H . A .)Golden Lad s and G ir ls 1 1 1

The Splend id Kn i ght 1 7 1

W hen Love i s Kind 1 04Fa ther Alphonsus 1 2 1

S i l k and S teel 1 4Fan Fitzgerald 1 07O

’

Grad y of Tr in i ty 8 1

Up fo r the Green 33The King ’s Depu ty 25S i r Phelim

’

s Tr easu re 1 7 1

The W ine o f Love 107

IRISH FICTION

PAGEH I NKS ON (H . A .)— con .

The Poin t of H onou rGolden M orn

HO BHOUS E (V I OLET) .An Unknown Q uanti ty

W arp and \Vei tHOEY (MRS . CASHEL) .Genera l Note

HOLLAN D (D .)D onald D un O

’

Byrne

U lick O ’

D onnell

HO PK I NS (TIGHE ) .The N ugen ts of Car i

conna 76, 1 02

VHOPPER (NORAH) .Ba l lads i n Prose

H UDSON (FRANK) .General N oteThe O r igin ofpudding

H ULL (ELEANOR) .Cu chu llin Saga in I r ish

Plum.

L i terature .

Cuchu lain , The H ound ofU lster

H UMPHREYS (M Rs .)— SeeR i ta .

H UNGERFORD (MRS )N ora Creina .

The O’Connors of Ba l ly

nahi nch

M ol ly BawnH YDE (DOUGLAS ) .Bes ide the FireS séALAIDe S aeoeALAC

I ONA Ser iesI r ish L i teratu reIRW I N (MADGE ) .The D iam ond M ountain 168

JACOB (J .) BATTEN (J . D . )Cel tic Fairy Ta les

J E sso p (G . H .)The Em ergency Men

s/J OY C E ( .P W .)Old Cel tic Rom ances

INDEX 219

PAGE PAGEJOYCE (R . D .) KRANS (HORATI O S .)Legends of the W ars in I r ish L i fe in I r ish Ficti on 209I reland

I r ish Fireside Tales

KAVANAGH (REV . M .)Shem us Dhu

KEARY (M I S S ) .Cast le D a lyKEEGAN (JOHN ) .Legends and Poem s

KE IGH TLEY (S . R .)Genera l N ote 1 96

The Cr im son S ign 19The Pi kem en 30

The LastR ecrui t of Clare’5 2 4KE LLY (P. B .)The Man or of G lenm ore 59KE LLY (W . P.)S choolboys ThreeKEN EDY (Publ . )I r ish Fires i de S tor ies . etc . 1 61

KE NNE DY (KEVIN ) .S ee Ryan (W . P.)

KENNE DY (PATRI CK) .General N oteBook of M odern I r ishAnecdotes 1 27Folk lore 1 55

- 6

Legends ofM ountLein ster I 36

Th e Banks of th e Boro 52

Even ings in th e D ufi rey . 52

KEN N Y (LOU IS E ) .The Red haired W om an 78

KEN NY (M . L .)The For tunes of Mau r i ceCr on in

I’ I CKHAM (CHARLE S J .)General N oteF o r the Old LandKn o cknagowSa l ly Cavanagh

KING (R . ASHE ) .Genera l NoteThe W ear ing of the

Green

KI NGS TON (W . H . G .)Peter the W haler

KNOW LE S (R . B . SHERI DAN ) .Glencoonoge

LAFFAN (M ARY) , (MRS .

H ARTLE Y) .l i tters and Tatters and

th e Coun sel l orI sm ay ’ s Chi ldrenH ogan , M .P.

Chr isty CarewLAN E (E . M .)Ka tr ine

LANGBRI DGE (F .)M ack th e M iserCal l in g o f the W eir

LANGBRI DGE (ROS AMUN D) .Im per ia l Ri chenda 103Th e S tars Beyond 107The Flam e and the Flood 102

Am bush of Y oung Days 103The Third Exper im en t 1 1 8

LARM IN IE (W I LLI AM) .W es t I r ish Folk-Ta les

and R om ances

LAW LES S (HON . EM I LY) .Genera l N ote 1 97The Book of G i l ly 89Gran ia 92

Trai ts and Confidences 1 37aelch o 10

H u rri sh 79W i th E ssex in I reland “

1 3LE AHY (A. H .)Anc ien t H er oic R om ances

of I reland 1 49Th e Cour tshi p of Ferh 1 49

LEAMY (E DMU ND) .I r ish Fa iry Ta lesThe Fairy M instrel ofGlenm alu re

By the Barr ow Ri verLEE (A. )Gen tlem an

’

s W i feLE PAN U (J . SHERI DAN ) .Genera l N oteThe For tunes of Col .To rlogh O

