Modern Literature in Irish - Writers in Irish Abroad

Writers in Irish Abroad

Countries other than Ireland have produced several contributors to literature in Irish, reflecting the existence globally of a group who have learned or who cultivate the language. It is worthy of note that these writers and their readers do not always form part of the traditional diaspora. A number are to be found in North America, Australia and various European countries.

Panu Petteri Höglund, a linguist, writer and translator, belongs to Finland's Swedish-speaking minority. He uses Irish as a creative medium, and has set himself the goal of producing entertaining and modern writing in an Irish up to Gaeltacht standards. For a long time he experimented with Ulster Irish on the Web, but he published his first book in standard Irish, albeit strongly influenced by native folklore and dialects.

Muiris (Mossie) Ó Scanláin, a native speaker from the Kerry Gaeltacht now resident in Melbourne, has written an autobiography in his own dialect (one rich in autobiographies) called An Mám ó Dheas, describing his life in Ireland, England and Australia.

Work of a different sort has been produced by Colin Ryan, an Australian whose short stories have appeared in the journals Feasta and Comhar. His stories, like Höglund's, are set outside Ireland, and often have a hallucinatory quality. He has also published poetry.