Letter+to+Henry+Fitzgerald

Dearest Brother Henry,

It brings me great joy to have received your last letter. I am relieved to hear that Mother's health has been improving. Life in Ireland has been an enlightening experience thus far, as I have taken to game hunting as both gentlemanly pastime and second source of income, and I have made a number of interesting catches as of late. Adapting to living among the Irish has been a trifle of a bother to say the least. Their English sounds like the bleating of goats, and their translation of their barbaric tongue of Gaelic into the English Alphabet is an atrocity. Regardless, I've managed to adapt enough to get by among their type, and have adapted to some of their ways and customs. Say what you will about these rebellious troublemakers but their Liquor is to die for. I've finally managed to locate a bastion of British Society, where many of the local well-to-do in the area in the area tend to gather, and have made some headway into the higher social circles here in Naas.

As for the task you've given me regarding my connecting with the "Old Fitzgeralds" of Ireland, I have met with mixed results. It seems that tfhe Fitzgeralds of Ireland have all but died off some centuries ago. Still, there are some within the county of Kildare that still hold the memory of the Fitzgeralds in the highest regard. It seems I owe at least one of my ancestors a particular debt of gratitude for their accomplishments, given the amount of reverence that some of the people, especially in the city of Maynooth seem to have towards the Old Fitzgeralds, as the family legacy has gotten me out of a number of tense situations since I've arrived here. Regardless, my studies into our family history are ongoing, and have proven to be a quite interesting pursuit to say the least.

I have not been entirely alone my adventures in Ireland, as some I've run into some old acquaintances from back in London, and we've been having a jolly time going about the Irish countryside. I must say that having them at my side has made my time here in Ireland more bearable.

There are times when I miss having the assistance of Bazil to carry out some of the more menial tasks if day to day life. I hope that the family saw to it that he received a decent burial in my abscence.

If possible, I would appreciate a slightly larger stipend, seeing as the funding you have provided me with so far can only really pay for a single room at a boarding house, and the Fitzgerald ancestrial homes have either traded hands or have fallen into disrepair.

Regardless, I am still grateful for the second chance you have given me here, and I eagerly await your next letter for more news regarding the family, and life back in England.

All the best,

Your younger brother, William