Worthy but penniless Hughey Erskine is horrified by his painter friend's heartless attitude to the tramp posing for a portrait. Hughey gives the tramp money, only to learn there has been a mixup which may set Hughey back further from marrying his adoring fianc‚e.

Little Chandler, the story's protagonist, is unhappy in his family life as a father and husband. The arrival of a successful friend further amplifies his feelings of inadequacy and despair, making him think about what he would have liked to do, and why it is that he lacks the courage to make the career that he dreams of. A train-of-consciousness st...

Mrs. Mooney, separated from her husband, a butcher who descended into alcoholism, runs a boarding house for working men. Her daughter Polly entertains the boarders by singing and flirts with them. When Mrs. Mooney learns that her daughter is having an affair with one of the men, she starts to wonder how she may manipulate the situation. An interest...

A coming-of-age story of sorts, which follows a boy from Dublin as he fantasises over his friend's sister. Also a tale of disillusionment and 'growing up', the story is a skilful expose of the naivety of youth and the unrealistic expectations we place on others. A stunning examination of an adolescent mind and the conflicts between youth and adulth...

After an automobile race outside Dublin, a 26-year-old Irishman named Jimmy, the son of a wealthy former butcher, accompanies the French team back into the city. Then follows an evening of eating, drinking, yachting and gambling, which Jimmy, or more likely his wallet, may live to rue.

This chilling classic Irish short story is one of the best in the genre and is read in a fitting Irish brogue by T.P. McKenna. The very beautiful Nora Guare and her Mother live in the lonesome district of West Munster in Ireland. Their cabin is the only one within a three mile radius. One day along comes the Brown man on his Brown horse wearing Bro...

Oliver Goldsmith's "Adventures of a Strolling Player" explores the fickleness of fame. This rollicking, exuberant tale flows effortlessly from the pen of the great 18th century master storyteller and from the lips of T. P. McKenna, whose Irish brogue suits the story perfectly. It is the uproarious story of a travelling player who likes to embellish...

This classic Irish short story is read fittingly by T. P. McKenna, whose commanding Irish brogue is a perfect suit for this vignette by William Carleton, a well-respected Irish 'peasant novelist'.

A political discussion piece, this story sees political canvassers in Ireland discussing the merits of their candidates and the advantages and pitfalls of their positions, including whether or not they are to be paid. Also concerned with allegiances and tensions between nationalists and loyalists, this story from 'Dubliners' is historically interes...

Terry Neil, a bone-setter and doctor, agrees to keep watch over the big house, which is rumoured to be haunted by an old inhabitant. After building his courage by drinking alcohol, he stays up through the night, and starts to hear sounds and see things that should frighten him, but which actually have surprising and even almost comical requests and...

After a Dublin 'tea taster', salesman Tom Kernan loses consciousness while drunk and takes a nasty fall down the stairs. His friends, who want to help rescue Kernan from inevitable consequences of his flawed ways, gather in his bedroom and talk about a catholic retreat, which is taking place for the benefit of businessmen. They persuade him to atte...

Eveline is short story from James Joyce's celebrated short story collection 'Dubliners'. It begins with Eveline, a nineteen-year-old girl, who has met a sailor, Frank, who has convinced her to run away to Buenos Aires with him. Should she go with Frank, or remain in Ireland, her homeland? This beautiful story gives great insight into the predicamen...

The story involves a boy, the narrator, and his friend, Mahony, taking a day off from school and going to the shore, to seek adventure in their otherwise dull lives. As the narrator says, "The mimic warfare of the evening became at last as wearisome to me as the routine of school in the morning because I wanted real adventures to happen to myself....

From Dubliners: The Dead - At a party, Gabriel Conroy offends three women and realizes in an epiphany that passionless people like himself are already dead. At 15-16,000 words this story has also been classified as a novella. The Dead was adapted to film by John Huston, written for the screen by his son Tony and starring his daughter Anjelica as M...

A day in the life of Farrington, an Irish man X who faces daily trials and tribulations in this anthropological story from James Joyce's Dubliners. A listener hears Farrington's tribulation-full journey from the office, to the pub and home. This tale makes no judgments but portrays a life-beaten man who is neither entirely wrong nor right in his ow...

One of Joyce's celebrated tales from his 'Dubliners' collection, which follows Maria, a likeable maid, as she travels from work to her make-shift-family home. Written in Joyce's famous train-of-consciousness style, his words work well on audio, especially when read in T.P. McKenna's lyrical and nimble Irish tone.

Another top-notch selection of Irish stories, once again superbly read by that master story-teller, T.P. McKenna. Stories: Grace - James Joyce, Home Sickness - George Moore, The Ghost & The Bone-setter - Sheridan Le Fanu, Two Or Three Witnesses - C.E.Montague, The Stolen Sheep - John Banim

A rich selection of Irish stories comprising: 'The Model Millionaire' by Oscar Wilde; 'Rosanna' by Agnes Castle; 'The Brown Man' by Gerald Griffin; 'Bob Pentland, or the Ganger Outwitted' by William Carleton; 'Araby' by James Joyce; 'Adventures of a Strolling Player' by Oliver Goldsmith and 'Sir Dominic Sarsfield' by Sheridan Le Fanu.

When Irish protagonist Bryden suffers from blood poisoning, his doctor advises him to go on a voyage overseas to aid his recuperation. He travels to Ireland from New York, and on returning home he gets a job - also a big shock at how different Ireland is to New York...and starts to reevaluate the advantages of a slower, village life.