CURRENT LITERATURE
HERE'S IRELAND: NEW TRAVELS WITH DONKEY. By Harold Speakman. (Arrowsmith. 15s. SKETCHES OF OLDEN DAYS IN NORTHERN IRELA. By the Rev. Hugh Forde. With Foreword by Sir Jo Craig, M.P. (Linenhall Press, Belfast. 38. 6d.)-3it Speakman has been about the world and knows his job as traveller. Persons in motor cars are as James Howell marked (though not exactly about motor cars) like Jon in the whale's belly they travel much but see little. Speakman chartered an ass and, cart at .Cork, and in th company went the length and breadth of Ireland—maki his own pictures, which gives him unfair advantage. I sketch of a few water-washed stones at the 'Giant's Can way is a charming !study, but it is- also a perfect illustratio showing what no amount of description could convey. The is not space for quotation, but one may say boldly that more sympathetic observer has looked at Ireland in t century, for .h4sympathy goes out to all sides. The in attractive sketeif in the book is of the Mayo schoolnuts who was translating kidnapped into Irish for his class— who had the soul of a scholar as well as the language of pedant. But there is nothing pleasanter or truer than impression of Northern Ireland when this adventurer c the border and found open hospitable welcome where looked for coldness. The shrewdest of many shrewd ohs* -cations is. this . . . "Ireland's, national difficulty is not much in working as in overcoming the inertia to go out a new work." In short this is not a book to order from a librarY but to buy. "Mac's" Caricatures, borrowed to adorn will give a new thrill -to English admirers of Mr. Yeats a "A. E." Canon Forde writes pleasantly arid informingly a Portrush and Portstewart ; indeed these two papers sho be printed as a pamphlet and kept on sale in those prospe and popular watering places. The rest of his book leaves good deal to be desired in point of accuracy and of charity But at least he does well to recall the epic defence of E killen, which has been much neglected in tradition.
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