12 h 52 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 52 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What can a joke reveal about the way people talk, quarrel and carry their troubles?
In Humours of Irish Life, editor Charles L. Graves gathers comic sketches, anecdotes and sayings about Ireland. These brief pieces turn attention towards ordinary people, their neighbours and the troubles they share. Talk, timing and a sharp turn of phrase shape the humour, while a range of voices gives you something different with each new piece.
The collection belongs to the late Victorian and Edwardian years, when Irish wit is a favourite subject in print. Beneath the jokes lies a record of daily life: how people speak, what worries them, and which habits spark a quarrel. Affection sits beside the satire, inviting you to laugh with people while noticing the world around them.
What you’ll discover
- Sketches, anecdotes and sayings Explore several kinds of comic writing, each offering its own brief encounter with Irish life.
- Talk with a twist Enjoy humour that depends on timing, lively talk and the turn of a phrase.
- Warmth beside the wit Find an affectionate way of looking at ordinary people, their neighbours and their troubles.
- History in small details Notice the everyday worries, habits and quarrels that comic writing keeps in view.
- A little at a time Read one short piece on its own, without needing to follow a continuous plot.
Who will love it
If you enjoy tall tales, fairy lore, village rivalries and the sound of Irish talk, this book offers a dozen kinds of comedy. It suits anyone who likes short stories read aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A feast, a fall and an eagle's ride
- A goatskin hero and a tin-armoured weaver
- Fairy folk, jumping princes and a musical pooka
- Lovesick statues and a pudding that dances
- Wagers, duels and a soldier's long way home
- Coach scares, a goose father and a barn that gives way
- Queens, lilies, courtroom fish and a burning rick
- Fairs, philosophers, courtships and a stolen colt
- Tea tables, tongues and a creamery split by politics
- Voices, quarrels and the kindness under the laughter
Who’s who
- Daniel O'RourkeA countryman from the foot of Hungry Hill who tells how a night of drink carried him up to the moon on an eagle.
- Tom, the Fellow in the Goat SkinA widow's strong son who wins a magic club, a flute and an ointment, and goes to Dublin to make a princess laugh.
- Thady the weaverA poor weaver who kills seventy flies in one blow and sets off in kettle armour to be a knight.
- Fan MaCoolA young chief in beggar's clothes who takes on a stream jump and a stone-throwing contest to win a princess.
- Bob BurkeA lovesick young man who cannot decide whether to fight a duel and lets a halfpenny choose for him.
- Billy MalowneyA fine dancer called Leum-a-rinka who loses his head over Molly Donovan and signs up as a soldier after a quarrel.
- Mrs. MacfarlaneA proud Orangewoman who runs a station buffet and goes to war with the stationmaster over her dog and her lilies.
- Jim O'BrienA warm-hearted Catholic stationmaster who loves his roses and answers every insult with a trick.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Les humeurs de la vie irlandaise
by Charles L. Graves (éditeur)
Fairies and feuds fill this anthology of Irish comic tales and sketches.
Medium level10–20 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
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In short
A man falls asleep beside a ruined tower and wakes after a night in which an eagle flies him to the moon. That is Daniel O'Rourke's story, the first piece in Humours of Irish Life.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A feast, a fall and an eagle's ride
The book opens with Daniel O'Rourke, written by Dr. Maginn in the voice of Daniel himself. After a great dinner, Daniel slips from the stepping-stones at the ford of Ballyasheenogh. He swims for his life and lands on a lonely island of bog.
There an eagle greets him by name and offers him a ride home. Daniel stays polite because he is in the bird's power. He begs to be set down over his own cabin, but the eagle flies higher and carries him to the moon. He tells Daniel to hang from a reaping hook while he rests. Daniel robbed his nest the year before.
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You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 8 h 20 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Humours of Irish Life. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/humours-of-irish-life.
Humours of Irish life. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/humours-of-irish-life
Humours of Irish Life. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/humours-of-irish-life.
@book{anonymous2026humours,
title = {Humours of Irish Life},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/humours-of-irish-life}
}
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What is Humours of Irish Life about?
It is an anthology of Irish comic stories and sketches, from fairy tales and tall tales to farce and village feuds, collected by Charles L. Graves from many Irish writers.
Who wrote Humours of Irish Life?
Charles L. Graves edited it. The tales are by many authors, among them William Carleton, Samuel Lover, Charles Lever, Le Fanu, Somerville and Ross, Jane Barlow and George A. Birmingham.
Is Humours of Irish Life a true story?
No. The pieces are fiction, folklore and comic sketches, though many borrow real places, customs and events such as the Battle of the Boyne, petty sessions courts and country fairs.
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