Describes the Ireland of the 19th-century tenant farmer.

Reproduction of the original: The Ned M ́Keown Stories by William Carleton

This unusual early work is both hard to find and expensive in its first edition. William Carleton is universally recognised as the greatest delineator of the manners and customs of the Irish peasantry. His Traits and Stories has great historical value, and is a monument of national importance. It is thoroughly recommended reading for the Irish social historian. Contents Include: Introduction; Ned McKeown; The Three Tasks; Shane Fadh’s Wedding; Larry McFarland’s Wake; The Station; An Essay on Irish Swearing. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This volume focuses on the creation, structure and evolution of the Irish national system of education. It illustrates how the system was shaped by the religious, social and political realities of nineteenth century Ireland and discusses the effects that the system had upon the Irish nation: namely that it was the chief means by which the country was transformed from one in which illiteracy predominated to one in which most people, even the poorest, could read and write.