Irish writing of 8th century

For a comparatively small country, Ireland has made a disproportionate contribution to world literature in all its branches. The works that are best known outside the country are in English, but Irish Gaelic also has the most significant body of written literature, both ancient and recent, in any Celtic language, in addition to a strong oral tradition of legends and poetry. Image File history File links Irish_writing. ... Image File history File links Irish_writing. ... World literature refers to literature from all over the world, including American literature, European literature, Latin American literature, Asian literature, African literature, Arabic literature and so on. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Irish () is a Goidelic language spoken in Ireland. ... The Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, spoken by ancient and modern Celts alike. ... Oral tradition or oral culture is a way of transmitting history, literature or law from one generation to the next in a civilization without a writing system. ...

This Irish language tradition has contributed to making Irish literature in English something quite distinctive from English literature in other countries. From the older tradition, Irish writers in English have inherited a sense of wonder in the face of nature, a narrative style that tends towards the deliberately exaggerated or absurd, a keen sense of the power of satire. In addition, the interplay between the two languages has resulted in an English dialect, Hiberno-English, that lends a distinctive syntax and music to the literature written in it. The term English literature refers to literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; Joseph Conrad was Polish, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, Salman Rushdie is Indian, V.S... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see Syntax (disambiguation). ...

Poetry

Main article: Irish poetry

A 1907 engraving of W. B. Yeats

Irish poetry has a long and complex history. The Irish language has one of the oldest vernacular literature and poetry traditions and represents a more or less unbroken cycle from the 6th century to the present day. However, since at least the 14th century, poetry in English has also been written in Ireland and by Irish writers abroad. A 1907 engraving of William Butler Yeats, one of Irelands best-known poets. ... William Butler Yeats Source: http://www. ... William Butler Yeats Source: http://www. ... A 1907 engraving of William Butler Yeats, one of Irelands best-known poets. ... Irish () is a Goidelic language spoken in Ireland. ... Vernacular literature is literature written in the vernacular - the speech of the common people. ... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...

During the late Middle Ages, the old Gaelic order that had supported the old professional bards broke down, and Irish language poetry started to become marginalised and by the 19th century had entered the realm of folk art. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which spread from Ireland to Scotland and the Isle of Man. ... A bard is a poet or singer, in religious or feudal contexts. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

The 18th century witnessed both a late flowering of bardic poetry and song and the first major Irish poets in English, Jonathan Swift and Oliver Goldsmith. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Irish priest, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, and poet, famous for works like Gullivers Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, The Drapiers Letters, The Battle of the Books, and A Tale of a Tub. ... Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (November 10, 1730(?) – April 4, 1774) was an Irish writer and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), his pastoral poem The Deserted Village (1770) (written in memory of his brother), and his plays The Good-naturd Man (1768) and She Stoops...

In the 19th century, Irish poets writing in English set out to reinvent the Gaelic tradition in the new language, frequently translating bardic and other early Irish poets and retelling stories from Celtic mythology in Victorian verse. This trend resulted in the early work of W. B. Yeats. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... William Butler Yeats (IPA: ) (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, mystic and public figure, brother of the artist Jack Butler Yeats and son of John Butler Yeats. ...

At the beginning of the 20th century, Yeats' style changed under the influence of his contact with modernism. The generation of Irish poets that followed Yeats were, to simplify, divided between those who were influenced by his early Celtic style and those who followed such modernist figures as James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, both of whom wrote poetry as well as their better known fiction and drama. For Modernism in an American context, see American modernism. ... James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish Séamus Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ... Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet. ...

During the course of the 20th century, the influence of Yeats has tended to dominate, either as a role model or as someone to rebel against. However, this period also saw the emergence of such significant figures as Patrick Kavanagh, Seamus Heaney and Brian Coffey. This period also saw a revival of poetry in Irish, at least partly as a result of government policy decisions in support of the language. Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 - 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet. ... Seamus Heaney Seamus Heaney (IPA: //) (born 13 April 1939) is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. ... Brian Coffey (June 8, 1905 - April 14, 1995) was an Irish poet and publisher. ...

