Blind Raftery And His Wife, Hilaria — Donn Byrne

As reviewed in The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science, Art - Vol. 141, June, 1926.BYRNE, DONN. Blind Raftery and his wife, Hilaria, 175p il $1.25 CenturyBlind Raftery the singer and weaver of verse is the central figure of this Irish tale which is set in the Connaught hills. The blind poet, with his harp, received a warm welcome wherever he went. There was one enemy—the Welshman of Claregalway, Dafydd Evans, and Raftery hated him bitterly, and made up ridiculous rhymes about him. Evans, thinking to revenge himself, gave to Raftery in marriage the enchantingly beautiful Spanish girl, Hilaria. She had at one time been the Welshman's mistress. And now the folk when they spied Raftery down the road with Hilaria by his side shunned them. With the return of Raftery's cousin, Rory More O'Rourke, to the fiefs all wrongs are righted and the blind poet and his Spanish bride continue on their joyous way.