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Is this a Liam O' Flaherty story about drinking with the devil?

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  • 28-04-2009 5:45pm
    #1
    pawdie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭


    I'm trying to remember the name of a short story that I read years ago - I think it was on the Inter Cert. I wonder if someone could help me. I believe it could be by Liam O'Flaherty but I'm not sure.

    It's about a boy who leaves home to go off to England for work. Before he leaves home, his father gives him three pieces of advice. The first is to be cautious of strangers who try to befriend him. The second is about alcohol. And the third I think is about saying his prayers. So the boy heads off and somehow winds up invited into a pub by a guy who turns out to be the actual devil in disguise trying to tempt him to break his father's rules. The devil buys him a drink but the boy soon recognizes that the devil walks funny because he has hooves. Obviously I don't remember this story very well but I have thought of it many times over the years and wanted to read it again and find out how the story ends. Any help would be appreciated.


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    #2
    pawdie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭pawdie


    Actually Padraic Colum might be the man I'm after. Not sure which book it's from though.


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    #3
    bloox
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14 ✭bloox


    pawdie wrote: »
    Actually Padraic Colum might be the man I'm after. Not sure which book it's from though.

    might be offtopic but this is a hard one.. can`t think at anything that resembles what you`ve described there


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    #4
    pawdie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭pawdie


    bloox wrote: »
    might be offtopic but this is a hard one.. can`t think at anything that resembles what you`ve described there

    Have to track down my old English teacher perhaps.


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    #5
    sceptre
    Registered Users Posts: 19,608 ✭✭✭✭sceptre


    It rings a very small memory bell at the back of my head but I can't remember from where or who wrote it. I'm pretty sure what you're talking about exists somewhere though, if that helps:)


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    #6
    pawdie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭pawdie


    sceptre wrote: »
    It rings a very small memory bell at the back of my head but I can't remember from where or who wrote it. I'm pretty sure what you're talking about exists somewhere though, if that helps:)

    Yes. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing I would have just dreamt up myself so I'm fairly certain I didn't imagine it. Hopefully it will ring an even louder bell for someone else.


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    #7
    Spiritoftheseventies
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,082 ✭✭✭✭Spiritoftheseventies


    pawdie wrote: »
    I'm trying to remember the name of a short story that I read years ago - I think it was on the Inter Cert. I wonder if someone could help me. I believe it could be by Liam O'Flaherty but I'm not sure.

    It's about a boy who leaves home to go off to England for work. Before he leaves home, his father gives him three pieces of advice. The first is to be cautious of strangers who try to befriend him. The second is about alcohol. And the third I think is about saying his prayers. So the boy heads off and somehow winds up invited into a pub by a guy who turns out to be the actual devil in disguise trying to tempt him to break his father's rules. The devil buys him a drink but the boy soon recognizes that the devil walks funny because he has hooves. Obviously I don't remember this story very well but I have thought of it many times over the years and wanted to read it again and find out how the story ends. Any help would be appreciated.
    vaguely remember that story but the one that always stuck in mind was the Irish story an T-adh. About the three boys who drew straws to go on a boat. The boy who drew the short straw was the lucky one in the end.


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