T HE G EN I U S O F

T H E G A EL
A ST U D Y I N C ELT I C PSY C HO LO G Y
AND

M A N I F E ST A T I O N S

ITS

BY

SO PH I E BRY AN T ,
AUTHOR OF

D Sc
.

C ELTI C I R ELAND,

FI SH E R

L 1 TT D
.

ETC

U NW I N

T ER RAC E

LO NDO N

ADELPHI

L E I PSI C

I N S EL S T R A SSE

z o

h
r wh m t hy im m rt l t y
B r d lik t h d y

o u ov e

oo

a i

WO

20 6 0 9 6 6

SW O R T H

FOR EW O R D

G enius

the G a el is the subj ect pr o

p o sed fo r study in thi s little b oo k The rst
chapter deals with the c o mp o site I rish pe o ple
o f t o day and their c haracter a s resting largely
o n kinship and f o ste r kinship with the G ael
The la s t chapter i s a study o f that educ a tive
inuence here called the G aelic Eth o s by
which a race o f pe o ple may be said t o f o ster
i h the s piritua l sense the stranger s cast
up o n their sh o re s The sec o nd chapter deal s
with the main the si s : it is an imperfect but
faithful attempt t o analyse the p s ych o l o gy o f
the C elt as o n e o f many varieties in human
kindred The G ael is distinguished fr o m the
Celt as the species best kn o wn in I reland and
fo r t he m o st part it is the Celt as G a el w ho
is under c o nsiderati o n in these pages
The meth o d o f pr o cedure i s ( I ) t o study
TH E

of

Fo rew o r d

the G ael thr o ugh hi s manifestati o ns in Irish

ch a r ac ter a s w e kn o w it t o day n o tin g the
inuen c es under which th a t character has
ev o lved hist o rically and keeping in V iew the
characteristics o f o ther p e o ples in wh o m a ls o
the C eltic element is presumably str o ng ;
2
( ) t o sh o w ho w the o bserved characteristics
of
I rishmen in so far as they di ffer fr o m
o thers
may b e explained by the prevalen c e
in them o f a certain psych o l o gical variety
structural o r functi o nal o r temperamental
which is the fundamental quality o f the Celtic
mind T he e ffect s o f this quality are traced
thr o ugh i t s o utward manifestati o ns in s o cial
genius p o litical a bility devel o pment o f in
s t i t ut io n s
literature religi o n Each o f these
is the t o pic o f a separate chapter
-

C ONTENTS
C HAPTER

II

I II

FO

REWO R

T HE

PS YC HO

T HE SOC I A L

EVO

VI I

II I

I TE

LO G
G

AE L I N

LU TI O N

T HE
VI

THE C O M PO S

T HE
V

PAGE

RIS

Y OF

EN I
PO

T HE

OF

EL

T HE

OF

TO DAY

IAL

1 23

N S TIT

TI O NS

U N D ER

T HE

G E

T HE

E LT I N R E S E

L I N LIT ERA T U RE

T HE

AE LI

P C

T H OS

AE L

N I EN T G AE L

I I

LITI C S

SO C

OF

A I ON

OF

SP

I R IT U A L

N I HT
S G

59

81

21

2 67

THE
C O M PO SIT E
I RI SH NATIO N
O F TO DAY
-

I t mu t

It
n t i n d r pr n t t h r
f I r l nd
t b C lt i
i t m u t t b S x n Th B r h n
mu t
f W tm i n t r t h
l u dy
L w
d t h m xim
lig h tn i ng g n i u f t h G l t h pl id tr n g th f t h
S n h t h m r h lli n g i n ig h t f t h N r m n
mp n n t
f u h
th
th
n t i n li ty
s

co

an

ac

e s e are

c,

s o

e co

a s

ese

a ss e

no

an

no

s o

an

C o

e a

ac

s e

es

ae ,

a c es o

IS

THO M AS DAV

C HA PTE R

THE C O M PO S I T E I R I SH NAT I O N

OF

TO DAY
-

w o nderful variety o f human nature i s a

c o n s tant s o urce o f stimulu s and delight We
are exactly like each o ther in SO many ways
an d yet in o thers s o strange ly di ffer ent
The
mu l tiplicity o f these likeness es a nd di fferences
divides us int o natural g r o u ps as fo r example
p o litical parties religi o us c ommunities racial
units co mp o site nati ons
T he members o f
e a ch gr o up have s o me c om mo n C haract eristics
the causes o f which lie deep in heredity far
back in hi s t o ry o r near by in the i d i o s y n
c r a s i e s o f the individual and the s pecial i n
u e n c e s amid which he m o ves
Fo r a p o litical
party the characteristic turns o stensibly o n the
deliberate ad o pti o n o f a certain s o cial ideal
TH E

'

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

be realize d W ith religi o us bo dies it is

much the same in s o far as the di fference g o es
B u t race distincti o n s and nati o nal
deep
characteri s tics elude c o nci s e descripti o n and
ba fe expl a nati o n fo r the m o st part
I t is
with Race and Nati o nality h o wever th a t we
have t o d o in these pages
The race had so me c o mm o n pair Of
ance s t o r s w ho varied a s individual s s o me
what fr o m their fell o w s Their de s cendant s
tend m o re o r less t o perpetuate such variati o n s
and t o va ry farther fr o m each ot her and fr o m
an ce stral type I n this pr o ces s o f variati o n
a t any s tage marriage with o utsi d ers plays a
part
Al s o variati o n o f habitat c o unts fo r
much
M o re o ver thr o ugh ideas sympathy
and c o nduc t the members Of the gro up react
o n e o n the o ther in each generati o n a n d fr o m
generati o n t o generati o n thr o ugh o ut the c en
tu t ie s Fr o m this pr o cess o f mixed heredity
and educati o n the race emerges
In the
c o ur s e Of the pro cess ideals o f Character are
devel o ped and o pe rate t o the f o rmati o n o f

to

Nat i o n

C o m p o si t e I ri sh

f TO day
-

character i n a l l th o se w ho c o me within their

sphere Of i n u en c e n o t o nly mem bers o f the
race bu t alien s entering int o humane ass o cia
ti o n with it
The race hand s d o wn i t s
C haracte r t o its children in the e s h To its
f o s ter chil d ren an d natural C hildren alike it
hand s d o wn its ideas Of that which it gives o u t
t o itself that it o ught t o b e
Al s o it back s
the s e ideas in each generati o n t o the be s t o f
that generati o n s ability practical l o gical

and literary ability by s timulus t o reas o n

imaginati o n religi o u s instinct sympa thy by

pers o nal inuence discipline cust o m and law
G iven a mixture o f races living t og ether
and d o minated by ideals distinctive en o u g h t o
c o nfer idi o syncrasy o n n o rmal members o f the
gro up and in due c o urse a well blended c o m
o
s
i
t
e
pe o ple emerges I t is a pe o ple n o t by
p
unity o f race but by c o mmunity Of spirit a
c ommunity that makes it s elf felt in a deep
c o nsci o usness Of m o ral a fnity mutual intel
l i g ibi l i t y
benea t h particular di fferences o f
o pini o n
a similarity o f view in m a tters o f
'

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

h o mely c omm o n sense hum o ur an d s o cial

instinct I ts degree o f nati o n a l unity is quite
a di fferent thing fr o m that Of a pe o ple recently
d rawn in fr o m many s o urces living t o g ether
i n amity and with c o mm o n interests
but
separated by manif o ld diversity in traditi o nal
cu lture
Such a pe o ple we h a ve in the U nited
States o f America : it has a real unity based
o n br o ad principles o f universal humanity
but
it i s n o t a c o mp o site nati o n yet in the i n timat e
qua s i racial sense
France with striking variety o f race i s
emph a tically a nati o n in the m o re c o mplete
sense
The di fferences are great and they
are l o calized but No rman B ret o n G asc o n
C e v e nn o i s and P r o ven cal all are French t o
Of G reat
the c o re whatever el s e besides
Britain and o f G ermany the same may be
s aid
th o ugh n o t perhap s t o the same extent
I reland i s in many re s pects the m o st n o table
example o f a c o mp o site pe o ple with much
individual and secti o nal variety c o ns o lidated
in a s ubtle c o mmunity Of s pirit under extra
,

'

C o m p o si t e I r i s h

Nat i o n o f To day

rdinary hist o rical di fculties G e o graphy ha s

been o n her side but hist o ry since the twelfth
century ha s w o rked steadily against her On
the o ther hand much has been d o ne fo r her
unity by the early devel o pment Of a native
literature and p o pular literary hab it and there
f o re o f an I rish Eth o s attr a ctive and c o n
The I rishry O f I reland and i t s
v in c ing
remarkable p o wer Of ab s o rbing int o itself the
s trangers
settled as superi o r pers o ns in i t s
midst passed int o a pro verb
M o re I rish than
the I rish
in th o se Old sad days when the
d o ings o f the degenerate English in I reland
r o used the wrath O f kings I n later day s m o re
success was attained in keeping the English
c o l o nists t o themselve s a c o nsiderable se cti o n
i s divided by re li g i o n fr o m the res t o f I reland
t o day
and a sectio n o f this secti o n ha s i t s
hand against the hand o f I reland in respect
o f I rish N ati o nality
England in o ur day ha s
dis o wned the I rish g arris o n but there it is
L o ng may it stay there i s n o call fo r it t o
surre nder I t is wanted by the I reland which
o

I7

T h e G en iu s

f t he G ae l

after all it l o ve s t o stay withi n the f o rt and

take h o n o urable p art in its administrati o n B ut
be thi s a s it may ce rtain it is that the members
of
the I rish garris o n as a wh o le have n o t
escaped the infecti o n o f the I rish turn o f mind
Lea s t o f all have the s talwarts within its circle
I have seen s o mething o f I rishmen in all
quarter s o f I reland a n d I w a s br o ught up in
U l s ter am o ng the Angl o I rish pe o ple O f L o ugh
Erne s river valley near the n o ted O range t o wn
Of E nniskillen E verywhere if o n e enters int o
s o cial c o ntact with the pe o ple
o n e nds the
I ri s h t o uch a liveliness o f mind individuality
a pers o nal interes t in o ther peo ple and
c o urte o u s manners The quality i s t oo subtly
c o mp o unded t o b e briey describ ed but it is
unmi s takable : o f c o urse it i s n o t c o mplete
o r e qually deep in all
and there are e x c e p
ti o n s ; but the fo rm o f it at lea s t prevail s
thr o ugh o ut the island An I rishman i s I ri s h
in hi s view o f s o cia l life and his ideal Of manly
behavi o ur even th o ugh hi s o rigin be E nglish
o r L o wland S c o tch and hi s temperament racy
,

C o m p o si t e I r i s h

Na t i o n

o f TO da
y
-

the o riginal s o il And s o the ery U l s ter

U ni o ni s t an d the ho t H o me Ruler fr o m C o n
naught have a delicate freema s o nry that make s
them s o cially m o re intelligible t o each o ther
than either is t o his o w n p o litical friend The
mutual inte lligibility Of S ir E dward Cars o n and
Mr Tim o thy He aly is a thing o f which o n e
feels assured as a p s ych o l o gical necessity
Neither w o uld I think deny it
Kin s hip in
spirit is a ve ry di fferent thing fr o m p o litical
o r any o th e r f o rm Of intellectual agreem ent
I t is c o n s i s te nt with prejudice an d marked
antag o ni sm O f o pini o n in mundane matter s
But it make s pe o ple able t o get o n with each
o ther whether they agree o r n o t
Many hidden causes have n o d o ubt w o rked
t o gether fo r g o o d in the devel o pment o f thi s
o verlying o r underlying quality which make s
all I ri sh kin I reland her s elf i s a training
gr o und she c o unt s fo r much with her s o ft
variable climate her unexpected mingling Of
m o untain s lake and plain her matchless
beauty sp o ts s o they seem t o u s her ring o f
of

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

varyin g se as h er r o c k b o und co asts an d the

clean sweet air that sweeps acr o ss her N o r
c an
we think Of I reland with o ut calling t o
min d a delightful sense o f the peo ple living o n
her s o il O ne c o uld hardly be in I reland and
escape that inuen c e The type o f the b o rn
teacher meets y o u o n every hand the pers o n
with interesting ideas s ympathy an d p o wer o f
expressi o n
S o met hing o f race there seems
t o be
and s o met hing o f traditi o nal culture
which make s fo r this result its e ffect o n o ther
pe o ple and es pe cially o n t he y o ung is cer
t a i n l y t o ward s t he devel o pment in them o f
similar characteristics Thus in m o dern time s
fo r centuries past the I rish o f ea c h generati o n
have f o stered the new co mers and added them
in spirit t o the G aeli c race Fo r the G ael ic
ra c e it is a branc h o f the Celt which fo rms
the nucleus Of the I rish nati o n and breathes
int o I ri s h nat i o nality its all pe rvading and m o st
expressive spirit
M e re s o c i abil i ty e ffects much wherever the
racial current s meet N evertheless it is true
'

20

Nat i o n

C o m p o si t e I r i sh

T
O da
Of
y

that in the deeper things O f mind and life the

full inue nce O f this spirit thro ugh o ut the c o m
p o site pe o ple has begun o nly in o u r time t o
make itself felt
The E nglish in I reland
during the l a s t quarter century have been
le arning what Ol d I rish hist o ry and literature
have t o teach The I ri s h Renaissance a ffects
all classes O f s o ciety The P resident o f the
I ri s h Literary S o ciety is o f typical Angl o I rish
U ni o nist family n o n G aelic and P r o testant
All its pre sent o fcers and a g o o d m o iety o f
its lecturers appear s o far a s their names g o
There are many
t o be al s o o f the alien race
it tab o o s
U ni o nists am o ng i t s me mbers :
p o litic s but talks a bo ut I rish thing s every
Saturday night fo r se ven m o nths in the year
This is in L on d o n which i s h o neyc o mb ed al s o
by branche s Of the G aelic League I n I reland
the G aelic League i s a p o pular educati o nal
m o ve ment a r o u s ing mental t on ic bringing
in the langua g e and literature casting o u t i h
t e l l e c t u a l stagnati o n and s o rdid life habits O f
all kinds wherever it g o es
G aelic studies
,

21

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

have made their way int o U niversity circles

and pr o mise t o ho ld high place The I rish
Te xts S o ciety published its rst v o lume in
1 899 :
n o w th e re are twelve s uch issues Of
G aelic texts with sch o larly intr o ducti o n s c o m
mentary and translati o n s
N o r h a ve skilful
writer s been sl o w t o c o llect rearrange and
s o metimes rewrite the O l d st o ries in
o
pular
p
and a t tractive f o rm s pre s erving the ne style
and racy spirit by faithful adherence t o the
o riginal s o fa r a s p os sible
H isto rians t oo
have b een at w o rk dealing faithfully with
their departme nt Of the literature In a wo rd
t he
G aelic literature i s being given t o the
w o rld and fo r the I rish o f every race the
gift is t o o rich in l o cal c o l o ur t oo g o o d t o be
neglected %o r o verl o o ked
I n on e fo rm o r
an o ther it will be read fr o m end t o end o f
I reland and like a magnet t o ir on ling s it
will draw t o gether and s e t in rank the diver s
member s O f the I ri sh pe o ple divided as they
are t o day by a p o litical c o ntr o ver s y that will
s o o n be s e t at re s t
,

'

22

C o m p o s i t e I r i sh

Na t i o n

f TO day
-

O f this p tent inuen e the men and w men

o

generati o n knew fo r the m o st part

n o thing when they were gr o wing up In the
O l d day s
bef o re the sl o w c o ming l o ng lasting
eclipse Of G ae l ic and th e G aelic literature it
mu s t have b een a p o tent inuence indeed N o

d o ubt the Old st o r i es themselves m o re par

t i c u l a r l y the st o ries Of Finn an d the Fia ma o f

Erin lingered l o ng and here and there still

survive fo r recital by the peasant s res ide :
but the tra diti o n itself survived m o re uni
v e r s a l l y and in a m o re imp o rtan t sense
It
lives I n the c o mm o n I ri shman s idea Of what
a true man i s and what theref o re every
decent I rishman S h o uld ex pect himself t o
be E very man ha s s o me such idea : if he
be a Christian man the Christian ideal o f
humanity enters largely int o it ; but in m o st
s tr o ng men there i s
underly ing the Christian
c o n s cience s o mething m o re primitive derived
fr o m an Older ancestral past o r ac quired fr o m
early pagan literary inuences and if that
m o re primitive inuence i s dignied tender
of

o ur

'

23

T h e G en i u s

t he

G ae l

and true it reinf o rces and is reinf o rce d by the

Christian ideal a c c o rdingly The lan d that
gr o ws her o es will yield a g o o d cr o p Of s a ints
S O it did in the I rish cas e
We m ay take it that the decent I rish
man s idea Of what he o ught t o be has a g o o d
deal t o d o with the ideal o f a her o presented
in G aelic literature
I qu o te fro m M r
Standish O Gr a d y this ne estimate o f its
wo rth
Th o se hero es and her o ines were the ideals
their c o nduct an d C haracter
o f o u r ancest o rs
were t o them a religi o n the bardi c literature
was their B ible I t was a po o r su bstitute o n e
may say fo r that which f o und its way int o the
island in the fth century
That i s 5 0 yet
such as it was under its nurture the im agina
ti o n and spiritual sus c eptibilities o f o u r
ancest o rs were made capable o f that t rem en
d o us o utbur s t Of rel igi o us ferv o ur and ex a lt a
ti o n which characterized the centuries that
succeeded the fth and wh o se e ffect was felt
thr o ugh o ut a great p o rti o n o f E ur o pe I t wa s
,

24

Nat i o n

C o m p o si t e I ri sh
the I r i s h ba r d s

an d

whi ch

n o ur i s he d

i d e al i s m

Pa tr i c k d i d

m ay

n ot

be

t hat her o i c

T o d ay
o

ag e

thei r s

the i m ag i n a t i o n , i n t e l l e c t ,

t he

c r e a t ed

d i r e c t e d t he m i n t o

He
n ew

fo un d
c ha nn e l

They

t he m ,

and

i s s ue

an

t hes e q u a l i t i es

s u ch

to

c o un t ry
c r ea te

not

and

I t was indeed t o them as a c rude pagan

B ible undevel o pe d but their o w n teaching
them religi o n m o ral s manners literature
hist o ry Thus m o re greatly and bey o nd all
c o mparis o n m o re deeply the H ebrew B ible
in its earlier unnished f o rms taught the Jews
The I rish Text s S o ciety might b e likened
with all reverence and in great humility t o
th o se exiled H ebrew sch o lars o f Babyl o nian
time s wh o se literary lab o ur laid the f o undati o n
O f the o l d Testament Can o n
O ut Of their
,

B a r d i c Hzstory

I r el a nd ,

I nt r du t i n
o

vi i

S t n di h
a

m in
i li
It r i
id i u h r b u t I n tu r t t hi n k t h t
if t h Pr t t n t m i n ri ty h d t h d t h E ng li h B ibl
dilig n t ly t h y w u ld b m r di t i n t fr m
d r d it
unt rym n th n t h y i n t h ki n d f li t r ry
t h ir
n whi h h r t ri b t h r i n Ir l n d Th

O G ra d y
2

The t a

so

co

se

ve

no

a ac e

e e,

o es a

ea

an

c s a re

e - ss

a se s a S

se

z es

ar e

25

o e

a c es

e a

e a

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

lab o urs will presently emerge a select b o dy

O f s t o ry
adventure legend visi o n and s o ng
s h o wing f o rth in its rst v o lume
the her o ic
ideal o f the pagan G ael and in its sec o nd the
beginning o f I ri sh hist o ry the dawn Of Chris
t ian it y
and the devel o pment o f the G aelic
State and Church The well purp o sed th o ugh
partly ctiti o us Milesian hist o ry sh o uld be
there n o less than the B reh o n laws
First
rank w o uld I give t o the C o ll o quy o f P atrick
with the Ol d men o f the pagan past ne parable
a s it is o f the genial intelligent s pirit which
i s the clue t o I reland s magnicent rec o rd o f
t o lerance and mutual respect in sacred matters
I n the devel o pment o f the ancient I rish State
it a ppears that pains were taken by the
d o minant Milesian race under Christian i n
u e n c e t o bring all tribe s by all means int o
the c o mm o n cau s e a s Men o f E rin
In
law a s in literature the sub ject pe o ples were
,

E n g li h l n g g i n Ir l n d k p
li n ; i t i h r t ri d fu rt h r
d m t ph r
G li idi m
s

es

on

ua

ae

a ac e

an

ee

e a

ze

e a

26

it s
an d

rig i n l Eli b t h n
n ri h d by dr f t
a

za

C o m p o si t e I r i s h

Na t i o n

f T O da y
-

rec o gnized pr o visi o n was even m a de fo r the

abs o rpti o n Of individual aliens int o the full
tribal life The Mile s ians o w n c o ntributi o n
skelet o n Of
t o l iterature c o nsists mainly in a
articial hist o ry pieced t o gether by the s ch o o l s
up o n thi s stru c ture were o verlaid vari o u s
patches o f the traditi o ns Of the Older races
By the tenth century thi s hi s t o ry dealing
largely in ge neal o gie s had taken o n the the o ry
Of racial unity i e O f o n e c o mm o n descent
f o r all the free pe o ples
Later the d i s t i n c
ti o n between free and unfree was l o st ; but
bef o re that time race prej udices had died o u t
am o ng the I ri sh s peaking I ri s h th o ugh tribal
feud s in the f o rm o f facti o n lingered l o ng
The Old Milesians had s o me po litical genius
behind their pi o us cti o n What they did in
the tenth century fo r practical advantage and
human c o mrade ship and l o ve o f c o untry the
I rish Of o u r day with wider views larger ex
pe r i e n c e and a m o re p o tent ideal Of united
,

Iri h T xt S i ty l ii Th B k f
I n tr d u t i n p xxx E i n M N il

Fi on a ,

oc e

vo

27

oo

ac

t he Lay s

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

I reland as the o b j ect o f pa tri o tic l o ve will

surely e ffe c t and devel o p m o re c o mpletely in
a pe o ple much less divided as t o st a tus and
pr o s pects than were the pe o ple Of the I rish
P entarchy ten centuries a g o
There will be a s wift cure fo r all po litical
heartache s in w o rk fo r the go o d o f I reland
and her increase in wealth health happiness
and beauty The O ld Milesian genius will
a g ain prevail but o n a large r s cale t o build
up an I reland Of the future in which all her
s o ns
Of every race and creed within her
sh o res will b ring the i r tribu tes g reat o r
small t o the great temple o f nati o nal enter
prise and nati o nal statesmanship an d nati o nal
ha ppi n ess
,

Sp

ill

th
h
Third R d i n g
3 by M j h n R d m n d

eec

on

ea

28

of

t he

om e

R ul

II

THE
PSY C HOLO GY

O F THE

C ELT

im pul
L i by t hy li g h t

TO i t s
ve

ow n

se

e ve

an d

ry r tu r tir ;
r t h will li by h r
c ea

e s

ve

ea

T TH EW

MA

e s

ARNO

LD

C H A P TER I I

TH E

PSY C HO LO GY

OF

T H E C E LT

the title o f thi s chapter there is a tacit

assumpti o n t o which the cauti o u s thinker may
well take excepti o n
I t implie s that s o me
thing g o ing t o the r o o t Of the matter may
be said ab o ut average Celtic nature that i s
n o t true o f h uman nature generally n o t true
in particular Of s o me o ther human nature with
which we c o mpare it A th o ughtful friend
s tates the Ob jecti o n thus
Y o u speak o f t he
Celt by which y o u mean practically the I ri s h
he s ay s as if the I rishman had C haracteristic s
excepti o nal in human nature N o w in fact
he is very like Other Eur o peans ; is it n o t the
E nglishman rather than the I rishman w ho is
s o Odd ?
IN

31

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

This criticism c o ntain s a truth which sh o uld

not
e s c ap e
us
The Englishman h o wever
has b e en characterized and explained by that
His
master o f lite rature Matthew Arn o ld
O d dness su ch as it is has b een tra c e d t o hi s
ge n esis fr o m the mixture o f t w o str o n g racial
c urrents e ach carrying o n a perpe tual dialectic
with the o ther I t c o sts o n e an e ff o rt n o t t o
digress further o n this delightful theme the
weaving o f Celt with Teut o n t o pr o du c e the
Englishman What chiey c o nce rns us here
h o wever is that he is n o t the ty pical Teut o n
th o ugh m o re Te ut o n than C elt
B ehind and o vert o ppin g the E nglis hman
we must place the G erman w ho as c o m p ared
with the C e lt is much m o re n o n Celtic In
sh o rt we must include In o u r purview a l l th o se
nati o ns in which the Te ut o nic race element
prep o nderate s These may be c o ntrasted with
the nati o n s t o the west and s o uth o f them
and o n e might frame a the o ry o n the

f
psych o l o gy o the Te ut o n that marked variety
We kn o w the Teut o n
o f the human s pecies
.

32

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

by his divergence fro m the Celt and the Celt

by hi s divergence fr o m the Teut o n
W hen
b o th are present we pick each o u t fr o m the
much a s o n e picks o u t the fair men
o ther
fr o m the dark men in a cr o wd
I t i s n o t with o ut interest t o in quire int o the
psych o l o gical gr o und Of the characteri s tics by
which s uch selecti o n i s made I n a Sax o n
a s s embly we d o easily rec o gnize the pre s ence
o f a stray Celt
and thi s apart fro m accent o r
phy s ique and even after a l o ng c o urse o f
naturalizati o n in En glan d I fo r o n e have
rec o gnized him at rst sight times o u t O f mind
by hi s gesture in every minute detail the curve s
O f his wrinkles
the m o vements Of his eye by
his turn Of phrase by the t o ne O f his feeling
by the f o rm Of his th o ught
I s peak mainly o f the G aelic I rishman
th o ugh n o t Of him al o ne
I have met the
replica Of an I ri s h waiter in o n e O f the I talian
valleys o f M o nte R o sa I have seen a H igh
lander and an I rishman l o o k like br o thers o n
a platf o rm a nd I have dis c o vere d I rish
,

33

T h e G en i u s

t he

G ae l

a fnities in We l sh men at rst sight W ithin

limits the type stands o u t plainly in all its
varieties W e are co ncerned here n o t with the
varieties but with the type
We must r e
memb er t oo that tho ugh the I rish G ael stands
fairly fo r the type it is n o t every I rishman
w ho i s an I ris h G ael
N o r nee d this cr o ss
multiplicity o f I rish types c o nfuse us seri o usly
be c ause after all as we shall see later it is
the I ri sh G ael that has gi v en a C haracter
t o the I rish pe o ple
Apa r t fr o m vari o us o ther r a ci a l di fferences
the nati o ns o f Eu ro pe d i ffer t o day as they
ha v e thro ugh o ut t he hist o ric peri od by a
larger o r smaller infusi o n o f the Celtic st o ck
I n Eur o pe as a who le a n d in eac h1 o f the
m o re western nat i ons o f Eur o pe treated as a
separate unit the Celtic element increases fr o m
east t o we s t The mo st Celtic nati o n i s this
nati o n o f o ur s in I reland In it there is s o
much G aelic bl o od an d such a prep o n d erance
that it is ethn o l o gically
o f G aelic inuence
reaso nable as well as p o litically and s o cially
'

'

'

34

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

inevitable t o des c ribe it as a G aelic n a ti o n

th o ugh n o t who lly G ael I reland is in fact
much m o re truthfully G ael land than England
i s Angle l a nd ; but the ancient G ael was wise
in his generati o n an d fo r all g enerati o ns in

this he never imp o sed a tribe name o r a race

name o n the land Of his c o nques t Fr o m the
dawn o f hist o ry it has been kn o wn by the
n ame o f t he g o ddess nay as itself the g o dde s s
m o therland o f all i t s s o ns c o nferring o n
them alike that title o f the men o f Eire in
which all ra c e distin c ti o ns a re submerged
The c le a rest type o f the Celt we c an nd is
what we kn o w an d the wo rl d gener a lly with
m o re o r less a c cura cy k n o ws as the typical
I rishm a n We think o f him spe cially as the
I rishman o f the W est
I t is a fact that he
pers o nally stands o ut in c o ntr a st t o the typical
Englishm an s o called w ho is h o wever much
less clearly characterized r a cially and perhaps
in these days m o re chara c terize d by his habi ts
a n d tr a diti o ns th an by his re a l ment a l type
Fo r a c o ntrast o f type it is b etter t o c o m pare
,

35

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

the I rishman as Celt wi th the G erman the

m o s t o bvio usly G erman G erman as Teut o n
Thus the s pecial inuences Of t he time in
E ngland the c o sm o po litan race mixture and
abn o rmal devel o pment Of t o wn life may be
eliminated in the c o ntrast The E n glish even
apart fr o m the s e later inuences are a s
ha s already been said a mixed race and n o w
they are a mixed race in which the elements
are much mixed u p
Let this su fce as pr o l o gue t o the st a tement
O u r inquiry assumes that we
O f the pr o blem

kn o w who m we mean by the G ael the C o n

n a u g ht m a n perhaps w o uld b e the m o st ty p ical
representative and we ask fo r a descripti o n
and if po ssible fo r a
o f hi s characteristics
deniti o n o f the essential characteristic which
lie s at the r o o t o f him and by which he is
di fferentiated fr o m hi s fell o ws
C o mm o n
Friend s o f
o n the subj ect ab o und
s aying s
the G ael an d his detract o rs no less delight
t o s um him up in a sentence o r a chapter

H e is the dreamer in Eur o pe says o n e the

.

