The Harp Re-strung: The United Irishmen and the Rise of Irish Literary NationalismSyracuse University Press, 1994 - 286 pages Mary Helen Thuente pushes the clock back, some fifty years, as she demonstrates in The Harp Re-strung that Irish literary nationalism actually began in the 1790s, with the United Irish movement, rather than in the 1840s, as has been generally accepted. The United Irish movement began as a club of paramilitary reformers in Belfast in 1791. Influenced by the French Revolution and related movements, these sons of the Enlightenment became ever more radical. Within five or six years, what had been a small club of intellectuals and political agitators resulted in a mass movement that was committed to overthrowing British rule in Ireland. By reevaluating the writings associated with the United Irish movement, especially the works of Thomas Moore and the Young Ireland writers, their context within the culture, and their impact on subsequent Irish nationalistic writing, Thuente establishes that the movement played a pivotal role in the development of Irish literary nationalism. She provides a rich balance in her treatment of elite and popular cultures, salvages information previously ignored by critics, and invites readers to look anew at the history and propaganda of the movement. |
Contents
The EighteenthCentury Backgrounds | 17 |
The Ulster and Dublin Backgrounds | 65 |
United Irish Newspapers | 89 |
Copyright | |
5 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
1795 Paddy's Resource Anglo-Irish Anthologia Hibernica appeared ballads bardic Battle of Aughrim Billy Bluff Bunting's Catholic celebrated Celtic century Charlotte Brooke collection Davis's declared Dublin Duffy Duffy's Edward eighteenth-century English entitled Erin go essay Freedom Gaelic go brah Harp of Erin Henry Joy Henry Joy McCracken Hibernia History of Ireland images included Irish antiquarianism Irish bards Irish culture Irish history Irish language Irish literary nationalism Irish Melodies Irish music Irish poetry James John Journal Liberty literature Macpherson's Mary Ann McCracken McCracken Memoirs motifs Northern Star original Ossian Paddy Paddy's Resource songbooks poem poet poetic political songs Press printed publication published reprinted Robert Emmet Russell's Samuel Neilson Scots Scottish stanza Thomas Davis Thomas Moore Thomas Russell Tone's translations Ulster United Irish literary United Irish movement United Irish newspapers United Irish songs United Irish verse United Irishmen Volunteers vorneen William Drennan Wolfe Tone Young Ireland