Looking For The Irish

            Joyce first tried to publish Dubliners in 1905, but was unable to find a publisher until 1914. His mirror to the face of dear dirty Dublin reflected an ever-changing Ireland. One that was born out of the revolutionary spirit of the time.

            The story of Irish nationalism begins around the end of the 18^th century. Henry Grattan lead the radical Irish Patriot Party, which fought for Catholic political equality. This constant struggle between the Protestantism (a clear manifestation of British influence in the region) and Catholicism comes up throughout the collection, most notably in references to the National school.

            During roughly the same time period, the Celtic Revival (or Irish Literary Revival) was in full swing. The movement was centered in Dublin and London with notable names such as William Butler Yeats. As we discussed in class, Joyce was very critical of this movement, primarily because it called for a return to a fictional Ireland-ness that was equally binding. However, the Celtic Revival was not that monolithic. Primarily, the movement simply tried to respond to the modernization all around them. Joyce constantly shows Ireland’s inability to move beyond their current state with the key theme of paralysis. Similarly, as Terry Eagleton notes, “as a whole [the nation] had not leapt at a bound from tradition to modernity." In short, parts of the movement were not too far behind Joyce.

            Much of the movement, however, was designed around promoting myths of Ireland that essentially describe the Irish as copies of Old Cotter and the like. Ultimately, I do not see as much potential harm in propagating these myths. All nations have folklore and creation myths. Passing down this oral tradition only serves to unify the people behind a singular culture creating a national identity. Yes, the image presented in the myths may be…less than flattering. I would not be happy if my son turned out to be like Davy Boone, but I have no problem with him hearing the story. Am I wrong in thinking that these myths do not have a significant downside?