Originally published in 1844, this book is a collection of essays and stories by various authors that explore the social and cultural life of Ireland. The essays cover a wide range of topics, including politics, religion, folklore, and music. The title of the book refers to the keen, a traditional Irish funeral lament that is used to express grief and mourning. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.