Introduction Beyond the Horizon Going to America The Gobán Saor Going to the Train Pegg the Damsel Shrovetime Mick the Fiddler Comes Home Killing the Pig After Hours Tobacco Love and Marriage The Hereafter The First Church Father Mac Gillacuddy Eoghan Rua and the Priest The Priest and the People Connor the Carman The Parish Clerk The Mission Civil and Strange A Quiet Drink The Poor Souls The Severe Penance Eoghan’s School The Golden Ball The Station House Con and Bridgie The Holy Well Doing the Rounds Nell Casey The Effigy Abbey’s Bowl A Ruminating Animal The Mermaid Minding the House The Season of Light The Barefooted Gander The Dear Departed Washing the Cock’s Feet The Cock and the Coop The Blacksmith’s Wife It Snowed That Night May Morning Daniel O’Connell and the Colonel from Battersea The Biddy Boys Mary O’Shea’s Story The Archdeacon, His Clerk and His Curate The King of the Lies The Jennet Spiorad an Tobac Clever Dogs The Woman That Went to Hell Tóg Bog É!The Golauns Dean Swift and His Serving Man I am a Young Fellow Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin Finds an English-speaking Son-in-law for a Wealthy Farmer The Man That Never Slept The Hiring Fairs The Young Woman’s Denial Two Fierce Lies Small Michael and the Major The Bicycle The Singapore Policeman Padden The Cat and the Splinter The Tay-Man The Connachtman’s Story Filling the Firkins The Apprenticed Doctor Glossary of Irish (and Hiberno-English) Words and Phrases Glossary of Irish Sentences About the Author About the Publisher

Éamon Kelly, actor, seanchaí and writer, was born near Rathmore in County Kerry in 1914. He had a varied and successful career as an actor, performing in the plays of Brian Friel, Tom Murphy and Sebastian Barry, among others. He published two volumes of memoirs, The Apprentice (1995) and The Journeyman (1998).