Irish Nationalism. This paper will attempt to show that the Gaelic Irish revival in literature and sport contributed to the strong nationalism that preceded the Irish independence movement and made it a success.

Over the next two years the nationalist military, called the Irish Republican Army, and the British forces in Ireland engaged in a violent conflict. By way of truce, the British Prime Minister agreed to establish the Irish Free State in 1921, as a “self-governing dominion within the British Empire.” Part of this agreement also severed Northern Ireland from the rest of the island and preserved it in the United Kingdom. With the establishment of the Free State came a bloody civil war between two groups of Irish nationalists, whom disagreed over the continued association with Great Britain. This dispute eventually ended in favor of the Free State proponents; however, this was the beginning of tensions between Northern and Southern Ireland, a conflict that would last for generations. The embattled country continued as the Free State until 1937, when it drafted a new Constitution and declared itself the Republic of Ireland. It was officially a member of the British Commonwealth until 1949; however, the south of Ireland had long ago denounced any semblance of British identity. Regaining an Irish national identity was a more difficult matter due to the vestiges of British rule. 

The Gaelic Revival: Sport

        The restoration (and creation) of Irish culture began in the late nineteenth century as the nationalist movement started to gain support. The goal was a revival of Gaelic Irish culture, part of a broader movement known as the Celtic Revival which also occurred in North America. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded in 1884. Its purpose was to revive the ancient Irish sports of Gaelic football and hurling, and it became extremely popular soon after being established. This organization proved to be essential for the fostering of an Irish identity, since it reached the lowest levels of society in a tangible and accessible manner. Sports played such an important role in Irish society that it has been noted that, “until there is only one idea of Irish nationalism, and a singular and commonly shared expression of identity, then sport will continue to reflect the multifaceted and ever changing nature of Irishness.” 

At the time, sports in Ireland were dominated by English practices of soccer, rugby, and cricket. It was problematic to nationalists that something so positive (the enjoyment of sports) might be forever associated with the British. The two major sports in the GAA, hurling and football, were at best tangentially related to actual Gaelic sports; a more apt description of the two sports might be “invented traditions” designed to create a myth of the Gaelic past. The history of the Gaelic sports and how they originated centuries ago provided continuity for the Irish people to grasp onto despite the turmoil of their recent history. Besides the sports themselves, the Gaelic games created a whole tradition of songs, literature, supporter clubs, stories, and images that were uniquely Irish. 

Besides providing traditions of nationalism, the GAA was also involved in a more concrete sense. Although officially the organization was not affiliated with any political groups, it in fact was under the control of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the major Irish group pushing for nationalism. To the IRB, the Gaelic games represented a recruiting ground for fit, nationalistic young men who would be well-suited to fight in a rebellion against Britain. Despite these overt political leanings, the GAA managed to maintain a broad appeal to all. It had a “major political significance” that helped Irish nationalism considerably. The GAA was important to the nationalism movement because it targeted people in a very concrete, not to mention enjoyable, way. This gave the Irish people something to view as exclusively theirs – and take pride in it.       

The Gaelic Revival: Literature

In 1893, the Gaelic League was founded in Ireland to promote the “study of language, music, dance, and folklore.” In order to inspire the “mythology of an ancient, noble Irish race, with a significant literary and historical tradition”, the League published ancient examples of Gaelic literature. Soon after the Gaelic League was founded, a national literary movement began with a focus on theatre and poetry. The leader of this movement was the famous poet and playwright W.B. Yeats, who sought “not just national independence but the establishment and institutionalization of an all-encompassing Irish national cultural heritage” as his goal. Yeats and his allies attempted to instill nationalism through literature, drawing on “Gaelic tradition for material and inspiration”, and sought to “interpret Ireland in an honest, creative way.”

One of Yeats’ most famous plays was also his most nationalistic. The play, called Cathleen Ní Houlihan, is about a woman and her pleas for protection from those who wish to take her lands. The play emphasizes the “gloriousness of the heroic gesture” made by the men who volunteer to fight for her, as well as the need for sacrifice and possible bloodshed. Written at the height of the push for independence, the title character, Cathleen, is clearly a representation of Ireland. Yeats’ play was a call to arms for Irish nationalists; a reminder of the value of sacrifice and the importance of protecting Ireland. Cathleen Ni Houlihan had a profound effect on the fledging nationalism movement, and the emotions invoked by the play were the same “emotions and idea [that] filled the minds and informed the deeds of the leaders of the [Easter] Rising”, the event which ultimately catalyzed the creation of an independent Ireland. 

 Although Yeats wrote exclusively in English, the Gaelic Irish language itself was another component of the Gaelic literary revival. In 1892, Douglas Hyde addressed the Irish Literary Society on the “Necessity for De-Anglicizing the Irish People.” The Irish lacked clear distinctions between themselves and the British – the most obvious similarity was that both people spoke mainly English. For Hyde, resuscitating Irish culture was of the utmost importance, and his preferred means of doing so was through the Gaelic language. “The restoration of the Irish vernacular,” believed Hyde, “was the cornerstone of this project of national reconstruction… a prerequisite for the…self-belief of the national community.” J.M. Synge was one of the important authors that followed Hyde’s example, by incorporating Irish language and Irish culture into his plays. Synge’s most famous work, The Playboy, written in 1907, captured the “Irish heroic myth” important to embolden the nation against Great Britain. The quest to reinstate Gaelic Irish as the predominant language in Ireland proved to be too difficult, however. Proponents of the language were forced to shift their efforts to the preservation of Gaelic in communities that still spoke it, and accept authors who wrote in English as “full partners in the war against Anglicization.” 

These literary efforts were all important to instill nationalism into Ireland, and this eventually resulted in independence from England. Gaelic influences on literature, as well as the spread of the Gaelic language, were both components of Yeats’ belief in creating “the nation from above, from an injection of a unified body of images into society.” This approach was one of general ideas and a broad sense of cohesion, and it was an effective means to promote Irish nationalism. 

Conclusion

        As described above, Ireland did gain its independence from Britain, first as a dominion and then as a free republic. The Irish people had been marginalized for many centuries, but until the Great Famine in the mid-nineteenth century, they were unable to start a movement towards independence. The horrors of the Famine, along with the realization that Ireland had lost its traditional identity, led to the Gaelic revival of the late 1800s. The Gaelic revival took place on two levels; first, there was an abstract and holistic approach to imbue the culture with Irishness; second, more tangible and participatory Gaelic traditions were used. The former category included the use of Gaelic influences on literature, such as poetry and theatre. It also included an attempted revival of the Gaelic Irish language, which, while not particularly successful in replacing English, did manage to convey the importance of having unique Irish cultural traits. The latter, more tangible, category included activities such as music and sport; the Gaelic Athletic Association became the leader of these efforts by popularizing the ancient Gaelic games of football and hurling. This specific type of cultural revival was especially important because it was an explicit link, easily understood and accessible by all rungs of society. The abstract and tangible ideas of Irish culture intertwined to form an Irish nationalism, and eventually, and Irish nation. 

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