Irish Eccentrics

by Peter Somerville-Large

Ireland’s history has long been illuminated, and enlivened, by bizarre, colourful, extravagant, unfettered individuals: ripe country-house eccentrics, saints, scholars, bucks and hell-rakes, duellists, abductors, rhymers and miracle-makers. These factual and fascinating biographical sketches make for ‘delightful reading’ (Frank Muir).

286 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

Peter Somerville-Large was born in Dublin in 1928 and was educated at St Columba’s College and Trinity College Dublin. His first job in Afghanistan was followed by a spell of travel in Asia during the early 1950s. Destinations for his travel books include Ireland, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tibet. He has also written four thrillers, and a number of short stories, including two prize winners. He lived in Co. Carlow with his wife Gillian. He died on 7th October 2025.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an offbeat sort of scholarly text. It is a thoroughly researched miscellany spanning many hundreds of years, but mostly focusing on the 17th-19th centuries. The chapters are divided topically and are mostly freestanding - so you can put it down for a while and come back without much detriment.

It's not always the most engaging text. The voice is dry at times and the narrative has a tendency to jump between various historical figures without much transition. But ultimately the underlying research and subject matter carry it.

I recommend keeping this on the nightstand and reading in segments between other books. Or do it all in one shot if it grabs your fancy. What do I know, I'm just some guy on the internet.