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Excerpt from Amusing Irish Tales
William Carleton, the unrivalled delineator of the habits and character of his countrymen, was born at Prillisk, in the county of Tyrone, in the year 1798. His father was a small farmer. Both father and mother were persons of greatly superior mind; and although not highly educated they were better informed than most of their class, and were rich in natural endowments, so that the son had considerable privileges, both in the matter of mental inheritance and early associations. The father was endowed with such a marvellous memory, that it is said he could repeat the greater part of the bible by heart. He was also a walking repertory of legendary lore, and could tell tales from year's end to year's end. His mother was noted for her beautiful voice, and talent in the realms of song.
William was intended for a priest, and had begun the preliminary studies required to fit him for entering Maynooth. At this critical period of his early career, his father died, and immediately the son abandoned all thought of the church; which would make it appear, that to take this step had been more the wish of his father than of himself. Some years afterwards he left the Roman Catholic Church and joined the Church of England.
Of an imaginative and sanguine temperament, he was, through a perusal of Gil Blas, fired with a desire to see the world and seek his fortune away from the quiet vale where he had been nurtured. His first effort only resulted in obtaining a situation as tutor, at a very poor salary, in a farmer's house. Soon tired of this uncongenial drudgery, he threw up the situation and started for Dublin, in which city he found himself without any definite plan for the future in his mind, and with the sum of two shillings and ninepence in his pocket. Here again he had to reconcile himself for some time to the uncongenial labours of tutor.
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