Ireland has produced many writers of world repute. From the 17th century onwards, the golden era of Irish fiction began: Jonathan Swift (author of the famous 1726 satire Gulliver's Travels) and Oliver Goldsmith (author of 1766 novel The Vicar of Wakefield) shone through and led the way for such greats as Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and James Joyce. Bram Stoker, the author of the influential Gothic horror Dracula (1897). 20th century writers of Irish interest or in the Irish language include Brendan Behan, Flann O'Brien, Patrick Kavanagh, and Éilís Ní Dhuibhne. Well known short story writers include Liam O'Flaherty, Sean O'Faoláin, Frank O'Connor, William Trevor and Seán Mac Mathúna.

James Joyce image: Keystone/MaxPPP

Trinity College Library. Photo courtesy of Dublin Tourism

 

 

The contemporary literature scene is thriving in Ireland: New-York based Irish novelist Colum McCann has been awarded the Fiction Prize in the US National Book Awards 2009 for his new novel Let the Great World Spin. This is one of the most important awards in the world of literature, and joins other major international prizes awarded to Irish writers in recent years including John Banville, Sebastian Barry, Anne Enright, Seamus Heaney and Colm Tóbín. Eugene Downes, Chief Executive of Culture Ireland, said: "To win this immensely prestigious award is hugely significant for Colum and for Ireland. It is a richly deserved recognition of Colum as a major writer on the world stage, and one of Ireland's great cultural ambassadors."

Irish Poetry:
With the foundation of the Irish Free State it became official government policy to promote and protect the Irish language. Since the establishment in 1926 of An Gúm ("The Project"), a Government sponsored publisher which created an outlet both for original works in Irish, a number of Irish-language poets have come to prominence. These include Mátírtí Ó Direáin (1910-1988), Seán Ó Ríordáin (1916 -1977) and Máire Mhac an tSaoi (born 1922), Michael Hartnett (born 1941), Gabriel Rosenstock (born 1949), and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (born 1952). The works of Irish and Northern Irish poets such W.B.Yeats, Nobel prizewinner Seamus Heaney, Louis MacNeice and John Hewitt resonate far and wide.

One of Ireland's best-loved poets and Brendan Kennelly commented on his own use of language: "Poetry is an attempt to cut through the effects of deadening familiarity and repeated, mechanical usage in order to unleash that profound vitality, to reveal that inner sparkle. In the beginning was the Word. In the end will be the Word, language is a human miracle always in danger of drowning in a sea of familiarity."

New Writing from Ireland is published once a year by the Ireland Literature Exchange to offer international publishers and other interested parties a snapshot of the latest Irish writing for which translation rights are available.

Culture Ireland www.cultureireland.gov.ie

Ireland Literature www.irelandliterature.com

Poetry Ireland http://www.poetryireland.ie

National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/homepage.aspx