Preface [xi]

I. Beginnings: Goldsmith, Swift, Berkeley, Burke and Sheridan [1].

II. The Irish Mode in Thomas Moore [4].

III. The Non-contributors: George Darley, John Francis Waller [9].

IV. Irish Themes: The common Irish; Catholicism; Fairy Magic; History; Mythology; Patriotic Sentiment [12];

V. J. J. Callanan, “The sweet wild twist of Irish Song” [20].

VI. Sir Samuel Ferguson: Heroic legend; Assonance; Translations from Gaelic Poetry [23].

VII. Edward Walsh, translator: “The one fully-orbed Irishman” [28];

VIII. James Clarence Mangan: A poet of major dimensions; Gaelic melody and extravagance; the Nation group [30].

IX. The changing atmosphere [43].

X. Aubrey de Vere [44].

XI. Denis Florence MacCarthy [46];

XII. William Allingham: Remodelling of old ballads; Anglo-Irish speech; Magic-poetry [47].

XIII. “Aghadoe” and “Stumpie”s Brae”; “The Semi-Scottish dialect” [53];

XIV. William Larminie: Assonance; Hyde; The summing up of the translation movement; The Love Songs of Connacht [57].

XV. Yeats: leader of a movement; the ear of the world; Style; An Irish poet; A theatre; Statement of aims [64].

XVI “A.E.” (George Russell); Propaganda [79].

XVII. “A.E.’s Canaries” [86].

XVIII. Seamus O”Sullivan: The Dubliner [86].

XIX. Joseph Campbell: the Antrim-man; Scottish folklore; Simple man and sage; Gaelic Poetry [90];

XX. Padraic Colum: Midlander; translator; “The most Irish of living poets?” [98].

XXI. James Stephens: The Rending of the Veil; Insurrections; Lyricism; Fantasy; Rebel into lover [104];

XXII. Francis Ledwidge: Meathman; Pastoral Poetry; 1916; “Irish at the end” [114].

XXIII. Ledwidge”s “Blackbirds”: The 1916 poets; Loss to intellectual Catholicism and Gaelic influence [118].

XXIV. Synge: Revolt against tapestry poetry; “Verse must learn to be brutal”; Synge’s ramifying influence [123].

XXV. Influence of the Rising on F. R. Higgins and Austin Clarke [128];

XXVI. Higgins: poetry with two native counties [sic]; A country Poet; Imagery; Assonance [131];

XXVII. Higgins and Austin Clarke: likeness and unlikeness [147].

XXVIII. Austin Clarke: Epic; Plays; Lyric; a metamorphosed Catholicism; Irish weather; Gaelic prosody; History and myth; Night and Morning; Clarke in the theatre; Humour [150];

XXIX. Irish poetry now [165].