Modern Literature in Irish - Early Revival

Early Revival

By the end of the nineteenth century, Irish had dwindled from being the dominant language of Ireland to being the first language only of a minority, and little literature was being produced. The Gaelic Revival sought to arrest this decline. In the beginning the revivalists preferred the style used in Early Modern (Classical) Irish, notably by Geoffrey Keating (Seathrún Céitinn) in Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (History of Ireland), a much-read 17th century work. Céitinn's Irish, however, was soon ousted by the popular dialects actually being spoken in the Gaeltachtaí, especially as championed by a native speaker from the Coolea-Muskerry area, Father Peadar Ua Laoghaire, who in the 1890s published, in a serialised form, a folkloristic novel strongly influenced by the storytelling tradition of the Gaeltacht, called Séadna. His other works include the autobiography Mo Scéal Féin and retellings of classical Irish stories, as well as a recently reissued adaptation of Don Quixote.

Ua Laoghaire was soon followed by Patrick Pearse, who was to be executed as one of the leaders of the Easter Rising. Pearse learnt Irish in Rosmuc and wrote idealised stories about the Irish-speaking countryside, as well as nationalistic poems in a more classical, Keatingesque style.

Pádraic Ó Conaire was a pioneer in the writing of realistic short stories in Irish; he was also to the forefront of Irish-language journalism. His most important book is his only novel, Deoraíocht (Exile), which combines realism with absurdist elements. He was to die in the nineteen twenties, not yet fifty years old. Ó Conaire became something of a mythical figure in Irish literary folklore because of his highly individual talent and engaging personality.