Fiction

Main article: Irish fiction

Although the epics of Medieval Ireland were written in prose and not verse, most people would probably consider that Irish fiction proper begins in the 18th century with the works of Jonathan Swift (especially Gulliver's Travels) and Oliver Goldsmith (especially The Vicar of Wakefield). Jonathan Swift — the first Irish novelist of note Although the epics of Celtic Ireland were written in prose and not verse, most people would probably consider that Irish fiction proper begins in the 18th century. ... The first known human settlement in Ireland began around 8000 BC, when hunter-gatherers arrived from Britain and continental Europe, probably via a land bridge. ... Jonathan Swift — the first Irish novelist of note Although the epics of Celtic Ireland were written in prose and not verse, most people would probably consider that Irish fiction proper begins in the 18th century. ... Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Irish priest, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, and poet, famous for works like Gullivers Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, The Drapiers Letters, The Battle of the Books, and A Tale of a Tub. ... First Edition of Gullivers Travels Gullivers Travels (1726, amended 1735), officially Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, is a novel by Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of the travellers tales literary sub-genre. ... Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (November 10, 1730(?) – April 4, 1774) was an Irish writer and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), his pastoral poem The Deserted Village (1770) (written in memory of his brother), and his plays The Good-naturd Man (1768) and She Stoops... Choosing the Wedding Gown by William Mulready, an illustration of Ch. ...

A number of Irish novelists emerged during the 19th century, including Maria Edgeworth, John Banim, Gerald Griffin, Charles Kickham, William Carleton, George Moore and Somerville and Ross. Most of these writers came from the Anglo-Irish ruling classes and they wrote what came to be termed "novels of the big house". Carleton was an exception, and his Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry showed life on the other side of the social divide. Bram Stoker, the Anglican author of Dracula, was outside both traditions. Maria Edgeworth (January 1, 1767-May 22, 1849) was an Irish novelist. ... John Banim (April 3, 1798 ? August 30, 1842), Irish novelist, sometimes called the Scott of Ireland, was born at Kilkenny. ... Gerald Griffin (December 12, 1803 - June 12, 1840) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet. ... Charles Joseph Kickham (9 May 1828–22 August 1882) was an Irish patriot, novelist and poet. ... William Carleton (February 20, 1794 - January 30, 1869) was an Irish novelist. ... A portrait of George Moore by Édouard Manet George Augustus Moore (February 24, 1852 - January 21, 1933) was an Irish novelist, short story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. ... Somerville and Ross refers to Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin, the latter writing under the name of Martin Ross. ... Anglo-Irish was a term used historically to describe a ruling class inhabitants of Ireland who were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy[1], mostly belonging to the Anglican Church of Ireland or to a lesser extent one of the English dissenting churches, such as the Methodist church. ... Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) was an Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary character the vampire Count Dracula. ...

George Moore spent much of his early career in Paris and was one of the first writers to use the techniques of the French realist novelists in English. He can be seen as one of the precursors of the most famous Irish novelist of the 20th century, James Joyce. Joyce is often regarded as the father of the literary genre "stream of consciousness" which is best exemplified in his famous work, Ulysses. Joyce also wrote Finnegans Wake, Dubliners, and the semi-autobiographical A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Joyce's high modernist style had its influence on coming generations of Irish novelists, most notably Samuel Beckett, Brian O'Nolan, who published as Flann O'Brien and Myles na gCopaleen, and Aidan Higgins. O'Nolan was bilingual and his fiction clearly shows the mark of the native tradition, particularly in the imaginative quality of his storytelling and the biting edge of his satire. City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish Séamus Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ... Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In psychology and philosophy stream of consciousness, introduced by William James, is the set of constantly changing inner thoughts and sensations which an individual has while conscious, used as a synonym for stream of thought. ... Ulysses is a 1922 novel by James Joyce, first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from 1918 to 1920, and published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on February 2, 1922, in Paris. ... Finnegans Wake, published in 1939, is James Joyces final novel. ... For the Irish folk band, see The Dubliners. ... Cover of An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ... A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce, first serialized in The Egoist from 1914 to 1915 and published in book form in 1916. ... This article focuses on the cultural movement labeled modernism or the modern movement. See also: Modernism (Roman Catholicism) or Modernist Christianity; Modernismo for specific art movement(s) in Spain and Catalonia. ... Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet. ... Flann OBrien (October 5, 1911, Strabane, County Tyrone Ireland – April 1, 1966 Dublin) is a pseudonym of the twentieth century Irish novelist and satirist Brian ONolan (in Irish Brian Ó Nuallain), best known for his novels An Béal Bocht, At Swim-Two-Birds and The Third Policeman. ... Aidan Higgins (born March 3, 1927) is an Irish writer. ...

