European Literature: Ireland

As always, these are the PowerPoint slides and the YouTube links will be posted above the slide where a video would have been in the PowerPoint. 

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The Animated History of Ireland

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The Celtic languages are derived from Gaelic, those listed below. It's considered the oldest literature in Europe other than Greek and Latin.

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• St. Columba was a missionary from Ireland that spent much of his life at the monastery at Iona in the Scottish Hebrides. He helped found many churches and monasteries throughout Ireland, including Iona, which was considered the center of Celtic Christianity. He wrote poems and hymns beginning a tradition of Irish poetry that focused on nature.
• Viking raids brought Nordic literary traditions to Ireland. However, the social and cultural disruptions of the raids halted literary pursuits and destroyed many existing manuscripts.
• 12th century brought the use of the Irish vernacular into the literary tradition. As with other literary periods we have covered, the Irish turned to an Irish written tradition, leaving Latin behind.
• What makes Irish literature unique is that instead of the Christian tradition being tacked on or replacing the pagan writings, the pagan style of writing influenced the ecclesiastical writing.
• Norman invaders brought their literary styles/works of courtly love, but again these genres were mixed into the existing Irish style.
• By the 18th century, the Irish tradition is mainly found in folk songs and the older writings. The preferred language for writing is English, or Anglo-Irish. Many Irish authors of this time were/are considered British authors.

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Why Isn't Irish Mythology More Popular?

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The Myth of Oisin 

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The later writers like W.B. Yeats helped start a Gaelic Revival, a renewed interest in Celtic roots. The vocabulary and the vernacular are richer, and there was a sense of pride in the Irish language that had been lost under British control. This was especially the case in the days following the Easter Rising of 1916 and later with independence from Britain.

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Literary Dublin

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Remembering C.S. Lewis

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The Irish Language and Beauty