# Mr. Purcell — Short Fiction character guide > Mr. Purcell in Short Fiction by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Purcell, the Late Francis Purcell, Francis Purcell, Frank, Francis, the late Frances Purcell, the late Rev. Francis Purcell, the Rev. Francis Purcell **First appearance:** 0000-the-ghost-and-the-bonesetter ## Snapshot A scholarly country priest whose fifty years of collecting local ghost stories left behind the manuscripts through which these strange tales reach us. ## Who they are Francis Purcell spent half a century as a parish priest in the south of Ireland, quietly amassing old traditions, superstitions, and wonders from the people around him. His literary tastes, formed abroad, made him a curious and industrious collector rather than a mere clergyman, and his papers reveal a mind delighted by the marvellous and the whimsical. As residuary legatee, his friend inherits these manuscripts, and through them the reader enters a world where the dead are taxed with water-carrying and coffins are thrown over churchyard walls. ## Relationships ### [Con Donovan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/con_donovan) _social_ Con Donovan and Mr. Purcell are acquaintances, likely meeting through local social circles. ### [Con Donovan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/con_donovan) _social_ Con Donovan and Mr. Purcell are acquaintances, likely meeting through local social circles. ### [Con Donovan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/con_donovan) _social_ Con Donovan and Mr. Purcell are acquaintances, likely meeting through local social circles. ## In the story ### [The Ghost and the Bonesetter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-ghost-and-the-bonesetter) The late parish priest whose manuscript papers contain the story. ### [The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-fortunes-of-sir-robert-ardagh) The narrator and compiler of the account, identified as the late Father Purcell, who presents the story from the papers. ### [The Last Heir of Castle Connor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-last-heir-of-castle-connor) The narrator, a Catholic priest who recounts his friendship with young O'Connor and his later visit to the grieving mother. ### [The Drunkard's Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-drunkard-s-dream) Narrator and clergyman who attends to Pat Connell and reflects on the nature of dreams. ### [Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/passage-in-the-secret-history-of-an-irish-countess) The late Francis Purcell, P.P. of Drumcoolagh; the legacy from whom this narrative is extracted. ### [The Bridal of Carrigvarah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-bridal-of-carrigvarah) The narrator and clergyman who attends Ellen Heathcote's deathbed and recounts the story. ### [Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/strange-event-in-the-life-of-schalken-the-painter) The narrator who presents the story as an extract from his legacy; he heard the tale from Captain Vandael. ### [Scraps of Hibernian Ballads](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/scraps-of-hibernian-ballads) Narrator and collector of Irish ballads, presenting extracts from his legacy. ### [A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/a-chapter-in-the-history-of-a-tyrone-family) The late Francis Purcell, P.P. of Drumcoolagh, is the source of the narrative. ### [An Adventure of Hardress Fitzgerald, a Royalist Captain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/an-adventure-of-hardress-fitzgerald-a-royalist-captain) The late Francis Purcell, whose legacy includes this narrative. ### [The Quare Gander](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-quare-gander) The narrator and collector of the story, riding from Emly to Tipperary. ### [The Sexton’s Adventure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-sexton-s-adventure) The narrator who recounts the tale of Bob Martin and the supernatural events in Chapelizod. ### [Some Gossip About Chapelizod](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/some-gossip-about-chapelizod) Implied as the narrator or source of the gossip, recalling events from fifty years ago and the disbanding of the Royal Irish Artillery. ### [III: The Priest’s Adventures in the Glen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/iii-the-priest-s-adventures-in-the-glen) The priest who attempts to visit the castle but is repeatedly thwarted by supernatural phenomena. ### [The White Cat of Drumgunniol](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-white-cat-of-drumgunniol) The narrator who studies Irish records and is told the story by Dan Donovan. ### [Stories of Lough Guir](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/stories-of-lough-guir) The narrator, recalling his boyhood visits to Miss Anne Baily at Lough Guir. ### [The Governess’s Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-governess-s-dream) Narrator of the governess's story ### [VII: Chief Justice Twofold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/vii-chief-justice-twofold) Not directly present in this chapter, but the story is part of his manuscript. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/endnotes) Referenced as the author of the manuscripts, with editorial notes on his admiration for nature and the fair sex. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/mr_purcell - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters