The Irish Literary Revival was a movement that aimed to promote Irish literature and coincided with a renewed interest in Gaelic Irish cultural heritage. A new form of literature emerged during the late nineteenth century. It was Irish in character but written in English, with content and themes inspired by ancient Irish myths and legends, as well as by contemporary Irish society. William Butler Yeats was central to the Irish Literary Revival and used Irish myths and folklore in much of his work. Politically, Yeats was sympathetic towards the IRB, but he acted only through his writing.
Douglas Hyde and others formed the Irish Literary Society in 1892 to promote new literary works. In 1899 Yeats, with other members of the Protestant Ascendancy such as Lady Augusta Gregory, Edward Martin and George Moore, established the Irish Literary Theatre (later renamed the Irish National Theatre Society). In 1904, this society opened the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The theatre supported Irish writers and staged plays such as Kathleen Ní Houlihan and The Playboy of the Western World. Irish cultural nationalism was promoted through the popularity of the Abbey Theatre’s productions and people gained a sense of an Irish identity.
William Butler Yeats
Lady Gregory
Go to page 102 of your Sources and Skills Book for an evidence task on cultural nationalism.
The Abbey Theatre CHECKPOINT!
1. Explain the terms cultural nationalism and anglicisation. 2. Why was the Gaelic League founded? 3. How did the Gaelic League try to revive interest in the Irish language? 4. What was the Irish Literary Revival? 5. How did the Irish Literary Revival promote Irish writers and culture?
.
I understand what cultural nationalism is and can describe the Gaelic League and the Irish Literary Revival.