36

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

vi s i o nary idealist wh o se life is in t he f o rce and

intensity Of his imaginat i o n and wh o se deed s
are a s naught
Artistic by temperament he
i s i n e ffe c t l v e 1 n executi o n i m pr a ct i c a l e s s en
tially H i s life is in hi s o w n mind apart fr o m
interest in material c o nditi o ns H e lives in a
h o use much o u t o f re pair with br o ken china
in untidy r o o m s o f which the d o o rs d o n o t
shut B u t that time o f which the po et S pe aks
is with him alway s
I n the s ame s train an o ther explain s the
ec o n om ic c o nditi o n o f the co unt ry n o w and
i t s p o litical unsucces s thr o ugh o ut the centuries
by t he well kn o wn incapacity Of thi s dreamer
fo r practical life
hi s lack o f executive
indu s try in material things
O n the o ther hand I have heard it well
argued that practical geniu s i s the s pe cial
mark o f the Celt in hist o ry and that the G aelic
I rishman all o ver the w o rld is sh o wing h i mself
t o day
by c o ntrast with the Teut o n a s the
m a n w ho d o e s things wh o se res o urceful mind
is m o st fre quently at its best in d evisin g me ans
,

37

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

ends an d a cc o m p l ishi ng the e nd s while

the Teu to n feels and d reams an d thinks as
p o et an d phil o s o pher I t is easy t o illustrate
this vie w o f the case The sentimentalist o f
Eur o pe is the G erman He is the po et the
Frenchman is the artist I rishmen have left
the marks o f their executive genius all o ver
the hist o ry o f the B ritis h Empire and else
where as well There is n o lack O f pra c tical
e ffectiveness in the I rish immigrant a cr o ss
the se a s
Aga i n it is g e ner al ly held by a d mirers an d
n o t denie d by d etr a ct o rs
th a t in ev ery n a ti on
a n d within these isl a nds espe c ially
t he Celtic
element is a nti materialistic in its inuences
and a s pirati o ns The mis s i o n o f the Celt t o
hum anity it has been said is t o turn attenti o n
t o ward s the s piritual sign icance o f life and
that n o t o nly in the religi ou s sense but in
every sense I t is his genius t o believe an d
in practice t o te a ch ev erywhere a nd a lways
and in re lati o n t o a l l things the truth that the
g o o ds o f the s o ul are g o o d per s e a n d the

to

38

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

g o o ds o f the b o dy g oo d merely as a me an s

t o the m
that the life i s m o re th a n meat

and the b o dy than raiment

N O o n e w o uld
s eri o usly dispute that the Celt has ex c epti o nal
gifts fo r such a missi o n th o ugh many may
deny the valu e Of the miss i o n o r laugh it t o
S c o rn What c o ncerns us n o w i s the C harac
t e r i s t i c alleged O f this Eur o pe an race t o l o o k
thro ugh the thi n gs seen which are part
o f the means t o life
and reach o ut hands t o
the things unseen which are life itself
We need n o t pause t o dwell upo n the evidence
s o o bvi o us and ab u ndant is it
The H ighland
G a el i s n o ted thr o ugh o ut P resbyterian S c o tland
fo r hi s gifts o f religi o us insight and p o wer
and he i s fam o us in literature fo r the devel o p
ment o f the s ame gift in that s ympa thetic
appreciati o n Of nature which is the child o f
imaginati o n and the parent o f p o etry The
I rish peasant is kn o wn by th o se w ho kn o w
him t o maintain thro ugh a lifetime o f wan t
and su ffering a rare ca pacity fo r being upheld
in cheerfulness as well as c o urage by his grip
,

39

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

the realities Of the unseen in his o w n s o ul

O n the o ther hand the pr o sper o us I rishman
cares less than an o ther fo r the heaping u p o f
wealth gives pr o fusely at an earlier s tage in
hi s
nancial pr o gress su ffer s less fr o m
pe cuniary w o rrie s and in general is le s s
m o ved by purely materialistic m o tives
P o ssessi o ns mean less t o him whatever his pa r
t i cu l a r fo rm O f j o y may be whether religi o n at
o n e extreme
o r the Spectacle Of the circus
sh o w Of huma n life at the o ther
B y an o th e r c o mm o n saying the I rish pe o ple

the G aelic I rish are declared t o b e at the

b o tt o m o ne o f the m o st c o nservative peo ple o n
earth ; and evidence is n o t lacking An o ther
claim s their ki nship with the French in easily
r o u s ed rev o lutio nary tendencie s ; and it i s
imp o s sible t o study the hi s t o ry O f the la s t
v e year s with o ut admitting their apt
twenty
ness t o abs o rb new ide a s an d o rga nize mov e
ments acc o rdingly fo r the radical alterati o n
c o nditi o ns
I f b o th the s e sayin gs
o f s o c ial
c o ntain truth they assert that a pe o ple o f
on

40

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

marked c o nservative instinct S h o w a highly

devel o ped capacity fo r change in the face o f
en o rm o u s di fcultie s ; and thi s after due
all o wance ha s been made fo r circum s tances
remains a s an interesting statement c o ncerning
nati o nal character
P ro bably it is n o t independent Of an o ther
less Obvi ou s fact which is abundantly eviden ce d
thr o ugh o ut I ri s h hist o ry
I mean the g rip
on
the primitive f o rm o f life maintained
thr o ugh o ut the devel o pment Of new f o rms
which mark s t he native gr o wth Of I rish s o ciety
The Breh o n laws m a y be calle d in evidence
The per s istence Of the primitive type in the
civilized type endured till the intr o ducti o n o f
the f o reign semi feudal s ystem fro m England
The m o vement O f the la s t quarter Of a century
i s t o a large extent th o ugh n o t wh o lly a
reversi o n in e ffect if n o t in f o rm t o the native
s o cial
ty pe the instincts c o rres ponding t o
which have survived the o o d o f alien ideas
and enf o rced habits I t has taken less than a
generati o n t o free the I ris h serf fr o m the
,

41

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

c l in g in g sense o f servility
I t w o ul d seem
thi s c a n o nly be because the pressure rem o ved
his nature sprang back at o nce t o the expres
si o n o f that sen s e o f the freeman which the
persistence o f his primitive nature had pre
served inb o rn i n him thr o ugh o ut the servile
times
The O b s ervati o ns made in this sense might
be summed up briey in the statement that the
G ael is c o nse rvative in his ideas and rema ins
primitive in his instincts while he gr o ws
With all new ac qu i s i t i o ns he is unf o rgetful o f
the O l d
And th a t reminds o n e o f o ther things ab o ut
him The unf o rgetful G ael s h o ws himself as
in the faithfulne s s o f his a ffecti o n s t o
s uch
friend and s weetheart family and native land
Whether o r n o t he be wax t o re c eive he is
certainly marble t o retain
As unf o r g etful
t o o in the wi d er sense o f a pers i stent physical
psychical nature the civilized G a el o f
and
uni ve rsities ball ro o m s clu bs pa rliaments
and c o mmercial s yndicate s o f manufacturing
.

42

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

in d ustries ele c tric light d aily newsp ape rs te l e

ph o nes and mo t o r cars this civilized G ael i s

as primitive as his f o refathers beneath all this
m o d ern embr o idery Of pleasure and c o n v en i
ence The great primitive instincts still brace
the wi l l and warm the heart Of him linking
man t o nature and nature t o m an Thu s the
human nature in him is br oad and deep full
so me evil no d o ubt but t o
o f p o ssibilities
ev ery evil a capacity fo r self c o ntr o l c o rre
,

s po n d i n g

I t is imp o ssible h o wever t o dwell o n this

a spe c t O f character with o ut being dri v en o n t o
the a sserti o n o f s o me c o mpl ementary quality ;
and we naturally b ethink o urselves o f that
c o mment o n the G ael which i s m o s t familiar
m o st universally admitted That he is swift
o f wit and readily m o ved n o o n e will deny
H i s admirers prais e the ready aptness Of hi s
repartee the quickness o f his intell ectual u p
take his adaptability Of m o o d his sma rtnes s
i n res o urce his swift and v a ried imaginati o n
H i s detract o rs s neer at the same q ualities
,

'

43

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

di ff erently stated and the epithets excitable

ckle p o ssibly hysterical are used

As
an o utc o me o f the s e qualitie s every o n e admits
accessibility t o ideas with ada ptability Of
feeling and in s tinct acc o rdingly I n this we
have Of c o urse the making Of the liberal o r
pr o gressive element in the I rishman and n o t
in him o nly since with o ut the Celtic fringe in
G reat B ritain the pr o spe cts o f the Liberal
P arty there w o uld be dark in deed
T h i s the c o mbinati o n o f pe rsistent primi
t i v e n e s s with c o ngenital adaptability yields the
c o nservative pr o gressiveness which chara c
t e r i z e s the I rish p o litical atm o s phere t o d ay
and which i s o n the o ther hand s o strikingly
exempli e d in the Old w o rld wi s d o m o f the
B reh o n Law I t w o uld n o t b e ea s y t o match
this ancient c o de o f law fo r the skill with
which it adapts o l d idea s t o new circum s tance s
s o that the ideals shall be preserved th o ugh
n o t unchanged
I t w o uld be easy t o ad d t o this list o f
but
c o mm o n sayin g s d escriptive o f the G a el
,

'

44

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

it is time t o take a f o rward step and seek s o me

true acc o unt o f that r o o t o f C haracter in him
which di fferentiates him racially fr o m his
fell o ws
The external manifestati o ns o f
di fference are so many and vari o u s and SO
s ubtly interw o ven with universal human traits
that I t I S 1 m po s s ibl e t o resist the c o nvicti o n
that we have here s o me deep s eated di fference
Of human kind by which the f o rm s Of life and
i t s expressi o n are m o died in an innite variety
o f ways
The larch
tree di ffers fr o m the fo rest
o a k in ways t o o many t o be c o unted u p
The
b o tanist seeks here fo r the C haracteri s tic di ffer
ence fr o m which o thers o w o r r o und which
they are g r o upe d O u r task is similar t o his
Let u s appr o ach it in li ke m a nner seeking
fo r the o n e o r t w o distinctive qualities which
pr o mise t o lead d o wn int o the heart Of the
matter
N o w all Ob servers are struck by the fact
that I rish pers o nality is essentially p o sitive
H ence i t s f o rce and fascinati o n
H ence als o
its li ability t o exa g g e rati o ns Hen c e t oo its
.

45

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

ntra di c ti o ns since it insists o n be in g what

it is whether self c o ntradict o ry o r n o t H ence
m o st imp o rtant o f all there f o ll o ws fr o m
these the m o ral di a le c tic by which it sust a ins
itself
Thus the genuine I rishman o f the West has
little instinctive taste fo r t he pursuit o f either
virtue o r truth by the Arist o telian metho d o f
steering in the mean between t w o extremes
O n the c o ntrary hIS manner o f self c o rrecti o n
when he nd s himself o n o ne extreme h o rn
o f ar g ument o r m o o d i s t o s tret c h acros s t o
the o ther h o rn a nd so raise o r l o wer his being
o n t o t he gr o und o f a b etter c o mm o n se n se
And this the he a lthy I rishm a n d o es fo r the
m o st part instinctively H e is in a rage o f
resentment and rec o vers himself suddenly by
the revival o f s o me natural fello w feeling with
the pers o n w ho has o ff ended him He c o rrects
him s elf n o t by s uppressi o n bu t by s o me new
H i s ability fo r swift
f o rm o f e xpressi o n
tra nsiti o n fr o m o n e m oo d t o the o ppo site is
the natural c o unterpart o f his po sitiveness ; it
co

46

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

has devel o ped in him as the ne c ess a ry altern a

tive t o the abstract self c o ntr o l which is s o
c o nspicu o us in the Englishman Thus bein g
b o th emphatically p o sitive and easily m o ved
the G ael make s himself c o nspicu o us by what
I have called hi s m o ral dialectic the main

O f thesis and
t e n a n c e o f O pp o sites in m o o d
anti thesis in meditati o n
I t c a n hardly be
said that he has any C haracteristic m o ral trait
with o ut the s u g gesti o n Of its o pp o site a s als o
characteristi c
The I ri s hman is self assertive he is als o
instin c t with c o nsiderati o n fo r the selfness
o f an o ther
H e may t a lk much but he seld o m
l o ses his p o wer o f listening
I f he all o ws
himself t o b o ast unduly his g o o d manners wil l
presently pres cribe a pause t o let y o u have
y o ur turn H e has a vivid sense O f respect
due t o himself but it seld o m extinguishes his
sense o f respe ct as e qually due t o o thers H e
is self c o nsci o us and easily o ffende d ; he is
o ther c o ns c i o us
als o and n o t hard t o b e
H i s quarrels o meness and his
rec o nciled
-

47

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

c o urtesy are a twin gro wth H e is u n c om

pr o mising i n his adherence t o his Opini o n while
it i s his o pini o n but he has a rare accessi bility
t o the ideas o f o thers
He is s ensitive and
easily hurt ; he i s ela s tic and s o o n rec o vers
balance And fr o m this tissue o f o pp o sites

his vivid human nature there bubbles up

within him a s fr o m a well spring an i n e x
ha u s t ib l e fund o f hum o ur t o gladden o u r t o il
w o rn race Fo r the basis o f hum o ur is the
sense o f t he n o rmal self c o ntradict o riness o f
human nature in detail
C o ntrast and transiti o ns c o me t o his nature
with ea s e Thus his way o f g o ing right is
by the maintenance o f pairs o f o ppo site
qualities in him Hi s way o f g o ing wr o ng i s
the universal way by c o ncentrati o n
o f c o ur s e
o nly the p o sitiveness o f
o n o n e o f the t w o ;
h i s nature makes him g o m o re wr o ng tha n
an o ther in the ab s ence Of the c o mpe n s ating
quality
This i s because he has a les s
devel o ped instinct fo r pure negative self
c o ntr o l than o ther pe o ple S o me c an be cured

48

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

their mi s chiev o us tendencies if n o t o f their

inm o st faults by a system o f pure repress ive
educati o n in c o ntr o l ling exa g gerati o ns
I t is
well kn o wn that I rish human nature o n the
average d o e s n o t res po nd happily t o thi s treat
ment To merely check exaggerati o ns is t o
The m o re excellent
s i t o n the safety valve
way is in this case als o the readier t o take
e ffect : it lies in the devel o pment Of the c o m
re
l
m
quality
Thus
C
haracter
is
n
o
t
e
e
n
t
r
a
p
y
pressed but devel o ped
Virtue drives a pair
H umanity is writ la rge in the
steeds
of
pers o nality o f the G ael and written all o ver
it in a c o untle s s variety o f characters
Fr o m this may be inferred as a c o n
sequence the f amiliar fact that he imprints
his likeness o n m o st s trangers w ho c o me within
his s o cial sphere
They als o are human
thr o ugh and thr o ugh tho ugh less p o s itive
i e
le s s end o wed with the c o urage o f their
humanity than he i s I t is natural t ha t t hey
sh o uld accept his leaders hip in this respect
and devel o p fo r g o o d o r fo r ill that instinct

of

'

..

49

T h e G en i u s
of

to

his
be

to

f t he Ga e l

be emphatically whatever he happe ns

P itiveness

pers o nality sh o ws itself fr o m

an o ther p o int o f V iew in that C hief i n c o n
v e n i e n c e o f I rish human nature i t s persistent
i rrepressibility
Check its expressi o n in fty
ways an d after t he imme d iate o ccasi o n o f r e
pressi o n is past it reappear s in all its multi fo rm
humanity as vigo r o us as ever
I n po litical
c o nte s ts this gives the I rishman a certain
advantage which explains s o me events that
happen in o u r times
G aelic irrepressibility is h o wever as unlike
the inc o nvertible stability o f the Teut o n a s
can be I t preserves itself by maintaining its
essential ends while adapting its mean s t o
C hanging circumstances The c o mmo n human
l o t being indeed what it is adaptabi lity is a
c o nditi o n t o the maintenance o f irrepre s sibility
I f the plant d o e s n o t turn t o gr o w r o und the
st o n e then d o es the st o ne c rush o u t the plant
O n the o ther hand irrepressible vitality is a
Fo r an ex
m o tive t o e ff o rts o f adaptati o n
of

os

50

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he C e l t

ample n o te ho w in nineteenth c entury p o litics

the I rish pe o p l e t oo k the B ritish C o n s tituti o n
which they c o ntinued t o dislike but under
which they lived and c o nverted it int o an
in s trument fo r th e ir pur po ses using it with
such e ffectiveness as t o ast o nish the rightful
heirs t o its traditi o ns
Thus irrepressibility and adapta bility g o
t o gether and are b o th r oo ted in the po sitive
ne s s o r vitality o f nature which sh o ws the
wr o ng s ide o f itself in the G aelic exagg erati o n
o f which we o ften he ar s o much
A G ael s tan d
ing o ut s ide hi s s o cial w o rl d w o ul d d o ubtless
exaggerate whatever he had happe ned t o carry
with him int o his o utsidedness B u t he i s t oo
p o sitive t o stand o ut s ide m o re than he is
H e needs a s phere o f s o cial life in
o bliged
which t o express himself
H e l ives in his
w o rld and it teaches him balance c o rrecting
the empha s i s he impres s e s o n it by s o me o ther
empha s i s which it s uggests
M o re than
an o ther h o wever he requires an ade quate
w o rld demanding a c o mpletely r o unded
-

51

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

human nature fr om him If such a nature is

demanded he is apt t o respo nd t o the demand
I f n o t well the greater natures will es cape
o nesidedness
by inventing o utlets fo r them
selves but the average will yield an endless
variety o f quaint human Oddments e c c en
t r i c i t i e s limited s o cial typ e s self co n d e n t i n
d i v i d u a l i t i e s o f all s o rts eager with ab o unding
life
P o sitiveness irrepressibility a d aptability
with these g o o f necessity that quality o f
manner an assertive pers o nality takin g itself
and its audience fo r granted whi ch is either
the m o s t delightful o r the m o st Obn o xi o us
thing acc o rding t o its character co ntext C o n
s equences and the o pini o n O f o thers are n o t
necessarily disregarde d ; but in all cases the
G ael expre s ses hi m s el f in his talk and a c t
even when he is mo st under external in u
H ence that extra o rdinary appe arance
en c e s
o f o riginality which even m o st o rdinary I rish
men usually display They are o riginal even
when c o mm o nplace by mere expressivene s s o f
'

'

52

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

perso nali t y The e ffe c t o f this is s ometimes

di s agreeable
This po sitiveness Of per s o nality o r energetic
vitality o f expre s si o n s h o wing it s elf in all the s e
way s might be s aid t o c o nstitute t he wa rp i n
.

the w e b

G a el i c

c h a r a c t er

with o ut a w o o f o f vital tenacity n o t

inferi o r the web w o uld s o o n be br o ken by the
di s integrating inuences o f m o dern life The
G aelic wo o f in the web i s evidently that quality
whatever it be which facilitates the expres
s i o n o f po sitive pers o nali t y
in adaptati o n t o
the demand s o f a w o rld bristling with c o m
l
i
and
antag
o
ni
s
m
The
adaptability
Of
e
x
t
p
y

the irrepressible G ael the energetic dialectic

by whi c h C haracter devel o ps with the minimum

f
i
these po int t o s o me characteristic
o
n e g at o n
o ther than po s itiveness
p e r s e even if o nly
fo r the pre s ervati o n o f s uch p o sitiveness
The lightning genius o f the G ael s o
Th o ma s D avis named it As we p o nder o n
the metaph o r its truth gr o ws o n U S
Bu t

'

The
All

lig h t br k
ky
t hi n g
s

ea

on

o ut o ve
an d

r t h ky
rt h b

ea

e s

ec o m e

i ibl

v s

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

Just so there is a swift illuminati o n in t he

mind
I t seems alm o st a crime t o analyse the po et s
th o ught F o rg ive me if I attempt a task s o
ungraci o us At this m o ment y o u are a c t ually
c o nsci o us o f the few matters o n which y o ur
attenti o n is enga g e d Y o u are p o t en ti ally c o n
sci o us o f all that y ou have experienced in
m o o d and in idea hithert o and y o u are p o ten
t i a l l y c o nsci o us
als o o f several o ther things
g o in g o n ab o ut y o u claiming y o ur att enti o n
by impre s si o ns o n eye and ear t o which
O f all these p o ssibilities
y o u pay n o heed
n
s
i
o
u
are
o
t
c
o
n
ci
o
us
but
sh
o
uld
ccas
o
n
o
y
ari s e y o u w o uld be made c o nsci o us o f them
with greater o r le ss swift ness and certainty
Wi th g r e a t er o r l es s s wi ft n es s a n d c er t ai nty
we a re all familiar with the many grades
expresse d in these w o rd s the
o f po ssibility
reluctance with which the train Of th o ught
expl o des in s o me fo r the reinstatement o f
matters rem o te fr o m present attenti o n the
sudden ash with which the subc o nsci o us
.

54

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

be c o mes the c o ns ci o us in o thers The c o n

sequences Of this di fference are very wide
G rasp o f intellect as well a s readines s o f wit
wait o n the man wh o s e mental pr o ce s se s are
what we call swift
O f the G ael a s swift witted I have already
H i s repart ee is the m o st punctual
s po ken
thing ab o ut him hi s mem o ry seld o m lag gard
hi s imaginati o n far seeking
his percepti o ns
quick H i s claim t o the characteristic is su f
c ie n t ly
established by these its direct and
Obvi o us signs M o re o ver the mind that acts
s wiftly i s practically a mind that s ees many
p o ints at o nce in a sin gle pulse o r C ircling o f
attenti o n H ence it is a min d capable o f wide
intuitive n o t merely l o gical grasp The man
w ho has it c a n c o ndense all the main po ints
o r a c o mplex c o n
o f an elab o rate argument
int o a circle that c a n be embraced by
c e pt i o n
H i s mind tend s
o n e sweep o f the attenti o n
t o react c o ncretely i e
as o n e wh o le o n the
pr o blem s that present themselves whether in
art in literature in po litics in s o cial life
.

'

55

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

F urther this swift wit ten d s als o t o co rre c tness

o f j udgment
O utside the gras p o f c o nsci o us
ness at any m o ment lie o ther item s still sub
c o n s ci o us and if these c o ntinue subc o ns c i o us
their neglect is a s o urce o f erro r They are
like the repartees that o ccur t o us the m o rning
after t he dinner party Bu t the swift mind is
swift because it is lively all th a t c o mes within
the C ircle o f p o ssible experiences stimulated
by the o ccasi o n springs readily int o c o ns c i o us

ness claims attenti o n And s o except when

the ab s o rpti o n o f attenti o n is extrem e n o item
c o g nate t o the matter in hand i s likely t o
all o w it s elf t o b e f o rgo tten The Celt and

the Teut o n the G erm a n seem t o be at their

extreme po ints o f c o ntrast here the o n e with

hi s p a tient genius i t is real g enius t o o fo r

c o vering the gr ound th o r o ughly step by step
the o ther with hi s ha ppy gift fo r seizing
all the salient p o ints in a s ingle o rgan ic
percepti o n
This qu ality c o nsists o f facility in using the
mind a s a wh o le o n each experience whi ch
,

56

The P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

i mplies

facility in apprehending all the aspe ct s

o f an experience
I t is an ability theref o re
f o r experience in the c o ncrete and fo r thi s
reas o n it i s here called c o n cretenes s
The
G aelic mind i s de s cribed as c o ncrete i e
ready t o react a s a wh o le
N O o n e will I
think deny that o u r G aelic peas an t as well
as his G aelic betters has this gift I have
tried t o S h o w its c o nnecti o n with his m o s t

familiar trait the ashing wit A K e rr y m a n

explains t o the inspect o r o f beekeeping an
ingeni o u s c o ntrivance he had invented
The
idea came int o m y mind all at o nce said he
ju s t as y o u see the sun shine o u t suddenly o n

the m o untain side

C o ncrete intelligen c e and ashin g wit appear
as the manifestati o ns o f a fundamental charac
namely a high degree o f liability in
t eri st i c
the subc o nsci o us t o pass int o the c o nsc io us
H erein lies the essence Of this wh o le matter
I n the regi o n o f ner v e life tr a nsf o rmati o ns O f
physical energy take place and there is d o ubt
less , s o me transf o rmati o n o f energy which
.

57

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

incides with the emergen ce o f psychi ca l life

o r c o nsci o usness
I t may well be that o n e
pers o n o r o n e race o f pers o ns di ffers fr o m
an o ther by degree o f liability in the nerve
centres t o e ffect this particu lar transf o rmati o n
and the man w ho i s m o re easily c o nsci o us is
theref o re m o re c o ncrete in intelligence m o re
ashing in imaginati o n m o re quick in wit
Thus it may be that the swiftly m o ving easily
wakene d c o ncre tely reactin g mind o f the G ael
i s what it is because he differs fr o m his c o n
t r a s t e d type in temperament o r in the very
quality o f hi s nerve physique O n this hypo
thesis he is built t o c o nvert the sum t o tal Of
energy a v ailable fo r his o rganism s o that in
him a l arg er po rti o n o f it is the physi c al
c o rrelate o f c o ns c i o usness than in o ther cases
This di fference is o f a kind m o re o ver which
w o uld seem within limits t o be suscepti ble o f
increase o r decrease even in the life o f an
individual
I t i s theref o re easily c o n c e i v
able as the difference be tween t w o branches
the s ame ra c e slight pr o ba bly i n the
of
%

co

58

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

riginal d iverg ence but cumulating under

fav o urable C ir c um s tan ces with the g e nerati o ns
The wide
the man in the
of
a w a ke nes s
D ublin street o r better still in the streets o f

k
C o r i s a direct sign o f the lightnes s with
which c o nsci o usness slumb ers in him What
ever is i n him o r c a n be in him awaken s o n
slight pr o v o cati o n and sits up at o nce H ence
his peculiar gifts o f which en o u g h has been
S aid hence als o certain we aknesses H e is
m o re easily distra c ted fr o m the particular w o rk
which he has in hand by the myriad life o f
feeling and th o ught ever ready t o surge up
within him I n a new s ituati o n he disc o ver s
practical genius ( as already n o ted ) because
th a t in him which c a n master the situati o n
sprin g s t o light in time H e is res o urceful
swift t o see the f a cts an d n o less swift t o
s trike
O n the o ther h a nd he is inferi o r in
the Teut o n s gift o f d o g ged executive the
G erman industry whereby
o

T k i n h u r f i n ig h t will d
r f gl m
C
b t hr u g h h
as

an

ou s

59

oo

ful l l d

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

The G ael it is true has a persistence o f his

own ;
his ide a s persist and thus uph o l d his
activity in resistance t o the distracting thr o ng
o f m o tives new b o rn h o ur by h o ur
I t i s by
under s tanding thi s which i s hi s s trength that
he will h o ld his o w n better and better as
there is m o re demand fo r vivid life in the
w o rld ab o ut him B ut in rou tine persistence
as in d o in g tho r o ughl y o n e thing at a time the

I
Teut o n
mean particularly the G erman will
always s c o re
M o re o ver the energy which
is n o t used fo r c o nsci o u s ness i s all t o the g o o d
t o be u s ed o therwise
The E ngli s h pe o ple
fo r the m o st part resemble the G ermans in
their gifts
H o w s hall we name in b rief and po pular
terms this character i st i c o f t he G aelic mind t o
bec o me ea s ily w ha tever it ha s in it t o bec o me
Y o u may describ e it in metaph o r s o far a s
metapho r is helpful The mind o f the G ael
is as a ph o s ph o rescent s e a m o st pa rt O bscure
but all parts ready t o br e a k int o radiant light
I n dry p s ych o l o gical terms the best phrase I
,

60

T h e P sy c ho l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

can think o f i s fa ci l i ty of c o ns ci o us ne s s

M o bile
cl o sely knit and c o n crete are
als o g o o d descriptive w o r d s
H ere then i s the w o o f o f o u r web
It
explains the m o ral dialectic o f the po sitive
pers o nality the easy ada ptability o f the irre
pressible The reacti o n may be thr o ugh the
interventi o n o f reas o n o r it may be merely
by the suggesti o n o f o ppo sites bu t certainly
o n e quality in e x cess is a stimulus tendin g t o
N o w with facility o f
awake its o ppo s ite
c o nsci o usness this tendency gr o ws t o wards a
certainty The mean o f reas o n is easily pre
s erved by a natural balance O f instincts
each
o f which ev o kes the o ther
And a s regard s ada ptability t o circumstances
with o ut repressi o n o f pers o nality it is clear
that except t o a pers o n decient in the raw
material Of human na t ure t his s ame quality
makes adaptati o n easy and under g o o d c o n
d i t i o n s tends t o the perfect devel o pment o f
the natural human type Fo r if there be any
thing that c a n res po nd t o the circumstances it
.

