The O'Conors of Castle Conor, County Mayo

The O'Conors of Castle Conor, County Mayo

Archibald Green, the narrator, travels to county Mayo on business and lodges in the poor inn at Ballyglass, having been told by old Sir P. C. that Tom O'Conor of Castle Conor will befriend any hunting man. Unrecognized at first, Green goes out with the local hounds at Bingham's Grove, where the field is thin and full of cousins. After a scentless morning he falls in with Tom O'Conor and mentions Sir P. C., which instantly wins him an invitation. The hunt moves on to Poulnaroe, finds a fox, and Green rides well; Tom O'Conor commands him to come to Castle Conor that night, and Green scrawls a note to the innkeeper's wife asking that his portmanteau, dress clothes, and especially his dancing pumps be sent over by a boy named Patsey. After a long, tiring ten-mile ride, the party reaches Castle Conor, where Tom O'Conor insists dinner will be served in twenty minutes. Green briefly meets Tom's daughters — Fanny, Kate, and young Tizzy (Eliza) — in the drawing-room before rushing to dress. In his room he discovers, to his horror, that his heavy nailed shooting-boots have been sent instead of his pumps, set out invitingly by unseen hands, and no slippers of any kind are available. Unable to appear in mud-caked top-boots, iron-soled shooting-boots, or stocking feet, he summons the butler Larry, a large-footed man, and after much persuasion trades his expensive new shooting-boots and ten shillings for the loan of Larry's own mismatched, ill-fitting shoes. Green limps down to a household already impatient over the delayed dinner, meets Mrs. O'Conor and the grim Aunt Die (Miss O'Conor), and endures teasing from Tom O'Conor, Jack, Kate, and especially the sharp-tongued Tizzy, who has guessed his secret. At dinner Larry, tortured by the too-tight boots, hobbles and eventually falls in the hall, nearly exposing the whole affair, but loyally refuses to betray Green even under Tom O'Conor's furious questioning — until pressed, when he finally reveals whose boots caused the trouble, prompting general laughter and forgiveness once Jack explains matters lightly. After dinner the ladies, led by Fanny, arrange for a horse to fetch Green's real pumps from Ballyglass, delaying the dancing until they arrive some two hours later. Green spends a delightful evening dancing and grows attached to Fanny, while Larry happily resumes his own shoes. Tom O'Conor insists Green stay on and fetch his belongings from Ballyglass himself rather than continue borrowing from the butler. Green remains at Castle Conor three weeks, during which an understanding nearly forms between him and Fanny, but Aunt Die intervenes; about a year later, Fanny marries another, more fortunate man.

By Anthony Trollope · First published 1863 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Comedy · 9,204 words

First lines

I shall never forget my first introduction to country life in Ireland, my first day's hunting there, or the manner in which I passed the evening afterwards. Nor shall I ever cease to be grateful for the hospitality which I received from the O'Conors of Castle Conor. My acquaintance with the family was first made in the following manner. But before I begin my story, let me inform my reader that my name is Archibald Green.

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The O'Conors of Castle Conor, County Mayo is listed on Textopian as a short story by Anthony Trollope, dated 1863 CE.

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Irish literature · 19th century · novel · family saga · County Mayo · social class · rural life · inheritance · relationships · drama · historical fiction · cultural identity

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