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6be Poets
Of Ireland
By PATRICK SULLIVAN

tup d3eIlc can never 4pprecl-
ate fully the characteristic
singing quality of ancient Irish verse.
Those who know the language even
specifically are familiar with this rare
distinction and can understand readily
how impossible it is to translate its
melOdiouS rhythm into the barbarOuS
Sasunnach.
The Gaelic is a language which needs
no accompaniment of lutte or harp to
convert it into song Like many of the
dialects of the North American Indians,
it was poetry before it was written
and sang itself into the hearts of the
people long ages before it was reduced
to grammatical eXactness. The most
ancient Gaelic manuscripts in exist
ence are distinctively poetic in con-
structiOn 1t has been asserted that
the entire Drudic system was poetical
in its inception and development, and
there are manuscripts in the cont
mental museums dating from the period
Immediately preceding the arrival Of
the Christian missionaries which seem
to give character to the theory This
hypothesis has led some eminent Gaelic
investigators to believe that this Ian
SuaSe. like the Romance dialects of the
continent. WAS poetry first and was
converted into prose only when the eX-
igencies of the times demanded the mu-
tilation.
Be all this as it may, it is certain
that Irish writers of all ages, from the
time of the evolution of the Ossianic
cycle down to the middle of the last
themselves in verse. When the last
vestises of disappearing heathendOm
were still cOntendins with triumphant
Christianity, both cults found their
champions among the poets. No sub
ject was too abStruse or too theoretical
to be discussed in verse. The OsSianic
legends are for the most part recitalS
in glowing verse of deeds which In any
other country and by any other people
would have been told in prose. The best
early history Of st. Patrick. and the
one frequently referred to for cor
rObOrative evidence, is the metrical
composition of st. Fiech. The add
ventures of Ossian. Druidic poet and
warrior, may be as mythical as are
those of Arthur. but the long succession
Of poets who have handed down those
exquisite legends, if they be so. have
done their work admirably. The middle
and modern periods of Irish literature
are repIete with metrical performances
that would do credit to the poets of any
age, and the revival Of Gaelic study
which has sprung up in Ireland will
make their superiority apparent.
1t is characteristic Of the mOdeSty
Of Irish poets that throughout the older
periods almost all the greatest works
are anonymous. When the islands lit
erature began to decline. poetry mani
tested no falling off. The singers con-
tinued to evolve their characteristic
melodies. and the quality was as admi-
rabIe as was the quantity. The seven
teenth century witnessed a marked
change in the form of Irish verse. The
metrical system of the old bardic
schools gave way to new verse form
in which the rhyme was primarily yo-
Gallo. The use of vowel rhymes was
extended, and in the course of time Il
strangely melodius verse form resulted.
Entire poems We're constructed with
the same accented y0weIS touring
throughout in orderly sequence Tie
ginning of the eighteenth century, ard
then it practically disappeared. Some
Of its leading representatives were Teig
Mae Daire- and Lughaidh O'Clery, the
famous principals in The Contention
Of the Bards;' Teig Dali O'Higin and
EocEaidh O'Hussey. Among the most
gifted of the poets who adopted the
tS.., no
Torlough O'CaroIan. Brian Mac Giolla
Meidhre. whose Midnight Court is
one of the most remarkable works in
any language; John O'Neaghtan. limo
thy O'Sullivan and Egan O'Rahilly-
During the nineteenth century the
Gaelic fell into practical disuse for lit
erary purposes. In recent years move
ment has been made TO restore the lam
guage and to revive Irish literature.
The Gaelic league has become a very
powerful organization. and it is waging
a popular and most successful CAM
paign in behalf of the ancient tongue.
The Society For Preservation of the
Irish Language is also doing a mighty
work toward the restoration of the ele-
CANT and mellif1uouS Gaelic.
But the Irish do not owe their unique
talent for versification to the superb
ority of the Gaelic as vehicle and to
nothing else. The Irishman is q poet
in whatever language he is constrain-
ed to employ. Some of the best Latin
verses of the scholastic ages were
penned by Irish poets. There are nu-
merous sermons and dogmatic treatises
In faultleSS Latin verse which made