61

T h e G en i u s

f t he G a e l

will d e c l a re itself
Educati o n is o f prime
impo rtan c e in such case
S O far we have c o nceived G aelic character
as the interweaving o f t w o primal charac
t er i st ic s
Fa ci l i ty o f c o n s ci o us n es s i s t he wo o f
of the we b
L o o king cl o se r there seems reas o n
t o think th a t it is the C e l t i c c har a ct er i s t i c per
se
and that the po sitiveness whi c h it thr o ws
int o such stro n g relief is j ust the f o rce Of
uni v ers al human nature preserved in all its
primal vitality by the skill o f the G ael in
mak in g thin g s suit his ends I t is pr o ba ble
that the Bee r o f the Transvaal and his
Eur o pean br o ther the D ut c hman o f Friesland
are as po sitive in pe rs o nality as any Western
G ael They t o o have preserved their primi
t i v e n e s s and have establi s hed a claim t o irre
B u t like the G ael as they
pr e s s ib i l i t y o f type
actually are in their primal vitality o n e s miles
at t he c o mpari s o n s o unlike are they a s a
wh o le ; and in particular the t w o type s are
co ntrasted by their manner o f maintainin g their
type in a h o s tile w o rld The B o er treks int o
.

'

62

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

the wilde rness t o c arve o u t Of it a new w o rld

f o r himself
The Fr i e s l a n d er wins his c o untry
by patient labo ur fr o m the s e a and maintains
his freed o m by letting in the waters when r e
quired The D utchman thr o ugh o ut his hist o ry
stands indee d as the type o f primal f o rce
masterful t o n ature o n the defensive t o o ther
men H e i s essentially n o t marked by the
G aelic trait o f adaptability a s he is certainly
n o t marked by any o f the o ther qualities which
we have traced t o the same s o urce in facility o f
c o nsci o usness I t is the similarity o f a certain
secti o n o f the English pe o ple t o the D utch
that has made them the chief builders o f new
States thr o ugh o ut the w o rl d by the free lab o ur
o f individual s ettlers
The Celt o n the c on
t ra ry
excels in m o ulding his s o cial habitat
and s eeks m o re persistently t o establi s h
harm o ny between him s elf and it
I n an o ther and even m o re e s sential way
po sitive individuality is preserved by that c o n
c r e t e n e s s o f reacti o n o n expe rience which g o es
with facility o f c o nsci o usness Fo r c o n rm a
.

63

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

ti o n let us l o o k t o o urselves d o we n o t kn o w
that po sitiveness o f jud g ment and unhesitat ing
res o lve are in a rea s o nably cauti o u s mind
dependent o n the sens e that we have seen
all r o und the matter taken a c o ncrete view
an d thu s are guaranteed against err o rs o f o ver
s i g ht P
P ro b ably the least Celtic o f us have
had in o u r live s o n e expe rience at least o f
being ab s o lutely sure that a particular c o urse
was the c o urse t o take an d have kn o wn that
this surenes s was gr o unded in the certa i nty
that the wh o le o f us was awake at the instant
and c o ncurred in the d eci s i o n The c o nsci o us
ness o f b eing all there and with n o o b jecti o n
t o the c o urse pr o po sed
frees the
not
o nly
impulse fr o m ment a l check but gives that
peculiar sense o f inner freed o m and po wer
which marks t o hims e lf all the acti o ns Of the
p o s itive man I f I have n o d o ubt and feel
myself t o b e all there then I have n o fear o f
d o ubt and am quite sure Thus the m o re

as o n e wh o le m y mind r e
c o n cr e t e l y
acts the m o re po sitive am I whether right
,

64

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

wr o ng Lac k o f this c o ncreteness sh o ws

itself in hesitati o n with o ut denite gr o unds
and m o re sadly in regret after the d eed i s d o ne
when reas o ns again s t it c o me t o o late t o mind
The c o ncrete mind may als o hesitate mu s t
hesitate when c o ntrary reas o ns present them
selve s fo r an d against in alm o st e qual f o rce
But
it he s itates o n denite gr o unds it
kn o ws its o w n mind
has the be s t
an d
chance o f reaching a decisi o n i n acc o rdance
with its o w n wh o le nature C o n creteness then
the tendency t o rea c t as a wh o le i s i f n o t the
cause o f p o sitiveness at any rate an auxiliary
cause maintaining it
And c o ncreteness o f
nature i s facility Of c o ns ci o usness fr o m a
different p o int o f view since if all parts o f a
nature c o me i nt o acti o n o n slight stimulus they
will tend t o c o me int o a c ti o n all t o gether

t o m o bilize swiftly
i n acc o rdance with any
o b jective demand made up o n them
All that
i s relevant begins t o turn up at o nce
All
the c o gnate mental pr o cesses are in o perati o n
t o gether
or

65

T h e G en i u s

P resently it will be

f t he Gae l

t a sk t o fo ll o w o u t
the c o nsequences o f this central q uality in the
rec o gniti o n Of which a s co nf o rm a ble with
O bserved fact the evidence fo r the existence o f
the quality co nsists We infer the sympt o ms
fr o m the pr o perty a nd l o o k t o see whether
these are o u r G a elic I rishman s sym pt o ms I f
they are a nd there is no better hy po thesis this
o n e s tand s till a b etter is f o und
I f it stand s
there still remains the pr o blem o f the ultimate
physical and psychical fact t o whi ch it c o rre
s po n d s
in the p s y c ho physical life
The
f
i
r
h
i
n
sych
o
l
o
gical
invest
gat
o
r
o
s
o
l
o
c
o
p
v e s t ig a t o r s
w ho disc o v er the s o luti o n O f this
pr o blem will d o ubtless m a ke o ther valuable
disc o v eries o n t he ro a d
They will als o
disco ver s ome mu c h m o re accurate statement
in po pu lar langu age o f the b r o ad truth that
is set f o rth in these pag e s
The incidents o f life as perceived by a
rapidly m o ving cl o sely knit nature must
necessarily pr o duce m o re disturbance o f self
c o ns c i o usness th an the s ame in ciden ts a cting
,

o ur

66

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

t he

Ce l t

less susceptible B u t an alterati o n in

self c o nsci o usne ss i s an em o ti o n and s o we
might expe ct t o nd the C e lt m o re em o ti o nal
than the Teut o n This he is generally believed
s o me esteeming this lia b ility t o quick
t o be
em o ti o n as a grace Of nature while
s tr o ng
in the eyes o f o thers it is a defect I t may
indeed be either but this d o es n o t c o ncern u s
now
Carlet o n had made hi s readers familia
with that liability t o extra o rdinarily rapid
transiti o ns o f em o ti o n which characterized the
merry peasantry o f hi s day t o an extent that
lends itself t o gr o tes que descript i o n And Mr
Villi ers Stanfo rd has made skilful use o f the
s ame
characteristic in his o pe ra o f Sham a s
on

o ne

O B r i en

T O day with an a dvance in the habit o f

self c o ntr o l it Often takes an o ther f o rm The
I rishman whateve r his m o o d is c o nsci o us o r
semi c o nsci o us o f o ther m o o ds hanging ab o ut
him ; hence arises a suggesti o n o f inc o ngruity
which with o ut destr o ying the balance o f his
central m o o d cl o thes his ideas generally in a
-

67

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

ubtle veil O f hum o ur

I t f o ll o ws that the
G ae l is seld o m m o o dy
un d er the d o m i n
a n c e o f o n e mere m o o d fo r l o ng
H e must
be hard pressed indeed bef o re he c o mmit s
s uicide
or
bec o mes mad As a matter o f
fact there i s a le s s percentage o f lunacy
in C o nn aught tha n in the m o re anglicized
pr o vince s Of Munster and Leinster
Again a nature thus e nd o wed i s s o many
o ther things b esides its actual self n o t merely
i n p o ss e and yet n o t quite i n e ss e that o ther
m o re o r less distinct varieties o f humanity
bec o me easily intelligible t o it The mani
fe s t a t i o n s o f an o ther pers o n s state o f mind
m o ves all the p o tentialities that resemble it
in a mind s o readily m o ved This is sympat hy
and the perfecti o n o f the s ympathy de pend s
o n the exactnes s o f the c o rres po ndence between
the actual state o f mind in o n e and the i magina
ti o n o f it thr o ugh the awakened po ssibilities
The m o re breadth and variety
o f the o ther
human nat u re a pe r s on ha s the better
of
e qui pped is he fo r sym pathy with o thers
s

'

68

T h e P sy c h o l o g y

f t he

Ce l t

thr o ugh o n e Side o f his nature n o w

thr o ugh an o ther B u t with average capacity
the e ff ect o f greater variety Obvi o u s ly f o ll o ws
in the ca s e Of a per s o n wh o s e po s s ibilitie s o f
th o ught instinct and m o o d are apt t o bec o me
real o n the slighter s timulus
I t i s Often
s upp o sed
that we can o nly sympathize with
that which we have already experienced and
thi s w o uld be true if the manifestati o ns o f
an o ther s s tate were alway s insu fcient t o
awaken for t he fi r s t t i m e
o ut
o f the
p o tential similar states in us This univer s al
negative i s by n o m eans true Even fo r st o lid
natures it is n o t alt o gether true as fo r instance
when o n e is deeply m o ved by abs o rbing a ffe c
ti o n fo r an o ther Much le s s i s it fo r th o se o f
the s u s ceptibl e type Thu s s tarting o nce m o re
fr o m the central characteri s tic under di s cu s s i o n
we nd o urselves again in the light o f an
established fact
the Celtic gift o f accur
ately imaginative sympa thy
I t is n o t that
the C elt i s kinder than an o ther The E nglish
and the G ermans are quite as kind when they
now

69

The G en i u s

f t he G ae l

bec o me aware o f an o ther

T he G ermans
are the s entimentalists o f Euro pe
The
E ngli s h m an has an a ffecti o nate nature
I t is
that the Celt s kindness is so much m o re
H i s sympathy t s yo u like a gl o ve
s kilful
H e seems t o have a miracul o us insight int o
y o ur wants
As t o his spirituality a w o rd will su f c e I t
is o b v i o us that a vivid inner life must make the
materialistic estimate o f life s c o nditi o ns seem
rlid i c u l O u s
The m o re a man tin g les with c o n
sci o us life thro ugh all his b eing the less will
he b e m o ve d by the th o ught o f m ere p o sses
si o ns This o f c o urse wi l l make him a ppe ar
as unpractica l fr o m the m o ney maker s p o int
o f view
I t may als o tend t o make him o r her
carele s s as t o the c ommo n creature c o mf o rts
of
o rder
neatne s s an d punctuality while
keenly alive t o the perhaps no t less im po rtant
creature advantages o f having what o n e want s
w hen and where o n e wan ts it rather than at
the co nventi o nally pr o per time an d pl ac e
P r o bably all healthy human nature has a

70

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

capacity t o com plete itself as a rati o nal wh o le

and c o mpleteness actual o r po tential im plies
the capacity t o bec o me all thing s t o all men
in the sense o f sympathy Bu t with o ut a high
d egree o f facility in t he po tentiality t o bec o me
the actual the pr o cess might take an innite
time
I n o ther ways as we shall se e facilit y o f
c o n s ci o usnes s enter s int o the s o cial gift but at
present let us be c o ntent t o n ot e the direct
ability fo r instinctive sympa thy which it
c o nfers
Returnin g n o w t o the e ffect o f the central
characteristic as c o ncreteness o f reacti o n the
peculiarities o f the Celtic intelligence may be
readily underst oo d C o nscio usness ashes o u t
at many po ints at o nce Pe rcepti o n imagina
ti o n feeling tho ught all w o rk t o gether o n
the o b j ect o f c o nscio usnes s
Whatever the
busines s in han d the Celt t en d s t o d e a l with it
in a m oo d tha t is wh o le Even when his
business is abstra c t th o ught and s o c o nsists in
c o nce n trati o n on o n e spe cial aspect o f his
,

71

The G en i u s

f t he G ae l

bec o me aw a re o f a n o ther
T he G ermans
Th e
are the s entimentali sts o f Eur o pe
E ngli s h man has an a ffecti o nate nature
I t is
that the Celt s kindness is so much m o re
skilful H i s sympathy ts y o u like a gl o ve
H e seems t o have a mir a c ul o us insight int o
y o ur wants
A s t o hi s spirituality a w o rd will su f c e
It
is o bvi o us that a vivid inner life must make the
materialistic estimate o f life s c o nditi o ns seem
ri dicul o us The m o re a man tin g les W ith c o n
s ci o us life thr o ugh all his being the less will
he b e m o ve d by the th o ught o f m ere p o sses
si o ns This o f c o urse wi l l make him a ppe ar
as unpractical fr o m the m o ney maker s p o int
o f V iew
I t may als o tend t o make him o r her
carele s s as t o the c ommo n c reature c o mf o rt s
of
o rder
neatnes s and punctuality while
keenly alive t o the pe rhap s n o t less impo rtant
creature advantages o f having what o n e wants
w hen and where o n e wan ts it rather than at
the c o nventi o n ally pro per time an d pla c e
P ro bably all healthy human nature has a
'

70

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

capacity t o com plete itself as a ratio nal who le

and c o mpleteness ac t ual o r po tential im plies
the capacity t o bec o me all things t o all men
in the sense Of sympathy Bu t with o ut a high
degree o f fa c ility in the po tentiality t o bec o me
the actual the pr o cess might t a ke an innite
time
I n o ther ways as we shal l s e e facilit y o f
c o nsci o usness enter s int o the s o cial gift but at
present let us b e c o ntent t o n o te the direct
ability fo r instinctive sympa thy which it
c o nfers
R eturnin g n o w t o the e ffe c t o f the central
characteristic as c o ncretenes s Of reacti o n the
peculiarities o f the Celtic intelligence may be
readily underst o o d C o nsci o usness ashes o ut
at many po ints at o nce P ercepti o n imagina
ti o n feeling tho ught all w o rk t o gether o n
the Ob ject o f c o nsci o usnes s
Whatever the
business in hand the Celt t en d s t o deal with it
in a m o o d t hat is wh o le
Even when his
business is abstract th o ught and s o c o nsists in
c o nce n trati o n on o n e spe cial aspect o f his
,

71

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

w o rld as in mathematics the ability fo r ra pid

c o ncrete realizati o n in illustrati o n o r applica
ti o n Of his th o ught is n o t far rem o ved This
characteristic sh o w s in French mathematical
and s cientic educati o n and in I reland als o
so far as there has been a chance
A b stract
th o ught is in fact m o re attractive t o average
ability when there is b ehind it this re a diness
t o break o u t int o imaginati o n
O ne f o rm o f
mental acti o n ho lds the eld but m o biliz a ti o n
int o an o ther fo rm i s easy sh o uld the pro cess
o f th o ught o r the g uiding pu rp o se re quire it
Imaginati o n lies in wait on abstract tho ught
with all the eyes o f the senses o pen ready t o
da s h in the c o l o urs o f reality H ence the gift
o f the Celt fo r illustrati o n and hi s inventive
nes s
I n his m o st abs o rbe d m o ment s hi s
senses are still awake eye and ear active in
fancy and o pen t o impressi on H e dreams

s
indeed d ream much but the s ense life
vibrates even thr o ugh his dreamiest m o ment s
And in like manner when his attenti o n is
c o ncentrated o n s o me Ob j e c t in the attitude
,

72

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce lt

that implie s withdrawal fr o m self c o nsci o us

ness the current o f self c o ns ci o usne s s is s till
visible en o ugh t o c o l o ur the m oo d with delicate
da shes o f em o ti o n I n sh o rt the c o ncrete i n
t e l l i g e n c e o we s its c o ncretenes s t o the fact that
it tend s t o b e d o ing everything at o n ce and
so
changes swiftly when it changes
This
habit which might be a drawback is a draw
back Often bec o me s a gift when c o mbined
with b o ldnes s and vigo ur in special intellectual
pur s uits
The Celt has this vig o ur very
generally ; it i s the p o sitive quality in him ;
he is pr o ne rather than o therwise t o the s pe c u
lative in phil o s o phy and the abstract in science
hi s danger i s that he will f o ll o w hi s idea with
t o o much eagernes s
Fanatici s m i s near him
S alvati o n lie s fo r him in this c o ncretene s s Of
hi s intelligence
I t i s like a s afety belt t o
the o ver c o n d e n t s wimmer ; it bri n gs him
t o the surface when hi s strength begins t o
fail A c o ncrete intelligence thus emb o ldens
the thinker ; it enables him t o swim far an d
still kee p the land within reach The o n e
-

73

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

gre at

phi l o s o pher o f the ninth century

J oha n nu s S C o tu s ( Erige na ) is a m arvel fo r hi s

times in b o ldness o f spe culati o n the t r em e n

d o u s c o ndence o f high fearless s pirit and clear
B erkeley o f
th o ught all aware o f itself
m o dern times has the s ame I rish t o u c h
Thinkers o f this quality are afraid o f n o thing
that th o ught may disc o ver t o them
They
f o ll o w the cl o ud veiled star o f Truth by use
o f the c o mpa s s o f reas o n within them
Who
kn o ws what such minds m ay n o t in the future
d o fo r the d evel o pment o f that a ncient Chri s
tian Chur c h t o whi c h t he I rish Celt fo r the
m o st part bel o ngs
The v alue o f co ncretene ss is mo re specially
o bvi o us ( I
f
s o cial life
in
the
practice
a
l
l
o
)
and ( 2 ) in the literary exp o s iti o n o f th o ught
I h o pe t o deal with these subj ects at greater
length prese ntly and will o n ly t o uch o n them
briey here Celtic accessibility t o ideas is
a familiar fact and O bvi o usly pertains t o that
c o ncrete mind which nds hints o f m o st things
readily in itself The ability o f a Celtic gr o up

'

74

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

f t he

Ce l t

ado pt a c o mm o n stan d po int no twithstanding

great diver s ity has been abundantly tested
and c o mes Of the ease with which each mind
e ffects transf o rmati o n o f th o ught in face o f
a c o mm o n m o tive An I rish cr o wd m o bilizes
with s trange swiftness and I rish p o liticians
c a n c o o p e rate unexpectedly with
a ra pidity
embarra s sing t o G o vernments This is because
each is quicker in awakening his intelligence
to
rea ch at least the h o riz o n Of his o w n
experien ce
Every o n e has he a rd t o o o f the G aelic
gift fo r intuitive s o cial insi g ht t ha t po wer o f
im aginin g the mind o f an o the r which multiplies
a hundredf o ld the ca pacity fo r dire ct sympathy
quickness t o seize the central fact s
o f its
and o f
o f a situati o n and marshal them all
the tact implied in these p o wer s Such gifts
make the G ael e ffective in s o ciety and p o litics
inuential t o lead able t o administrate p o pular
in rule c o ncili at o ry in dipl o macy
I t is a
c o mm o n saying that s o far in each case as
his abilities o therwise g o he is all this and
to

7S

T h e G en i u s

f t he G a e l

we may take it as c o nrm at o ry o f o ur

the o ry
Ability t o s eize the central fact s o f a situa
ti o n i s the same a s that ability fo r marshalling
idea s in the m o st telling o rder which might
be called t he gift fo r expo undin g an argu
ment o r telling a st o ry in due perspective I n
this respect the Celt is instinctively an artist
and it i s in the wh o leness o f his V iew that the
explanati o n s eems t o lie
Thus when all the po ints c o me t o mind in
s wift and o rderly pr o cessi o n
the marshalling
pro cess takes place under the C ircumstan c es
m o st fav o urable fo r pr o ducing e ffect
The
m o st pregnant p o ints in an argument stand
o u t t o the c o ncrete intelligence a s s uch
and
so
they naturally take the m o s t pr o minent
place in the exp o siti o n The m o re vividly
t o o the mind o f the hearer i s c o nceived the
m o re e ffectual i s the instinct t o place the matter
bef o re him s o that he sees it as we s e e it in o u r
The c o ntrast t o this is the pr o
o w n minds
c e d u r e o f the mind that m o ves literall
always
y
'

76

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

t he

Ce l t

tep by s tep climbing the m o untain with o ut

seeing the view a c o mm o n thing en o ugh

Such a o n e may pr o duce the cl o se s t m o st c o n
beginning at any p o int that
v i n c i n g ar g ument
i s l o gically s uitable and yet leave hi s hearer
with o ut any s ingle clear c o n cepti o n o f a wh o le
The rea s on i s that hi s habit o f treating hi s
p o int s a s a s er i e s o f s eparate th o ugh c o n
n e c t e d units prevails t o the extent o f sh o rt
sightedness s o that he d o es n o t see the wh o le
as a simultaneo us wh o le and thus its true
genesis in th o ught is hi d den fro m him SO in
exp o siti o n he be g i ns wherever he ha ppens t o
be o r wherever he happened t o begin him
s elf
TO be g i n well is t o arre s t the attenti o n
at o nce t o strike the imaginati o n o r engage
the intellect
The p o int in which intere s t
naturally centre s sh o uld c o me rst This c o n
diti o n Of effe c tivene s s is instinctively secured
when he w ho exp o unds sees hi s subj ect all at
o n ce
The superi o rity o f the French t o the G erman
i n these respects i s expl a ined by the Celtic
s

77

T h e G en i u s
We n eed

f t he Ga e l

pa use here t o apply

the same idea t o litera t ure o ther than l o gical

expo siti o n All litera t ure i s expressi o n the

ex po siti o n o f s t o ry o f fancy o f th o ught an d

it i s the m o st es s ential requ is ite Of g o o d litera
ture that the thing t o be s aid sh o uld be s a id
s o that in the mind Of the b e a r e r it is the thing
it w a s meant t o be
Th erein lie s theref o re as I w o uld s uggest
t he
r s t explanati o n Of the ackn o wledged
literary excellence o f the Celti c pe o ple s Their
gift o f s pe ech and literature h o wever i s wider
than this instin ctive aptness fo r eff ective
ex po siti o n in o rder
I t includes c o mmand o f
w o rds an ear c o ntr o lling all speech with its
de m a nd fo r rhythm an eye stamping all
th o ught with the f o rm s o f the pi ct o rial imagina
ti o n M ith these f o rms Of imaginati o n the
arr o ws o f th o ught are po inted and made t o
pierce the mind The I ri sh o rat o r the I rish
writer is uent musical graphic he engages
the eye delights the ear and strikes the
inf u s i o n

not

Se e

Ch p
a

78

t er

VI

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

Ce l t

t he

im aginati o n at least as much as he t a kes

p o ssessi o n o f the i ntelligence
Al s o an d
fo r the s am e reas o n he m o ves the mind t o
feeling and thus further wins it t o hi s theme
And the explanati o n o f these gi fts lies ready
t o hand ;
it is s till the same central cha r ac
t er i s t i c
He deals with hi s literary matter
c o ncretely
When he think s he d oe s n o t
al t o gether cease t o ima g ine in s ight an d s o u n d
n o r d oe s he
cease t o f eel
Tho ught is in
the f o cus o f c o nsci o usness an d in the wide
r oo m ar o und it the life o f the senses and se lf
c o nsci o usness wait s i lent but alert an d ln
d u st r io u s
The m or e intensely his th o ugh t is
c o ncentrated the m o re d o es all his intelle c tual
and em o ti o n al bein g react with it n o t ho w
ever t o distract but t o suppo rt Hence the
mu s ic Of his peri o ds the vitality O f his i llus
t r a t i o n s the brightness Of atm o sphere the high
spirits and pe r s o nality expres s ed at eve ry turn
C o n s ider thi s last t ait O f pe rs o nality
The
G ael i s n o t o nly lucid an d brilli a nt he ha s
ab o ve a l l t hings a pe s o nal style he is there
.

79

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

his b o o k yo u c an alm o st n o d a ppr o val t o

him acr o ss the table as y o u read And the
reas o n is that he he himself in all the vitality
o f an active em o ti o nal s o ul really w a s there
while he wr o te H e did n o t rst turn hi m s el f
out
of
d o o rs that his intellect might w o rk
with o ut distracti o n Pe rhaps t o o he had y o u
the reader t o b e talked at an d m o ve d in hi s
mind as he wr o te o n the o ther side o f the
table And so in his writing all this multi
f o rm activity Of his c o mes o u t ; he has a
pers o nal style a thing m o st de lightful when
instinctive and the pe rs o nality rened m o st
hateful when a ffected The re a l thing and
the imitati o n may be seen by any o n e an y day
in the evening newspapers Bu t a phil o s o pher
j o urnalist c a n tal k acr o ss the
a s well as a
printed page
The Ob j ect o f this chapter has been t o sketch
in o utline a the o ry o f Celtic character ca pable
explaining th o se qu alities c o mm o nly
of
in average I rish human nature a s
o bserved
ba s ed n o t exclu s ively but generally o n a
in

80

T h e P sy c h o l o gy

t he

Ce l t

variati o n fr o m Teut o nic st a ndards in the

readine s s and hence the c o ncreteness o f
psych o l o gical reacti o n If the fact s have been
c o rrectly s tated and the inferen ces are s o und
then it may be cl aimed that s o mething has
been d o ne t o establish the pos iti o n that the
lightning genius of the G ael is the central
fact in the devel o pment o f o u r ra c ial character
that it is pr o bably based o n a well marked
difference o f physical c o nstituti o n an d that it
is multif o rm in the variety o f characteristic s
t o which it gives rise
O n e o ther fact is w o rthy o f menti o n
We
need certainly n o t b e surprised yet we are
alm o st startled t o nd t hat the Celtic quality
o f wh o le natured lift and swing in p s ychical
matters is reect e d int o a c o rres ponding
physical quality as S h o wn in the rec o rd s o f
internati o nal athle t ic c o nte s ts S O at least it
w o uld appear fr o m the c haracter o f the name s
c o n s idered racially o f the w o rld s champi o ns
which are published up t o date year by year
in Whitaker s Almanack I n all c o ntests that
,

81

T h e G en i u s

f t he Ga e l

e ffo rt high

require sudden
jump l o ng j ump
thr o wing the weight and putting the hammer
I ri s h names h o ld the eld by a str o ng
maj o rity against the w o rld alm o st all the
t im e
I n o ther co ntests they merely main
tain their place H ere we h a ve in an o ther f o rm
c o ncentrati o n o f ener g y in a sin g le e ff o rt
Aufschwung a s the G erma ns c all it in their
expressive t o ngue
The lightning genius in its generic f o rm
as facility o f c o ncrete psych o physical life is
by n o me an s limited t o the I rish G ael an d his
S c o tti sh bro ther I t is an elemen t in the great
ness o f F r an ce I t is o bvio us and delightful
in Wales I t c o l o urs all the English Celtic
fringe
I t is the essential Celtic quality in
that m o re c o mplex creati o n the G enius o f the
G ael whi c h i s exp o unded in these pa g e s
,

'

Iri h C l ti n m
t S t h
W l h An g l I ri h Al i t h u ld b n t d th t t h
n t i n lity Of t h r rd br k r
h w n by r f r n
ri u t i m i v n m r t riki ng th n t h t
t
t t h li t
rd h ld r t y ti m
f th r
1

The

am e s

a re

o-

or

e s

s s a

ec o

va

e s a

so

ec o

ea

e s , as s

es ,

s e

an

one

82

e s,

o e s

no

o e

co c

or

e e e

ce
a

III

THE
SOC IAL G ENIUS

OF THE GAE

He
All

pr y t h b t w h l v t h b t
t hi n g b t h g r t
d m ll
a

es

ea

an

es

CO

L ERI DG E

C HA PTER I I I

T H E SO C I AL G E NI US O F T H E

EL

GA

unsympathetic o b servers agree that the

Western I rish are a s o ciable p e o ple with
graci o us ways swift t o quarrel o n o c casi o n it
maybe but with well marked s o cial gift s
quick t o f o rgive faithful t o their pledg e s l o yal
in a ffecti o n genial c o mrade s an d h o n o urable
fo es
The I ri s h s o ldiers in the B o er War
f o ught fo r a cause with which they had n o
sympathy and there was n o enthu s ia s tic
p o pular welc o me fo r them afterward s in the
B u t they were pledged as
s treets o f D ublin
s o ldier s o f the British Cro wn and excelled
all o thers in achievement w on by extreme
self dev o ti o n t o their c o l o urs
The D ublin
N ati o nalists in str o ng disappr o v a l o f the war

E VEN

'

85

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

ul d n o t give them g reetin g o n their h o me

return : we may be sure they did n o t fail t o
n o te the brave and h o n o urable acti o n o f these
simple s o ldier her o es wh o se pr o wess as the
st o ry g o es s o m o ved the v eteran % ueen that
she paid her last visit t o D ublin partly with a
view t o visiting the district s whence they c ame
H ere we s ee the O ld I rish spirit o f h o n ou r

and knightly faith adheren c e t o the v o ws

the g es a which the C ham pi o n ha s taken o n

himself adherence n o t in the letter o nly but

t o t he utm o st limits o f the spirit
I rish hist o ry
thr o ugh o ut ab ou nds in examples o f pe rs o nal
faith pers o nal l o yalty t o uching persistent
dev o ted
Vo ws are sacre d respo nsibilities
binding
L o ve g i v en i s given an d d ue t o
last These things lie d ee per th an c o nscien c e
they a r e r o o ted i n primitive perso n a lity the
self respe ct whi ch is ho no ur the respe c t fo r
o thers which is faith
T h r w u ld f u r b n thi n g b y n d mm n
ldi rly d uty t n t i n t hi i n id n t w r i t t f
b n r m l h r t r d q u n t i ty O f t h d ut y whi h
th
k u p n th m i n t h wa
t h D u bli n F u ili r t

co

'

e e

so

co

s e,

o e

a ac e
e s

oo

an

86

co

e e

no

or

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

There are bad I rishmen w ho are the co n

t r a ry o f all that i s described in these pages
An anti s o cial I rishman is pe rhap s the m o st
degrade d o f human beings m o rally H aving
had the main features o f s o cial humanity
stamped m o re emphatically upo n him hi s
denial o f his o w n s o cial nature undermines the
H e has cut
m o re surely his m o ral being
himself adrift fr o m his natural m o o rings and
the current s o f selsh o p po rtunity carry him
away Such were the i g n o ble band o f spies
inf o rmers and a g e n t s pr o vo c a t e urs

n
t
t
s
A decent
I rishman is
o
a y go o d
o
r s t o f all in s tinctively faithful in his pers o nal
a ff ecti o n s The so n o r daughter w ho pr o s pers
in America never f o rget s the O ld pe o ple at
h o me and s eld o m fails t o accept respo nsibility
o n behalf O f br o thers and sisters in need o f
m o ney fo r emigrati o n
As fo r the pea s an t
farmer at h o me he c o uld if he tried hardly
separate the idea o f his welfare fr o m that o f
H erself
Thi s is instinct
a n d the children
n o t j ust sheer sense o f duty
The r o o ts o f his
,

87

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

faithfulness reach do wn as deep as his primal

ego ism inextricably mixed with which and
ever present with him is his sympatheti c c o n
s c i o u s n e s s o f th o se o thers w ho f o rm the circle
o f h o me
Sympathy is n o t the pr o duct o f
civilizati o n in him I t is awake with t he rs t
breath o f hi s untut o red self c o nsci o usness and
it keeps awake When he o pe ns his eyes o n
the c o nsci o usness o f self the c o nsci o usness o f
these o thers with wh o m he lives an d g r o ws is
present with him And this o ther c o nsci o us
ness t o wards human beings generally and
even t o wards animals gr o ws with his gr o wth
and devel o p s s o far as n o t che cked by cir
in all n o rmal life relati o ns
c um s t a n c e s
Every man ha s his o w n feelin g s an d these
imagined feelings are t o be c o nsidered in each
ca s e
Th is i s the k ey t o t he I ri s hm an s s o c i al
he is o ther co ns ci o us a s a m a t t er of
n a t ur e :
We have already seen ho w this is
c o ur s e
a nece ssary manifestatio n o f t he c o ncrete Celtic
mind H ere it i s rather o u r business t o n o te
,

88

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

it a s a fact an d t o trace its devel o pments the

harm o nies and dis c o rds t o which it g i ves rise

The I rish d o mestic virtues k i n d nes s f ai th

f ul n es s m ut ua l t r us t f o rm the r s t and
Side by s ide may be
s weetest o f its fruits
placed the virtue o f l oy alty in all its mani
fe s t a t i o n s
The o ther c o nsci o us man i s
naturally l o y al because the o ther man s hurt
hurts him We think o f l o yalty m o re e spe cially
in relatio n t o friends but it applies t o strangers
and even enemies a s well I ts psych o l o gical
cause is the c o ns ci o usness o f the o ther man s
mind S o metimes it is the sense Of what the
o ther man expe ct s fr o m us and o u r impul s e
t o live up t o that as w e w o uld t o an idea of
I t is the m o tive f o rce Of
o u r o w n welfare
the o the r ma n s idea in us O ther c o nsci o us
ness makes us feel acutely the stranger s l o ne
l i n e s s and l o nging f o r the kin d w o rd which
instinctively we give him
In this guise it
is hos pi t al i ty a very large and branching
virtue in the view O f a reective spectat o r but
perfectly simp le in all its variety as underst o o d
.

