Irish poetry

The history of Irish poetry includes the poetries of two languages, one in Irish and the other in English. The complex interplay between these two traditions, and between both of them and other poetries in English, has produced a body of work that is both rich in variety and difficult to categorise.

Gaelic poetry in the 17th century

The Battle of Kinsale in 1601 resulted in the final victory of the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland. One outcome of the changes that followed from this was the end of the system of education and patronage that underwrote the professional bardic schools. A new Gaelic poetry emerged, one that existed in the margins of a dispossessed Irish-speaking society.

Related Topics:
Battle of Kinsale - 1601 - Elizabethan

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Although some 17th century poets continued to find a degree of patronage, many, if not most, of them were part-time writers who were also engaged in working on the land, as teachers, and anywhere that they could earn their keep. The poetry they wrote also changed, with a move away from the syllabic verse of the schools to accentual metres which may reflect the oral poetry of the bardic period. A good deal of the poetry of this period deals with political and historical themes that reflect the poets' sense of a world lost.

Related Topics:
Syllabic verse - Accentual

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The main poets of this period include Dáibhí Ó Bruadair (David O Bruadair) (1625?–1698), Piaras Feiritéar (1600?–1653) and Aogán Ó Rathaille (1675–1729). Ó Rathaille belongs as much to the 18th as the 17th century and his work, including the introduction of the aisling genre, marks something of a transition to a post Battle of the Boyne Ireland.

Related Topics:
Dáibhí Ó Bruadair - 1625 - 1698 - Piaras Feiritéar - 1600 - 1653 - Aogán Ó Rathaille - 1675 - 1729 - Aisling - Battle of the Boyne

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