’

Br ien 20

Cock and An chor 23Unc le S i las 1 82

H ouse by Churchyard 76 , 1 82

In a G lass Darkly 182

IRISH

PAGELE PPER (J . H .)Captain HarryFrank Maxwel l

LEVER (CHARLES ) .Genera l NoteR oland CashelH arr y Lo rrequerLu ttrel l o f AranTony Butler

ko rd Ki lgo b b inhar les O ’

Mallev

Jack H intonTom Bur ke of Ou rsAr thu r O ’

Leary

The For tunes of G lenc ore 53

The Kn igh t of Gwynne 4 7The O

'

D onoh o e 2 7Mar tins o f C r o '

M ar tin 58

S t. Patr ick ’s Eve 62

The D al tons 68

A D ay ’ s R ide 1 28

D odd Fam i ly Abr oad 18 1

Mau r ice Tierney 2 7S ir Jasper Carew 45Davenpor t D unn 53Barr ington 52

One of Them 6 1

Con Cr egan 1 8 1

Gera l d Fitzgera l d 45S ir Brooke Fo sb roo ke 52

The B ram lei gh s ofBishop ’ s Fol ly

LEW I S (MRS .) —See Sm i th(Agnes) .

L I PS E TT (CALDW E LL) .W here the At lan tic Meetsthe Land

LOVER (SAM UE L) .Genera l Note 1 97“The S tor ies of, 1 28 , 1 35, 162

Treasure Trove 2 4Rory O ’

M o o re 32

Handy Andy 1 28

LOW RY (M . )The Enchanted Por ta l 1 83

LYALL (E .)D oreen 106

LYTTLE (W . G .)Genera l N oteBetsy Gray

FICTION

LYTTLE (W . G .)—co n .

The Sm ugglers of S trangford Lough

Robin ’

s ReadingsLYSAGHT (S . R . )Her Ma j esty ’

s Rebels

M ACHRAY (RO BERT)Grace O

’

MalleyMAGE N NI S (PE TER) .Tul ly CastleThe R ibbon In form er

M AG I NN ( J . D .)Fitzgera ld the Fen ian

M AG I N N (W ILLIAM)M iscel lan ies

M ALON E (M OLLY) .Th e Golden Lad

M AN I FO LD -CRAIG (R . )The W eird of the S i l kenThom as

M ARSH (M RS )Nevi lles o i Gar retstown

MAR T I N (M I S S ) .Canvassing

MASON (A . E . W .)Clem en tina

MATHEW (FRAN K) .Genera l N oteW ood o f the Bram blesLove of Com radesThe Span ish W ineAt the R ising of th eM oon

MATURI N (C . R .)General N oteE va

The W i ld I r ish BoyThe M i les ian ChiefW om an , o r Pour etContre

MAXW E LL (W . H .)Genera l NoteThe D ark Lady of D oonaO

'

H ara

Hec tor O ’

Hallo ran

MAYNE (T. E .)The Hear t 0 ’

the PeatMEADE (L . T .)At the Back of theW or ld

MEANY (S . J .)The Terry Alt

7

O

bi

t-"N

O

222 IRISH FICTION

PAGE PAGEM

‘

DONNELL (RANDAL) . M ‘NULTY (EDW ARD)— con .

My Sword fo r Pa tr ick Mr s . M ul li gan ’

s Mi l li ons . 1 1 8Sar sfield M i sther O

’

Ryan 1 2 1

Kathleen Mavou reen M‘SPARRAN (ARCH IBALD) .

W hen Cromwel l cam e to M cD onnell and the No rDrogheda m an de Borgos

M‘DOUGALL (REV . J .)Folk and Hero Tales

M‘HENRY (J .)Genera l N ote .