89

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

by the intuitive sympathy o f t he I rish peasant

I n defect o f o ther co nscio usne s s a c o de o f
r ules fo r h o s pitable service is needed
.

Th u
n
Th u
Th u

h lt n t rt i n t h g u t i n pr p rt i n t hi
d
h l t t r t hi m wit h h n u r wh t r hi t t
h l t t whi p r p k i n l n g u g un k n wn
n
t hi m i n hi pr
T h u h l t n t rt i n hi m wi t h p h d m u i
hi m i n p
l
i t m t h t t h i t h ll
pl hi m b t d t h u h l t t u dy hi wi h i n
d t h r r p t wit h
r
t hi
o

ee

ea

or s

es e

ce

s an

es

n
a
,

es

s es a e

e ac e , as

eav e

a eve

ea

ea se

no

es

s ee

ec s

an

eec
e

s c,

ee

or

es

ca e .

ther c o ns c i o usness is better than a

c o de The ign o rant peasant is O ften perfectly
well bred be cause intuitive insight aims
s traighter
than re e c ti o n
And this Celtic
gift o f bree ding is pe culiarly marked t o wards
strangers the s o cial tastes o f the I rish pe asant
ll him with c o ncern fo r the l o neliness Of the
stranger thereby quickening the activity o f
Thus as faithfulne s s in
hi s natural tact
a ffectio n is an inbred virtue s o h o s pitality
c o mes t o him with ready g race This ready
grace o f g o o d bre eding c o inheres with a
Bu t

90

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

t he

G ae l

certain n a t ural grace o f high breeding als o

The c o u rteo us I rish peasant wo man is n o t
easily uttered by the dis c o very that she ha s
unawares been s im p ly gra c i o us t o the great
At Leenane in C o nnemara
o nes o f the w o rld
King Edward is said t o have had an e x pe r i
ence which was pr o bably after hi s o w n heart
H e str o lled int o a c o ttage
in thi s respect
unattende d H e w a s invited t o sit d o wn and
the b est chair placed fo r him with the usu al
p o lite cerem o ny
I t was a great man that
sat last o n that C hair said the mistress o f
the h o use
I t was the L o rd Lieutenant him
self the l a st time he was in these part s
King
E d ward w a s t o o kind and t oo di g nied t o
leave her in ign o rance
Bu t I am the Kin g
said he
Are y o u indeed ?
said she

W ell y o u re v ery welc o me t o my ho use

I t is said t hat there is a dark side t o this
Fo r instance
readiness o f g o o dwill
it is
that the I rish peasant mee tin g a
a lleged
stranger o n the r o ad rep o rts the dist ance at
less than its leng t h t o keep u p the p o o r man s

91

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

heart
There is o r was pr o bably s ome truth
in this allegati on but as my experien c e go es
n o t s o much
I t seems t o be in the I relan d
o f the P a le that incidents Of this s o rt chiey
o ccur
and the farther we st o n e g o es the m o re
accurate are the answers which the peasants
gi v e th o ugh anked o ften by w o rds o f eu
c o u r a g em e n t o r c o mpli m e n t
I o n ce cycled
acr o ss I reland fr o m e a st t o west and back
again and in that ride disc o vered as a
perfectly new idea t o me thi s s upe ri o r veracity
I n Meath it was alm o st
o f the Celtic I rish
imp o s s ible t o get an answer t o any questi o n
s o intent was every o n e o n s aying things agree
able I had taken s helter fr o m a sh o wer under
a h o s pitable Meath hedge A carman with
full freight came al o ng: and s heltered his
H o w far
charge under a neighb o uring tree
I called o u t
Ah % it s o nly
i s it t o Kells ?
a bit o f a sh o wer said he
B ut ho w many
miles is it t o Kells ? I again essayed
Sure
.

'

t he

I h t t d it i n
in r
ave

c e as e

es e

ce

Ve

r i ty i l t

92

ac

s a

og et

h r mu h
e

on

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

y o u re quite s afe there and the rain w o n t

la s t w a s his relevant reply
B ut can t y o u
tell me ho w far it i s t o Kells ?
Sure the
s u n l l be o u t in a minute
said he And I
gave it up I d o n t think he w a s deaf H e
was fairly y o un g and clearly gallant and he
was o nly a few degrees m o re irrelevan t than
o thers
O f wh om I made inquiries between
Dublin an d Kells
But in the uplan d s o f Cavan the style
C hanged
There w a s a high wind
Will
the wind b e against me o n that r o ad ? I
asked
It will ind ee d was the reply but
yo u re str o ng
In the west my i n
s ure
f or mants t o o k great pains t o g i ve me accurate
inf o rmati o n ab o ut distances and hills and
weather eking o u t hard facts with s o me ha ppy
D O y o u think this
phrase o f enc o uragement
rain will la s t ? I asked a D o negal pe a s ant
I d o ubt it will says he
but mayb e it
w o uldn t be wetting y o u much all the time
And he turned o u t t o b e right as well as
truthful

'

93

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

cause Of this di fference between east

and west lies pr o bably in the unco nsci o u s
caricature o f Celtic breedin g made by the
imitative e ffo rt o f a less nimble wit
The
Angl o I rishman when he 1 5 true t o himself
i s a di g nied and c harm in g pers o n en o ugh
but at s o me stage in t he e vo luti o n o f a
c o mmo nplace Angl o I rish family there is apt
t o be mu ch t o mf oo lery and play actin g
in
clumsy imitati o n o f the H ibernian m o del
S till it may be admitted that perha p s there
is in the m o del s o mething c o rr es po nding t o
this feature which is m o re marked in the
imitati o n
Immediate sympa thy may be in
average Celt stro nger than instin c tive
t he
truthfulness
And s o we may have kindly
meant lie s intended t o gi ve s o me immediate
pleasure ; and s ometim e s no t I think

general ly the net result 1 5 i nj ury in the l o ng

run
The inference a s t o character may be easily
o verstated th o ugh the less o n as t o ethic al duty
I m n ly An g l I ri h my lf f
I kn w
The

o-

se

94

so

ar a s

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G a e l

canno t be enf o rced t o o much I n Celtic un

cultured nature the in s tinct t o give plea s ure
perhap s ha s the uppe r hand Of the instinct t o
tell truth The self centred m an i s m o re ea s ily
truthful be cause he is unc o nsci o u s o f any state
The sl o w thinking
o f mind except his o w n
unimaginative man is easily truthful because
n o thing but the expe rien c ed fact co mes int o
his head
Such a o n e is go o d fo r te lling
truth bad fo r keeping faith with the s ecret s
Still he ha s advantages On the
o f a friend
o ther hand
instinctive truthfulne s s ha s man y
rivals in the m o bile Celtic mind Instinctive
sympathy unc o ntr o lled i s the rst after which
the wh o le imaginative broo d rush in with haste
c o nfuse the j udgment and su s pend that
to
in s tinct by which the t ruth declares itself My
m o ther had an I rish maid a delightful witty
pers o n o f the vivid Celtic type A man called
at the back d o o r t o s o licit cust o m fo r s o me
parti c ular brewery
Sure we re all t e e t o
said the maid o n the instant My
t al l e r s here
m o ther happened t o o verhear the c o ll o quy
.

95

T h e G en i u s

f t he Ga e l

What did y o u sa y th a t fo r Kate s aid s he

when y o u kn o w it wa s n t true ?
Ah twa s
the readie s t thing t o s a y s aid the girl I t
w a s the s h o rtest c u t n o d o ubt and s aved a ll
explanati o n s Als o it had a kind o f truth
so
far as the beer w as c o ncerned and the
maids were teet o tallers Thi s girl w o uld never
have t o ld a mi s chiev o us lie o r a misleadi ng

'

o ne

But a l l this d o es n o t make truth o n e whit

le s s nece s sary O n the c o ntrary it empha s izes
her claim fo r o u r punctili ous s ervice I f the
instinct t o truth be n o t s trengthened fr o m the
rst s o as t o ho ld its o w n n o t o nly against the
instinct o f self defence but against immediate
s ympathy als o and the o ver o wing su g gesti o ns
then by c o ntinued o verthr o w
o f imag i nat i o n
time after time it bec o me s weaker till it c a n
n o t be c o unted o n even a s again s t the m o s t
ign o ble impulses o f fear s pite jeal o usy
and unmeasured party s pirit
The pract ical inference i s O bvi o us en o ugh
The clear C elti c i n tellect is fav o urable t o the
.

T h e So c i al G en i u s

f t he Gae l

intenti o nal devel o pment o f the great intel

lectual virtue I n spite of his s pringing fancy
the Celt s sense o f reality is unc o mm o nly vivid
an d hi s very imagi nativeness helps him t o
appreciate the far reaching b e ne c en c e o f truth
when he gives it a th o ught I t g o es m o re o ver
with the cl o se knit character o f his nature that
the ideal o f truth o nce e s tabli s hed in mind
s h o uld e ffectually g o vern the wh o le o f c o nduct
The truthfulne s s that rep o se s o n the ideal o f
g o o d as a wh o le is the s o undest and safest
truthfulness ; and o f this the idealizing Celt
i s pecu liarly capa ble
I t is when o n e i n
s t i n c t iv e
vi rtue ghts an o ther that there i s
the greatest danger o f m o ral cha o s because
then the triumphant instinct is a pt t o enthr o ne
itself in the seat o f c o nscien ce Rear up int o
the light o f the I deal theref o re thi s instinct
t o truth s o that it may n o t be o vershad o wed
even th o ugh i n the nature o f things the rival
in s tinct t o immediate sympathy m a y s o metimes
t o wer ab o ve it
All educati o n a s such tends t o this end The
,

97

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

m o re cu ltivated mind is the m o re trained t o

intellectual h o nesty M o re o ver wider views
o f life sh o w an d make the c o nsci o usness m o re

daily present with u s that the ends o f a m o re

far s ighte d s ym p a thy are n o t hindered but
helped by t ruthfulness o n all o c casi o ns o f
s o c ial interco urse

f
But en o ugh o this digressi o n I ap o l o gize
fo r the ap o l o gy s uspecting% as I d o that the
Sax o n tho u g h in a di fferent way needs it as
mu ch as the Celt The snare t o the Sax o n is
his pre o ccu pati o n his less v ivid sense and hi s
H e lies
liability t o o nesidedness o f view
when he lies o ut o f an intellectual c o nfusi o n
whi c h he has n o t the strenu o us c o n science t o
clear u p He thi nks himself m o re truthful
than he will take the tr o uble t o be The Celt
lies fr om excess o f tact t he Sax o n fr om defect
O f c a re I n b o th cases I s pea k no t o f the
delib e rate but o f the i n stinctive lie
I ri shm en like Frenchmen are fre quently
accused o f a tendency t o be wh a t i s called
d r am atic By this it is I think meant that
.

98

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

they tend t o d o the thin g under an y s et Of

c i rcum s tances m o s t appr o priate t o the o ccasi o n
rather than that which expresses their o w n
V iew with the m o st pe rfect sincerity SO far
the defect
a s there is any t r uth i n this charge
implied i s a m o re rened f o rm o f that which
has just been dis cussed
I f I s ay what is

m o s t tting rather than what I thin k if I

d o the act which c o mpletes the drama rather
than the act which I m ean and will stand by
then I d o so because my instinct t o w o rk
up an imme d iate o b jective e ffect pred o minate s
o ver my c o nsci o usness o f per m an ent feelings
and purp o ses in myself H erein c o nsists the
tendency t o live an d act in relati o n t o s o me
o b ject o f feeling a n d apprehensi o n o utside self
which is a g ener a lizati o n o f o ther c o nsci o usness
o n o n e o f i t s sid es
The cause is a p o werful
Ob j ective imaginati o n which sees the t o tal
Ob ject as it o ught t o be and tends t o c o mplete
it The c o mplaisant pe asant w ho tells y o u
what y o u w o uld like t o hear i s w o rking
s imilarly but with a simpler Obj ect o f imagina

ti o n o n e o ther man s immediate state o f mind

,

99

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

be dramatic within measure is Obv i o usly

n o t a fault
The act in acc o rdance with the
circumstances is clearly the right act viewed
o b j ectively
To be dramatic i s right pro
v i d e d we are
als o sincere true t o o u r per
manent s elf as it will be after the act i s d o ne
The hyp o crite deliberately feigns a character :
the dramatic nature d o es n o t feign but is for
the time s o ab s o rbe d in the Ob ject a s t o be
carried o u t Of a s elf t o which he afterward s
return s C learly there is much that is g o o d
in thi s the Ob j ecti o n lies in the false expecta
ti o ns o f character which it o c c asi o ns In the
dramatic phase feelings are expressed which
have n o perm a nent existence intenti o ns stated
o r expectati o ns rai s ed which will n o t be carried
o ut
All this is evil and must n o t be c o nfused
with the b e n e c en c e o f an is o lated g Oo d a c t
which is the o n e appr o priate t o the circum
stances
The Ob j ectivity and c o ncreteness Of Celtic
nat u re makes it capa ble o f dramatic acti o n
but there appe ars t o be n o evide nce in Celtic
To

1 oo

T h e S o c i al G en i u s
regi o ns

f t he Ga e l

any great lia bility t o seri o us err o r

he r e
Such err o r in the n o rmal type i s s u f
c ie n t ly
gu arded again s t by the quality O f
inten s e and po sitive per s o nality already
n o ticed An I ri shm an i s ea s ily carried o u t
self in
o f himself in the sense Of f o rgettin g
but
hi s ab s o rpti o n in the Obj ect bef o re him
he is the last man in the w o rld t o be carried o u t
o f himself in the sense o f ceasing t o be the man
that he n o rm ally i s By hi s o bj ectivity he i s
averse t o eg o i s m By his V ivid pers o nality he
A cl o s e knit mind is all
i s eminently s ince re
present with itself at all times a y even in

f
m o ments O tempestu o us passi o n and if a new
s e t o f circumstances make it act in new and
unex pecte d way s it will in all pr o bability be
f o und t o have devel o ped by the act i t s inner
nature al o n g t ho se new and unexpe cted lines
I n the c o nict between the c o nsci o usness
and o f subjective tness much
o f Ob j e c tive
of

Fr n h i t m i x d r t t k i n id n
pr li it i whi h
h w n by G l
f C l ti
t
t g y I ri h m n i m tly An g l I ri h
C ym i ;
d th
1

The
e

an

oc

oo

es

e s a

ar e

IOI

ace

no

ev

ae

os

o-

ce
or

T h e G en i u s

f th

?
e

G ael

the o ccasi o n fo r I rish hum o ur arises

Thi s is the Celtic t o uch s o markedly missing
in P arisian cr o wd s
N evert heless it remains that the passi o nate
ness o f an easily m o ved nature h o wever cl o se
knit lay s it o pen t o that partial activity which
is the negative characteristi c o f the o ver
dramatic mind
The act o r like a man in
a passio n wraps himself up in a part o f him

self the part b r o ught int o play by the circum

s tances
If theref o re the Celtic nature l o ses
balance s o as t o all o w its passi o nateness t o
get the better o f its allied c o ncre teness then
it will tend t o be merely dramatic in i t s
as well as merely pas s i o nate in i t s
o b j ective
s ubj ective
m o od s
Many varieties o f type it is f o und t o yield
but the central type is what c o nce rns u s
specially All o ther type s branch fr o m it by
s o me d efe ct the essential remedy fo r which
is t o be f o und in the central racial character
A slight reminder o f s ome f o r g o tten fa c t will
check the true C elt in a pa s si o n the least hint

of

102

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

re a l nature w il l re s t o re him t o sincerity

in hi s m o s t stagey m oo d I t take s but few
w o rds als o t o remind him o f his manners
B icycling fr o m D o o g he r t in the island o f
Achi l l t o the ferry o n Bl ack s o d B ay I met a
b o y at the cr o ss r o ads and aske d
Is this the
r o ad t o the ferry ?
G ive me a penny and
I ll tell y o u said the b o y I felt sure th at it
was the r o ad but this surpri s ing answer
br o ught me d o wn fr o m my wheel t o adm o ni s h
the bo y
said I and
I t s ashamed o f y o u I am
glad that there wasn t an English lady with me
this day t o hear y o u s a y a thing like that And
u
o
an
I
ri
h
D
n
t
kn
w
that
I
rish
s
b
o
o
o
o
u
y
y
y
men are famed thr o ugh o ut the w o rld fo r their
g o o d manner s and especially their p o litenes s
t o l a dies ?
There was a very brief pa use
T hank
ma
am
said
the
b
o
and
that
is
the
o
u
y
y
way t o the ferry
As an is o lated instance this w o uld h ave little
signi c ance
I give it as characteristic
of

hi s

1 03

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

swift and early return t o g oo d manners after

err o r is what o n e expects and generally g ets
fr o m the r o ughe s t b o y o u t We st
S o ciable t o stranger s l o yal t o c o mrades
a ffecti o nate and faithful t o family and friends

such a ll the wo rld o ver the I rishman is

admitted t o b e O ur hyp o thesi s as t o Celtic
character supplies the clue C o ncreteness o f
self c o nsci o usness im plies a cert ain c o ntinu o us
self c o nsistency thr o ugh o ut all changes which
makes a man keep faith with himself as a
matter o f c o urse
Thus sensitive pers o nal
h o n o ur s h o ws itself as the c o ntro lling acti o n o f
the wh o le nature o n the variant partial mani
fe s t a t i o n s in which it temp o rarily expre s se s
it s elf
On
the o ther hand the G ael s
m o bility o f mind and a w arene s s o f o th er mind s
leaves him o pe n o n all sides t o the s o cial
H ence the s e familiar traits which
appeal
appea r t o have C haracterized the race thr o ugh
seeing ho w large a part they
o u t its h i st o ry
play in a ncient G ae li c st o ry no less th an in
the tra d iti o n and practice o f t o day
.

1 04

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

I n part icular the ho me o f the I rish peasant

is and n o d o ubt l o ng has been a place sacred
tender affecti o n s mutual re s pect and
to
delicate c o urte s ies E ach link within the h o me
Marriage abo ve all i s
i s a b o nd that lasts
a veritable s acrament and that n o t by eccle
s i a s t i c a l prescripti o n o nly
but in i t s essential
nature as these pe o ple feel it t o be a s o lemn
self dedicati o n o f each t o the o ther a fr e e
unc o nditi on al gift Thi s i s the unique s o cial
b o nd unique in i t s nature because it imp lie s
but s o mething Of the s ame s acred
s o much :
ness attaches t o all b o nds that have be en
entered int o willingly Thi s may be i n c o n
the inc o nvenience i s a tr o uble
v en i ent ;
inherent in the life o f th o s e w ho have the
faithful temperament the benet i s fo r th o se
w ho are ass o ciated with th em
As rega rd s
marriage it i s w o rthy o f n o te that there is n o t
and never was fr o m o n e end o f I reland t o the
any demand fo r the instituti o n Of a
o ther
div o rce c o urt n o r any e ffe c ti v e interest in
the pr o blems it suggests
,

1 05

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

The I rish pair make their ch o i c e and kee p

I s there anything distinctive in t heir
it
manner o f making i t their c o urtship ? W hat
s o rt o f l o ver in particular d o es an Ir i sM an
make ? We kn o w that in the I rish farmer s
h o use the marriage o f the eldest s o n is matter
f o r cl o se c o nsiderati o n in the rst i nstan c e
by the seni o rs and fo r shrewd ne g o tiati o n s
a s t o nancial pr o spects o n t he o n e han d and
d o wry 0 n the o ther between the f a thers o f
t he y o ung pe o ple c o n c e rn e d
W e a ppe a r t o
have the m ari ag e d e c on ven a nc e a s in F ran ce
I rish f a thers h o wever are fre quently we ll
end o wed and I rish m o thers even m o re s o with
a wise imaginati on and kindly c o mm o n sense
that enables them t o enter int o the views shyly
held o r likely t o be held by the b o y
and girl themselves
If the father o n the
and the m o ther On t he
o n e side sees the girl
My I i h Y
P dr i C l u m Th y ung r
S
d g h t r f wh m t h r i
d w ry f r t h m i n g h
r m dy i n t h d y by m ig r ti n t Am ri
h
wh r h
r n i t f h r lf d r t u r n if h will
b m th n tr O f Iri h h m
t
.

au

er

e e

or

ec o

e e

es e

e c a n ea

ea r ,

r s

ee

e ce

no

an

1 06

an
o

e se

or

a c

e.

co

as

ca ,

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G a e l

ther si de sees the bo y o u t o f eye s enlightened

by s ympathy with yo uth and intimate a ffecti o n
the ch o ice may t o all intents and pu rp o se s

be made as it certainly i s o ften ma d e by

the y o uthful pair themselves That the c o urt
ship will a s a rule b e c o nducted with delay
ing shyness and delicate reserve g o es with o ut
saying Such is the custo m o f the c o untry
The c o urt s hip o f y o ung I ri s h l o vers is a dainty
thing fraugh t in great part o f the tender
imaginative stu ff that p o etry is made o f
r o mantic r a ther than passi onate m o re ad o ring
than po ssessive even th ough ex pres s ed in the
h o mely ways o f h o mely s o uls I n every grade
Of I rish s o ciety the I rishman as a l o ver tends
t o the type that s h o ws a ppreciati o n by an o u t
bur s t o f chivalr o u s service and by a general
ex altati o n o f mental life
The passi o n o f
attachm ent t o the o n e bel o ved is di ffused as
a radiance thr o ugh o ut the wh o le being st im u
lating the higher senses and u plift ing their
activity t o the higher levels o f idealizing life
This i s wh at we might expe ct fro m the Celtic
o

1 07

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

temperament with i t s inevitab le upg r o wth o f

ideas under stimulus i t s bent t o ward s the

devel o pment o f chastening intellectual nay

s piritual
inuences when ar o used
This is
what we might expe ct a s a c o nsequence o f the
central Celtic quality de s cribed in these pages
and I think I am c o rrect in sayin g that it is
what we nd
O f a piece with this is the I rishman s tradi
t i o n a l attitude t o w o men in general
I t is an
attitude perfe ctly well kn o wn in o ther land s
but in I reland it pervades all circle s o f s o ciety
I ts p o int o f de parture is the as s umpti o n o f
e quality in rights o f th o ught a nd s peech ;
and thi s o pe ns the d o o r t o free intellectual
c o nver s e g o o d t a lk s incere dis cu s s i o n and
wh o le s o me c o mrade s hip s o far a s the friend
sh ip g o e s This tal ent fo r e qual ity i s a very
agreeable I rish characteristic and w o men will
n o tice that they benet by it fo r the m o st part
whatever their a g e and irresp e ctive alm o st o f
their a ppe ar a nce This last is a quality which
I have n o t been a ble t o n o tice in an y o ther
,

1 08

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

c o nsiderable gr o up t o anything like the s ame

extent The s ec o n d po int ab o ut the I rish
man is that having set o u t t o treat his w o man
friend o n this basis o f an e qual and simil ar
human nature he pro ceed s t o exceed the
c o nventi o nal n o rm al in the way o f c o nferring
upo n her in additi o n all the little privi lege s
and service s he can think o f ; whether as due
fr o m the greater in phy s ical s trength t o the
less o r o u t o f the depths o f s o me primal i n
st in ct
o r f o r the mere pleasure o f the thing
d o es n o t appe ar Thus in friendliness with
w o men he o n the average excels in the
m o dern quality o f mind t o mind c o mpani o n
s hip and als o in the o l d f as hi o ned grace o f
chivalr o us c o urtesy
H i s quick wit serves him well in b o th these
capacities
I was cr o ssing a muddy s treet
in D ublin laden with bo o ks and an insecurely
held umb rella To my di smay the umbrella
fell plump int o a mass O f mud My hands
were full but bef o re I had time t o realize my
helple s snes s the um brella was res cued and
.

