KETTLE, Rosa Mackenzie.
⸺ ROSE, SHAMROCK, AND THISTLE. Pp. 286. (Fisher, Unwin). 6s. 1893.
“A Story of two Border Towers.” Rhoda Carysfort, an Irish girl, comes to live with her English cousins, and eventually marries a Scotch laird. Except for the heroine’s nationality there is nothing Irish about the story, though the Author’s sympathies are with Ireland. The tone is very “respectable” and somewhat prim. It seems intended as a book of instruction for girls.
KICKHAM, Charles J. B. Mullinahone, Co. Tipperary, 1828. Began early to write for nationalist papers—The Nation, The Celt, The Irishman, The Irish People. Most of his contributions were verse, but to The Shamrock he contributed his chief novels. He threw himself into the Fenian movement, was arrested along with John O’Leary, and sentenced to fourteen years’ penal servitude. His health never recovered from this period of prison. He died in 1882 at Blackrock, near Dublin. See the short Life by J. J. Healy, publ. 1915 by Messrs. Duffy. Besides the novels mentioned below, Kickham wrote the following short stories:—“Poor Mary Maher” (a sad tale of ’98); “Never Give Up,” “Annie O’Brien,” “Joe Lonergan’s Trip to the Lower Regions” (Irish life in the fifties, dealing largely with land troubles); “White Humphrey of the Grange: A Glimpse of Tipperary fifty years ago”; “Elsie Dhuv” (a story of ’98, full of incident, much of it humorous). These tales have been collected for publication in the near future by Mr. William Murphy, of Blackrock. K. knew thoroughly and loved intensely his own place and people. He had wonderful powers of observation and a great fund of quiet humour.
⸺ SALLY CAVANAGH. (Duffy). 2s. [1869]. (N.Y.: Benziger). 0.75. New ed. 1902.
Kickham’s first story. Contains in germ all the great qualities of Knocknagow. We feel all through that it is the work of a man of warm, tender, homely heart—a man born and bred one of the people about whom he writes. It is a simple and natural tale of love among the small farmer class. Sally Cavanagh’s tragedy is due to the combined evils of landlordism and emigration. Some of the saddest aspects of the latter are dwelt upon. The book is quite free from declamation and moralizing, the events being left to tell their own sad tale. Perhaps the noblest characters in the book are the Protestant Mr. and Mrs. Hazlitt. There is no trace of religious bigotry. There are touches of humour, too—for example, the love affairs of Mr. Mooney and the inimitable scene between Shawn Gow and his wife.
⸺ KNOCKNAGOW. Pp. 628. (Duffy). 3s. 6d. [1879]. Upwards of 14 eds. since. (N.Y.: Benziger). 1.25.
One of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all Irish novels. Yet it is not so much a novel as a series of pictures of life in a Tipperary village. We are introduced to every one of its inhabitants, and learn to love them nearly all before the end. Everything in the book had been not only seen from without but lived by the Author. It is full of exquisite little humorous and pathetic traits. The description of the details of peasant life is quite photographic in fidelity, yet not wearisome. There is the closest observation of human nature and of individual peculiarities. It is realism of the best kind. The incidents related and some of the discussions throw much light on the Land Question. The Author does not, however, lecture or rant on the subject. Occasionally there are tracts of middle-class conversation that would, I believe, be dull for most readers.
⸺ FOR THE OLD LAND. Pp. 384. (Gill). 2s. [1886]. New ed. 1914. (N.Y.: Benziger). 0.75.