Ireland has always been a nation of story-tellers: tall stories, simple stories, stories of mystery and wonder, of love and violence form part of Irish conversation as naturally as passing the time of day. What began as both entertainment and communication through the spoken word grew into a celebrated literary form. This volume demonstrates that development, from the early folktales of the oral tradition (here translated from the Irish) through Oliver Goldsmith and Maria Edgeworth to James Joyce and Liam O'Flaherty and the rising stars of the next generation. All the stories in this selection "have been influenced by a culture that made much of the fiction it could best absorb". They are "the distillation of an essence", a medium in which portraiture thrives. Some derive their strength from their brevity, others require a considerable spread to achieve their effect. The editor does not eschew the long short story, as distinct from the novella, so George Moore, William Carleton, Sheridan Le Fanu, Seamus O'Kelly and James Joyce are all given space. The roots of the modern short story in Ireland are firmly embedded in the soil of the past, and in this anthology echoes and influences pervade individual stories to enrich our understanding of this genre.