1 09

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

well dresse d y o uth st o o d b e f o re me with it

in o n e hand and his cle an po cket handkerchief
wiping it in the o ther
I h o pe that w o n t
sp o il y o ur dress n o w he said presen ting it
with a charming smile The umbrella w a s
clean the handkerchief muddy
G o o d manners fr o m b oys t o w o men and
girls are taught in every I rish peasant h o me
I have seen this exemplied aga in and again
There i s n o idea current in the family that the
girl has less value in any way than the b o y
This may be due in part t o the inten se realiza
ti o n o f practical essentials in the Christianity
and in part t o the heritage o f
o f these p e o ple
o l d cust o m and ide a ls handed d o wn by traditi o n
and partly preserved by actual literature fr o m
G aelic times B o th these inuen c es ar e w o rk
ing t o this end I believe and reinf o rce the
s o cial
Celtic tem perament which is itself
inv o lved in their existence G a elic st o ry and
the ancient I rish law tracts sh o w that in early
I reland pagan as well as Christi an the po s iti o n
of
w o men w a s go od
Indeed on e might

I IO

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

alm o st say that the s o cial spirit in this regard

ap pears t o have had j ust the same charac
t e r i s t i c marks then as it displays n o w
l

q u l ri g h t f t h t w p rti i n m rri g f i
i pl i n ly l id d w n by t h B r h n l w
I n th
t n
m rri g
f q u l r n k wh n t h w l t h
d S i l p it i n
f th tw
u h t m k t h m i l qu l th
l w d l r
wh t h g i t h t h r i q u lly
th t
f rf i t d h w lt h t hi m m u h d
m r
h
t h n hi t
O t hi pri n ipl i t i d r d t h t
n t r t m d by i th r p rty i t l wfu l n t r t
wi t h u t t h n n t O f t h t h r x p t i n
f
q u lly t t h w lf r f b t h I n t h
t r t t n di n g
f un q u l r n k t h t w p r t i
h
m rri g
t tu
d
rig h t pr p r t i n t t t h ir pr p r ty Th m
p
th
m f t ing
p r t d by t h w m n w l t h i
Af t r d
ribi n g t h
t h w m n u pp r t d by t h m n
t h w ri t r f t h l w t r t t u r n
rul f th l tt r
i m pl p n i n g t t m n t t h t i n
t t h f r m r wi t h t h
thi
i
th m
t h pl
d th
g
f th w m
The

c e,

s a

e o

s o

o ar e

co

ac

ac s

co

e o

a e

es

or

c as e

s c as e

an

woma n i n t he pl a ce

ac

c on

s an
su

an

oo

as

e sc

ac

s a e

e sa
e

ave s a

co

a ce o

t he ma n

oes

e S

s on

ea

ec ee

es

no

s e

c ase

a e

a s,

an

ce

no

os

se

as

oc a

e o

or

e,

so c a

an

v es

ea

ea c

as

ea

er

er

es

ec a es

an an

E n t h l w wri t r h w v r i t pr i B hi n d
t hi b tr t q u li ty h
r m nt i n t r t i n t h
id l whi h h b tr y n i ly i n t h d ri t i n g i n

f t h Iri h w rd f
wmn b
d f
m
f
Thu t h y
ll d h y fr m t h ki dl i
f
e

ve

s a

ea

ac

oma

t hey

and

ex i s t

La ws

are c a

t he dig n i ty

(See

La w

of a

of

an ,

e sa

o sa c

s no

a ve

or

e s ees

e e

s,

m an ,

an

and

co

as s

va

III

an

ec

s,

ve

er

ness o

r ea ch t hese

S i l C nn t i n
oc a

or

to

in

qua l i ti es
B rehon

T h e G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

This o l d ag e traditi o n o f e quality c o urtesy

and mutual re spect between men and w o men
has an Ob vi o us b earing o n the hap py devel o p
ment o f m o dern I rish l o ve st o ries when
marriage has b e en reached
That the
marriages o n the wh o le are happy seems
manifest in t he facts There are O bservers
h o we v er w ho entertain grave d o ubts as t o
the e ffe cts o f the system o f marriage c ho ice
am o ng t he farmer s o n the y o un g Ir i s hmlan s
capaci ty fo r l o ve ro mance We are t o ld t o o
that in parts o f S c o tland the phrase as l o ve
less a s an I rishman has passed int o a p r o verb
I f h o we ver we picture t o o ur s elve s the case
o f the I rish b oy fresh fr o m the careful train
ing o f his c o ttage h o me a stranger in a land
that t o him i s f o reign a simple bo y po o r
but b y n o means irres po nsible we may very
we ll w o nder whether l o veless n ess in su ch a
case as this may n o t b e anything m o re than
o rdinary uprightness o f the m o st natural kind
B ackwardne s s in l o ve making is indeed natural
t o th o s e w ho are m o st disp o sed t o be stead
fast i n l o ve when made
-

'

1 1 2

T h e S o c ial G en i u s

t he

G ae l

Th o se w ho are interested will d o well t o read

D r D o ugla s Hyde s co llecti o n o f The Lo ve
S ong s o f C onn ach t f o r sidelights o n thi s
elusive s ub j ect
These s o ngs were all
c o llected just saved in time fr o m the I ri s h
speaking pe o ple o f the West
They are
theref o re in G aelic an d su ffer ine v itably at
the hand s o f even such a dev o ted sch o lar as
D o uglas Hyde H e gives them in his o w n
skilful verse and al s o in pr o se fo r o bvi ou s
reas o n s H ere i s a verse which I cull alm o s t
at rando m as characteristic o f the l o ver in his
radiant m o o d

D rk G irl f t h V ll y D rk G irl t h t i l ly
D rk G irl t h t i r di n t d t n d r
H
t hr
t d h br w lik t h w n i n t h
h p ly f rm
l nd r
A d h
H
h n d h p d ri g h t wi th n g r ft whi t
T h t M ry g fr m b t h
Wh n m y w n l
h
t th
l
hi h t
A d th m
n d O b i n wi t h l t h
o

er s

er

oo

an

av e

er

an

oa

er

s e

so

e av e s
o es

ov e

e su n

e s so

ov e

er

sea

e sa

ce

e,

er ,

s un

o s es

o ve

ea

er

I n the pr o se versi o n the h o mely sense o f the

fancy ig ht in the last t w o lines makes itself
m o re ke enly felt
-

1 1

T h e G en i u s

f t he Ga e l

When the swan go es o u t the sun l o ses

her he at and the mo on b o ws d o wn with l o v e

t o her
This is n o t a mere fan cy i g ht : it is the
ad o ring l o ver s expe rience o f the way real

things the sun an d the m o o n a ff e c t him in

presence o f t he belo ved o n e
H ere is an o the r s on g : it S pe aks fo r itself
as an express i o n o f tender and pass io nate grief
I give the lite ral pr o se versi o n as o u r interest
here is in the e x pe rience rather than in the
literature
,

pri t d t h fri r
r y d y i n n g r wi t h
m y b ing i n l
wi t h t h O m id n d t h u
m f
d d I w u ld pr t t t h fr m t h wi n d d h l t r
fr m t h r i n d t h bi tt r m l n h ly f m y h rt
th
i t i t h t b d wn b n th t h g r un d
Wh n m y p pl
rt i n t h t I m my b d
i t i t hy t m b t h t I d b t r t h d fr m n ig h t f ll un til
R n i n g u p n m y h rd hip d bi t t rly
m rn i ng
l m n ti n g d r ly f m y g n t l urt u g irl w h
b t r th d t m wh n hild
w
D t t h u r m m b r t h n i g h t t h t th u d I w r
d th
t f t h bl kt h rn t r
ig h t fr i n g
t th f
h rd ? A h un dr d t h n k t J u t h t w m d t t h
p ili n g d t hy r wn f m id n h d i w lik h ft
f li g h t ( hi n i n g ) b f r t h
The

es s a n
e

or

e,

ea

ee

ee

s,

oo

an
s

ac

c o

os

or

e c

e o e

es

ee

1 14

an

ea

on

co

an

eo

an

e e

ee , an

an

so e

an

e s

e a

ea

ce

are

ea s o

an

eo

as

s on

ee

o ec

ev e

ee ,

ove

a s are

oo

s no

e ez

e no

e a s

T h e S o c ial G en i u s

f t he Gae l

H ere

we s e e t he p oe t in the man relieving

the saddened l o ver s heart o f him by that
im ag i native strife which as Tennys o n says
di ffu s ed the sh o ck thr o ugh all the life but
O n the o ther
in the present br o ke the bl o w
hand we hear in the unso phisticated l o ve
s o ngs o f the G ael the j o y o us l o ver turned p o et
becau s e heaven and earth and all life teem
fo r him with delightful experiences that image
f o rt h his lo ve I n o ne the c o mi n g o f the girl
he l o ves is like the advent o f y o ung summe r
She fo r wh o m the cuck o o s call
is her

descri pti o n An o ther describes her thus n o

d o ubt he felt he r as light breakin g thr o ugh

t he co mm o n dimness o f all else :

saw

mo

Lik

her

c om

unt i n
a

ing

w rd

to

t r g li m m eri ng t hr

e a s a

me

ug h

t he

o er

t he m

it
s

ac e

of

t he

Again it i s the gentle mind o f the bel o ved

and the rap i d ight o f her wit t hat i s
d es c ribed
H er m

in d

is

r u ppl
e s

e an d

Of

o ve ,

l
wif t th n bird

An d t he w i t
Is m o

1 1

my
a

ove

on

t he

wi n g

T h e G en i u s

t he

Gae l

These I rish bards says D r Si g e r s o n

alway s placed beauty o f mind a bo ve b o dily
beauty
And he n o tes as a sim ple exampl e
o f this and o ther things the little p o em called
B irds o n a B o ugh

pl

Ho w

To

C ose

No t t

hu

Ti s fa r

We

ll bird

to

th ir l
f r tun
e

o ve

l %
ry h rt d li g h t
p rt h m rn i n g
w k n t t h li g h t
o ur

ve

ea

ea c

e,

f ir r t h n t h lily
S u h b uty t h r i n n
Sh w t r t h n th i l t
M r li g h t m t h n t h
B t b tt r t h n ll b u t y
H
n bl h rt d fr
t in h v n
0 G d wh
R m
t hi p i n fr m m

Sh

e s

e s

ee e

so

er

ea

e s un

an

ea

e :

ea

ove

e v o e

o ar

e e

o e

ea

o ve ,

e sa

a as

s,

My

whi p r

To

sma

fo r t he

n in th g r
u p n t h m b ug h

wk
a

An d

nt

easa

ee

As an example o f uns o phisticated el o

e in a l o ver s appreciati o n o f C haracter
u
e
n
c
q

B a rd s

t he Ga el

a nd

Ga ll
1 1

Si g e rs o n ,

3 37

T h e S o c i al G en i u s
the last t wo line s
c o mm e nded

f t he G ae l

the f o ll o wing

of

m ay b e

ry H y n t h l m d y w m n
H
b u ty i n h m i n d d i n h f
If h un dr d l rk w r g t h r d t g th r
T h y uld t writ d wn h lf f h w y
It i s M a
er

ea

co

c e

no

e e

ac e ,

er

e e

eas

an

er

an

e ca

es ,

er

x
.

I n the f o ll o wing we h a ve s o rr o w again the

grief o f the deserted l o ver p o uring itself f o rth
i n delicate th o ught and vivi d ima gery every
item o f which is f el t ;
,

tr

The

s a s st a

The

s u n a nd

t he m o o

t he

ai r ,

a re set ,

bb d dry f i t t id
L
i ng l p bbl w t ;
uck k p yi ng h h u r
Th
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1 1

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a s a e

T h e G en i u s o f t he G ae l
Y
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Wh n t h lig h t O f t h d y i w ;
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w o man are fewer A s t o their character it is
o n the wh o le
true as mo st critics imply that
they reveal a mind m o re abs o r bed in feeling
I t sho uld be obs erved h o wever that this
quality m a y bel o ng t o them becau s e they
chi ey deal with l ov e in grief and it s h o uld
be remembered that the w o man s l o ss when
she lo ves i s in the nature o f thing s g reater
than the man s
She is hard er hit in any
case I t may be al s o that s he has smaller
and s o is les s able t o
s t o re o f reserve vitality
,

oem

B ook

t he Ga el ,
1 1

E H u l l pp
.

1
3

6
17

T h e S o c i al G en i u s

f t he G ae l

lift herself int o that imaginative reacti o n in

which the stro nger swimmer nds relief H ere
is a visi o n o f des pair :
.

Y ou

hv tkn
th W t
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t he

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y ou

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way t o turn n o light o n earth n o re fu g e

in the human s o ul An d at the end o f the
p o em the bitter th o ught breaks o u t
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Th

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a

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st o

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n wh t m
a

t o g et

r d th t

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to

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or

Of all l o v e s o ngs fo r human tenderne s s

an d s piritual pass i o n is the Old G aelic s on g o f
the R o is i n D ubh
o n the ideas o f whi c h
-

R i i n D u bh

L ittl D rk R
G l D u bh
m n t h F ir D rk R
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1 19

os e ,

es

se

ose

Ro s

as a

o ve

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

Man g a n s D ark Ro saleen was written I t

is the I rishman s l o ve s on g t o his imm o rtal
s weetheart
the Spirit o f I reland it breathes
the very e ssence o f tender attachment and u n
limited dev o ti o n a s fr o m t he l o ver t o his
bel o ved in every age L o ve and pa tri o ti s m
are c o mmingled in it each c o nferring an
added s piritual dignity o n the o ther H ere
are fo ur s tanzas o f it culled fro m the b e gi n
ning and the end

Th r bl k g ri f h pl i n d m i t t h hill
T h r i f ury t h m un t i n d t h t i w n d r
I w uld mp ty t h wild
n wi th t h h ll f g g
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wi th t h my R g l d ubh

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1 20

a nd a s

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ThC\ SO C lal G en i u s

O fr g r n t B r n h I h
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will b q u ki n g
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ink i n d th
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IV
TH E
GA EL IN

LI TI C S

PO

T h r i n t i n un d r t h
qu l
th t d th l v
i n di ff r n t j u ti m r t h n t h Iri h ; will r t
b tt r t i d wi t h t h x u t i n t h r f l t h u g h i t b
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C HA PTER I V

TH E

EL

GA

IN

POL I T I C S

a l o ng time it was the English fashi o n t o

believe that the G aelic I ri s h had no capa city

no t
even a p o tential cap a city fo r s elf
go vernm ent in any f o rm
They were
su ppo sed t o b e a ficte d with a p o litical i n
e f c i e n c y
either mental o r m o ral and t o nly
t o be guarded and ruled by a wiser and better
f o lk I t was admitted in tho se days that the
Engli sh go ve rnment had been s o mething o f a
failure but it w a s s t o utly maintained that I rish
s elf g o vernment w o uld certainly be far w o rse
All this has been changed
In later days
the sympathetic English visit o r has returned
fr o m I reland deeply im pressed by the p o litical
intelligence the civi c sense and the talent fo r

FOR

1 25

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

p o litical o rganizati o n sh o wn by her pe o ple

And n o w in this year o f o u r L o rd 1 9 1 3 a
man w o uld have t o be a blind and dete rmined
p o litical o pp o nent w ho ventured t o assert that
I rish p o litical talent was bel o w the average
All this talk o f p o litical in ability has in
truth died o u t under p ressure o f hard fa c ts
Mr B alf o ur s G o vernment in 1 8 9 8 g ave l o c al
g o vernment o n a dem o cratic fran chise t o an
I reland quite untrained in the management o f
l o cal a ffairs o r representative instituti o ns I t

was a rev o lutio n The c o mm o n pe o ple the

de s pised N a t io n a l i s t s came int o po wer all o ver
the c o untry S o me mistakes o f c o urse were
made but they were few
I t is gener a lly
admitted that the system wo rke d well

amazingly well fr o m the rst and n ow after

fteen year s few w i ll be f o und t o deny the
fact
O utside I reland there was eviden c e en o ugh
in I 8 8 Oevidence in G reat B ritain in the
N o w it is
c o l o nie s in the U nited States
Thu s we hear fr o m n o n I ris h
o verwhelming
.

1 26

T h e G ae l i n P o l i t i c s
urce s ho w the I rish all o ver the States take
a leading pa rt in po litical w o rk and inuence
The D em o cratic P arty with Free Trade pr o
gramme n o w triumphant depends much o n
their ass istance ; and their value in l o cal
administrati o n is well re co gni zed I think it
was at the I rish N ati o nal C o nventi o n 1 9 1 2
that I heard Mr J o hn O C a l l a g ha n say : Y o u

might g o t o a t o wn say a Western t o wn i n

the U nited S tates and nd 1
inhabitan ts
I rish That
o f them being
w o uld b e carrying o n all the g o vernment o f
the place
I re peated thi s a few days after
wards t o an American c o nsul n o t an I rishm a n
and asked fo r his impartial o pini o n
Yes
he said that s the kind o f thing all o ver the
States
Yet when I ri s h immigrati o n o n the large
it w a s under circum
s cale began i n America
stanc e s a s unfav o urable in all respects as c i r
c um s t a n c es well c o uld be
With o ut educati o n
with o ut mean s exhausted o ften by the h o rr o rs
these s imple pe o ple adapted
o f the v o yage

so

1 27

T h e G en i u s

t he

Gae l

c o untry life were cast o n the quays and

stru g gled t o get f o o ting i n the back streets
o f N e w Y o rk
In t he Un ited States as in
G reat B ritain P r o test an t prejudice was
b itterl y against them in th o se o l d harsh days
There is o ne terri ble s t o ry o f a shipl o ad of
h
o
w
o
e
le
die d practically o n the New Yo rk
p p
quays having been smitten by ch o lera during
Hundreds
the v o yage
O f infants a n d
C hildren su rvived wh o se names n o o n e knew
The Cath o lic pr i ests t oo k the m atter in han d
an d f o und h o mes fo r the children in friendly
h o useh o lds acr o ss the C an adian b o rder There
they grew up as French Canadians I t w a s
a ni g htmare time and a bad start fo r tho se who
survived and w ho n o w in the sec o nd and third
generati o ns are fo r the m o st part d oi ng well
Spe cial intere st fo r o u r argument attaches t o
the fact that they have made fo r themselves
s o stro ng a place in t he
p o litical s ystem o f
the great Repub l ic
That p o litical s ystem was the re bef o re the
beginnin g o f t he great immigrati on o f t he

fo r

1 28

T h e Gae l i n P o li t i c s
nineteenth century The immigrants o f th at
date entered int o it with all its defe cts fo r
better and fo r w o r s e : and they stand t o day
fo r a great p o litical inuence Of which at
least this much mu st be said that it is steadily
thr o w n tim e after time int o the scales in fav o ur
o f the
claim s o f humanity a s against th o se
o f the m o n o p o lists and o ther p rivilege seeking
classes
The present P rime Minister M r
B ryan represents in this respe c t and o thers
the race fr o m which he springs
B e f o re the American Rev o lut i o n h o wever
I reland had sent a sub s tantial c o ntingent o f
citizens t o the Br itish C o l o nies in t he N ew
W o rl d I n the g ht fo r Am erican freed o m
and afterwards in the framing o f the C o nsti
t ut io n
I rishmen played a w o rthy part The
r s t daily pape r published in the U nited States
the Penn sy l va ni a Pa c k e t was i s sued by an
I rishman In the Pa c k e t O f ce the D eclarati o n
o f I ndependence was signed
Eight o f the
s ig n at o ries o f the Declarati o n were
I rish o r
o f I rish descent
An I rishman C o l o nel J o hn
.

1 29

T h e G en i u s

G ae l

t he

N ix o n ,

rst re a d it t o the pe o ple

The rst
G o v ern o r o f Pennsylvania after the ad opti o n
o f the fe d e r a l C o nstituti o n was a man fr o m
D ub l i n

I
.

Briga di er G eneral O wen a Limerick man

received public thanks fr o m W as hin g t o n and
C o ngress
C omm o d o re J o hn B a rry fr o m
W exf o rd was Wa s hingt o n s c o mmander i h
chief o f the naval f o rces o f the States
After
the c o nclusi o n o f the war m o re o v er the
En g lish M aj o r G eneral in the H o use o f
C o mm o ns declared upo n o ath that half the
rebe l c o ntinental a rmy was fr o m I reland
L a ter in the Civil War there w ere I rish

men pro m inent Ou b o th sides G enerals Mead e

and Sheridan fo r No rth an d S o uth respe c tively
O f P residents n o te sh o uld be taken o f P resi
dent Jacks o n a P r o testant o f I rish o ri g in w ho
is said t o h a ve pr o mised in 1 8 2 5 the rst
tho usand d o l lars t o the I rish Cath o lic Eman
To o u r o w n time bel o ng the
c i pa t i o n F und
-

'

'

D i pp
S G r n pp 8

Se e The I r i shma n i n Ca na d a ,
I r i sh Na ti ona l i ty , A

I 30

ee

av es ,

0- 1

5 9 , 66

25 1

T h e Gae l i n P o li t i c s
name o f P resident M c Kin l a y wh o se g rand
uncle su ff ered d e ath as a rebel o utside the
church o f C o leraine and w ho has relatives
living in Antrim t o day and the name o f Mr
B ryan wh o se family settled in Virginia at an
early d a t e
The I rish in America have so it is n o w

generally admitted by Americans a rec o rd o f

which any race might be pro ud I n parti
c ul a r it is n o t t o o much t o say that they are
the str o ngest v it a l f o rce in p o litics
Turn
ing n o w t o Australasia that industrial Empire
of
unfederated lab o ur nati o n s
as Mr
Mi chael D avitt calle d it in 1 8 9 8 we nd the
I rish in a po siti o n and with a rec o rd still m o re
satisfact o ry Alike up the c o untry and in the
t o wns they are d o ing well : when they settle
in a place and see their way then h o me g 0
letters with remittances and an o ther member
o f the family c o mes o u t
So their number
already co nsider able tends d o ubly t o increase
,

I r i sh Amer i ca n H i story

pp

28 3 ,

65 0

t he Un i ted Sta tes , O

31

Ha n l o n ,

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

they settle well m a intain their religi o n inter

marry with each o ther fo r the m o st part and
f o rm pr o sper o us c o mmunities ab o unding in
healthy happiness and d o minate d by the
characteristic I rish turn o f m i n d
Their po s iti o n in po litics may be briey
indicated by o n e qu o tati o n fr o m Mr J F
H o ga n s b o o k o n The I r i s h i n Aus tr a l i a
I t was written in 1 8 8 7 b u t it is matter o f
c o mm o n kn o wledge that the interval s ince then
ha s been turned t o g o o d acc o unt
I n every
c o l o nial P arliament he says
I rishmen will
be f o und distinguishing themselves as p o litical
leade rs
As a strikin g p r o o f o f t he S ignal
ability displayed by I rish leaders in Australia
it i s w o rthy o f n o te that since the ince pti o n
o f P arliamentary G o vernment i n the leading
c o l o ny Vict o ria all the Sp e akers o f the Legis
lative A s sembly have hithert o with o ut ex c e p
M a c M a ho n
u rp hy
ti o n b e en Ir i shm ea
And that these f o ur
G avan D u ffy Lal o r
,

fo r

Life
an e

a nd

x m pl
a

r o ress

i n Austra l a si a , M

2
3

i h l D i tt p
c

ae

av

97

T h e Gae l i n P o li t i c s
were ch o sen s o lely o n their merit s appear s fr o m
the fact that in every case the m aj o rity o f the
Assembly was c omp o s ed o f E ngli s h and S c o tch
The I rish p o pulati o n at
representatives
one
that time in Vict o ria w a s ab out
ft h o f the wh o le
There i s m o re t o s a y even in thi s brief
ab o ut Vict o ria but l n the hist o ry
s umm ary
o f the sub ject N e w S o uth Wales c o mes rst
As far b ack as the end o f the eighteenth
b eginnin g o f the nineteenth centuries
a nd
th o usands o f I rish peasants were trans
po rted bey o nd the s eas fo r the po litical crime
illegal b o die s in o ppo s iti o n
o f bel o nging t o
t o tithes and o ther s o cial grievances
In s o me
o f the early s hipments t o B o tany B ay there
these
w a s am o ng the c o nvicts a leaven o f
humble I ri s h ref o rmers w ho helped t o lay the
f o undati o n s o f Sydney
S i r R o ger The r r y
in hi s H i s t ory of Ne w S o u th W al es bears
witness t o the after gr o wth and pr o sperity o f
the I rish element Ab o ut half a ce ntury later

The I r i sh i n Austra l i a ,
I

33

F H
.

np

og a

1 2

T h e Ge n i u s

f t he Gae l

when the c o l o ny had gr o wn up it w a s hi gh

time fo r the establi s hment o f a Ho me Rule
C o nstituti o n Tw o gr o ups stand o u t fr o m the
cr o wd as specially interested in thi s matter the
gr o up o f e xiled B ritish Chartists and the gr o up
o f I ri s h Australians descended fr o m the reb e ls
Tw o men are c o ns picu o us : P a rkes a Chartist
th o r o ugh Radical in the English sense
a
and William Charles W entw o rth an I rish
Au stralian wh o se s ervi c es t o the c o l o ny in
the cause O f self go vernment w o n fo r him the
title o f the Australian P atri o t
O ther n o ted
I ri s h name s there are in the early rec o rd o f
the emancipated c o l o ny S i r J o hn O Sha u g h
i
r
B
twice
P
remier
Willi
m
urke
n e s s ey
S
a
o
(
)
s
vern
o
r
P
lunket
Wil
o n G ray
G
o
(
)
The next step in the devel o pment o f sel f
g o vernment was taken when the s o uthern
p o rti o n o f the c o l o ny under the name o f
Vict o ria divided fr o m N ew S o uth Wales and
F o ur
s e t up a p o litical c o nstituti o n f o r itself
eminent I ri shmen t o o k an active part in this
bu s ine s s Sir W F S tawell afterwards Chief
,

'

34

T h e Gae l i n P o lit i c s
Ju s tice and later Lieutenant G o vern o r o f
Vict o ria S ir Redm o nd B arry s ub sequently
Judge o f the Supreme C o urt Sir F Murphy
fo r many years S pe aker o f the Legislative
Assembly and Sir J o hn O Shan a ssy c o n
s pi c u o u s f o r his unique services o n the c o m
H e it
m i t t e e that drafted the C o nstituti o n
was w ho b ecame the rst P remier and held
that o fce in three s uc cessive G o vernments
We have already seen ho w S ir
Mur phy
the rst S pe a ker o f the Vict o rian Parliament
was suc c ee ded by three o ther I rishmen in
O n e o f these S i r Charles G avan
s ucce s si o n
Du ffy fam o us am o ng I r i shmen as edit o r o f
the Na t i on in the Y o ung I reland days
came t o Melb o urne in 1 8 5 6 H e w a s greeted
with enthu s iasm by the I rish c o mm unity w ho
sub scribe d
in o rder t o be rea d y fo r
him with the gift o f an estate t o qualify him
fo r entry o n electi o n int o the Le g islative
H e j o ined the Ministry o f S ir
Assembly
J ohn O Shana s sy and su c ceeded him as P rime
Mini s ter in 1 8 7 1 At a later d ate he became
-

3S

T h e G en i u s

f t he Ga e l

Speaker
Sir B ry e n O Lo g hl en o f C o unty
Clare made the third I rish P rime Minister in

88

I reland deserves well o f Australia m o st o f

all fo r the part which the I rish played in
helping t o lay the f o undati o n s o f her p o litical
s ystem
I t i s g o o d t o kn o w h o wever that
they keep their place in the fr o nt rank and
better s ti ll are p o pular and respected in all
ranks o f pu blic service I t is interesting t o o
t o n o te that the ancient O range feud rampa nt
th o ugh it o nce was when the representative
Cath o lic I ri s hmen came t o th e fr o nt in the
infant c o l o ny o f Vict o ria ha s quite died o u t
The present S peaker o f the S o uth Australian
P arliament Mr O Lo u g hl i n at the I ri s h
N ati o nal B anquet in L o nd o n 1 9 1 3 referring
incidentally t o the talk ab o ut religi o us tr o uble
in I relan d said it was all a myth Religi o us
di fferences were the last thing they th o ught
N o t a fth o f the peo ple
o f in Australia
in the di s trict he re presented were I rish The
O rangemen v o ted fo r him the same as the
,

36

T h e Gae l i n P o li t i c s
Cath o lics did N o r i s t his because either ha s
bec o me indi fferent t o religi o n
O f West Australia
S o uth Australia and
Mr
% ueen s land a similar tale might be t o ld
W Redm o nd is amply justied by the facts
fo r the general statement in cidentally made in
the c o ur s e o f hi s interesting b o o k Thr o ug h
t he N e w C o m m o n w e al t h
Au s tralia he
s ay s
has been largely m o ulded by I ri s hmen
and I rish names are h o n o urably c o nn ected wi th
every phase o f Au s tralian life
I n Australia
a s a wh o le ab o ut o n e quarter o f the pe o ple are
either entirely o r partially I ri s h There are
three Judge s in the H igh C o urt o f the
C o mm o nwealth and o n e o f these is an I ri s h
Au s tralian
The Chairman o f C o mmittee
by wh o se casting v o te the Wes t Australian
C o n s tituti o n was pa s sed b o re the name o f
O Kelly ;
S o uth Australia has had an I rish
P remier in the per s o n o f Mr C C King s t o n :
the late P remier o f % ueensland Mr T J
B yrnes was an I rishman and I rishmen are
l
n o t few o n the Bench in
ueens
and
an
d
in
the
%
P arliament
.

T h e G en i u s

f t he G a e l

I will n o t weary the reader by c arrying

the rec o rd farther What has been said is
su fcient t o indicate the nature o f the ex per i
ence which lies at the r o o t o f Australia n
o pini o n ab o ut the s o undness o f I rish po litical
talent A s t o the fact in general it is n o t
t o o much t o s a y that all the P rime Ministers o f
Australasia might be calle d in e v i d en c e
% uick intelligence readiness o f s peec h r e
s o ur c efulness idealism and a pe rsuasive

pers o n a lity the average I rishma n s share o f

these qualiti es g o es far t o ma ke him e ffe ctive
in c o un s el and in c o ntr o vers y The m o re i m
p o rtant gift lies deepe r : it c o nsists in his
sympathetic imaginati o n turned t o p o litical
I ) by r o ugh but sagaci o us insight int o
u s es
the pr o blems that underlie po litical issues ;
t
2
by
intuiti
o
n
s
o
o
ther
m
en
s
minds
d
a
n
a
( )
.

W rd p h t t h I ri h N ti n l
m
w
hi
h
i
n
l
M
H
l
n
B n qu t
3
9
f N w S uth W l
d lib r t ly
t h Att r n y G n r l
l im d M R dm nd
l d r t hr ug h ut t h
f
ry m wh l u t h rig h t f
B ri t i h E m pir
lf g v r n m n t
I

See

S ir

J o se ph
1

ac c a

se

o e

e a
e

on

ev e

eec

o c c as o

a so

as

an

I 38

a es ,

ea

va

es

e a e

T h e Gae l i n P o li t i c s
the p o pular m o vement s o f th o ught and feeling
H e kn o w s hi s o w n mind m o re o ver ab o ut the
p o litical o bject s t o be attained because he i s
in general a man o f ideas o riginal o r acquired
Al s o he is a man o f acti o n an d theref o re he
i s a pr a c t i c a l idealist
Further besides kn o w
ing the mind s o f his fell o w s he i s sympathetic
and respo nsive in dealing with them thus he
gives the impressi o n o f being the man w ho
understands Therefo re if he is st r o ng and
clear en o ugh he is the man w ho leads I f
there are o ther I rishmen e qually e ffe c tive
they settle it b etween them They are well
able t o weigh o ne an o ther with s u fcient
They h a ve a turn fo r c o o perati o n
a ccuracy
t o o and believe in the elective princi ple
I t is pr o b able that the p o litical gift rst
n o ticed with admirati o n by the o bservant
Englishmen o f the e ighties was the ability
fo r c o heren c e sh o wn b y the I ri s h P arty under
M r P arnell in the H o use o f C o mm o ns and by
the I rish race be hind it s cattered thr o ugh the
w o rld That tremend o u s fact remain s t o day
.

