The modern Irish state is surprisingly young: it was founded in 1922. In that year, 26 of the island’s 32 counties became the independent ‘Irish Free State’, following centuries of struggle against British rule. Six counties in the north of Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom.
As the new nation struggled into existence, what role did literature play in creating and resisting national identity?
In this exhibit you will find a very rare private edition of William Butler Yeats poem about the revolution, Easter 1916, as well as lists of publications that were considered immoral by the new State in the 1930s. There are examples of beautiful cover art from the Irish State publishers An Gúm, and a perfect facsimile of WB Yeat’s Nobel Prize medal, awarded to him in 1923.
Mezzanine - Take a seat on a step (the cushions are made of Irish tweed and are very comfortable). Projected on this screen is a ‘day-by-day’ poem by Graham Allen called Holes, with a line added each day since December 2006. It is part of our current special exhibition called Is This a Poem?
You can find other pieces in this exhibit throughout the museum, denoted by pink caption cards like this one.