Th e Insurgent ChiefHear ts of S teel

M‘

I LROY (ARCH I BALD) .N or thern Sketches and

S tudiesM

‘INNES (R EV . D . )Folk and Hero Tales

M‘INTOSH (SOPH IE ) .General Note

M‘KEON ( J . F .)O rm ond I dyl ls

M‘

LEAN (A. J .)Em an M ore

MACLEOD (FIONA) .The W inged Destiny 151

The Laughter of Peterkin 151

O ther W or ks and GeneralNote

MACL I NTO CK (L ET IT I A) .Genera l Note

MAGMAHON (E LLA) .Fancy O ’

Br ien

MACM ANUS (M IS S L .)Genera l NoteIn Sarsfield

’

s DaysNessa

La ll y of the Br igadeThe W agerNua laThe S i lk of the Kine

MA CMAN US (SEAMUS ) .D onegal Sketches and

Ta lesD onega l Fai ry S tori esA Lad of the O ’Fr ielsH um orous S ketches

MAONAM ARA (LEW I S ) .Blind Larry

M‘NU LTY (EDW ARD) 161

Son of a Peasan tMaureen

NEVI LLE (E . O’

REILLY) .Father Tom of Co nnem ara

NEV I LLE (R .)L l oyd Pennant

N EW COMEN (G .)A Lef t -handed Swordsm an .

0'BRI EN (CHARLOTTE GRACE)L i ght and Shade

O’BRIEN (MRS . W .)R osette

O’BRIEN (W I LLIAM) .A Q ueen of Men

W hen W e W ere BoysO

’BRIEN (M ONS IGNOR ) .The D

’

Altons of CragAi ley M ooreJack Hazlitt

O’BRI EN (HON . GEORGINA) .The Hear t of the Peasan t

and other S tor iesO

’BYRNE (M . L .)The Pa le and the SeptsA r t M a c M u r r o u g hO

’

KavanaghI ll-won PeeragesLei x li p CastleLord R oche’ s Daughterof Ferm oyCour t of Rath Croghan

.

O’BYRNE (W . LORCAN) .Chi ldren of KingsThe Falcon KingKings and Vi kingsA Land of HeroesKnight of the Cave

O’CONNOR (BARRY) .Turf-nrc S tor i es

O’

DONN EL'L (L .)St. Patrick ’

s Cathedral

I O

73

68

68

62

16

6

38

INDEX 223

PAGE PAGEO

’DONOGHUE (D . J .)The H um our of I reland 1 26

O’

D ONOVAN (M I CHAEL) .M r . M u ldoon 1 33

O’

GRADY (STANDI SH) .v og of Star s 9U lr i ck the R eady 1 3Fli ght of th e Eagle 1 2

The Gates of th e N or th 150

he Com in g of Cuchulainn

Finn and hi s Com pan

I onsTh e Chain of GoldL ost on Dhu Co r r igIn the W ake of Kin gJam es

’

GRADY (S TAN DI S H H AYES )t S i lva Gadeli ca

O’

H AN LON (CAN ON) .I r ish Folk- l oreLocal Legends

O’

H IGGINS (BR I AN ) .G lim pses of G len -na

m ona '

By a H ear th in E r innO

’KEE FFE (C . M . )The Kni ghts of the Pa le 38

O’KELLY (SEAM US ) .By th e S tream of Ki l lm een

O’

KENNEDY (FATHER) .Cottage L ife in I reland 88

O’

M AH ONY (NORA TYN AN )Una ’

s En terpr iseO

’

M EARAThe Batt le of Conn em ara 65

O’

M E ARA (GRAVE S ) .O wen D on ovan , Fenian 75

O’

MULLAN E (M .)Finn M cC o o le

O’

NE I LL (MOIRA ) .Elf-Err an t

O’

NE I LL (JOHN ) . 1 04Handerahan

O’

RYAN (J . E .)I n Re Gar land

O’

SHEA ( J .)Feli x O ’

F lannagan 177

ORPEN (MRS .)Corr ageen

PE CK (M RS )E dm und of E r in

PENDER (MRS . M . T .)Green Cockade 2 8

Last of the I r ish Chiefs 1 4PEPP ERGR AS S (PAUL) — See

Boyce, Revd . J "PE TRE L (FULMAR ) .Gran ia W ai le

PI CKER I N G (E .)True to the W atchword

POR TER (A. M .)Genera l N ote 20 1

Th e Lake of Ki l larney 1 90

R ose d e Blaquiere 46

POW ER (V . O’

D . )The H eir of Li scarr agh 1 83

PRE S TON (D .)Paddy

R EADE (AMOS )N orah M or iar ty

R EADE (C. A.)

