The Aisling: Ireland’s Dream Poem
An aisling is a dream poem in which Ireland appears to the poet as a grieving woman. It is also a century of coded political writing. How to read one.
How to Write Poetry: 18 Forms, Explained
Eighteen poetry forms, each with a full guide: what the form is for, how it is built, where it came from, and an original example.
Deirdre: James Stephens Retells Ireland’s Oldest Tragedy
A prophecy, a king who thought he could outmanoeuvre it, and the woman who decided for herself. James Stephens’s 1923 retelling of the Exile of the Sons of Uisliu.
Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry: Kuno Meyer’s 1911 Translations
Kuno Meyer gathered the finest short poems of early Christian Ireland in 1911: Pangur Bán, the Old Woman of Beare, Colum Cille in exile. What we restored, and what we left alone.
Old Celtic Romances: 12 Irish Myths, Translated 1879
Scholars had translated this material into something unreadable. In 1879 P. W. Joyce told twelve of the tales again in plain English.
Gods and Fighting Men: Lady Gregory’s Irish Myths
Yeats called it one of the best books ever to come out of Ireland. Lady Gregory’s 1904 retelling of the old gods and the Fianna, restored.
The Mythological Cycle: A Reader’s Guide
In our guide to the four cycles we told you not to start with the Mythological Cycle. That still stands.
Changeling: Donn Byrne’s Ulster Stories, Back in Print
Donn Byrne wrote Ulster the way a man remembers a first language. His 1923 collection is back, and the whole repair list runs to three characters.
The Irish Fairy Book: 43 Irish Fairy Tales, Restored
Graves collected 43 Irish fairy tales in 1909, from Yeats to Croker. What the Sidhe actually are, what a changeling is, and exactly what we repaired.
How to Write a Cento: The Poem Made of Other Poems
A cento is a poem made entirely of lines from other poems. Every line is a quotation. Done well, it is one of the most honest forms in English.