Early Irish Poetry

Free Seminar

Early Irish Poetry - St. Patrick's Day Celebration

March 17, 7:30 pm ET

The topic of Irish literature brings to mind the greats of the 19th century through the present: the four Nobel laureates (Yeats, Shaw, Beckett, Heaney) and Joyce, Edna O’Brien, and others. But storytelling and poetry have been intrinsic to Irish culture for more than a millennium. Irish poetry is the earliest vernacular poetry written in Europe. As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we’d like to share with you a sampling of these early works: brief poems (and prose poems) often akin to haiku in their economy and vividness. Many were written by monks and scribes in the margins of texts they were copying, and some written as stand-alone works on single pieces of parchment. We’ll begin with an excerpt from the Fionn mac Cumhail sagas, which sets a tone for the pieces that follow. We hope to have a lively discussion. Feel free to sip your favorite beverage as we engage in some lively craiç.

Seminar Leaders: Patricia Hagen and Tom Zelman. 

Download the poems.