These stories are essential, they bridge the gap, connecting us to earlier times in a way no history alone could.
“The Pursuit of Gilla Daker” by Patrick Weston, “The Enchanted Cave of Cesh Corran” by James Stephens, these are gems new to me. The collection has morality tales to frighten even the worst child onto the straight road, powerful poetry by Yeats and some hilarious inclusive humor by Jonathan Swift and one called “An Essay On The Noble Science Of Self-Justification” by Maria Edgeworth,
“You have heard of the established belief in the infallibility of the sovereign pontiff, which prevailed not many centuries ago:- if man was allowed to be infallible, I see no reason why the same privilege should not be extended to woman”
There are excellent short stories by James Joyce (He’s not so hard after all! Wait, hold up, just a minute, tried again to get a foothold on his novels). The stories by Wilde struck me as more snarky than funny but my expectations were too high.
Overall these stories glow with the knowledge these authors had that they stood at a crossroads. There are many passages in Irish Gaelic and many references to the old Gods and legends that make their appearance as naturally as a text lands on out iPhones.