Cathal Ó Sándair (1922-1996), one of the most prolific Irish language authors, produced over one hundred novels, many of them westerns featuring cowboys and gun fights. Born in Weston Super Mare, England to an English father and Irish mother, his family moved to Ireland when he was a child. His first novel appeared in 1943 and featured Réics Carló, the most famous Irish language detective. Biography Cathal Ó Sándair (1922-1996), one of the most prolific Irish language authors, produced over one hundred novels, many of them westerns featuring cowboys and gun fights. ...

The big house novel prospered into the 20th century, and Aidan Higgins' first novel Langrishe, Go Down is an experimental example of the genre. More conventional exponents include Elizabeth Bowen and Molly Keane (writing as M.J. Farrell). Elizabeth Dorothea Cole Bowen (7 June 1899 – 22 February 1973) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and short story writer. ... Molly Keane (1904 - 1996) was an Irish novelist, born in County Kildare. ... Molly Keane ([1904]] - 1996) was an Irish novelist (born Mary Nesta Skrine in Ballyrankin, County Kildare). ...

With the rise of the Irish Free State and the Republic of Ireland, more novelists from the so-called lower social classes began to emerge. Frequently, these authors wrote of the narrow, circumscribed lives of the lower-middle classes and small farmers. Exponents of this style range from Brinsley McNamara to John McGahern. Territory of the Irish Free State Capital Dublin Language(s) Irish, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1922–1936 George V  - 1936–1936 George VI President of the Executive Council  - 1922–1932 W.T. Cosgrave  - 1932–1937 Eamon de Valera Legislature Oireachtas  - Upper house Seanad Éireann  - Lower house Dáil Éireann... John McGahern (November 12, 1934 – March 30, 2006) was an Irish writer (in English). ...

The short story has also proven popular with Irish fiction writers. Well known short story writers include Frank O'Connor and Sean O'Faolain. This article is in need of attention. ... Frank O’Connor (born Michael Francis OConnor ODonovan) (September 17, 1903 - March 10, 1966) was an Irish author of over 150 works, who was best known for his short stories and books of memoirs. ... Sean OFaolain ( the pseudonym of John Whelan) (February 22, 1900 - April 20, 1991) was an Irish short story author and writer. ...

Theatre

Main article: Irish theatre

George Bernard Shaw

Although the documented history of Irish theatre began at least as early as 1601, the earliest Irish dramatists of note were William Congreve, one of the most interesting writers of Restoration comedies, and Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, who were two of the most successful playwrights on the London stage in the 18th century. Oscar Wilde remains one of Irelands best-known playwrights The history of Irish theatre begins with the rise of the English administration in Dublin at the start of the 17th century. ... PD image from http://www. ... PD image from http://www. ... Oscar Wilde remains one of Irelands best-known playwrights The history of Irish theatre begins with the rise of the English administration in Dublin at the start of the 17th century. ... Events February 8 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Elizabeth I of England - revolt is quickly crushed February 25 - Robert Devereux beheaded Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China Bad harvest in Russia due to rainy summer Dutch troops drive Portuguese from Málaga Battle of Kinsale, Ireland Births... William Congreve (January 24, 1670 – January 19, 1729) was an English playwright and poet. ... Refinement meets burlesque in Restoration comedy. ... Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (November 10, 1730(?) – April 4, 1774) was an Irish writer and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), his pastoral poem The Deserted Village (1770) (written in memory of his brother), and his plays The Good-naturd Man (1768) and She Stoops... Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Sheridan (October 30, 1751 – July 7, 1816) was an Irish playwright and Whig statesman. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

In the 19th century, Dion Boucicault was an extremely popular writer of comedies. However, it was in the last decade of the century that the Irish theatre finally came of age with the emergence of George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde and the establishment in Dublin in 1899 of the Irish Literary Theatre. Poster for a production of Boucicaults farce Contempt of Court, c. ... George Bernard Shaw (George) Bernard Shaw[1] (born Dublin, 26 July 1856 – died 2 November 1950 in Hertfordshire) was an Irish playwright based in England. ... Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ...

