Episode 22 The Gaelic Revival in Ireland
The Celtic World
Dr Jennifer Paxton (2018)
Film Review
Paxton traces Ireland’s Gaelic revival to a 1798 revolt by the United Irishmen (consisting of both Gaelic and non-Gaelic Irish) demanding independence for Ireland. Heavily influenced by the US and French revolutions, a contingent of troops from the new French republic briefly supported the rebellion.
Britain responded by passing the Act of Union, abolishing Ireland’s parliament and placing it under British parliamentary control. Ireland’s Catholic bishops backed this move because the Irish parliament was controlled by protestant landlords.
Following the crisis triggered by the 1845 Potato Famine, Ireland’s political landscape divided along the following broad categories:
1. The unionists, consisting mainly of Irish protestants, who wanted Ireland to remain under British control.
2. The constitutional nationalists, consisting of protestants and Catholics, who wanted the Act of Union repealed. Under the leadership of Daniel O’Connell, they managed to repeal the law that barred Catholics from holding political office. Charles Stewart Parnell, who represented Ireland in the British Parliament was a constitutional nationalist who fought for home rule for Ireland.
3. The Fenians (who took their name from mythological hunter-warrior Finn McCool) who sought to win Irish independence via armed struggle.
The mid-19th century also saw the rise of movements pursuing non-political goals, eg the Land League, which sought better economic conditions for farmers and various movements seeking to revive Irish culture. Some groups sought to do so by promoting Irish sports, others Irish language, literature or art.
In 1884 the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded, focused primarily on reviving the ancient sport of hurling and Gaelic football (a cross between rugby and soccer).
During the 19th century, the Gaelic language fell into decline for two main reasons: the repeal of the Penal Laws in 1829 (which increased the demand to learn English by permitting Catholics to train for professions) and the 1845-1852 Potato Famine (which caused many many poor rural Gaelic speakers to either die or emigrate).
The Gaelic League was founded in 1893 in an attempt to revive the Gaelic language. Many Irish who sided with the South African Boers when Britain declared war on them in 1899 joined the League to protest against British imperialism.
In 1915, the League came out in favor of Irish independence. Many rebels who participated in the 1916 Easter Rising were League members.
The revival of Gaelic was accompanied by a renewed interest in Irish literature and mythology. William Butler Yeats was the most famous Irish poet associated with this period. In 1899, Yeats and dramatist Augusta Lady Gregory founded the Irish Literary Theatres. John Millington 1907 Synge’s Playboy of the Western World was the most important play produced by this project.
The Irish artistic revival of the late 19th century was mainly based on significant Celtic archeological finds. Queen Victoria and other luminaries had copies made of the Tara Brooch (see Celtic Art in Medieval Ireland) and historic Celtic motifs were used in Gaelic League books and other publications.
Film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.
https://pukeariki.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/5701024/5701068
