⸺ THE KELLYS AND THE O’KELLYS. (Chapman & Hall). [1848]. New ed., 1907. (Lane). 1s.
Scene: Dunmore, Co. Galway, at the time of O’Connell’s trial, 1844. Mainly a love story of the upper classes. Some clever portraits, e.g., Martin Kelly, the Widow Kelly, and the hero, Frank O’Kelly, Lord Ballindine. Picture of hard-riding, hard-drinking, landlord class. A much more cheerful story than the preceding. It is fresh and genuinely humorous, and the human interest is very strong. The seventh London ed. appeared in 1867.
⸺ CASTLE RICHMOND. Pp. 474. (Harper, Ward, Lock). 2s. [1860]. Fifth London ed., 1867. Still in print.
Scene: Co. Cork during the Famine years, 1847, and following, with which it deals fully. Tale of two old Irish families. The plot is commonplace enough but redeemed by great skill in the treatment, by admirable delineation of character, and by the drawing of the background. Absolutely cool and free from partisanship, he yet draws such a picture of those dreadful times as, in days to come, it will be difficult to accept as free from exaggeration. It is a graphic and terrible picture. The noble character of Owen Fitzgerald is finely drawn. There are touches of pleasant humour and of satire.
⸺ PHINEAS FINN, the Irish Member. (Bell). 1866.
⸺ PHINEAS REDUX. (Bell). 1874.
A study of political personalities. The scene is London, and the story is little, if at all, concerned with Ireland.
⸺ THE LAND LEAGUERS. Three Vols. (Chatto & Windus). 1883.
Story of an English Protestant family who buy a property and settle in Galway. The book was never finished, and has, perhaps, little interest as a novel. But the life and incidents of the period are well rendered, notably the trials of people who are boycotted. Much sympathy with the people is displayed by the Author, and, on the whole, fair views of the faults and misunderstandings on both sides are expressed. The plot turns on the enmity of a peasant towards his landlord, whom he tries to injure in every way. The landlord’s little son is the only witness against the peasant. The child is murdered for telling what he knows. There is some harsh criticism of Catholic priests.
TROTTER, John Bernard. 1775-1818. Of a Co. Down family, and brother of E. S. Ruthven, M.P. for Dublin. Ed. T.C.D.; B.A., 1795. Barrister, and private secretary to Charles James Fox. Died in great poverty in Cork. His Walks in Ireland is his best known work, though he wrote many other works, literary and political.