This last company, later to become the Abbey Theatre, performed plays by W.B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, and Sean O'Casey. Equally importantly, through the introduction by Yeats, via Ezra Pound, of elements of the Noh theatre of Japan, a tendency to mythologise quotidian situations, and a particularly strong focus on writings in dialects of Hiberno-English, the Abbey was to create a style that held a strong fascination for future Irish dramatists. The exterior of the Abbey Theatre in 2006. ... A 1907 engraving of Yeats. ... A photograph of Lady Gregory from her 1913 book Our Irish Theatre Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (15 March 1852–22 May 1932), née Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. ... John Millington Synge John Millington Synge (April 16, 1871 - March 24, 1909) was an Irish dramatist, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. ... Sean OCasey Sean OCasey (March 30, 1880 - September 18, 1964) was a major Irish dramatist and memorist. ... Ezra Pound in 1913. ... Noh performance at Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima, Hiroshima Noh or Nō (Japanese: 能) is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. ...

The twentieth century saw a number of Irish playwrights come to prominence. These included Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan, Denis Johnston, Brian Friel, Frank McGuinness, Thomas Kilroy, Tom Murphy, Hugh Leonard, and John B. Keane. There was also a rise in the writing of plays in Irish, especially after the formation, in 1928, of An Taibhdhearc, a theatre dedicated to the Irish language. The Gate Theatre, also founded in 1928, introduced Irish audiences to many of the classics of the European stage. Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish dramatist, novelist and poet. ... Brendan Francis Behan (Irish: Breandán Ó Beacháin) (February 9, 1923 - March 20, 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. ... Denis Johnston (June 18, 1901 – August 8, 1984) was an Irish dramatist who was awarded an OBE 1945 and was also a member of Aosdána. ... Brian Friel (born January 9, 1929) is a playwright and director from Northern Ireland. ... Frank McGuinness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Thomas F. Kilroy (1934 - ), the Irish playwright and novelist, was born in Green Street, Callan, County Kilkenny and studied at University College, Dublin. ... Tom Murphy (born 1935) is an Irish dramatist who has worked closely with the Abbey Theatre. ... Hugh Leonard (real name John Keyes Byrne) (born 1926) is an Irish dramatist and journalist. ... John Brendan Keane (July 21, 1928–May 30, 2002) was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist from Listowel, County Kerry. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Taibhdhearc na Gailimhe, also referred to as An Taibhdhearc (pron. ... The Gate Theatre, in Dublin, was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammoir, initially using the Abbey Theatres Peacock studio theatre space to stage important works by European and American dramatists. ...

Since the 1970s, a number of companies have emerged to challenge the Abbey's dominance and introduce different styles and approaches. These include Focus Theatre, The Children's T Company, the Project Theatre Company, Druid Theatre, Rough Magic, TEAM and Field Day. These companies have nurtured a number of writers, actors, and directors who have since gone on to be successful in London, Broadway and Hollywood. The Focus Theatre in Dublin is a small but respected theater which offers a variety of plays from new and established writers. ... The Druid Theatre Company, founded in Galway in 1975, was the first Irish professional theatre company to be established outside Dublin. ... A Team is a small group with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for common purpose, goals, and approach. ... Field Day is the name of several different amateur radio contests. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... ...

Further References

• Brady, Anne & Cleeve, Brian (1985). Biographical Dictionary of Irish Writers. Lilliput. ISBN 0946640114
• Jeffares, A. Norman (1997). A Pocket History of Irish Literature. O'Brien Press. ISBN 0862785022
• Welsh, Robert (ed.) & Stewart, Bruce (ed.) (1996). The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0198661584

Brian Cleeve Brian Talbot Cleeve, (November 22, 1921 – March 11, 2003) was a prolific writer and popular TV broadcaster, who lived in Ireland for most of his life . ...

External links

• CELT: The online resource for Irish history, literature and politics
• Biblio Ireland: An authoritative guide to a vast range of Irish books.
• Library Ireland: Rare, out-of-print Irish publications online..
• Dublin Quarterly
• Irish Theatre Resource
• The Irish Playography database
• Ireland Literature Guide
• Irish Writers Online
• Irish crime writers
• Extracts from New Irish books

See also

• Irish poetry
• Irish fiction
• Irish theatre
• List of Irish poets
• Old Irish literature