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Attention Saint Patrick

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Legends do, of course, get somewhat distorted in the passage of time. In the future, the passage across space to other planets may cause a slight modification here and there ... and on Eire, a planet for the Irish, that might be the only thing that saves them!

ebook

First published January 1, 1960

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About the author

Murray Leinster

960 books133 followers
see also:
Will F. Jenkins
William Fitzgerald Jenkins

Murray Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays.

An author whose career spanned the first six decades of the 20th Century. From mystery and adventure stories in the earliest years to science fiction in his later years, he worked steadily and at a highly professional level of craftsmanship longer than most writers of his generation. He won a Hugo Award in 1956 for his novelet “Exploration Team,” and in 1995 the Sidewise Award for Alternate History took its name from his classic story, “Sidewise in Time.” His last original work appeared in 1967.


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5 stars
11 (25%)
4 stars
7 (16%)
3 stars
18 (41%)
2 stars
3 (6%)
1 star
4 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Zen.
952 reviews
June 9, 2026
Ugh! Racist Crap.

Let's put a Colony of Irish People on a Planet Full of Metal eating Dinnosaurs, make sure Everyone is a Racist Caricature of a "Typical Irish Type", add some Non-Catholic Black Snakes to the Mix and the result is SHINANIGANS!!!

The Hilarity and Laughs will never end.

I can't tell what is more offensive. The fact that so many Classic Golden Age Sci-Fi Pulp Stories used this Offensive Trope of the "Typical Irish Character" as a Plot Device in so many stories, or that so many Readers out there still think this type of stuff is Hilarious.

Think about the Trope of African-American Characters Eating Watermelons and maybe then you'll understand why this type of story is so Offensive to Irish People.

And let's not forget the Tiresome Misogyny in this story also.

President O'Hanrahan constantly refers to the Only Female Character in the story, the Daughter of Sean O'Donohue, Chairman of the Dail—of Eire on Earth—Committee on the Condition of the Planet Eire, as "Moira Darlin'!", "Darlin' Moira!", "Darlin Darling'! Moira darlin'!", and on and on and on. And He's always Grabbin' Her and Huggin' Her and Kissin' Her, all without Her Permission. And He tells Her straight Out that They will be Married and have Lots of Children, without even askin' Her if She wants to get Married. And etc., etc. and etc........

And Moira Darlin's response to all this Harassment is "Moira tended to look puzzled, but she definitely looked pleased".

Sigh!

So a 1/2 star, (rounded up to 1 star because Goodreads rating system), for the Interesting Idea of Metal Eating Dinosaurs but other than that......

I Don't Recommend this Garbage.

It's just another Classic Piece of Racist Golden Age Sci-Fi Pulp Crap. It should be forgotten about.
Profile Image for Phil Giunta.
Author 27 books34 followers
January 28, 2022
What happens when the Irish colonize a distant planet? Why, shenanigans, of course!

On the planet Eire, metal-eating creatures called dinies have all but destroyed homes, tools, and farm equipment, but the chairman overseeing the colony from Earth, Sean O'Donohue, won't have it. The colony's inadequate progress must be due to its worthless, lazy inhabitants and, you guessed it, their shenanigans!

Just wait until he learns about the snakes that the colonists use to keep the dinies under control. You know, the snakes that Saint Patrick drove out of Ireland back on Earth. On Eire, it was another Patrick who brought the snakes to the grateful colonists, but don't tell that to O'Donohue.

An amusing little SF comedy that proves the luck of the Irish extends across the cosmos.
6,726 reviews5 followers
May 22, 2021
Fantasy listening 🔰

Due to eye damage Alexa reads to me.
A will written fantasy Sci-Fi thriller adventure novella on a planet far from Earth 🌎. The characters are interesting. The story line is about snakes and the fact this is an Irish planet of Saint Patrick. The snake 🐍keep the dragons under control but the question is snakes and Saint Patrick? I would recommend this novella to readers of fantasy Sci-Fi adventures. Enjoy the adventure of reading 📚 2021 ⛪😬
4,424 reviews43 followers
May 19, 2020
A classic by Murray Leinster.

The nation of Ireland has gotten colonization rights to a snake 🐍free planet. A local life form is a serious pest, that snakes can deal with. Jocularity ensues.
Profile Image for Larry.
215 reviews4 followers
October 7, 2023
Hilarious short story of dealing with local animal life on another planet.

I liked the world building and situation.
I would recommend this story to humor loving people.
The rating would have been higher but there was some text missing near thecend.
Profile Image for Tony Ciak.
2,856 reviews11 followers
June 29, 2025
great funny story written by great author and narrated by a great narrator.
Profile Image for Brian.
199 reviews7 followers
July 19, 2011
A cute, light hearted bit of summer fluff that's probably better appreciated if you have Irish ancestry, or at least enjoy St. Patrick's day.

If the process of imagining an infestation of tiny rainbow coloured dinosaurs makes you giggle, then this is definitely for you.

Snag an ebook for free at Gutenberg or Manybooks etc.
Profile Image for Ralph McEwen.
883 reviews23 followers
February 15, 2012
A fun short story, with with a twist at the end..
The story is told in a narrative and conversational style.

The narrator is well spoken, his voice is clear and easy to listen to. The recording good is clean with out any background noises. There plenty of volume. The editing is seamless.
Profile Image for Susan Molloy.
Author 153 books90 followers
March 9, 2019
Told in a conversational and narrative style, this short science fiction story had me giggling and entertained from start to finish. I enjoyed this.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews