Irish Authors recommended by Librarian Sarah Houghton
Anonymous. Táin Bó Cúailnge.
The tales in this volume are the core of Irish mythology, and are taken from manuscripts of the twelfth-century and later, but they look back to a pre-Christian culture dominated by warriors. In the Ta/in Bo/ Cuailgne, one group, the Connachta, tries to obtain a very special bull, a transformed human, by raiding another group, the Ulaid. In the process, gods, goddesses, kings, queens, seers, and heroes of every description become involved, and a raid turns into a monumental battle.
Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot.
Samuel Becket, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969, explores existentialism and the philosophy of the human psyche in Waiting for Godot. A classic from the theater of the absurd, the story evolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone--or something--named Godot.
Heaney, Seamus. Selected Poems.
This collection of the Nobel laureate's work explores a variety of genres, with many symbols and themes derived from Heaney's native Ireland. You will find love poems, pastoral lyrics, and political-themed poems. Heaney has been called Ireland's "modern-Yeats," and the quality of his work speaks for itself.
Joyce, James. Ulysses. Ulysses was deemed the greatest novel of all time by the Board of the Modern Library. This lengthy and intimate book records the events of one average day, June 16, 1904, in the lives of three people. The book's stream-of-consciousness technique gives the reader access to their thoughts, emotions, and memories.
McCourt, Frank. Angela's Ashes.
Frank McCourt offers a poignant, unflinching view of a poverty so grinding and oppressive as to certainly be almost unimaginable by most readers. McCourt recounts his childhood in Ireland, living on public assistance and losing three siblings. McCourt's alcoholic and often-absent father passed on one blessing to his son--the gift for storytelling.
O'Brien, Edna. A Pagan Place.
O'Brien returns to Ireland to write about coming of age in a world where pagan religion connects with modern sensibilities. History injects itself into every page, and O'Brien's beautiful prose creates an stunning portrait of Celtic culture.
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels.
This classic tale recounts the travels of Lemuel Gulliver through the imaginary worlds of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, and Laputa. A biting satire of eighteenth-century English government and culture, one can see Swift's fictional characters and worlds as metaphors for elements of our own time.
Synge, John Millington. Playboy of the Western World.
In a pub in County Mayo, Christopher Mahon becomes a local hero when he announces that he’s killed his father. "Playboy" is an early Irish peasant drama, and is splendidly written. Synge's symbolism and duplication of the Irish dialect adds a flourish to this beautiful tale.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Wilde's tale of a life of vileness and deception is also a loving portrait of the aesthetic impulse. After Basil Hallward paints a young man's portrait, his subject wishes that the picture change and he remain the same. Dorian Gray's picture grows aged and corrupt while the man himself continues to appear fresh and innocent.
Yeats, W.B.. The Collected Poems.
Yeats spear-headed the Irish Renaissance in the early twentieth century, and this collection of his poetry is exemplary of the fusing of lush romanticism, bitter mourning, and occult spirituality that so dominated the movement.
