Author: ECIS

Vol. 4: White, Harry.

Type: Article

White, Harry. ‘Carolan and the Dislocation of Music in Ireland’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 4 (1989), pp 55-64.

This article discusses the achievements of Irish composer and poet, Turlough Carolan (1670-1738) and the polarized perceptions of the native music tradition. “For those few who wrote about music in Ireland Continue reading Vol. 4: White, Harry.

Vol. 4: Ní Shéaghdha, Nessa.

Type: Article

Ní Shéaghdha, Nessa. ‘Irish Scholars and Scribes in Eighteenth-century Dublin’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 4 (1989), pp 41-54.

In 1728, Irish scribe and poet Tadhg Ó Neachtain wrote a ‘versified list’ of various Irish scholars and scribes of his acquaintance in Dublin. This article discusses the careers of Continue reading Vol. 4: Ní Shéaghdha, Nessa.

Vol. 4: Barnett, Louise K.

Type: Article

Barnett, Louise K. ‘Swift and Religion: Notes Towards a Psychoanalytic Interpretation’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 4 (1989), pp 31-40.

The charge that he was “not entirely religious” followed Swift throughout his lifetime, and persists to the present. According to Barnett, “Being a priest was Swift’s job, not his chief Continue reading Vol. 4: Barnett, Louise K.

Vol. 4: Hayton, David

Type: Article

Hayton, David ‘Two Ballads on the County Westmeath By-Election of 1723’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 4 (1989), pp 7-30.

This article discusses the dispute over the 1723 by-election for County Westmeath, in which two rivals in the Irish Parliament, Speaker William Conolly and Lord Chancellor Midleton, patronized opposing candidates. Continue reading Vol. 4: Hayton, David

Vol. 3: O’Brien, Gerard

Type: Article

O’Brien, Gerard ‘Illusion and Reality in Late Eighteenth-Century Irish Politics’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 3 (1988), pp 149-155.

This article discusses two contributions from Eighteenth-Century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr 2 (1987): W.J. McCormack’s “Vision and Revision in the Study of Eighteenth-Century Irish Parliamentary Rhetoric” (pp. 7-35) and Joseph McMinn’s Continue reading Vol. 3: O’Brien, Gerard

Vol. 3: Kelly, Patrick

Type: Article

Kelly, Patrick ‘William Molyneux and the Spirit of Liberty in Eighteenth-Century Ireland’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 3 (1988), pp 133-148.

This essay provides evidence in support of the popular notion of William Molyneux was one of the most important patriot figures in eighteenth-century Ireland. Kelly offers Molyneux’s The Continue reading Vol. 3: Kelly, Patrick

Vol. 3: McKee, Francis.

Type: Article

McKee, Francis. ‘Francis Hutcheson and Bernard Mandeville’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 3 (1988), pp 123-132.

In the Dublin of 1725 – influenced by Swift’s Drapier’s Letters — the corrupt administration and the nature of Irish identity were much discussed. According to McKee, this is the political context in Continue reading Vol. 3: McKee, Francis.

Vol. 3: Casey, Christine.

Type: Article

Casey, Christine. ‘Architectural Books in Eighteenth-Century Ireland’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 3 (1988), pp 105-113.

In eighteenth-century Ireland, as in the UK and America, published material greatly influenced architectural style and the distribution of Renaissance ideas. This article surveys popular eighteenth-century architectural literature, and the number of library holdings Continue reading Vol. 3: Casey, Christine.

Vol. 3: Lunney, Linde.

Type: Article

Lunney, Linde. ‘The Celebrated Mr. Dinwiddie: an Eighteenth-Century Scientist in Ireland’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 3 (1988), pp 69-83.

Scientist James Dinwiddie, a native of Scotland, arrived in Belfast in July 1779 to give lectures on “Experimental Philosophy”, including the topics of Electricity, Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, Magnetics, Optics and Continue reading Vol. 3: Lunney, Linde.

Vol. 3: Kelly, James.

Type: Article

Kelly, James. ‘Inter-Denominational Relations and Religious Toleration in Late Eighteenth-Century Ireland: the ‘paper war’ of 1786-88’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 3 (1988), pp 39-67.