Ai leen Ar oonCabin et of I r ish L i terature

RE ED (TALBO T BAINES) .Ki lgorm an

S ir Lu d ar

RH YS (GRACE ) .Gener al N ote 20 1

Th e W ooing of Shei la 99Th e Pr in ce of Li snover 72Mary D om in ic 99

RHYS (PROE .)Celt ic Folk- lore

R I DDE LL (MRS . J . H .)Genera l N ote 20 1

The Banshee’

s W arni ng 1 36

Berna Boyle 69R I TA .The Sin of JasperS tandish

RO CHE (R . M .)The Chi ldren of the

AbbeyRO L‘LES TON (T.

"

W .

The H i gh Deeds of Finn 148R OON E Y (M I S S T . J .)— See

Eblana .

224 IRISH FICTION

PAGE PAGERORIS ON (E . S . )A Ta s te o f Q ua l i ty

RUS S ELL (T . O’

N .)True Hear t ’ s Tr ia lsD ick Massey

RYAN (W . P.)The Hear t of Tipperary 78

S tar l i ght through the

R oof

SADLI ER (MRS . JAM ES ) .Genera l N oteCon O

’

ReganThe Daughter of Tyr

connel l I 4 , 205The Fate of Fa therSheehy 25

Herm i t o f the Rock 70

Con federate Chieftains 1 5Blakes and Flanagans 1 77Maureen Dhu 64The Heiress of Ki llorgan 7M

‘Car thy M or 1 2

Old H ouse by the Boyne 60

W i l ly Burke 1 77New L i ghts 65Bessy Conway 1 77

S AVAGE (M ARM ION ) .The Fa lcon Fam i ly

S AVI LE (H .)M icky M ooney, M .P.

S COTT (W ALTER , publ . by ) .I r ish Fairy and FolkTa les

S COTT (FLOREN CE ) and

HODGE (ALMA) .The Round Tower

SHAR P (W .)— See MacLeod ,

Fiona .

”

SHEEHAN (CANON P. A.)Genera l Note 20 1

Blindness of Dr . Gray 1 23Luke Delm ege 1 22

Glenanaar 58

L isheen 107Geoffrey Austin , S tudent 84My New Curate 1 22

The Tr ium ph of Fa i lure 84The Spoi led Pr iest and

other Stor ies 123

SHERLO CK (J .)The Mad Lord of D rumkeel

S IGERSON (HES TER) .A Ruined Race

S IM E (W I LLIAM ) .The Red Route

S IMPSON (J . H .)Poem s of O is in

S KELLY (R EV . A .)Cuchu lain of Mu irthem ne

SM I TH (AGNES ) .The Br ides of Ardm ore

SMYTH (P. J .)The W i ld R ose ofG i l l

King and VikingsSOM ERV I LLE (E . (E .

R os s (M ARTI N) .Genera l NoteS om e Exper iences

Lough

and

of an

I r ish R .M . and SequelS om e I r ish YesterdaysThe S i lver FoxThe Rea l Char l ot teAll on the I r ish ShoreAn I r ish Cous in

SQU IRE (CHARLE S ) .The Boy Her o of Er in

STACPOOLE (H . D E VERE ) .Patsy

S TARR (S I DNEY) — See Gallaher

STAVERT (A. A. B .)The Boys o f Ba l tim ore

S TEUART (JOHN A.)Ki lgro om

S TEW ART (AGNES M .

Grace 0'

Ha l loranS TEW ART (REV . J .)The Ki l larneyS cholar

S TOKER (BRAM ) .The Snake’

s PassS TRAHAN (SAMUE L) .The Residenttrate

S TRAIN (E . H .)A Man

’

S FoesSW AN (ANNIE S .)A Son of Erin

Poor

Magis

147

190

1 131 38

1 141 141 131 14

150

1 72

2 26

PAG E(E . A.)

And re BesnardW R IGH T (R . H . )A Pla in M an

’

s Ta leThe Su rpr is ing Ad ven

tu res of m y Fr iendPatr ick D em psey

W YN DHAM (E . )The “fine in the Cup

W YNN E (M AY ) .Fo r Church and Chieftain

THE

IRI SH FICTIONY

PAGE .

WYNN E (MAY ) —cun .

Let Er in Rem em ber

Pr inted by BROW NE AND NOLAN , L IMI TED , D u bli n .

YEATS (\V. B .)The Sec ret R oseI r ish Fairy and Folkta les

The Celt ic Twilight 159J ohn Sherm an and Dh oya 9 4

YOUNG (ELLA ) .The Com ing o i Lugh