Ireland: The Invention of Tradition

The short stories of Ireland are distinct and many times distinctly Irish. “The Limerick Gloves” by Maria Edgeworth, “The Pedlar’s Revenge” by Liam O’Flaherty, “The Poteen Maker” by Michael McLaverty, and “Loser” Val Mulkerns are each distinct Irish short stories that deal with Irish topics in original ways. These stories are stylistically and thematically Irish. They are moralistic and offer clear themes that pertain to Irish values. This analysis will explore the Irish-ness of the works and explore their meaning when held against Irish literary tenants.

In James Joyce’s Dubliners, the reader experiences the different lives of Dublin’s inhabitants. Each Dubliner has different problems, fears, hopes, and dreams, which allows culminates into many different perspectives. Joyce masterfully writes the daily lives of these people without any romanticism. The Dubliners stories are a small snippet into their full lives, while the reader does not get the full story, he does not need to. Not much may seem to happen in the stories, but profound themes and messages are hidden beneath the words. In the story An Encounter, a group of boys imagine they are in the Wild West, while staging mock battles of cowboys vs. Indians. The story includes many encounters that present themselves as ordinary; however this is far from true. In fact, the story is largely commentating on often mocking Irish religious life and escapism.

Symbolism is a powerful tool used by people every day to force people to look past the obvious and find the deeper meaning. Symbolism is used by authors, musicians, priests, and many others. James Joyce, a well-known Irish author, uses symbolism repeatedly throughout his collection of short stories published in 1916. In these stories, titled Dubliners, Joyce uses symbolism not only to enhance the stories, but to also show the hidden, underlying message of each story without coming out and saying it directly. Joyce’s stories are centered on the problems of Dublin and through his use of symbolism Joyce is able to focus attention on what problem each story is addressing. James

The Scotch-Irish can trace their ancestry through Scotland and Northern Ireland. (Everyculture) The Scotch-Irish are descendants from 200,000 Scottish Lowland Presbyterians who were forced to move to Ulster in Northern Ireland in the 1600’s. Due to the economic conditions along with religious and

Ireland has changed in many ways since the beginning of time. Many different people have invaded Ireland and changed so many things. One of the most important continuous invaders of Ireland were the vikings. These vikings were only from Norway, known as ostmen, they were notorious for raiding and looting. But, things were different with Ireland they managed to settle and establish permanent bases there.

The people of Ireland are known for their amazing stories and their love of traditions.

There are many times in the writings and lives of the people of the world that ideas or themes can be linked to myths and the various components of myths whether it be intentional or not. The James Joyce novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is one of such writings, this novel employs multiple concepts and ideas that pertain to myths that can be attributed to the thinking of American mythologist Joseph Campbell. The reader can see a link of Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey throughout the Joyce novel. Stephen Dedalus begins his hero’s journey when he experiences his call to adventure when he is attending Belvedere after he learns that his father can no longer afford to send him back to Clongowes, the night of the Whitsuntide play Stephen truly

English authors in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries made extensive use of classical mythology, in drama and narrative poems, as ornaments in lyric poetry, and by means of mythological allusion in prose and verse works.1

Greetings to Tidal Wave Publishing! I am a 7th grade student at Old Donation School. I would like to submit my original fable based on traditional Irish fables and myths, titled The Journey for the Cure, to be inserted in your upcoming anthology. This story is about a man, Jack Kelly, who makes a journey to save his wife from a curse. On his journey, he meets a leprechaun who throws him off and he has to race to save his wife in time. My work reveals common Irish traditions, archetypes, and morals that are relevant with youth.

Identity is pivotal to the story and holds its own innate power, but what is even more pivotal is that the Irish do not necessarily all share the same views. The Irish find their history very important because it is the foundation of the language. Hugh says, “It is not the literal past, the ‘facts’ of history, that shape us, but images of the past embodied in language” (88). It is evident then that Hugh finds the historical meanings of

The concept of tradition is associated with the passing down through generations, beliefs, thoughts and actions (“tradition”, n.d) and dissent derives from a desire to publicly protest against the traditions and against those holding the

Fascinating is one way of describing Irish Literature. All Irish literature seem to have similar characteristics. First, Irish literature always takes place in Ireland and is about Irish citizens or those with Irish heritage. If one does not know about the Irish, it is not always possible to understand the Irish by reading Irish literature because the authors? definition is what they believe to be Irish. Irish playwright, John Millington Synge, born in 1871 in rural Rathfarnham, outside Dublin Ireland died at age 37 in 1909, authored ?Playboy of the Western World? and award-winning, Irish playwright, author and poet, Sebastian Barry, born in 1955 in Dublin authored among others, ?The Secret Scripture? are not only similar in heritage, embodying the characteristics of Irish literature in these two works, written one hundred plus years apart, with similar genres?satirical tragedy and tragedy, but also show the strong influence of feminism, social expectations, and religion. The personal effect was greater for ?The Secret Scripture? as characters and events outlined in this book relate to instances in the life of my aunt, mother and

The history of Ireland is one of early scholasticism and rich culture in times when the rest of Europe had less of a literary and artistic tradition. By the time of Hyde’s speech, the nation had become “one of the least studious and most un-literary”3 countries of the area, and he claims that the fault lies in a divergence from “the right path.”4 Progressive Anglicization has led the Irish to forget their own culture and its traditions. The British claim that because the Irish have forgotten much of their language and customs, they should be content as an integral part of the United Kingdom, and

The times of The Great War were never pleasant for families caught up it’s effects. Most were the hardest times of peoples lives. The world around them changed in many aspects. Those of us fortunate enough to only experience these times through books and stories of survivors past are often curious to learn more. For those familiar with Bolger, he has throughout his career written about aspects of Irish reality which many would rather forget. With this Bolger has contributed to the beginning richer, version of Ireland’s recent past.

Culture is a vital part of our world. From language and art to traditions and history. But what better way to understand and see a different view of a particular culture, than to read a novel from that culture? Good morning guests. It is a privilege to be here with you today to discuss the importance of cultural reading and how it can enrich our own culture and understanding of life outside of our own. Without cross-cultural reading, we would be ignorant to the complexity of most cultures and only know bits and pieces of facts and stereotypes. Cultural reading not only tells you more about the culture, but it allows you to see the similarities between your culture and another’s. Also coming across misunderstandings in texts are a way to see the cultural differences between cultures. The particular culture I have explored is Irish culture. It seems that to many the Irish culture is one full of life, and “half-glass full” attitudes, which to some extent, is true. However, in some parts of Ireland, life isn’t that simple. Some lives are filled with hardship, and the struggles of poverty, some show the commitment they have to their family whilst going through a difficult time, and some use humour to lighten the mood and hide these hardships. For this study, some of the main texts I have explored is Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, The Woman Who Walked Into Doors and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha both by Roddy Doyle, short stories from Dubliners by James Joyce, and the film The