Ireland

:This page is about the island of Ireland. For the political territories on the island, see Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the History section below.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Ireland

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Literature and the arts

Main articles: Irish literature, Irish art

Related Topics:
Irish literature - Irish art

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For a comparatively small country, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English. Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century. In more recent times, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. His 1922 novel Ulysses is sometimes cited as the greatest English-language novel of the 20th century and his life is celebrated annually on June 16th in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations.

Related Topics:
Vernacular - 6th century - Nobel Prize for Literature - George Bernard Shaw - William Butler Yeats - Samuel Beckett - Seamus Heaney - Nobel Prize - James Joyce - 20th century - Ulysses - Dublin - Bloomsday

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The early history of Irish visual art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze age artefacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy.

Related Topics:
Newgrange - Bronze age - Illuminated manuscripts - 19th - 20th - John Butler Yeats - William Orpen - Jack Yeats - Louis le Brocquy

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Music and dance

Main article: Irish music

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The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is also widely known. In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas. During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers and Sweeney's Men and individuals like Sean Ó Riada and Danny O'Flaherty. Irish and Scottish traditional music are similar.

Related Topics:
Folk music - Dance - The Dubliners - The Chieftains - Clancy Brothers - Sweeney's Men - Sean Ó Riada - Danny O'Flaherty - Scottish

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Before long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison and even Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound. During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of bands and individuals like U2, Clannad, The Cranberries, The Corrs, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, and The Pogues.

Related Topics:
Horslips - Van Morrison - Thin Lizzy - 1970s - 1980s - U2 - Clannad - The Cranberries - The Corrs - Rory Gallagher - The Pogues

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Nevertheless, Irish music has shown an immense inflation of popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. There are also contemporary music groups that stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Gaelic Storm, Lúnasa, and Solas. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of style, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Canadian Loreena McKennitt.

Related Topics:
Altan - Gaelic Storm - Lúnasa - Solas - Afro Celt Sound System - Canadian - Loreena McKennitt

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Ireland has done well in the Eurovision Song Contest, being the most successful country in the competition with seven wins. This achievement evokes mixed feelings in many Irish people.

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