Although the setting of "The News from Ireland" is unidentified, the Pulvertaft estate is most likely in a county in southern Ireland, as indicated by the profusion of poor Irish Catholics in the community. At the time the story opens, Ireland has been in the throes of the Great Famine for about two years. Over a million Irish people leave their homes during this period, heading for harbor towns and, with hope, America.

They have little choice but to leave their homeland, for they have neither food for their families nor money to purchase food.

Trevor uses multiple points of view in "The News from Ireland," allowing the story to explore the innermost thoughts of his characters. The voices of Fogarty and Anna Maria, however, are given prominence throughout. Thematically, this makes sense, for the Pulvertafts have already come to accept their role as "strangers and visitors" to...