Another movement led by W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge and Lady Gregory focused on traditional Irish stories and legends. They wrote plays and poetry in English that celebrated the Irish nation and its people. Yeats and Gregory founded the Abbey Theatre in 1903 to promote Irish writers. Famous plays such as The Playboy of the Western World by Synge and Kathleen Ní Houlihan by Yeats were first performed there.
Fig 15.13 Lady Gregory, a close friend of Yeats, co-founded the Abbey Theatre with him in 1903.
Fig 15.14 W.B. Yeats, one of Ireland’s most famous poets, was part of a movement to promote Irish culture.
Weblink
Check out the Abbey Theatre website for more information and sources by searching online for: Abbey – theatre – history or Abbey – theatre – archive
Fig 15.15 The Abbey Theatre was founded in 1903 by WB Yeats and Lady Gregory to promote Irish writers.
RECALL
1. What does anglicisation mean? 2. What were the aims of the GAA? 3. Why was the Gaelic League established? 4. Which methods did the Gaelic League use to achieve its aim? 5. Who set up the Abbey Theatre and why?