Irish Poems

I have no idea why I've stuck to poems. Maybe its because I think that's more uber-class. Well, here's an old Irish blessing that I enjoyed reading through. And a link to a fantastic site dedicated to OLD Irish poems. And there's this site with medieval Irish poetry.

I remember reading this on the door of the Maliks Home in Delhi.

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

And the rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Irish poems were inspired by Ireland’s history, its myths, legends and lore.

A little history: The earlier forms of Irish poetry during the 4th Century, were in Irish Gaelic language. However with arrival of English poems in the 14th Century, a mixture evolved, that was formed in English but revolved around Irish themes and models. This led to the Celtic revival at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Along with writers like Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn, William Butler Yeats was the driving-force behind the Irish Literary Revival in 1896 which was part of the Celtic Revival. The revival stirred appreciation of traditional Irish literature and also encouraged its distinction from the English culture. A physical symbol of the revival was The Abbey Theatre, which was founded by Gregory, Yeats and Martin. Yeats was the Chief Playwright at that time, but many new writers also staged their pieces.