39

T h e G en i u s

Gae l

t he

has remained g r o wn large r and be c o me m o re

si g nicant d uring thirty year s a persistent
s o lidarity in which the earlier aws have dis
appeared I t needs s o me reecti o n t o realize
ho w rem a rkable that c o he rence w a s c o nsider
ing the wide diversity o f idea s that prevailed
up t o 1 8 8 6 as t o b o th mean s and end s a n d
c o nsidering als o the s tro ng and even s t o rmy
pers o nalities o f many w ho s t oo d s h o ulder
to
sh o ulder fo r the I rish cause in d i s r e
gard o f all di fferences di s likes su s pici o ns
disappr o vals j eal o usies
There were the
phy s ical f o rce men very dubi o us ab o ut the
c o n s tituti o nali s t s
there were the c o n s t it u
t i o n al i st s
very anxi o u s ab o ut the men w ho
relied on physical f o rce But t o o n e idea all

c o uld a g ree namely that the P arlia mentary

P arty sh o uld make the be s t ght p o s sible in
the B riti s h P arliament in o rder t o relieve I rish
distre s s o n the land and s e t up an I rish P arlia
ment fo r the management o f Iri s h a ffairs B y
this central idea they held fast and ne v er
l o sin g si g ht o f it st o o d by e a ch o ther l o ya lly
thr o ugh g o o d rep o rt and evil
,

4o

T h e G ae l i n P o li t i c s
The P a rnell m o vement revealed many
p o tentialities in I rish p o litical nature but ab o ve

all it reveale d the ability o f the I ris h like the

French in this respect t o g rasp t he o n e idea
c o mm o n t o a vast numbe r o f di ffering mind s t o
h o ld it fast and t o gr o up all o ther related idea s
in sub o rdinati o n t o it fo r pract ical purpo s e s
The m o st irrec o ncilable N ati o nali s t s and the
m o st timid C o nstituti on alists within the party
desired alike that the U nited Kingd o m P arlia
ment s h o uld in s o me way be used fo r the
benet o f I reland : als o they agreed alike that
the necessary means fo r this purp o se was a
pe rfe c tly independent and c o herent party all o w
ing n o quarrel in s ide its r anks and n o allian ce
except o n the main qu e sti o n o utside This
w a s the basis o f that united m o vement which was
backe d by t he I rish Nati o nalists scattered
There is n o o ther
o ver the face o f the gl o be
example in hist o ry that c o mpares with this as
sh ow ing ability in a scattered and m o tley h o st
An d the
t o c o here under the lead o f an i d ea
ex am ple is the m o re remarkable becaus e

41

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

f
f
o
o
reatness
the
pers
nality
t
the
head
o
a
g
the h o st centre d in n o thin g less but in n o thing
else than his abs o lute trustw o rthiness as the
serv ant o f the idea The pe o ple o be yed him
be c ause they truste d him an d they truste d him
because he w a s the in c arnati o n o f the idea

whi c h ga v e them unity a un ity which o nce

w on by a nati o n c a n ne v er a g ain b e wh o lly l o st
I rishmen have a g re a t capacity fo r di ffering
but when they be g in t o agree there is n o
s t o pping them T he nine ties supplie d o ther
examples o f t his ge nius fo r unity with
di fference
the c o O perati o n o f Uni onists
with N ati o n a lists in pr o test a g ainst the o ver
taxati o n o f I relan d as revealed by the R o yal
C o mmissi o n ; ( 2 ) the reuni o n o f the I rish
P arliamentary P arty br o ken s o ho pelessly as
it o n c e seemed by the P arn ell trage dy ;
o
s
f
c
o
perati
o
n
irre
pective
o
p
o
litics
in
the
3
( )
I ndustrial Literary and Language m o vements
The n o te o f the ra c ial character here is the
practical ide a lism which is als o so French
The m o bile co n c rete Celti c mind is at the back

t he

42

T h e Gae l i n P o li t i c s
it Supp o se twenty m illi o n min d s have
amid a th o usand d i fferen c es o n e idea in
c o mm o n and supp o se that s o me man o r gr o up
feeling this take it as the basi s o f a
o f men
practical p o licy and s o pro claim it The quick
ness and c o mpleteness with which the twenty
milli o n fall in line behind their standard
bearers d epends o n the degree o f m o bile c o n
c r e t e n e s s in the racial intellectual character
The min d that m o ves with swiftness and unity
easily rearran g es its ideas at least tentatively
r o un d the c o mmo n idea as centre
I f that
c o mm o n idea has any h o l d o n su c h a mind
then the h o pe o f nati onal unity which go es with
this idea will make it str o ng and s o with m o re
acc o rdin g t o
o r les s ease and c o mpletenes s
its ran g e o f o ther ideas the swift and singly
m o ving mind thinks itself int o a new attitu d e
characterized b y the a cceptance o f the ideal
pr o p o sed as the basis o f at least an imm ediate
pra c tical p o licy The stalwart ex F enian J o hn
O Lea r y I supp o se never preferred c o n s t i t u
an d all the
t i o n a l t o rev o luti o nary met ho ds
of

43

T h e G en i u s

f t he G ae l

extremists were li able t o ts o f retr o g ressi o n

o n their o w n views but they were able t o nd
s o mething in themselves enabling them t o fall
int o line behind men wh o se views were the
very antithesi s o f their o w n These fo r their
part a c cepte d with o ut in c hin g the c o o pera
ti o n o n t hei r o w n l i ne s o f any I rishman what
ever his rec o rd
P utting i t m o re generally it is characteristic
o f the c o ncrete Celtic mind that it enables a
gr o up o f pers on s with di ffere nt idea s t o
m o bilize e asily under the lead o f an idea
This it d o es because the c o ncrete mind in each
indivi d ual is ab le t o m o bilize itself with ease
A C eltic gr o up thinks as I have been t o ld o f
Frenchmen at a s cientic c o ngress like o n e
man Thi s is be cause each man thinks himself
int o the p o s iti o n rapidly and the po s iti o n while
it may appeal in s o me respects di fferently
t o each appeal s als o similarly t o all in that o n e
respe ct which is fo r all relevant t o the imm e
diate purp o se
In an a c t o f th o ught s o
s udden and s wift as that by which a hundred
,

I 44

T h e G ae l i n P o l i t i c s
men under em o ti o nal excitement think the s ame
th o ught and d o the same deed simultane o usly
there is a quick play o f sympathetic imagina
ti o n as well as o f individual th o ught They
n o t o nly a g ree
they kn o w als o that they are
agreed
The fact that indivi dual swiftness o f th o ught
an d s o cial simultaneity are thus c o nne c ted i s
illustrated by the f o ll o wi n g acc o unt o f t he
average hist o ry o f a Ho use o f C o mm o ns j o ke
o nce t o ld m e by an Engli s h member
When
a j o ke is made o r a hum o r o u s incident o ccur s
it takes e ffect rst o n the I rish ben c hes : a
burst o f s i m ul t a n eo us laughter issues fr o m that
part o f the building Then c e it is taken up
by the neighb o uring benches and r o l l s
I have n o ticed this
g r a d ua l l y o ver the Ho use
very o ften An I rish repartee t o the Minister
o f the Cr o wn will s o metimes b e sh o uted acr o ss
the Ho use i n uni s o n while the wo rds are
s c a r c ely ou t o f hi s m o uth
Ability t o m o bilize in a g r o up t urn s o n
the inner ability o f its me m bers t o readjust the
attitude o f mind and c o ncentrate it at a new
,

1 45

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

practical p o int as required P o litical adherence

de pend s o n the ma inten ance o f the attitude thus
taken u pthe persi s tence o f the idea Thi s
pe r s istence clearly is n o t t he same quality a s
readines s t o m o bilize And yet there is a c l o se
c o nnecti o n
M o bility tends direct t o s o cial s o lida rity
when the s o cial c on ditio ns are fulll ed t hat
i s when the hundred mind s o r s o are kept by
C ircum s tan ce s in each o ther s presence The
m o bile mind c o ndemned t o s o litu de l o s es t o uch
with i t s kind and may run away al o n g its o w n
tan gents int o a myriad eccentricities such as
w o uld never o ccur t o a s lo wer min d o n an o ther
Of
s o litary and nei g hb o uring m o untain t o p
these t w o b o th s o litar y t he least m o bile is
the m o re persistent i t s excur s i o ns fr o m its
slighter
o riginal centre o f ideas are sl o wer
and less fre quent : I t s stability i s self
dependent There is a great charm in thi s
ab s o lute s tability o f character which we sh o uld
b e wr o ng t o undervalue To the m o bi l e Celt
thi s kind o f stability i s denied : even o n the
m o untain t o p al o ne new ideas gr o w and swell
.

46

T h e G ae l i n P o l i t i c s
in him and if his p o wer o f intellect i s no t hi g h
may carry him far int o the insanitie s o f e x a g
gerated and m o rb id individuality This i s the
danger o f pr o l o nged s o litude fo r the Celt Fo r
o n e o f the o pp o site type the danger is s i mple
stagn ati o n and dullness this is the lesser evil
surely o f the t w o M o derate iso lati o n leaves
the o n e stable and fairly n o rmal while it makes
the o ther eccentric m o re sepa rate fr o m hi s
kind than bef o re
B ut let t he mo b ile Celt live in s o ciety even
th o ugh it b e o nly in that imaginati o n o f s o ciety
which i s maintained by letters and newspaper s

The m o bility o f tempe r which is an o ther

a s pe ct o f ac cessibility t o ideas will by any
kind o f interc o urse maintain his s o lidarity with
his kind and preserve that s tability o f mental
equilibrium which is persistence o f ideas at its
best H i s tendencie s t o g o o ff al o ng the tan
gent o f his o r i ginal ideas with prep o ster o u s
speed are balan ced by the c o nstant cent ra l
f o r c e o f the s o cial ideas with which he i s in

c o ntact t he c o mm o n sense o f his s o cial w o rld

I f the individual f o rce i s s tr o ng s o is the s o cial
,

I 47

T h e G en i u s

t he

Gae l

f o r c e and t o get her t he y keep him rapi d ly in

m o vement but always in the path o f s o cial
sanity and c o mm o n sense Thus we need n o t
be surprise d t o n o te that a C e lt s o far as
s o litary tends t o b e e cc entric while s o far as
s o c ial he tends t o e xempli fy his typ e with
extra o rdinary tenacity I r i shmen a re at o nce
m o re unlike an d more like each o ther than their
O pp o site acc o rdin g a s the t ange ntial f o rce s
o f s o litude o r the ce n trip e tal f o rces o f s o ciety
pred o minat e in them The g o lden mean which
c o mb ines o riginality with co mm o n sense indi
vidual m o bility with individual persisten ce is
preserved best thr o u g h the m ed i um o f s o cial
s o lidarity Cheap newspapers the penny p o st
and village libraries may in the future play a
large pa rt in the fullment o f th o s e co nditi o ns
o f devel o pment which the Celti c races have
re quired all al o n g
W e may thus sum up the c o n c lusi on no w
re a c hed M o bility o f tempe rament makes fo r
instability o f ideas and it may be o f chara cter
when separated fr o m the s o c ial medium t o
which it naturally and by its hist o ry bel o n g s
,

T h e Gae l i n P o l i t i c s
But the same m o bility make s fo r the stability o f
th o ught and o f character s o l o ng as c o ntact
with its pr o per medium i s maintained E asy
m o vement is a s fav o urable t o the s o cial f o rce s
o f restituti o n a s it is t o the indi v i d ual f o r c es
that make fo r change
In every life there are h o we ver intervals
during which the central
s o cial ) f o rce
is n o t pr o d ucin g any new impressi o ns either
by restituti o n o r o therwise on the mind The
self is left t o itself and t o the w o rkings o f its
o w n imaginati o n
The salt o f its s anity in
such days is the s o ci a l imagin a ti o n B y this
is kept alive the byg o ne t o uch o f o ther mind s
and thus are maintained the m o o rin g s which
bind it t o its kind In temp o rary s o litude o r
absen c e fr o m h o me the o ther co nsci o us mind
has s till the feelings o f the o thers their
th o ughts their wishes A ffecti o n makes these
int o sacred ties and lls the pers o nal life
with the sentiment o f l o yalty This sentiment
gr o unded as it is in imaginati o n o f the a ffecti o ns
and sym pathies be co me s fo r the m o bile Celt
the permanent safe g uard o f his s o c ial attach
,

49

T h e G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

ments and thr o ugh them o f his individual

character The I ri s hman w ho tam pers with his
s entiment o f l o yalty i s d o ing a dan g er o us thing
H e is cuttin g the r o pe that binds him t o the
weightiest anch o r in the m o o ring s o f Character
the anch o r o f s o cial imaginati o n s uprem e o ver
instinct
W e have seen ho w Celtic m o bility han g s
with Celtic s o lidarity and thus with Celtic per
si s tence o f ideas A Celtic p o litical idea d o es
n o t die :
it wanes but s o mewhere its mem o ry
i s enshrined
O n e day it is pr o claimed t o the
w o rld aga in and its w o rld rallies t o its standard
o nce m o re
W e have seen t o o ho w the com pleti o n o f
individual character by s o cial inuence may
fail at this p o int and a certain series o f types
o f the inc o mplete erratic Celt bec ome p o s s ible
Celtic negatives attract attenti o n : they appear
as the unbalanced p o sitive quality in e x ag
H ence their variety and vexati o u s
g e r a t io n
aggressiveness H ence als o the crying need
fo r educati o n and all g o o ds o f the s o ula
crying need becau s e the lack o f these is a
,

'

50

The G a e l

i n P o l it i c s

p o sitive hurt The Te ut o n is o nly dull where

the Celt is ridicul o u s and ann o yin g
In p o litic a l life mere abstract m o bility in
the units en able s a great m o vement t o be made
and led but it als o enable s the enemy ea s ily
t o break I t up by the advanceme nt o f new and
attractive idea s o f a di s integrating character
M o b ility implie s expansive friendline s s in
f
o
o
eneral
s
o
ciety
a
capacity
o
r
the
f
rmati
n
g
thi s in p o litics is o n e way
o f new alliances :
I n E lizabethan
o f disintegrating o l d b o nd s
I re l and and much later thi s w a s the f o rm
taken by the I rish p o litical anti genius Celtic
s o lidarity br o ke d o wn in th o se st o rmy day s
fo r many reas o ns o f whi c h the Celtic s o cial
nature o n the exp an sive side o f it t o wards
Teut o nic neighb o urs was certainly o n e No te
that impro ve d me ans o f
o n the o ther hand
c o mmunicati o n between the scattered members
n o t t o wards the
o f o n e race w o rks steadily
reducti o n o f Celtic e xpansivene s s but t o wards
the increase o f that Celtic s o lidarity on which
the s tab ility o f the nati o nal pr o gre s s depend s
W hen s o lidarity is secured expansivene s s
.

51

enric hes the nati o nal feelin g an d a d ds t o the

nati o nal stren g t h
In m o dern I relandthe I reland o f this c en

tury and the last the c o nict has be en an d is

between ideas n o t between races o r g reat
families Abstract m o bility means a liability
t o be s w iftly m o ved and carried away by a
great idea with an e qual liability t o be drawn
fr o m it by an o ther idea f o ll o wing after This
is the p o litical char a cter o f which the French
are n o t very justly acc use d and perhaps it
w a s an element in the p o liti c al character o f
the ancient G reek To it c ertainly the indi
vidual G aelic I rishman has the liab ility o f his
temperament I t su g ge s ts the easiest line o f
attack o n his p o li t i cal character Against it
s tand s
up his s o cial instin c t making fo r
s o lidarity an d thereb y fo r a m o st c o nservative
persistence in the o ld central ideas r o un d
which and r o und which o nly the race can be
rallied So cial in stinct must always be against
a chan g e o f nati onal s tan d ard : thus it acts
as a s afe and steady drag o n tendencie s t o
chan g e in the nati o n a l ideas T he I rish n a ti o n
.

'

52

T h e G ae l i n P o l i t i c s
c o nsci o us o f its nat i onh o o d is t o each o n e o f
its members the c ounterp o ise o f excessive racial
accessibility t o new p o litical ideas
I t may
well be said that the I ris h p o litical g enius has
sh o wn it s elf at its best in o u r ge nerati o n
becau s e never un til n o w has the s o cial instinct
o f nati o nh o o d f o un d fo r itself su fcient o ppo r
t u n i t y t o o utweigh the C e ltic fertility o f ideas ?
Even t o w a rds enemies the s o c ial nature has
its instinctive play W hen the F o under o f
Christianity laid it d o wn as a principle that
we sh o uld l o ve o ur enemies He imp lied that
it was p o ssible t o regard a man as an enemy
and nevertheless treat him with kindly human
regard The psych o l o gy o f this Christian prin
it lies in the fact that
c i pl e is plain en o ugh :
even in the h o ur o f deadliest strife each o f
the t w o Opp o nents is capable o f respect ing
the f e elin g s o f the o ther and treating them as
sacred t o him e qu a lly with hi s o wn G ae lic
her o ic literature is rich in pagan illustrati o ns

At this p o int this m o st cha rac

o f this theme

i
p
int
Celtic nature i s instinctiv ely
o
t eri st c
Christian I reland ha s been a battle gr o und
,

S3

T h e G en i u s

t he

G ae l

No
centurie s b o th pa g an and Christian
c o untry has su ffered m o re terribly fr o m erc e
internecin e strife B ut I rish s o cial nature has
been able t o maintain i t s s ymp athies i t s sen s e
o f a c o mm o n nature and a c o m m o n c o n s ci o us
ne s s in the face o f the m o s t persistent enemies
There i s a c o ntra s t here between French and
I ri s h hi s t o ry which argues fo r the pre sence
o f s o me g l o o m i e r racial e lement in the F rench
Thi s I rish quality explains at o nce t w o mark ed
features o f I rish hist o ry O n e is the capaci ty
o f the I rish race t o abs o rb all stra n g ers and
enemies int o itself The o ther is that s o cial
in c o herence o f medi aeval I reland already
n o ticed which pr o ceeds in actual fact
as we
s e e when we study it
a s mu c h fr o m the ten
d en c y o f all men t o fraternize with each o ther
as fr o m their e qually indi s putable tendency t o
quarrel I t rem a in s that in the l o ng run this
G aelic gift fo r realizin g human br o therh o o d
in any f o rm m a y pr o ve t o be the m o st p o tent
element fo r I reland s weal in the I rish nati o nal
genius fo r p o litics
H i s emphatic pers o n ality makes the Irish
fo r

'

T h e G ae l i n P o l i t i c s
man ery in dispute hi s s o ciab ility disp o s es
him during the intervals o f warfare t o expand
in friendly s ympathy t o wards his enemies
B o th e ffe ct s ten ded t o pr o duce in the o ld
s t o rm y
times s o c ial inc o herence within the
nati o n The peculiarly s hifting character o f
the E nglish s ettlements m o re o ver and the
caprici o u s meth o d o f E ngli s h g o vernment in
all the centurie s enc o ur aged the tendency t o
alternate bursts o f war and friend s hip between
the t w o races in I reland The remarkable
fact h o wever is that there w a s even in the
m o st cha o tic time s an extra o rd inary am o unt
o f kindly feeling between hereditary f o es mixed
with a m o st extravagant pas s i o n fo r warfare
W e nd n o thin g like the erce steady feuds
between the S c o tch clan s which are the
c o unterpart of the magnicent l o yalty and
c o herence within the clan The I rish tribe
was less c o herent but as a c o mpensati o n the
I rish race by H ibernicising the aliens saved
I reland fo r the I rish t o a c onsiderable extent
The G ael o f S c o tlan d is the H ighland S c o t
t o day : the G ael o f I relan d is the I rish type
,

55

'

en i u s

G ae

In the c o unsels o f the I rish Nati o nalist P ar

l i a m en t a r y P arty the t e ndency t o fraternize with
En glish Lib erals was regarded by many as
a seri o us dange r t o p a rty in d ependence The
member s o f the Ho me Rule P arty under Mr
P arnell in the great ghting days o f 1 8 8 1 6
c o nsidered themselves as practically b o und
o ver t o a s o cial as well as a p o liti cal p o licy o f
unfriendliness I n th o se d ays n o I rish member
dined with an English memb er I t was felt

necessary fo r discipline that is fo r unity t o

negative by strict prin ciples the danger o us
s o c iability o f the G ael
Let us l oo k m o re C l o sely at t his pleasant
quality in o rder t o s e e w hether apart fr o m
circum s tan ce s s o abn o rmal as th o se o f I ri s h
hist o ry it is liable t o such excess as t o call
fo r c o unte rbalance in s o me o ther quality
When friend s are ma de readily and freely it
beco me s easy if o n e be o therwise s o inclined
t o make new frien d s in the place o f o l d o nes
and thi s may lead t o c kl ene s s unless there be
The in ex
s o me p o werful preve n ting f o rce
h
i
s o ld friends
un
enial
man
needs
i
a
n
s
e
v
p
g
.

56

T h e Gae l i n P o li t i c s
the m o re because he d oes n o t easily make new
The genial man is faithful o nly becau s e
o nes
there is a po sitive f o rce o f faithfulness in him
This i s the c o nservative virtue which keeps
balance against the ex pansive virtue o f
eniality
g
To be faithful is the same thing as t o be
c o nservative in a ffecti o n I rish instinct ten ds
thus direct t o faithfulness Bu t let an I rish
man reas o n himself away fr o m his instin c t in
this respect and the chances are that he will

d rift very far farther than the less instinctive

Teut o n just as a w om an w ho has l o s t her
s elf re s pe c t is apt t o c o ntinue t o l o se it m o re
fatally than a man And in general it s h o uld
be n o ted that the nature which is g o verned by
ne instincts in pe rfect balan ce su ffers m o re
in m o ral deteri o rati o n by the destructi o n o f o n e
instinct than is su ffered in like case by the
natu re which walks c o o lly an d calmly in the
mean o f reas o n o r d uty Still it is a ne thing
t o h a ve the instincts and it remains t o preserve
them by cultivating a rati o nal ideal o f life
Faithfulne s s i s in po litics a c o nservative
.

S7

T h e G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

f o rce I s n o t this c o nservative quality itself

an o utc o me fro m that central quality o f co n
c r e t e n e s s which we dis c o vered at the o ut s et ?
The c o ncr ete mind react s n o t partially but
with who leness and swiftnes s o n i t s new im
pressi o ns ; it d o es n o t l o se the o l d in the new
any m o re than it ceases t o feel and t o Imagine
when it thinks any m o re than it ceases t o
realize its pe rs o na lity even when m os t ab s o rbe d
in the things o f the w o rl d o utside
H ere then is o u r c o nclusio n
The n o rmal
I rish nature even o f civilized t o day o wes
its p o litic o s o cial quality t o the r are fo rce with
which it has preserved and the fullness with
which it has devel o pe d the twin p rimitive
in s tinct s o f universal friendliness and c o nserva

tive a ffecti o n the instinct t o fell o wship o f man

with man and the instinct t o cling cl o se a nd
pe rsistently t o its prime o b j ects o f a ffecti o n
I t is this sense o f the eternal In human
attachment s that gives t o all I rish s o cial life
its characteristic undert o ne o f spirituality In
this perha ps m o re than in anything else Celt s
o f all nati o ns understand each o ther
.

58

V L I
SO CIAL I NSTI TUTIONS
E O UT ON O F

UNDER TH E

ANC I ENT G AEL

r n i nt lif lm g w
F rth fr m hi p r n t t m
A d bl n d t h ir bl d
th
O f t h ir
bl n t i n th m ;
h w m trik r t i n t f f r ti m
Bo

So

eac

ne

a e

s a re

an

an

oo

es

ro

s e

as

s,

ose

oo

o a

ar

o e-

M ATTH W ARNO L D

C H AP TER V

EVOL UT I ON
is

SO C I AL I NS T I T UT I O NS
T HE AN C IE NT GAE L

OF

UN

DE R

land o f mem o ries that endure

All the o l d G a elic instituti o ns were gr o und
int o p o wder during centuries o f vi o lent a n d
c o ntinual strife
Yet few o f the o l d ideas
really d ied o ut in re c ent years they have used
the new f o rms im po sed upo n them turning
these int o fresh vehicles o f their life The ideal
s o urces o f the I rish m o dern m o vement lie in
deep instincts be g o tten o f the dim hist o ric past
i n s t 1 n c t s which expressed them selve s in the
devel o pment o f the ancient I rish o rganizati o n
o f s o ciety
I n e a ch branch o f this o rganizati o n
c a n be seen the o riginal Aryan idea o n the
s ub ject
m o die d j ust s o fa r as was ne ce s sary
I R E LAN D

1 61

T h e G en i u s

t he

G ae l

the pu rp os es o f devel o pment but n o t trans

t o w ed as in o ther lands
C o nsider fo r
instanc e the case o f tribal ri g hts and lan d
o wner s hip
Thr o ugh o ut E ur o pe tribalism
changed int o feudali sm an d the o riginal tribal
idea w a s l o st the free man s status w a s
reduced t o t hat o f the unfree feudal tenant
I n I reland s imilar external f o rces were at
w o rk but the tri bal ide a reacts s t ify o n the s e
f o rce s s o t hat they m o dify and preserve i t
the B reh o n law pr o vides means and sets
limits fo r the preservati o n o f the tribesman s
freedo m and even fo r the ac quisiti o n o f tribal
freed o m by the fu i d i r o r unfree ten ant o f
alien race
Celtic idealism and t he C eltic
so cial
tempe r reinf o rced by Christian in u
en c es
w o ul d seem t o be the explan a ti o n o f
thi s fact
The high c haracter a n d gallant
reco rd o f the unfree tribes may als o h av e
c o ntributed
A s tudy o f I ri s h s o ciety under the

fo r

C m p r pr i i n

l aw

a e

ov s o

to

i m il r ff

1 62

ec t

in

t he

H br w
e

E vo l u t i o n

S o c i a l I n st i t u t i o n s

B reh o n law in pre No rman times will fully

illustrate the claim here put fo rward that
G aelic instituti o n s were C haracterized by the
maintenance o f the idea o f the Aryan
tribe thr o ugh o ut the nece s sary changes that
beset it I n such main tenance o f the central
idea change bec o mes devel o pment pr o gre s s
in the best sen s e a reective self c o n s ci o u s
pr o gre s s fr o m the simple t o the c o mplex
The c o mm o n tribe sman w a s the pea s an t
head o f the family enj o ying freely the u s e o f
the tribal land The tribe sman might fall int o
deb t make a c o ntract with the C hief o f hi s

f
tribe o r s o me o ther pers o n o weight by
which he b o rro wed cattle fo r hi s use in agri
culture and undert o o k t o pay intere s t in
service h o mage and materi al g o o d s Thi s i s
the o rigin o f rent in I reland and pr o b ably in
E lsewhere
o ther E ur o pean c o untries as well
it w a s the beginning o f feudalism
The
peculiarity o f I reland lies in the fact that the
B reh o n land law was devel o ped side by side
with the c o nditi o ns leading t o feudalism t o
-

1 63

T h e G en i u s

t he

G ae l

check and regulate them at every turn Thu s

as the needy peasant f o und it ne c essary t o
take st o ck fro m his chief and bec o me a
ten a nt the law l o vin g intellect o f the G ael
stepp ed in and regulated with the utm o st
exactness the rent which tenants were t o pay
their l o rds H ence the di fference between the
I ri s h idea o f land tenure and the idea in all
o ther E ur o pean
c o untries where landl o rdism
still exists The ide a o f a judicial ren t i s as
o l d in I reland a s the in s tituti o n o f rent itself
E ven the chief o f the tribe was n o t excepted
fr o m the d o mini o n o f law : the king s rents
were regulated a s well a s th o se o f al l the
o thers
Th e law als o ma d e pr o visi o n fo r the termi
nati o n o i a tenan cy After rent and h o mage
had been rendered fo r seven years the tenant
became entitled t o the st o ck if the chief died ;
and if the tenant died his heirs were partially
th o ugh n o t wh o lly relieved fr o m their o blig a
tio n
Thus the law aimed n o t o nly at
regulating the relati o n s between landl o rd and
.

