Product Description
As bizarre as it now seems, this book was banned by the absurd Censorship Laws in Ireland on initial publication in 1942.
This edition has an introduction by Frank O'Connor, as well as an afterword by Eric Cross, who tells of the impact the controversy surrounding the book had on the two .
The Tailor and Ansty were a well-respected local married couple, who lived in the townland of Garrynapeaka near Gougane Barra, in Kerry.
Anastasia (1872-1947) was from this valley and the Tailor Buckley ‘Tim’ (1863-1945) was born in Kilgarvan in Co. Kerry and married into Ansty’s homeplace. He was a tailor, a well-known and much respected story teller and a conversationalist who conversed with many famous Irish writers and Gaelic scholars when they visited him in Garrynapeaka. The book ‘The Tailor and Ansty’ was written, unknown to the couple, by a regular visitor to their house, a journalist, Eric Cross, detailing many of the Tailors stories and everyday happenings in their lives. The book is full of entertaining stories and his presentation of the facts of rural life as The Tailor and Ansty knew them was accurate and valuable.
The book was subsequently banned by the strict Irish Censorship Board in 1942.
In his introduction to the second edition (1948) of the book, Frank O Connor describes the effect of the banning of ‘The Tailor and Ansty’ by the Irish Censorship board 1942 for ‘being in its general tendency indecent’, and describes the reaction of the couple to three visiting priests who terrorised the Tailor into burning a copy of the book in his own fire.
After being banned for 10 years, it became available again and became a classic of folkloric literature.
The Tailors motto was ‘Glac bóg an saol agus glacfaidh an saol bóg thú’
(‘Take life fine and easy and life will be fine and easy on you.’)
The book was subsequently banned by the strict Irish Censorship Board in 1942.
In his introduction to the second edition (1948) of the book, Frank O Connor describes the effect of the banning of ‘The Tailor and Ansty’ by the Irish Censorship board 1942 for ‘being in its general tendency indecent’, and describes the reaction of the couple to three visiting priests who terrorised the Tailor into burning a copy of the book in his own fire.
After being banned for 10 years, it became available again and became a classic of folkloric literature.
The Tailors motto was ‘Glac bóg an saol agus glacfaidh an saol bóg thú’
(‘Take life fine and easy and life will be fine and easy on you.’)