Realities of Irish Life

This volume is from 1869. Summary from the Preface: The following sketches of the Realities of Irish Life'' have been penned by me from time to time within the last few years. The idea of placing them on record was first suggested by your Lord- ship and your accomplished cousin Miss Gallwey. During the many pleasant hours we have passed together in boating and other excursions on the beautiful bay and amongst the mountains and valleys of Kenmare Ireland in her various phases was often discussed between us. Those incidents which have occurred to me during a somewhat eventful experience amongst her people on their native soil were not unfrequently the subject of conversation; and your Lordship and your cousin often urged me to commit them to paper. I have done so in the following pages and I now venture to lay them before the public. My reasons for publishing them are mainly three-fold : First. My tales are of real life. Many of the incidents described therein have been told in various forms often very incorrectly in the newspapers and journals of the day. My desire has been to give a clear and truthful account of occurrences which virulent party spirit or local prejudices have placed before the public distorted through a false medium. I have endeavoured calmly and dispassionately to relate the facts as I believe them to have occurred and in most cases as I know them to have happened to myself in person. From this latter cause has arisen a more frequent use of the first person singular than I should otherwise have desired; but under the circumstances this could not be avoided. My second reason for publishing these tales is to give the English public some idea of the difficulties which occasionally beset the path of an Irish land-lord or agent who is desirous to improve the district in which he is interested. If he be willing to adopt the '' Laissez aller '' system and let everything take its own course he may have an easy life of it in Ireland; but if he ventures to interfere with old habits old prejudices or old ways however loud may be the call for improvement he must be prepared to contend with difficulties which none but those who have experienced them could have imagined. Thirdly I would wish to add my testimony to the fact that Ireland notwithstanding the many difficulties which may beset the path of those who earnestly desire to improve her condition is never-the-less not altogether unmanageable. They will doubtless meet with many disappointments many acts of apparent and some of real ingratitude; but justice fully and firmly administered is always appreciated in the end. I admit it will require much firmness and discretion to carry justice to its legitimate conclusions torn as Ireland is by contending parties; but if this be truly done I have never yet known it fail. I grant there may be and are individual exceptions to this rule but they are very rare. W. S. T. I have purposely abstained from offering any opinion of my own on the various political and social grievances of which Ireland complains real or imaginary. It is not that these questions have not attracted my earnest attention and perhaps they may hereafter form the subject of another volume. But Englishmen frequently complain that they cannot obtain facts concerning Ireland. I have here endeavoured to supply some which have come under my own observation. Whether they are worthy of being recorded or not the public must decide. It may perhaps be objected that some of my tales are abrupt and have no obvious or necessary connection; and also that they are descriptive of varied scenes of a class and nature totally different from each other. I fear I must to some extent plead guilty to the charge. Were I to supply the missing links I should simply give a history of my life and this could scarcely prove generally interesting. William Steuart Trench