chief dates in Synge's life, as far as we know them. His life,
like that of any other artist, was dated not by events but by
sensations. I know no more of his significant days than the rest
of the world, but the known biographical facts are these.

He was born on 16th. April, 1871, at Newtown Little, near Dublin.
He was the youngest son and eighth child of John Hatch Synge,
barrister, and of Kathleen, his wife, (born Traill.) His father
died in 1872. His mother in 1908. He went to private schools in
Dublin and in Bray, but being seldom well, left school when about
fourteen and then studied with a tutor; was fond of wandering
alone in the country, noticing birds and wild life, and later took
up music, piano, flute and violin. All through his youth, he
passed his summer holidays in Annamoe, Co. Wicklow, a strange
place, which influenced him.

He entered Trinity College, Dublin, on June 18, 1888, won prizes
in Hebrew and Irish in Trinity Term, 1892, and took his B. A.
degree (second class) in December, 1892. While at Trinity he
studied music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where he won a
scholarship in Harmony and Counterpoint.

He left College undecided about a career, but was inclined to make
music his profession. He went to Germany (Coblentz and Wurtzburg)
to study music; but in 1894, owing to a disappointed love, he gave
up this, and went to Paris, with some thought of becoming a
writer. He was much in France for the next few years writing
constantly to little purpose; he went to Italy in 1896, and in May
1898 made his first visit to the Aran Islands. During this visit
he began the first drafts of the studies which afterwards grew to