The Gaels
Irish writing first appeared in the fifth century AD when monastic settlers brought Classical culture into contact with a Gaelic civilization that had a long and sophisticated oral tradition. Faced with the resistance of the pagan bards, the newcomers set about incorporating the Celtic sagas into the comparatively young system of Christian belief. These ancient tales told of war and famine, madness and love, death and magical rebirth - story sequences from deep in the folk memory. One of the earliest of these, the Tain Bo Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley), deals with a rumps between Cuchulainn , a prototypical Celtic superman, and the mighty Queen Medb, over the theft of a prize bull. The best translation of the epic is, without doubt, Thomas Kinsella's The Tain (1969), which has an excellent introduction and a map of areas relating to the tale. The series of tales concerning Cuchulainn, known as the Ulster Cycle , were, from the eighth century, superseded by those concerning the exploits of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his posse, the Fianna, known as the Ossianic Cycle . Fionn was a more disturbing and sophisticated figure, not only a warrior but a poet, sage and mystic; in the most prominent tale in the cycle, Toraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghrainne (Pursuit of Diarmaid and Grainne), Fionn is represented as a jealous, ageing warrior, irate at being cuckolded by the young Diarmaid and chasing him and his former lover Grainne around Ireland. Later Irish artists made much of the early tales, sometimes with less than proper reverence; in Beckett's novel Murphy (1938), for instance, a character attempts suicide by banging his head repeatedly against the bronze buttocks of the statue of Cuchulainn, which adorns the lobby of Dudlin's GPO. Another tale which has proved an inspiration to many writers is Buile Shuibne (Frenzy of Sweeney), a twelfth-century text detailing the adventures of the king Sweeney who, driven mad by the noise of incessant warfare, seeks refuge in the tree tops of Ireland, where he writes lyrical nature poetry. This tale was one of the inspirations behind Flann O'Brien's novel At Swim-Two-Birds , while Seamus Heaney's Sweeney Astray (1983) is a lyrical translation of the mythical wanderings of the mad king. Fairy tales from this Celtic era reveal a world of witches, imps and banshees, all jollying around in a Manichaean struggle with the forces of love, wisdom and goodness - which, refreshingly, do not always triumph. Check out Kevin Danaher's In Ireland Long Ago (1962) for full-blooded retellings.
Your Tip for Ireland
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Ireland - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Ireland - visit the main Ireland forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Ireland webguide section below! Thanks.
|
