Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests








Tuesday, March 27, 2012

"Jamie Freel and the Young Lady" by Letitia Maclintock

"Jamie Freel and the Young Lady" by Letitia Maclintock (1878, 12 pages)


Irish Short Story Week Year Two
March 12 to April 11
Irish Folk and Fairy Tales
March 23 to March 29





"Plenty of time to join us"-
Carmilla
Please consider joining us for Irish Short Story Week Year Two, March 12 to April 11 (yes long week).   All you need do is post on one short story by an Irish author and send me a comment or an email and I will include it in the master post at the end of the challenge.  You need not follow my schedule and I am happy to welcome guest posters.



Jamie Freel and the Young Lady" is one of several stories by Letitia Maclintock (1857 to 1881) that William Butler Yeats included in Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasants and Irish Fairy Tales.  There is not a great deal of information about her online, or at least that my quick research found.   She only lived to age 24, she was from Donegal, Ulster Ireland.   Most all her stories were first published in the Dublin University Magazine, as was this story.   She never had the chance to produce any longer works.  If anyone knows more about her life, please leave a comment with details.

Jamie Freel is the sole support of his widowed mother, lots and lots of widows and widowers in the Irish short story, for very logical reasons.   He was considered a very good lad and son by all the neighbors.  There was just one problem.   He has been observed by neighbors who are never seen by mortals but for May Day Eve and Halloween.   There is an old castle near the village and it is known that it is the home of the "wee folk"
"The Best Leprechaun story  ever is Stephen Vincent Benet"s
"The Luck of the Irish", all about me"-Rory


"Every Halloween were the ancient windows lighted up, and passers-by saw little figures  fitting to and fro inside the building, while they heard music of pipes and flutes.  It was well known that the fairy revels took  place; but nobody had the courage to intrude on them."


Everybody but Jamie that is!.   I will leave the main plot unspoiled as it is a fun story, especially when the fairies take Jamie flying through the air to Dublin.





You can find her stories in Manybooks in the two books by Yeats I have already referenced.




Mel u


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