
In a dimly lit study of an old Irish manor, the aging patriarch of the Macnamara line confronts his son Standish with a torrent of ancestral pride and impatient urgency. He reminds the younger man of the blood that runs through the veins of ancient kings of Munster, invoking the long‑forgotten O'Dermot and Gerald families as if they were still marching through the halls. The dialogue crackles with sarcasm and reverence, while the father's struggle to rise from a creaking, tattered chair mirrors his attempt to lift the weight of tradition off his son’s shoulders.
Standish, fierce and defiant, declares his unwavering love for Miss Gerald, refusing to let duty or lineage dictate his heart. The conversation becomes a battle of wills—father insisting on legacy, son insisting on personal choice—set against a backdrop of cobwebbed ceilings and whispered poetry. As the tension builds, listeners are drawn into a richly textured portrait of family, honor, and the stubborn desire to break free from the past.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (300K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the Internet Archive
Release date
2016-05-02
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1855–1931
An Irish journalist, novelist, dramatist, and poet, he wrote lively popular fiction while also engaging with the political tensions of his time. His work ranges from historical novels to stage writing, giving a vivid glimpse of late Victorian and early 20th-century literary life.
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