Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.

Absolutely hilarious. The British judge, the RM for Royal Magistrate, arrives in rain, compelled to buy a horse from his savvy landlord who's already overcharging. The house is vast, with unexplored inner reaches--unexplored until various fugitives lodge there. Without fear of contradiction, the

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best fox hunt in all of literature, an Irish fox hunt with everyone participating, bicycles, carts, several horses of varied abilities and instincts regarding walls, ditches and fences.
I do not know the current state of Irish reaction to this book, whether it is seen as baldly critical: humor always has that possibility of serious misapprehension. (Many readers of Confederacy of Dunces resent the book, though it is a modern classic.) But take it from me, with an Irish surname at least, Hilarious.

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This tale was published in 1899 and is a series of comic tales of Anglo-Irish life dealing with hunting, shooting, horse riding and some drinking. The servants and publicans play minor roles and it is mostly about the elite of society with only a faint hint of struggles of the working class against

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the landlord class and Irish self government. The lady authors were of the elite class and the story is limited by their vision. Major Sinclair Yeates becomes the resident magistrate of Skebawn. He is of Irish extraction and not quite English but he isn’t Irish either. The scenes are of rural Ireland and West Cork and is pleasantly depicted as green fields, bogs, rivers and coastland. There are many outdoor scenes. The stories are lots of fun.

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While Andy Minter does a very good narration of this, especially with the Irish accents, I found that I had some difficulty focusing on his voice. When I read along in the Kindle book was when I appreciated the audiobook most. As the title suggests, this is really a series of anecdotes (mostly

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humorous). I enjoyed them but think that I liked the PBS/BBC TV series better.

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Very funny stories of an English Army Officer sent to Ireland as a Resident Magistrate. Irish oil and English vinegar actually do mix if one shakes them together long enough!

I'm a sucker for tales of hapless British colonial administrators going gradually native while the natives run circles around them. Major Yeates, despatched to a remote corner of Ireland to arbitrate disputes over horses and keep a lid on drunken disorder, is the most delightful kind of fish out of

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water. Despite the subject matter being roughly 50% fox-hunting, 25% shooting and 25% horse-trading, there's a timelessness to the gently ironic style and easygoing prose of Somerville & Ross. Split into a dozen "experiences" of equal length and charm, this would make a perfect holiday read.

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A fun set of humorous anecdotes. Andy Minter has done a great narration and his Irish accents added to the enjoyment. However, I think I liked the PBS/BBC TV series better...