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On a rooftop near O'Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching. Beside him lay his rifle and over his shoulders was slung a pair of field glasses. His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic.
The Republican sniper smiles at the successful ploy, ignores his pain, aims his revolver, and shoots at the enemy’s silhouette. The enemy sniper’s body falls to the street below with a thud. As he watches his enemy fall, the sniper feels a sense of guilt and rising anger over the entire situation.
Analysis. The story begins in darkness near dawn. The city of Dublin, Ireland is undergoing a battle between Republicans and Free Staters. It is the Civil War. The night is silent except for the occasional machines guns and rifles, which sound like “dogs barking on lone farms.”
In Liam O’Flaherty’s story “The Sniper,” the historical conflict of the Battle of the Four Courts in June 1922 reflects the effects of the Irish Civil War (1922–1923). The story explores interpersonal conflicts among Irish citizens, as well as the internal conflicts that plagued individuals who participated in the violence.
The Sniper is a short story written by the Irish writer Liam O'Flaherty. Set during the early weeks of the Irish Civil War, during the Battle of Dublin, it is O'Flaherty's first published work of fiction.
The Sniper. “The Sniper” begins just before dawn in Dublin, Ireland, during the Irish Civil War. A Republic sniper sits on a roof and lights a cigarette despite knowing that the flash of his lighter might tip off his enemy. It does, and an enemy sniper, a Free Stater, sends a bullet flying overhead.
The Sniper. Liam O'Flaherty. The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey.