64

E vo l u t i o n

S o c i al I n st i t u t i o n s

tenan t but at the preventi o n o f permanency

in the servile relati o nship
Clearly the
ten d ency thr o ugh o ut is t o c o nserve the an cient
tribal idea o f a c o mmunity o f freemen by
limiting the po wer o f the str o ng t o make
c o ntra c ts with the weak C o ntrast this with
the unchecke d degenerati o n o f tribalism in
medi aeval Eur o pe
The I rish law tracts give us in the fu i d i r
cla s s the true pr o t o type o f the nineteenth
C entury I ri sh tenant S trangers tribeless and
h o meles s needed n o t o nly lan d t o settle upo n
perhaps a little capital t o s tart with
an d
but a l s o the pr o tecti o n o f a claim o n s o me
s o ciety The chief n o d o ubt had in early
times access t o the waste lands o f the tribe
and o n these it was easy for him t o settle
strangers w ho came t o him Thu s the fu i d i r
w o uld enter int o a free c o ntract with the l o rd
by which he o btained leave t o settle o n the
lan d and w a s se cured in the pr o tecti o n o f his
l o rd w ho thencef o rth st oo d t o him in the
relati o n o f family i e was bail and witness
,

65

T h e G en i u s

Gae l

t he

him in the tribal c o urts O n the o ther

hand he w o uld agr ee t o pay the l o rd a rent
and the law left the t w o perfectly free t o agree
o n that rent a s best they m ight
The l o rd
might accept the fu i di r s o ffer o r l e t him g o ;
the tenant was free t o pay o r g o The ren t
o f a fu id i r is denitely distinguished in
the
great law tract the S ea n c hu s M o r fr o m the
fair rent paid by o n e o f the tribe as a rack
rent fr o m a pers o n o f stranger trib e
So
t o be a tribesman was t o have the p r o tecti o n
o f the law
and t o be a s tranger was t o be
left t o the l o rd s g o o dwill public Opini o n and
the natural law o f demand and supply
N o w the result o f the pr o g ress o f feudalism
in E ur o pe w a s t o turn all tribesmen int o fu i d i r
tenant s in the s en s e o f the B reh o n law ; and
the d o wnfall o f feudali s m a s between king and
bar o n s in m o dern time s br o ught in m o dern
landl o rdism with its mere tenants a t will Thi s
system was i ntro duced int o I reland but clearly
a f o reign system
The Br eh o n law in
as
the o l d days checked t he feudal tendency at

fo r

66

E vo l u t i o n

every turn and

,

S o c i a l I n st i t u t i o n s

i t s i d e a s ha ve

no t

di e d

o ut

I t i s indeed striking t o n o te
ho w the ancient practical ideas cru s hed bel o w
the s urface by new instituti o ns and o pp o s ed
fr o m the o utside in later times have survived
and s o make their r s t r e appearance in the
m o dern w o rld o f the B riti s h I s les fr o m the
m ind o f the nati o n that invented their practice
hundred s o f years a g o I n fact t he i d e al i s ti c
e ve n

t o - d ay

r a ce

is

bl i n d ly
or

n e c e s s a r il y
so

as

t h o ug h

co n s er va ti ve,

t o wa r d s

t o ward s m er e

c us t o m

a
a
r
t
i
c
l
r
u
p

in

a ny

no t

i n s t i t u ti o ns

g ui s e

Pr o

c o nservatism is o f the essence o f the

I rish po litical ge nius This is o n e o f the facts
which are explaine d by the hyp o thesis o f
Celtic p s ych o l og y s e t f o rth in these pa ges
An o ther illu s trati o n o f the c o n s ervative way
in which the s e o l d I ri s h devel o ped their civili
za t i on
may be f o und in the extra o rdinary
devel o pment o f the idea o f kinsh i p v o luntary
a s the s o urce o f mutual
n o less than natural
dutie s and j o int res p o n s ibilities capa ble o f
being dene d by law The resp o nsibility o f

g re s s i v e

67

T h e G en i u s

t he

G ae l

the natural family fo r the c rimes o f its mem bers

i s an idea t o b e f o und in early Aryan s o cieties
generally B ut in the o ther s o cieties it w a s
su per s eded as they became m o re c o mplex I n
I reland it w a s deve l o p e d t o suit the c o m
Th is appears m o re particularly in
p l e x i t ie s
c o nne cti o n with the fruitful idea o f v o luntary
kinship a pplicable t o all bo nds between m an
and man o utside the relati o nship o f the natural
H o w characteri s tic this o f the ex
fam ily
n
s
i
e
a
v
and
c
nservative
Celt
%
The
b
o
nd
s
o
p
of
natural family a ffecti o n are tran s cended
n o t by the deni al
bu t by the expa nsi o n o f
the family idea W o rker s at o n e craft f o rm
a v o luntary family called a craft s guild in
medi aeval E ur o pe and the law treated i t s
members as an articial gr o up o f kindred
The peasant s likewise f o rmed such gr o ups
called B r u ig hs and the law rec o gnized this
v o luntary gro up a s a fa m i ly entitled t o a re pr e
their elected head in the tribal
s e nt a t i v e
a s sembly
The B reh o n law s upplies many
missing links : it sho ws u s here how m o dern
.

68

E v o l u t i on

S o c i al I n st i t ut i o n s

representative instituti ons po int back t o an

o rigin in the early c o nstituti o n o f t he tribe
O u r Memb er o f P arliament i s the elected head
o f the v o luntary family
I t i s o nly the o l d
I rish law that ke e ps the o riginal ideal in sight
The pe o ple w ho have n o family ac quire by
c o o perati o n the rights o f family
The I rish laws o f f o sterage enshrine the
s ame idea in this c o nservative pr o gress fr o m
s imple
c o mplex
Fo s t e rag e pure and
to
s imple
the giving and taking o f children fo r
nurture exi s te d in all the early Aryan c o m
m u n i t i e s ; but in I reland the practice became
extra o rdinarily prevalent and was carefully
regulated by the law
I t w a s quite u s ual
till very late time s that children o f n o ble birth
s h o uld be f o stered by the l o wlier dependent s
of
their familie s ; an d thi s cust o m ha s n o
d o ubt c o ntributed t o intensify the sentiment
o f a ffecti o n between the diff erent ranks o f the
sept o r clan
I t has supplied the i d e a o f
f o ster kindred when that o f kin d red was
o bscure
B ut it is with the use o f the f o sterage
.

69

T h e G en i u s

t he

Gae l

idea in s piritual intellectual and in dustrial

relati o n ships that we are m o re s pecially c o n
cerned I n a s o ciety o rganized under the idea
o f kindred it i s natural that every relati o nship
sh o uld be a ssimilated t o the family relati o n
ship So we nd in I reland the family o f
the saint and spiritual f o sterage o r g o ssipred
the fraternity o f the craftsman and industrial
f o sterage the family o f the teacher whether
bard o r breh o n and literary f o s terage beside s
the military f o ster childre n o f the great
warri o rs I t is ab o ut literary f o sterage that we
read m o st in the B reh o n law tracts which give
under this title the law o f the relati o n between
teacher and pupil An entire subtract in the
S e an c hu s M o r
i s dev o ted t o the subject o f
f o s terage and set s o u t with the utm o s t minute
nes s the rights and dutie s attaching t o all
partie s c o ncerned I t i s plain that the B reh o n
c o nceptio n o f the relati o n between f o ster child
and f o ster family is a sli g ht variati o n o f that
which regulates the relat i o n between the child
and i t s natural family the child o wing certain
,

70

E vo l u t i o n

S o c i al I n st i t u t i o n s

duties t o the family and the family bearing

certain re s p o nsibilities fo r the child
O u t o f the c o ncepti o n o f f o s terage grew
the law regulating the relati o n o f pupil t o

H o wever
teacher the literary f o ster father
it may s urprise us s ay s Sir H enry Maine
that the c o nnecti o n between pupil and teacher
was regarded a s peculiarly sacred by the
ancient I ri s h and a s C l o sely resemblin g natural
fatherh o o d the Breh o n tracts leave u s n o r o o m
fo r d o ubt o n the p o int
I t is expressly lai d
d o w n that it created the same pa t r i a p o t es t a s
a s actual paternity ;
and the literary f o ster
father th o ugh he teaches gratuit o usly has a
claim thr o ugh life up o n p o rti o ns o f the pr o pe rty
o f the literary f o s ter s o n
Thu s the breh o n
with hi s pupil s c o n s tituted n o t a s ch o o l i n o u r
s en s e
but a true family While the o rdinary
f o ster father was b o und by the law t o giv e
educati o n o f s o me kind t o hi s f o ster C hildren
t o the s o ns o f chiefs instructi o n in riding
sh o o tin g with the b o w swimming an d chess
playing t o their daughters instructi on in sew
,

I7 I

T h e G en i u s

f t he Gae l

cutting o ut and embr o iderythe breh o n

trained his f o ster s o ns in learnin g o f the
highest dignity the l o re o f the chief literary
pr o fes s i o n H e t oo k paym ent but it was the
law which settled it fo r him I t wa s part o f
his status and no t the result o f a ba rgain
Rememberin g th a t the natural family was
in a measur e resp o nsible fo r the ill deeds o f
its members we l o o k fo r s o me deniti o n o f the
tut o r s m o re limited resp o nsibility fo r his
pupils The f o ll o wing passage fro m the law s
makes this p o int clear and gives us at the
same time a pleasant picture o f the educati o nal
s ystem at w o rk
The p o et ( o r tut o r ) c o mmand s hi s pupil s
The man fr o m wh o m edu c ati o n i s received i s
free fr o m the crime s o f hi s pupil s if they be
the chil d ren o f native s even th o ugh he feed s
and cl o thes them an d that they pay him fo r
their learnin g H e i s free even th o ugh it be
a stran ger he instructs feeds an d cl o thes pro
i ng ,

'

S ir H n ry
L t u r VI I I p
I

ec

Ma

24 2

in

e s

Ea r ly

72

Hi story

I nst i tu ti ons,

E vo l u t i o n

S o c i al I n st i t u t i o n s

it is n o t fo r pay but fo r G o d that he

d o es it I f he feeds an d instructs a stranger
for p ay it is then he is acc o untable fo r his
crimes
The dual play o f ideas in this passa g e gives
us a sudden in s ight int o the ideal life o f the
O n the o n e hand there i s the tribal
time s
idea o f the citizen s strict re s p o nsibility t o the
State fo r th o se he may intr o duce int o the c o m
O n the o ther hand
munity
this i d ea is
annulled by the permi s si o n t o exerci s e free ho s
i
We kn o w t o o that it
p t a li t y with o ut limit
was cust o m a ry fo r the neighb o urs o f the
m e di mv a l s ch o o ls t o exercise their h o spitality
fo r the supp o rt o f the strange rs w ho o cked
as students t o the s ch o o ls The
poo r
sch o lar
depe ndent o n the C harity o f his
neighb o urs fo r his living as o n the kindnes s o f
the teachers fo r hi s learning was as familiar
a feature o f I rish s o ciety a s the bard an d
the breh o n themselves The entertainment o f
v i de d

O C u rr y

vo l

ii p
.

M a n ners

79

a nd

Customs

t he Anci en t I r i sh,

T h e G en i u s

Gae l

t he

strange students was in fact regarded by the

pe o ple an d by the law as a duty o f nati o nal
h o spitality
The c hildren o f the I rish upper classes paid
fo r their educati o n in the o rdinary way and
the s o ns o f the p o o rer classes w ho were
educated at the same c o llege were pr o vided
fo r b y an arran g ement similar t o that o f the
m o dern th o u g h n o w o ld fa s hi o ned sizar s hip
They waited o n the wealthier stu d ents and
received educati o nal benets in return The
sch o lars w ho bel o nged t o the neighb o urh o o d
lived in their ho mes and th o se w ho were
pen si o ners lived in the humb le l o o king gr o up
while o ther s
o f dwellings called the c o llege ;
c o ming fr o m rem o te o r f o reign districts lived
in their o w n huts adj o in ing the c o llege and
were supplied with pr o vi s i o ns by the neigh
b o urs The living d o ubtless was plain indeed
but o f high thinking there was n o lack
The wh o le educati o nal sy s tem was a sp o n
t a n eo u s gr o wth o ver which the l a w threw i t s
man tle o f auth o rity as it grew regulating it
,

I 74

E vo l u t i o n

S o c i al I n s t i t u t i o n s

by careful deniti o n o f idea s c o ncerning the

right and desirable whic h were already m o re
than half expressed in the nati o nal c o nsci o us
nes s Thus the aspirati o n after kn o wledge and
intellect ual activity which i s o f the very
es s ence o f I rish character fullled it s elf at an
early peri o d o f p o litical d e vel o p m e n t by i n s t i
,

t uti on s
I r i sh
and

e m bo d y

whi c h

s o ci al

li

fe t he

v o l un t a r y ,

a nd

n es s

as

i dea

t he

the

en o r c e

l aw

s o ur ce

o i n t r e s p o n s i bi l i t i e s ,
o

k i ns hi p,
o

n a t ur a l

f m u t ua l

d ut i es

whi c h i t i s t he bus i

d efi n e

to

i d ea

e s s en ti a l

t he

ra t her

t ha n

to

P r bably I have said en ugh

indicate that
there is evidence and the nature o f the
evidence in supp o rt o f the fact which I set
that the tenden cy o f G aelic
o u t by asserting
civilizati o n was t o pr o gre s s by c o nserving
t o nd ever in the o l d ideas a means o f
envisaging and adapting new fact s E very
where m o re o r less the o l d disappears an d
gives place t o the new Everywhere m o re o r
less the o l d d evel o ps an d is preserved in the
o

to

7S

T h e G en i u s

G ae l

t he

new B ut in the o l d I reland where the Celti c

inuence was freely at w o rk pr o gress was less

rev o luti o n a ry and m o re ev o luti o nary c o nserva

tive o f ideas while rapid and ready in adapting
th o se ide a s t o new uses Fo r n o tice in par
t i c u l a r that readiness o f res o urce is as C harac
t e r i s t i c o f the B reh o n law as is persisten ce in
o riginal ideals
France indeed is kn o wn t o
m o dern Eur o pe a s the land o f rev o luti o ns but
the ruling cl a s s es in o l d France were the v e ry
antithes i s o f the Celt and had d estr o yed e v ery
Celtic instituti o n
I n France the Celtic in
u en ce was n o t free till it freed itself o r
s o me o ther harsher inuen c e freed it by the
Rev o luti o n
There was at any r a te n o in capacity t o
s o lve new pr o blems in an cient any m o re th a n
in m o dern I reland C o ns e rvative persistence
is balanced by the adaptability which s e izes
readily o n a change in the S ituati o n
And here it is o bvi o us that we have c o me
o nce m o re back t o that gr o un d w o rk o f funda
mental character s o fu lly di s cu s sed in a
.

76

E vo l u t i o n

S o c i al I n st i t u t i o n s

pre v i o us chapter
The m o bile mind think s
it s elf int o its situati o n it is reective idealistic
fo rms stable ideas o f its life and surr o undings
I deas persist as cir cumstan c es change : thu s
the i d e a l i s ti c r a c e i s c on s e r va t i ve o f i ts i d e a s
So cial s o lidarity m o re o ver so far as realized
makes str o ngly fo r the persistence o f s o cial
and indeed o f all c o mmunicated ideas H ence
the c o n s erv ativ e instinct whic h is the guiding
wheel o f Celtic civilizati o n i s a natural pr o duct
o f that s wiftly m o vin g
c o n c rete mind which
pr o duces als o the driving wheel o f its pr o
g r e s s i v e activity
I n all dep a rtments o f th o ught and feeling
in art in literature in d o mestic habits in
religi o us Observances i n the wh o le r o un d o f
th o s e activities t o which the idea o f pro g r es
sive civilizati o n applies the Celt changes hi s
way s but changes c o nservatively B o th hi s
Liberali s m and his C o nservatism have o ften
been n o ticed The f o rmer when d o minant is
the latter always centres
s o ftened by reverence
in the life n o t the stagnati o n o f ideas This
,

I77

T h e G en i u s

t he

G ae l

is the c o nse rvatism o f t hou g ht n o t the c o nser

v a t i sm o f habit
I t is o pe n t o questi o n whether this un fo r
f
e
t
u
l
metho d o f civilizati o n is the m o st
g
e ffective meth o d l o o ked at fr o m a wider p o int
o f V iew ;
but there can be n o d o ub t that the
pr o cess o f it as ab o ve described pr o duces
m o re graci o us individual d evel o pment
Let
u s l o o k m o re cl o sely int o this matter
D o es
the native I rish m eth o d o f civilizati o n sh o w
itself o n t he smaller s cale as characteristic o f
the educati o nal devel o pment o f the individual
I rishman ? D o es the educated I rishm an o n the
average di ffer in thi s respect fr o m the average
educated Englishm an ?
To this my experience re plies in the a f rm a
H e di ffer s m uch as the race di ffers
tive
Just as new I reland is still o l d I reland s o the
educated I ri shman remains m o re than o thers
the natural in bec o min g t he civilized man H e
sheds a le s s am o unt than usual o f his an cient
f : he is m o re o f a b oy and m o re al s o
s ell
o f a primitive man than are his peers else
,

1 78

E vo l u t i o n

S o c i al I n st i t u t i o n s

where H i s pr o verbial naturalness o f manner

his unc o nventio nality his primitive directness
o f o utl oo k
all are sig ns o f thi s H e lives in
cities and l o ves them all the m o re b ecause
they d o n o t f o rce him in the inner life int o
any breach o f c o ntact with m o ther nature I n
the cr o wded streets o f N ew Y o rk he still feels
the inuence o f the g reen hill s in I reland
the o pen spaces and the frag rant perfume o f
the turf O r he m o ves in the academic circles
o f univer s ities
o r the m o re strait laced circles
o f the o l o gical c o lleges
heavily weighted with
learn i ng dignity o r pi o us reputati o n
weighted but n o t weighed d o wn bear
ing kn o wledge and even clerical sanctity
like a wand in his hand n o t like a
halter r o und his ne c k his heart r o o ted still
be he priest o r pr o fes s o r in the o l d simple
things o f life bu o yant fresh u n a r t i c i a l all
the m o re dignied b ecau s e he takes n o th o ught
fo r di g nity all the m o re s elf po ssessed becau s e
hi s sense o f g o o d still centres in prim i tive
gifts I t is true that t o a large extent the
.

79

T h e G en i u s

o f t he

G ae l

highest edu c ati o n tends t o pr o duce in all

pers o ns this c o mpleteness o f character which
turns o n the preserv ati o n o r revival o f the
primitive man within the sch o lar
This
ten d ency takes e ffect o n all natures that are
br o ad and c o ncrete en o ugh B u t the o ppo site
tendency exists and takes e ffect in o ther cases
the a c a d emic is o ften the mere academic And
in this res pect the c o mmo n place C elt c o mes
o ff better than the c o mm o nplace Teut o n
The aim o f p e rs o nal educati o n fo r the in

dividual o f s o cial civilizati o n fo r the race

is t o gro w in the s o il o f human nature all the
p o ssible g oo d s o f which it will ho ld the seeds
while r o o ting up n o g o od thing that is already
the re To this pro cess o f c o nservative devel o p
ment all human nature takes m o re o r less
kindly b e cause all human nature is m o re o r
less o f the type I have described All human
nature i s m o re o r less Ce ltic in this sen s e
O nly Celtic human nature i s m o re Celtic m o re
b o und up in ideal s o f life t o be maintain ed
mo re apt in t he in v enti o n o f pr a cti c al means
fo r their realizati o n
,

VI

THE

G AE

IN

LITERATURE

An

ai r

w rd
o

r l t i n g th n t h i
m r l t i n g t h n t h ri h

is m o
is

o e

as

as

e vo c e o f

t he

bird

w rld

es of

t he

ISH

PR O V

IR

s,

RB

C H A P T E R VI

THE

EL

GA

IN

L I T E R AT UR E

these days o f the G aelic literary revival

t he Abbey Theatre the U l s ter playwrights o f
William B utler Yeat s o f J o hn M Synge and
in an o ther eld o f G e o r g e Bernard Shaw it
is m o re than ever o f interest t o in quire whether
I r eland ha s it in her t o make a characteristic
c o ntributi o n t o the w o rld s literature
The
literary revival in i t s primary s en s e mean s
the publicat i o n tran s lati o n an d devel o pment
int o new fo rms o f ancient I rish literature and
n o student d o ubts that a valuable additi o n is
thus being made t o the general st o ck o f literary
l o re
The revival aims at m o re than this
I t aims at the rec o very o f their o ld literary
habits by the I rish pe o ple gentle and simple ;
IN

83

T h e G en i u s

t he

Gae l

and ideas are a o at fo r e ffecting this rec o very

by br inging t o every c o tta g e hearth o ppo r
t u n i t y fo r acquaintan ce with the master pieces
o f literature
n o t I rish o nly but o f all s o rts
a s in the ancie n t time s
Village libraries wi s ely
s t o cked w o uld be a priceless b o o n
D o e s it mean m o re than this ? D o es there
lie f o lded within it the idea that the I ri s h
race speaking and writing in English has a
literary w o rk in the future fo r the d o in g o f
which it ha s spe cial g ifts and which w o uld
n o t be d o ne if it failed t o maintain its indi
,

v i dualit y

The answer t o this questi o n the future will

m o re fully reveal : but there i s n o lack o f
expe rience o n which t o gr o und an a f rm a
tive faith We are indeed pa s sin g thr o ugh
that phase where fait h is merg ed 1 n sight
The writers I have named are but the largest
and m o st diverse stars in a c o nsiderable cluster

each with s o me characteristic r o mantic in

several style s o r hum o r o us o r satiric
Reference t o a few examples must su fce

84

T h e Gae l i n

Li t e rat u r e

There is n o thing m o re exquisite in dramatic

literature m o re lyric in e ff ect m o re pr o f o undly
I rish than Ka thle en ui H o ul i ha n by W B
Yeats We have the wh o les ome h o mely I rish
l i fe the s trange o l d w oman with mystic p o wer
s y mb o lic o f the age l o ng tragedy o f I reland
the real and the symb o l set side by side in a
single c o tta g e s c ene e a ch claiming allegiance
fr om the y o ung man s heart the bri g ht y o ung
g irl o verwhelmed by s o rr o w at her l o v er s l o s s
and nally the Shan Van Vo c ht
the p o o r

ld
w
o
man
herself
transf o rmed th o u g h we
o
see
her n o t int o that gl o ri o us shape o f
beaute o us y o uth rebo rn o f I ri s h l ov e and
I rish h o pe at every climax o f the nati o n s
st ruggle upw a r d s

'

P t Did
e er

p th ?

u
o
y

see

an

old

oma

go

i n g d wn
o

t he

s he

a tri ck

ha d

I did t b u t I
w lk lik
qu n
no

saw

e a

ee

ung w

o ma

and

I t was t o the o l d w o man th a t the y o ung man

had given his dev o ti o n O thers there are w ho
.

85

The G en i u s

t he

G ae l

wait fo r t he a pp ea r a n c e o f t he m a ide n with t he

qu e en lik e walk
But thi s littl e pl a y i s n o t o nly I r i s h in i t s
profou n d a pp r e ci a tio n its d elic a t e e xp r e s s io n
of
t he
I ri s h pa t r iot ic r om a n c e : it i s I rish
i n t he litera ry m e thod e mploy e d that subtle
i n t er w e a vi ng o f viv i d r e a li sm with r obu s t
id e a li sm which m a r k s a lik e t he compo s itio n of
G a e lic r om a n tic lit er a tu r e a n d t he t a lk o f the
p e opl e i n the W e s t to d ay
Thi s l a s t r e p a y s s tudy t he o r i g i n a l liv e
s our c e s of n e I ri s h s p e e ch a r e by n o m e a n s
d ry
I t mu s t b e th a t th e r e is i n th es e p e opl e
a
pr e s s i n g i nn e r n e e d fo r t he e xp r es s ion o f
O the r wise
thou g ht i n s pe e ch
ho w is it
po s s ibl e t o a ccou n t fo r t he f a ct th a t a n I rish
p e a sa n t ha s o n a n a v e ra g e in his voc a bul a r y
a b o ut t e n wo r d s fo r e v e r y o n e u s e d b
e
t
h
y
E n g li sh p e a s a n t ?
This i nn e r n e e d i s i n p a r t
%

D ug l

w rd f m
R mm p pl w h u ld i th
d
wri t
t u lly i
d h thi k h f ll h r t f t h v c b u l y
H
by
w rd m
ug g t t h t i K y t h
v g v c b u l y u d by I ri h p k i p b bly
I

Dr

o sc o

an

er a e

as

on

eo

o a

u se
a

H yd w t d w

ar

ore

ro e

co

ne

e s

se

86

er

o a

es s

ea

e rs

ro

no r

r ea

ar

ac

e,

err
ro

The G a e l

i n L i t erat u r e

the outcom e o f t he hi g hly d ev e lop e d s oci a l

s en s e
a n d the g o o d E n g li s h v o c a bul a r y e v e n
i n t he I r i s h s p ea ki n g di s t r ict s c a n o n ly b e e x
pl a i n e d by d e s i r e o f s p e e ch with t he s t r a n g e r
as
he c o m e s a l o n g
The p e a sa n t s g ift of
s p e e ch is
h o w e v e r m o r e th a n t he w e a lth o f
his v o c a bul a ry a n d th a t v oc a bul a r y it s e lf i s
a v e r y di ff e r e n t thi n g f ro m the s u m of wo r d s
a n d ph r a s e s pick e d up by a tt e n ti o n t o E n g li s h
s p e a k e r s of t he d a y
P a d r a ic Colum i n M y
I r i s h Ye a r s h o uld b e r e a d in thi s co n n e ctio n
the bo o k a bo u n d s i n e x a mpl e s o f pictu r e s qu e
t a lk a n d o f wh a t he c a ll s the I ri s h pe a sa n t s
c o mpe lli n g s e n s e o f s tyl e
Amo n g the
pe o pl e o f the Midl a n d s he n d s a V i g o r o u s
A m an s pe a k s a b o ut
a n d im a g i n a tiv e s p ee ch
The w a t e r o f
t he vi r tu e s o f a ce r t a i n w e l l
th a t w e ll he s a id wh e n t he su n w o uld b e
the a g s the cold n e s s o f it would
s plitti n g
s hi v e r t h e t e e th in you r h e a d
b tw
d
w d D Pd
kd w
t
w d f m Iri h p k i t h A I l d
I t i ai d t h t t h E g li h p
t v c bul y c i t
-

or

s s

f m
ro

0
3 0

ro

'

of

or

an

e en

t o 500

or

ea

87

ers

eas a n

w d

e r se n

oo

ra n

ar

s an

ons s s

The G e n i u s

I n his pre f a c e

of
The

to

t he

G ae l

Pl ay boy

Wes t em W o r l d J M Sy n g e t ell s

the

th a t in
this as i n a l l his oth e r pl a y s
I h av e u sed
o n e o r two wo r d s o n ly that I h a v e n o t h e a r d
a mo n g t he cou n t r y p e opl e o f I r el an d o r s po k en
in m y o w n n u r se r y b e fore I could r ea d the
n ew s p a p er s
A c e r t a in numb e r o f t he phr ase s
I e mploy I h a v e he a r d a l s o from h e rd s a n d
sh e rm en a lo n g t he co a s t from Ke r ry t o M ayo
or
from b eg g a r wom e n a nd b a ll a d s in g er s
n e a r e r D ubli n ;
a n d I a m g l a d t o a ck n ow
l e dg e how much I o w e to t he folk im ag i n a
ti o n o f the s e ne p eopl e Any o n e w h o ha s
liv e d i n r e a l i n tim a cy with t he I r i sh p e a s an t ry
w ill k n ow that t he wild e s t s a yi n g s in this pl a y
a re t a m e inde e d comp a r e d with the f a nci e s o n e
m ay he a r in a n y hill s id e c ab i n in G e esa l a
And o f t he
C a r r a r oe o r D in g l e B ay
or

import a n c e t o a r t of this g r ea t n d o f his

O n the s t a g e o n e mu s t h a v e r ea lity
he sa y s
In a g ood pl ay
a n d o ne mu s t h a v e j oy
e v e ry s pe e ch s hould b e a s fully a vour e d as
a n d s uch s p ee ch e s c a nn ot b e
a nut o r a ppl e
us

'

'

'

'

88

The G ae l i n

L i t erat u r e

w r itt en by a ny o n e who work s a mo n g pe opl e

In
who h a v e s hut th e i r lip s o n po e t r y
I r e l a n d fo r a few ye a r s m o r e we h a v e a
popul a r im ag in a tio n th a t is e r y a n d m a g n i
c en t a n d t ende r so th a t tho s e o f u s who wi s h
t o w r it e start with a ch a n c e th a t is n o t g iv e n
to writers in pl a c es wh e r e t he s p r i n g t im e o f
t he
loc a l lif e ha s b e e n fo r g ott e n a n d t he
h a r v e s t is a m emory o n ly a n d t he s t r a w ha s
b e e n tur n e d into b r ick s
With the touch of pe s s imi sm in that l a s t
s e n t e n c e we n e e d n o t id e n tif y ou r s e lv e s
It
i s pe rh a p s o f a pi e c e with th a t s t r a n g e m a n i
fe s t a t i o n o f an improb a bl e inhum a n ity in the
ch a r a ct e r s of th is pl a y w h ich m a r s i t s e ffe ct
a n d e v en m a k e s
a s dr a m a a ct e d o n t he s t a g e
H a v i ng
o n e w a n t to tu r n o n e s e y e s a w a y
I do n o t
The Pl ay boy a c t e d onc e
s e en
d e s i r e to s ee it a g a in : bu t I h a v e r e a d a n d
will r e a d it m an y tim e s for t he d eli g ht I take
in t he s pl e n d ou r o f i t s l an g u ag e l an g u ag e
th a t fo r vig o r ou s im ag ina tio n bo ld me t a pho r
.

T hi

i s t he

p imi tic n
ess

89

ot e

in Sy

ng e .

