Every second pub in Sligo is named after Yeats, and Dublin, erstwhile home of James Joyce, sports bronze statues not only of the man himself but of his literary characters. In Ireland, they are celebrated. However they may have contributed to the coffers of Irish merchants, these luminaries cast a long shadow over successive generations of Irish writers. But now three-quarters of a century has elapsed since Ulysses , and people have shaken off the phantom of their past and dug out their own literary turf. In fact, such a profusion of writers exists in Ireland today that one weary critic begged for an embargo on any more promising young talent.
Several factors account for the fresh waves on the heady seas of Irish literature.
First, in 1966, John McGahern, a schoolteacher, published his novel, The Dark , a searing portrait of incest and pyschological abuse. McGahern lost his teacher's job on account of it, but he inspired many writers to address formerly taboo material. In 1968 the Censorship Board loosened its rein, and the government introduced free secondary education. This latter move saved people from joining the Farewell State. They were less likely to emigrate, and a new, educated generation emerged.