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What Are The Characteristics Of The 18th Century

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Key characteristics of 18th century Irish/Language poetry and song. Ireland’s political history has always been tumultuous and vivid. Especially the 18th century can be said to feature several key events of the nationalist conflict, which united Ireland and Scotland against the English Crown. Irish ballads and poetry, in general, constitute an account of various events that have happened in the 18th century. In the following essay, I want to give a brief overview of salient characteristics of this time, focusing especially on the “Jacobite” ballad ‘Mo Ghile Mear’ written by Seán “Clárach” Mac Domhnaill. Translated to English ‘Mo Ghile Mear’ means ‘My Gallant Darling’. The lyrical narrator of this ballad can be identified as Éire, the female personification of Ireland, a widow, grieving for her husband. Subject to her affliction is her …show more content…

Since the lyrical narrator, Éire, mourns for the loss of her ‘gallant darling’, Edward Charles Stuart, this ballad opposes to the current rule. Since direct criticism on the government and the king would have been dangerous, the aversion is expressed in such an inexplicit manner, by using the frame of the Aisling. This narrative device can also be found in ‘Rósín Dúbh’, which as well features the personification of Ireland as a woman (Hoagland 1947: xxxviii). Since political ballads are primarily concerned with the story of the ordinary man, salient features of 18th century poetry point out the troubles that the population faced at that time. Lament, for instance, constitutes key theme of ‘Mo Ghile Mear’. The woman, Éire, expresses her grieve for the lost successor, symbolizing the grief of the Irish people for the lost chance to improve their countries situation. Often the narrator of the poem is lamenting for the personification of Ireland, as for instance in ‘Mac An Chennai’; or the person lamenting as in ‘Go Ghile

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