Cathleen ni Houlihan | Cathleen ni Houlihan

At a glance:

Author: William Butler Yeats
First Published: 1902
Type of Plot: Allegory
Time of Work: 1798
Setting: A cottage near Killala, Ireland
Principal Characters: Peter Gillane, Michael Gillane, Patrick Gillane, Bridget Gillane, Delia Cahel, The poor old woman
Genres: Drama, Allegory, Symbolist literature
Subjects: Family or family life, Revolutions, Rural or country life, Ghosts or apparitions, Poverty or poor people, Eighteenth century, Idealism, Ireland or Irish people, Peasantry or peasants
Locales: Killala, Ireland

Cathleen ni Houlihan takes place in the Gillane cottage near Killala in 1798. Peter Gillane, the master of the house, hears a strange noise. Then both his son, Patrick, and his wife, Bridget, hear the noise: It is cheering. They wonder about the cause but are soon brought back to their principal concern, the upcoming marriage of the family’s eldest son, Michael. Bridget unties a bundle and shows Peter and young Patrick the fine clothes Michael will wear to his wedding, finer clothes than they have ever seen. Patrick, curious about the cheering, returns to the...

Cathleen ni Houlihan | Cathleen ni Houlihan

At a glance:

The Play

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