With the repeal of the penal laws and the Catholic Relief Act of 1778, late eighteenth-century Ireland appeared to experience a ‘dilution’ of inter-denominational hostility. Continue reading Vol. 3: Kelly, James.

Vol. 3: Leersen, Joep Th.

Type: Article

Leersen, Joep Th. ‘Anglo-Irish Patriotism and its European Context: Notes Towards a Reassessment.’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 3 (1988), pp 7-24.

This article contrasts the modern notion of ‘patriotism’—almost synonymous with ‘nationalism’—with eighteenth-century ideas of ‘patriotism’ which, particularly in the Anglo-Irish context, could arise from non-nationalistic motives. According Continue reading Vol. 3: Leersen, Joep Th.

Vol. 2:

Type: Notes

‘Dictionary of Irish Biography: preliminary listing of letters A, B and C.’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), .

A list of those born between 1650 and 1780 whose names begin with the letters A, B or C whom the editors of the new Dictionary of Irish Biography Continue reading Vol. 2:

Vol. 2: Passman, Dirk F.

Type: Notes

Passman, Dirk F. ‘‘Many Diverting Books of History and Travels’ and A Modest Proposal.’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 167-176.

Considers eighteenth-century travel and historical literature containing reports of infanticide and cannibalism as possible sources for Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Discusses those works either read by or Continue reading Vol. 2: Passman, Dirk F.

Vol. 2: Mahony, Robert.

Type: Article

Mahony, Robert. ‘The Pamphlet Campaign against Henry Grattan in 1797-99’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 149-166.

This article discusses the anti-Grattan pamphlet campaign following Grattan’s withdrawal from the Irish House of Commons in May 1797, and his subsequent Address to the Citizens of Dublin. Grattan’s apparent ‘desertion’ Continue reading Vol. 2: Mahony, Robert.

Vol. 2: Greene, John.

Type: Article

Greene, John. ‘The Repertory of The Dublin Theatres, 1720-1745’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 133-148.

In 1938, theatre historian La Tourette Stockwell wrote of eighteenth-century Dublin that the policy of Dublin theatre managers was to ‘copy’ London stage productions and that the taste of Dublin audiences was Continue reading Vol. 2: Greene, John.

Vol. 2: Fitzgerald, Desmond.

Type: Article

Fitzgerald, Desmond. ‘Early Irish Trade-Cards and Other Eighteenth-Century Ephemera’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 115-132.

This essay by Desmond Fitzgerald, Knight of Glin, explores the importance of Irish trade-cards, labels, bill-heads and other trade ephemera and shows their ability to “evoke vividly the daily lives of the Continue reading Vol. 2: Fitzgerald, Desmond.

Vol. 2: McMinn, Joseph.

Type: Article

McMinn, Joseph. ‘A Weary Patriot: Swift and the Formation of an Anglo-Irish Identity’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 103-113.

This article discusses the literary career of Jonathan Swift from 1720-1730 and his role as an Irish pamphleteer, which would “define and dramatize the constitutional identity of ‘the Continue reading Vol. 2: McMinn, Joseph.

Vol. 2: Ó Catháin, Diarmaid.

Type: Article

Ó Catháin, Diarmaid. ‘Dermot O’Connor, Translator of Keating’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 67-87.

Geoffrey Keating’s Foras Feasa Ar Éirinn (1633), a compilation of Irish seanchas (lore) and Gaelic history, was, until the twentieth-century, a literary model and ‘virtual bible of the Irish tradition’. This article examines the life and career of Dermot O’Connor whose 1723 English translation of Foras Feasa was the first version of the text available to English speakers and had a ‘profound effect on the Anglo-Irish tradition’. O’Connor’s bilingualism allowed him to move freely between Dublin and London circles, where sufficient interest in the Gaelic language and tradition earned him a successful living as a Gaelic scribe. The article traces his movements in London and Dublin, and the controversies surrounding his work and reputation. Ó Catháin concludes that ‘it is obvious from Dermot O’Connor’s life alone that there was much more interaction between Irish-language and English-language cultures and between catholics and protestants in Ireland than has been widely assumed’. Included is a sample of a plate of bilingual pedigrees from the London edition of O’Connor’s translation of Foras Feasa.

Vol. 2: Breatnach, Pádraig A.

Type: Article

Breatnach, Pádraig A. ‘Oral and Written Transmission of Poetry in the Eighteenth Century’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987), pp 57-65.

This article discusses Seanachas Phádraig Í Chrualaoi (1982), a collection of oral and written poetry in Irish tradition dating back to the close of the seventeenth century. Continue reading Vol. 2: Breatnach, Pádraig A.

Vol. 2: McCormack, W. J.

Type: Article

McCormack, W. J. ‘Vision and Revision in the Study of Eighteenth-Century Irish Parliamentary Rhetoric’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 2 (1987) .

This essay is a critical assessment of two articles published in volume one of Eighteenth-Century Ireland: ‘Swift and the Anglo-Irish Intellect’ (pp. 9-22) by Seamus Deane and ‘The Grattan Mystique’ (pp. 177-194) by Gerard O’Brien. Both authors have ‘an insufficiently critical approach to the mechanisms of eighteenth-century parliamentary rhetoric and its production in print.’ McCormack indicts O’Brien for failing to recognize that newspaper parliamentary reporting in eighteenth-century Ireland often went beyond informing its readers and was designed to propound ‘a particular ideological view of parliamentary function’; thus parliamentary reports ‘constituted a species of fiction’ and historians should not accept them uncritically or underestimate the value of other sources. Deane is criticised for ‘too generously dispersing across the whole eighteenth century a coinage – ‘protestant ascendancy’ – which can be observed in the process of its first minting many years after Swift’s death’. McCormack hopes his article will begin the systematic reappraisal of Irish cultural historiography which he believes is needed.

Vol. 1: Real, Herman J. and Heinz J. Vienken

Type: Article

Real, Herman J. and Heinz J. Vienken ‘Psychoanalytic Criticism and Swift: the History of a Failure’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 1 (1986), pp 127-141.

Real and Vienken assess the contributions made to Swift scholarship by psychoanalytical critics of the twentieth-century. Psychoanalytic interpretations of Swift’s so called ‘scatological’ poems and of Gulliver’s Travels are challenged. The authors question the validity of the evidence used by psychoanalytical criticism to condemn Swift as having an obsession with ‘filth’, ‘anality’, and ‘sado-cannibalistic fantasies’. They also challenge popular myths concerning Swift’s marital status, his mental state, and his alleged predilection for scatology. The use of Freud’s ‘Interpretation of Dreams’ as a model for the psychoanalytical study of Swift, and the more recent controversy concerning the compatibility of applying psychoanalysis to literature are both considered. The article accepts the view of Norman O’Brown that scatology need not be the perverse product of a diseased mind but can legitimately function as a means of satirical shock therapy, but categorises the twentieth-century psychoanalytical study of Swift, in general, as a miserable failure.

Vol. 1: Craven, Kenneth.

Type: Article

Craven, Kenneth. ‘A Tale of a Tub and the 1697 Dublin Controversy’, Eighteenth-century Ireland/Iris an dá chultúr, Vol. 1 (1986), pp 97-110.

This article considers the intellectual atmosphere of late seventeenth-century Ireland as ‘Modern’ methodologies of philosophy swept over Europe. The lapse of the Licensing Act in 1695 had allowed the publication of John Toland’s Christianity Not Mysterious (London 1696) which was followed, in Dublin in 1697, by Peter Browne’s response, A Letter in Answer to a Book Entitled Christianity Not Mysterious, and what Craven labels ‘the 1697 Dublin Controversy’. The article discusses the public confrontation between Toland and Browne over Christianity and reason. These ‘unquiet spirits’ or ‘modern madmen’, as Jonathan Swift regarded his contemporary adversaries, fuelled Swift with satirical inspiration to become the focus of his attack in A Tale of a Tub. Swift had personal involvement with Toland and Browne, as well as with a third antagonist in the Dublin Controversy, Archbishop Marsh of Dublin. According to Craven, Swift had reasons to mock all three, for they ‘symbolized the modern invasion of Ireland’. The article shows how the Dublin Controversy enabled Swift to satirize epistemological issues of reason and mysticism simultaneously, finding in Browne and Marsh examples of those guilty of priestcraft and modernism.