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

pe r f e ct ph r a s i n g could n o t w e ll b e
s u rpa ssed
By fa r the mo s t b ea utiful o f a l l Sy ng e s
H er e we
pl a y s is D ei rdre o f the So r r o ws
h a v e an a n tiqu e s ub j e ct o f the hi g h e s t di g n ity
a n d y e t t he l a n g u a g e wov e n i n to t he di a lo g u e
by t he g en iu s of t he dr am a ti s t i s as he t e ll s
us found in the t a lk o f o u r tw enti e th c e ntu ry
p e a s a nt I r e l a n d Th e r e is s om e thi n g i n t he
mu s ic a l s wi n g o f t he phr a s e in a l l the s e pl a y s
which m a k e s o n e think o f t he ch an t s th a t are
s u n g by t he wind s o n the hill a n d t he w a v es
on
but t he domin a nt fo r m a tiv e
t he s hor e ;
i n u e nc e e a ch ph r a se b es p ea k s is th a t o f a n
inte n se und e r lyin g i n t e r e s t in t he probl e m o f
s a yi n g
b r i e y a ll that is in o n e s mi n d as
u n mi s t a k a bly as co n vinci n g ly a n d a s pe r
Fo r a n e x a m pl e t a k e
s u a s iv e ly as po s s ibl e
this n e di a lo g u e between the b e a utiful p r i n c e s s
a n d t he fo s t e r moth e r w ho lov e s he r d e vot e dly
an d

h m
I m i n d d f g i g t yi g L
l
m thi pl h vi g h pp i
lik u till
It
I m ki g ch d y will thi d y m tch y t d y d

Dei r d r e

r ea

o n e so

as

ea

ac e ,

o n

or

I 9O

s a

n e ss

ava r c

es e r

rs ,

an

The G a e l i n
w rll t o -

wt k

o r ro

y th t g
w t h p l yi g livi
t he

e ar

or

on e,

our j oy

d pl c b id t h
w d i g ll tim
u til y u d i d

goo
and
on
a

ng

es

er n

on

m
i it

e sa

ga

o ld , a n d

and

r e

re

in
m

d ay

es

i s g o n e fo r e e r

La va rcha m
it s t a

If
tti g

L i t e rat u re

h t il y I t ll y th
li t tl h u t g
ld th u g h y u g g i l
d p t d
b
t mi g t t h h p f g (P i t ly) T h
li ttl h u t g tti g l d vi g wh n y u l ki g b ck
th w y I m l
ki g t hi d y d i g t h y u g y
h v l v f b ki g u p th i h t wi th f lly T k
my w d d t p N i i d t h d y l l m y u ll h v
d y
m j y h vi g t h
ld w m
f
with y u li ttl g d
h i ki g u d y th I d
h v thi ig h t p utti g t h d m u t h d t h whit
m y h v t g w l ki g l
m byw y wi th
g m y ki g
e

e s or

ar

or

an

or

r an

an

so n s

on

an

er e s

o n es o

an

an

an

ou

ou

an

ou

co

ro

e re

r e

oe s

oo

s ee n

s en s e s

re

ea r s

e r

an

an

a ss on a e

sa

a s

r s

e re s

ou

es o

s n

r ea

ou

s o

oo

or e

a e a

ou

Tu rn in g to t he s a m e w r it e r s r e co r d s o f his
w a lk s th r ou g h I r e l a n d we n d c a r e ful r e po r t s
o f t a lk s with t r a mp s a n d p e a sa n t s
Th es e a r e
what t he wo r ld c a ll s i g n or a n t p e opl e with littl e
k n owl e dg e prob a bly o f t he E ng li s h B ibl e a n d
l e s s if a ny o f Sh a k es p e a r e s pl a y s Thi s i s
ho w th e y t a lk
I t i s an o l d m a n with a
white poi n t e d f a c e a n d a ho a r y b ea r d who
pull s him s e lf o u t o f the ditch to w a lk with
and
p r e s ently b eg i n s t a lki n g
t he s tr a n g e r

91

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gae l

in a m ourn ful voice o f the f ami n e s an d m i s

fortune s th a t h a v e b e en in I r e l an d
The r e h a v e b ee n th r e e c r u e l pl a g u es he
s a id
o ut
th r ou g h the co u n t r y s i n c e I w a s
bo rn i n the w e s t First the r e w a s t he bi g wi n d
i n 1 8 3 9 that tor e a w a y t he g r a ss a n d g r e en
t h ing s from t he earth T h en th er e w a s the
bli g h t that c ame o n t he ot h o f June in t he
y e a r I 8 4 6 Up to th e n t he pot a to e s were c l ean
a n d g ood
but th a t mor n i n g a mi s t ro s e up out
o f the s ea
a n d you coul d he a r a voic e t a lki n g
near a mil e o ff a cro s s t he s till n e s s of the e a r th
I t w a s t he s am e t he n ex t d a y an d t he da y
for three d a y s o r mor e ; a n d
a ft e r a n d so o n
the n y ou co uld b eg i n t o se e t he to ps o f t he
ov e r a s if t he life w a s g on e o u t
s t a lk s lyi ng
And th a t was the b eg i n ni n g o f t he
o f th e m
nd
ne
r oy e d
at
t
t
roubl
e
a
f
a
mi
t
h
d
e
s
t
r
e
a
g
I r e l a n d Th e n t he peopl e w en t on I suppo s e
in the i r W i ck e dne s s an d their an imo s ity o f o n e
a n d t he Almi g hty G od s ent
a g a in s t the oth e r
dow n the third pl ag u e a n d th a t w a s t he s ick
n e ss c a ll e d the c h ol e r a Th en the p e opl e l eft

1 92

The G ae l

i n L i t erat u re

it
o

t wn of Sli g
s in Sli g o I w a s r ea r e d
a n d you could w a lk th r ou h t he s t r e e t s a t
g
the n o o n of d a y an d n o t s ee a p e r s o n a n d y o u
coul d k n ock at o n e do o r an d a n oth e r d o o r a n d
n d n o o n e t o an s w e r y o u
The p e opl e were
t r a v e lli n g o u t n o r th an d s outh a n d ea s t with
the terr o r th a t w a s o n th e m ; a n d t he c o u n t r y
p e opl e were di g g i n g ditche s a c r o ss t he r o a d s
a n d d r i vi n g
t h e m b a ck where they c o uld fo r
th e y ha d g r e a t d r e a d o f the di s e a s e
I a m but o n e o f t he commo n c r owd with
o u t t he s kill t o n ot e a n d m e mo r y to retain that
m a r k s th e s e g ift e d o b s e r v e r s N e v e r th e l es s
I h a v e s ee n n o t a littl e of the I r i s h p e o pl e i n
a l l p a rt s a n d li s t e n e d to the i r ch o ic e a n d r e a dy
t a lk Thi s qu a lity of c ho i c e ne s s i n t e r e s t s m e
much
S om e ch o o s e word a n d ph r a s e by
i n s ti n ct s om e by d e libe r a t e a c t o f s e l e cti o n
The t r a mc a r co n duct o r i n D ubli n m a y b e
h e a r d a n y d ay di s c a r di ng a mod e r a te ly s uit a bl e
w o r d t o s ub s titut e a n o th e r mo re a pt o r
I t i s n ot ewo r thy th a t s y n o n ym s
e ff e ctiv e
s hould in r a pid s ucc e s s io n o ccu r t o hi s mi n d
t he

'

93

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gae l

Mor e n ot e worthy i s t he comp a r a tiv ely r a re use

m a d e o f comm on s w e a r word s a n d s l an g wo r d s
i n count ry p a r t s
I n K er r y 1 w a s in a thi r d
cl a ss c a r r i a g e t r a v ellin g from C ahi r c i v e en o n
a f a ir d ay
I ha d for f e llow pa s s eng e rs a bout
h a lf a doz e n you n g m en f re s h from t he f a i r
o n e o f th e m rather tip s y a n d t he other v e
e n g a g e d i n s up e r vi s i n g him f o r hi s o w n g ood
with much e xcit em e n t a l l r ound a n d qu a n titi e s
o f qu a r r e l s om e l a n g u a g e
What i n t er e s t e d m e
w a s thi s
Whe r e a s t he youn g m en u s e d m a ny

word s the y n e ve r u s ed an o r din a ry b a d

Thi s w a s not e ithe r virtu e o r
o ne a t
all
r e li g ion I thi n k but just the I r i s hm a n s h a bit
the word s he m e a n s I rish in v ec
o f u s in g
tiv e i s I b e lie v e a br a nc h of lit e r a tur e in
it s e lf dyi ng out p e rh a ps i n o u r d ay The
p o e t s of t he o l d d a y s wie l d ed it as a w ea po n
o f t e r r o r ov e r pri n c e s
H e r e i s a H i g hl a n de r s s to r y an o l d o n e
c e r t a i n ly but it illu s t r a t e s the point Th er e
w a s a c e rt a in g e ne r a l w ho ha d a H i g hl a nd
The g e n er a l s heart w a s s e t o n
s e rv a n t
-

I 94

The G ae l

i n L i t erat u re

putting d own ba d l an g u a g e a mo ng his s oldi e r s

I would n o t be troublin g my s e lf G en e r a l
if I w e r e you s a id D o n a ld
at t he f ew
littl e word s tho s e m e n do be u s in g N o w if a
m a n ha d the G a e lic he could be sa yi ng a l l th a t
is in him a n d n e v e r use the s am e wo r d twic e
W e m ay take it that t he G a e lic l a ng u a g e would
be in s o n o r o us ph ra s e s a pt as w e ll a s s t r o n g
E ng li sh s l a ng wo r d s a l s o th o u g h n o t u n k n ow n
h a v e n o g r ea t vo g ue i n I r e l an d : lik e s w e a r
word s they a r g u e po v e r ty i n choic e o f s p e e ch
The twi n g ift to choic e n e ss o f s p ee ch is
u e n cy ; both d e pe nd for th e ir e ffe ctiv en e s s
o n a r i c h voc a bul a ry :
ot h e rwi s e the y s uppl e
m e nt a n d s timul a t e e a ch oth e r
In I rish
writer s a n d s p e a k e r s t he ch a ra ct er i s tic mo s t
obviou s to an E n g li s hm a n is ue n cy I t is e a s y
to t a lk o r w r it e when wo r d s com e ea s ily a n d
thi s f a cility is n o doubt a g r e a t t empt a tio n
t o w r it e o r s p e a k wh e n th e r e is n o thi ng to
wi n db ag I rish o r a to r do e s e x i s t
The
s ay
has e x i s t e d O n hi s n a tive
s till mor e
and
s oil he is k e pt in ch e ck s i n ce hi s f e llow s th e r e
.

I%

The G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

h a vi n g th e i r me a su re of t he s am e f a cility
e s tim a t e it a t i t s v a lu e th a t i s
very li g htly
The e duc a t e d I rishman l e a r n s i n a doubl e
s e n s e t o di s tru s t hi s o w n u e n cy ;
hi s ch o ic e
ness a s to wo r d s hi s comp e lli ng s e n s e o f s tyl e
w a r n him t o weigh w e ll a l l his s e n t e n c e s An d
thi s is p r ob a bly t he r e a s o n why t he e duc a t e d
I ri shman a lth o u g h he s pe a k s b e tt e r th a n hi s
E n g li sh pe e r d o e s s o o n t he a v e r a g e a s I
b e li e v e with m o r e a n xi e ty H e d o e s n o t f e a r
th a t he will fail to g e t th ro u g h but he do e s
f e a r that he m ay f a il t o sa y the thing he m e a n s
o r f a il to sa y it t o hi s liki n g
St a r ti n g with
f a cility he s ets hi s s t a n d a r d by s i g nic a n c e
In a pl ea sa n t imp r omptu to
a nd s e t s i t hi g h
ll u p tim e he s ucc e e d s e a s ily Too much o f
thi s r ui n s him fo r b e tt e r thi n g s
B e thi s as it m a y it will n o t be de n i e d that
co n t r ol o f l a n g u a g e a r e a dy c o op e r a tio n o f

r
thou g ht a n d wo d i s ch a r a ct e r i s tic o f t he
G a e lic m e n t a l m a n if e s t a tio n a s s een in t he
I r i s hm a n
T r u e the l a n g u a g e g ift i s n o t
limit e d t o t he G a e lic I r i sh
I n Ang l o
,

'

96

The G ae l

i n L i t e rat u re

I rish circl e s a l s o to ng u es w a g f re e ly a n d
to
f
e
ood
f e ct
B ut t he m o r e Gaelic t he
g
An d
ci r cl e the m o r e s t r iki n g the g ift
here it m a y be r e m a r k e d in p a s s i ng th a t
the I r i s h qu a lity o f t he Ul s t e rm a n who i s
h a lf a S cotchm a n m a y b e t ra c e d in p a r t to
the r a ci a l f a ct th a t i n so fa r a s he i s S cotch
which i s n o t a lto g e th e r he is l a rg e ly H i g h
l a n d S cotch i e of the s a m e race a s t he
G a e lic I r i sh There i s little t o ch o o se in t he
w ay
r a c e b e tw e en t he P r e s byt e r i a n
of
M a cdo n a ld of t he no r th a n d t he C a tholic
O D o n n e ll o f t he w e s t e r n p r ovi n c e
Mo r e
o ver
t he qu a liti e s th a t di s ti n g ui s h the C e lt a r e
qu a liti e s that can be m a d e t o g r ow by u s e
a n d a s s oci a tio n
P ow e r o f l a ng u ag e impli e s the t en d en cy o f
w o r d s t o r i s e with t he thou g ht s to thi n k i n
l a n g u a g e s o th a t th o u g ht a n d t he s p e e ch of
it a r e p a r t s of a s i ng l e m e n t a l a c t The m an
who e xpr e s ses him s e lf with di fculty thi n k s
h a b itu a lly without owin g o u t into word s He
i s e ith e r c e n t r e d in t he s o urce o f thou g ht
.

'

I97

The G en i u s

t he

of

Gae l

di f c ult thin g t o conc e i v e but it o ccur s

o r he e xp r e s s es him s e lf to him s e lf i n s om e
s il e n t w a
y in picto r i al im a g i n a tion or s om e
p e r s o n a l s ymb olic shorth a n d o r by t he use o f
hi s h a nd s in a r t production
Wh en he s pe a k s
he ha s t o p a t his thou g ht s into wo r d s
As
comp a r e d with the e loqu en t m a n he is lik e o n e
who tr a n s la t e s f r om his o w n ton g u e i n t o a
f o r e i g n l an g u ag e
Wo r d s a re t he n a tiv e
l a n g u ag e of t he e lo qu ent m an Thou g ht a n d
s peech a r e of the s a m e a c t t o him
s o clo s e ly
do the se cor re l a t e d fu n ction s wo r k to g e th e r fo r
hi s e nd s
Wh a t is e loqu e nc e th e n but a n e x a mpl e o f
t he f a cility o f a l l r o u n d c o n s ciou sn e s s a n d c o n
clo s e kn it b e i n g with which
s e qu e n t co n c r e t e
we h a v e id e n ti e d t he C e ltic mind ? Thou g ht
a sh e s i n to wo r d s wo r d s as h b a ck to s t im u
l a t e th o u g ht b e c a u se m en t a l a ctio n in g en e ra l
i s o f this swiftly c o op er a ti n g v a r iou s ly r e
1

T hi

u
t
i
q
es

xp

rea

is

o n as

re s s o n

dy

to

pl c t g u t h p y h l g ic l
h w t h ug ht i p
ibl wi th u t c mpl t
t
I hv
d u b t th t i t i d m q u i t
t
h
t
u
i
t
pp
l
p
i
c
g

ar

n ot
o

t he

on

no

ar

a e

a e

o ss

e a

98

ex

an

e r en e

o o

s,

ea

e e

The G a e l

i n L i t e ra t u r e

ki n d P hy s ic a lly w e m a y su pp o s e
th a t t he cur r e nt s o f a ctio n mov e quickly s o
th a t a l l p a rt s o f t he b r a i n are more r ea dily
rou se d to a c t to g e th e r
M e r e u e n cy o f wo r d s i s a v e ry sm a ll p a r t
o f the ch a r a ct e r i s tic a s a whol e
O f fa r g r ea t er
impo r t a n c e fo r lit e ra r y e xc ell en c e i s the cl o s e
nes s with which the picto r i a l im a g i n a ti o n r u n s
a lon g s id e thou g ht
pl a yi n g int o it g ivi n g v e n t
t o it
illu s t ra ti ng it with im ag e s th a t pi e r c e
the mind o f t he li s t e n e r a do r ni n g it with a
w e a lth o f g r a phic f an cy th a t r ea ct s as s timulu s
on
it se lf
G r a ph ic pow e r is o f t he v ery
e s s e nc e o f lit e r a ry e xc e ll e nc e
N o w r it e r o r
s p e a k e r m a k e s oth e r s see e xc e pt in s o f a r a s
he him s e lf s e e s ; a n d u n l e s s he i s d e ci en t
in wo r d s o r they b elow t he no rm a l in vi su a l
im a g in a tio n what he s ee s they s e e a l s o a n d
t hr ou g h s i g ht by w ay of im ag e s an e n t r y is
m a d e int o thou g ht He w ho u se s m et a pho r s
with o ut him se lf h a vi ng im ag e d their cont ent
A n o r i g in a l m e t a phor
i s curiou s ly i n e ff e ctiv e
c a nnot come into b e i n g a t a l l without t he

c i pr o c a t i n

'

I 99

The G e n i u s

of

t he

G ae l

full a ctio n co rres po n di n g o f t he o r i g in a t o r s

im a g i n a ti o n H en c e its pow e r b e c a u s e it i s
sure to b e e xp r e s s e d i n wo r d s th a t i n dic a t e
t he pa r ticul a r s o f t he im a g e a n d th e i r e x a ct
t n e ss
But lit e r a tur e is full o f h a ck n ey e d
m e t a phor s th a t h a v e b e e n u s e d a g a i n a n d
a n d h a v e com e to s ymboliz e m e r e ly t he
ag ain
thou g ht th e y illu s t r a t e without a ny stimulus
Th e y are
o f t he im a g i n a ti o n co r r e s po n di n g
u s e d a s m e ch an ic a lly a s o r di na r y word s which
ab ound
in t he implicit s u g g e s tio n o f
also

m e t a phor
A s tr a nd e d v e s s e l
a r u d d er
l e ss b ar k
m et a p h or s lik e
t he owin g ti d e
th e s e in a s uit a ble cont ext a re a pt by lon g
u s e t o s u g g e s t th e i r m e a n i n g
i n t he c o n t e xt
o n ly without e v e n a b a ck cu r r en t o f im ag i n a
tion for t he im ag e s th em s elv e s
N ow t he t r u e lit e r a r y mind d ea li ng with
e v e n su c h s impl e m a t e r i a l as
this is a lwa y s
a ctiv e o n
it a s im ag i n atio n
I t n e v e r uses
a m e t a phor without f e e li n g
the lif e th e r eof
Thi s is t he s e cre t o f u s i ng o ld me t a pho r s i n
a n o r i g in a l m a n n e r
When u se d by o n e who

200

The G a e l

i n L i t e rat u r e

im a g e b e f o r e him t he im a g e i s e x a ctl y
tt e d to t he c o n t e xt with subtl e n a tur a l m o di
c a t i o n s th a t m a k e t he whol e o n e a n d u n i qu e
Thu s t he dyi n g m e t a pho r h a s g iv e n to it a
n e w l e a s e o f lif e
A m e t a pho r to b e a liv e
must in a s en s e be n ew bo rn wh en it i s u s e d
I t s n ew bi r th in t he s p e a k e r s mi n d i s e x
p r e s s e d b y t he a pt n e s s of i t s r e s e tti n g i n t he
co n t e x t of hi s s p e e ch
Th e r e i s a m e t a pho r f r e qu e n tly u s e d in t he
o l d I r i s h s to r i e s
I n i g ht o r pu r s uit t he h e r o
r id e s s o s wiftly th a t t he M a r ch wi n d c a n n ot
ove rt a k e him
P e r h a p s t he fo r m o f this
m e t a phor h e lp s to m a k e it mo r e than o r di n a r ily
v i v id I a lw a y s s e e t he r id e r u n t o uch e d b y
any w i n d e xc e pt t he d r a u g ht o f hi s w a y a nd
n
m
e
t
r
o
I
f
l
the
keen
p
i
w
i
d
blow
e
ee
s
n
n
y
g
out of the quarter b e hi n d him a n d see t he
bow e d clump s of h e a th e r o n t he win d s w e pt
hill s But i n the main it s t r ik es fr e s h b e c a u s e
u s e d fr e s hly
Thi s qu a lity o f r e a lity i s in g e n e r a l v ery
m a r k e d in t he m e t a ph o r s of t he G ae lic t a l e s
ha s t he

20 1

The G en i u s

of

t he

Ga e l

The y h a v e the r ea l sm ell o f t he b r in e u pon

the m a n d a r e s t e e p e d in t he colou r s o f I rish
n a tu r e
Thu s a s w e re a d bit s o f I r i s h s c en e ry
ri s e to ou r mind s
I t is a m a r k of th e ir
o r i g i n a lity th a t they thus imply loc a lity The
r e a liz a tio n o f loc a l colou r in
n
s
a
ch
occ
io
n
a
e
o
g
s t a m s t he oft u s e d m e t a ho r a fr es h a s it i s s u e s
p
p
f r om t he mi n d
L oc a l colour m a r k s t he o l d I r ish r o m an c es
i n a not h e r w a y
I n them e v e nt s a ll h a pp en
in p a r ticul a r pl a c e s which c a n b e id enti e d
to d ay L oc a lity se l d om b e com e s blur r e d a n d
unc e rt a in a s it do es fo r in s t an c e in the g r ea t
T e uto n ic e pic o f the Nibe lu ng en Li e d H a n d e d
d o w n f r om g e n e r a tio n to g e n er a ti o n the G a elic
r o m a n c e t a k e s h o ld o n t he im a g i n a tio n o f e a ch
n a rr a to r with its l o c a l ci r cum s t a nc e a l l d i s
ti nc t a n d cl e ar H e re w e h a v e obviou s ly t he
s a m e liv e li n e s s o f im a g i n a tio n which a ccount s
In
f o r t he r o bu s t vit a lity of C e ltic m e t a pho r
both qu a liti e s w e s e e the e x c e ll enc e o f t he
phic
ift
r
a
g
g
And the g ra phic g ift in its e ssenc e is this
.

20 2

The Gae l

i n L i t e rat u re

th a t t he ey e work s clo s e ly with t he trains o f

thou g ht a cti ng with th em r ea cti n g o n th em
pictu r in g o u t the id e a in im ag e s an d s o s t im u
l a ti n g it t o the bi r th o f mo r e ide a s by t he
e n l a rg e d V it a lity thus
With this
g iv e n to it
e
s
n
a
o
oth e r po e t s s e c r e t t he e y e o pe n a lw a y s
g
to N a tu r e quick t o t a k e imp re ss io n s a ccu ra t e
The illu s t r a tio n o f th o u g ht in
to ob s e r v e
im a g e r y is r oot e d thus i n t he t ru th of N a tu r e
a nd
i s i n s tinct with th a t pe n e t r a tio n a n d
a ccur a cy o f s i g ht which a s much di s ti n g u i s h e s
t he work s of im a g in a ti o n f r om tho s e of f a ncy
a s it di s tin g u i s h e s s ci e n c e from mere s pe cul a
tiv e a cti v ity in thou g ht The commo n I rish
pe a sa nt r es embl es s o fa r as he
o r H i g hl a n d
s
i
h
i
n
a
r
s
o
t
literary
ti
t
that
r
t
h
e
e
a
e
s
g
g
pictori a l i m a g in a tion is a lw a y s a ctiv e an d
H i s im a g e s a r e in t er m s o f
s an e
a lw a y s
N a tu r e a s she i s hi s e ye a lwa y s op e n to her
t r uth
No w if t he C e ltic qu a lity w e r e mere activity
I t m ay
o f im a g in a tion thi s would n o t b e s o
b e com e th a t by a llowi n g t he m ent a l en e rg y to
,

'

20 3

The G en i u s

G ae l

t he

c e n tr e it se lf i n i ma g ery t o such a n e xt en t th a t
im a g i n a tio n ceases to b e r es po n s ibl e t o i t s

a
s
r
e
s
t o s e n s e o n t he o n e h a n d t o t he unity
m t
o f th o u ht o n the oth e r
Thi s i s lik e t he s t a t e
g
o f the d r e a m e r i n s l ee p ;
a n d it c a n e a s ily
h a pp e n u n d e r the e xhil ar a ti o n o f g re a t im a g in a
tiv e a cti v ity In s uch c a s e o b se r v a tio n i s in
a ccu r a t e im ag e r y f a n ciful id e a s f a l s i e d r a th e r
th a n pa r t i c u l a r iz e cl i n im a g i n a tio n ; ctio n
e v e r ywh e r e
p r e domi n a t e s ov e r f a ct
But t he im ag i n a ti v e g ift which proc e e d s
f r om the co n c r e t e n e s s of m en t a l a ctivity
a ll t he mind a t wo r k with s timulu s t o t he s e n s e
o rg a n s wh e n at wo r k at a ll i s a v e ry di ffe r en t
m a tt e r I t i s o p e n e y e d a n d s a n e o n t he s id e
c o n t r oll e d b y t he o ut e r r e a lit y I t i s
o f s en se
co n t r o ll e d n o le s s by t he i n n e r r e a lity o f
thou g ht d em a n di n g l o g ic a l u n ity in a l l m en t a l
m a n if e s t a t i o n s C e ltic im a g i n a tiv en e s s ha s this
an d thus it m a y b e a rg u e d t o p r oc e e d
s a n ity
from th a t whol e n e s s o f r e a ctio n o r co n c r e t e
which a s we h a ve s ee n a ccou n t s in s o
n ess
m a ny o ther w a y s fo r t he ob se rv e d c h a ra c
t e r i s t i c s o f t he C e lt
,

The G ae l i n

L i t e rat u r e

m to h a v e s pok e n o f im ag i na
tio n a s if it were co n c e rn e d o n l y with vi s u a l
c r e a tio n ; but thi s w a s m e r e ly fo r cl e a rn e s s
o f id ea s s o f a r
a n d the a ctivity o f the ea r
n o le s s th a n th a t of t he e e
is
co
c
d
in
n
r
n
e
e
y
the c o n c r e t e n es s of m en t a l a ction as h e r e c o n
s id er e d
The g ift o f wo r d s i s i n p a r t a g ift
o f ear
and
a s a whol e
is n o doubt r e l a t e d
cl o s e l y t o o r a l im a g i n a ti v e n e s s Thi s pl a y s
o n t h e o r g a n s o f a ticul a ti o n
o n t he o n e h a n d
a n d k e e p s them e v e n du r i n g s il e n c e i n a c o n
O n t he
ditio n of n a s c en t v a ryi n g a ctivity
oth e r h a n d it reacts o n t he central s p e e ch
c e n tr e wh e r e t o put it m e t a pho r ic a lly th o u g ht
i s coi n e d i n to wo r d s u n d e r t he s timulu s i n thi s
In thi s
c a s e a t l e a s t o f o r a l im a g i n a tio n
s timulus a n d t h e g uid a n c e th a t g o e s with it lie
the s e c r e t of t he m e l o di e s o f s p e e ch If t he
s p e e ch c e n t r e b e d o mi n a t e d s ol e ly by thou g ht
th e n thou g ht i s e xp re s s e d but w ith littl e o r
I f it b e domi n a t e d
n o mu s ic in t he e xp r e s s i o n

by t he o r a l im a g i n a ti o n t he e a r a s w e sa y
th en mu s ic a l e ff e ct p re v a il s ov e r m e a n i n g ;
m ay

see

20 5

The G en i u s

t he

of

G ae l

h a v e t he m e lodiou s p e riod s o f em pty

or a tory But if m e nt a l a c tion is clo s ely knit
t h e n t he word sel e c tion s o f thou g ht a r e i n
u en c e d by t he m e lodiou s im a g i n i n g s of sense
a n d y e t t he word se l e ction s of ear a r e k e pt
s ubordin a t e
to the n e c es s iti es of thou g ht :
t h ou g ht sp ea k s in numb e r s fo r t he numb er s
we

c om e

I
.

Wh en a s o ng is w r itt en to mu s ic t he ear
pl a inly l ea d s t he thou g ht Wh e n philo s ophic
thou g ht is w r itt e n in v e r se t he po s ition should
be r e v e r se d thou g h t he or a l imag i n a tion ha s
inuence e v en th en r e sh a ping it s e lf fr ee ly t o
f a ll i n with t he thou g ht but a pt in t he e n d
to e ff e ct a compromi se o n ly An o r din ar y
p e r s o n with s om e pow e r o f v ers i c a t i o n may
ob s e rv e wh e n he ha s s om e thi ng t o e xp r e s s
i n v e r s e how he c a s t s a bout fo r a m e t r e a n d
r hym e i n to h a r mo n y with which it n a tu r a lly
f a ll s Wh e n thou g ht is h a mm e r e d o ut int o
a d e nit e m e t r e t he lif e f a d e s in both thou g ht
,

d u b t t h m u cl
c c d i n thi di p i ti
1

No

on er n e

es o f a r

os

on

to

20 6

tic u l t i
l
m t ic l p ech
a

e r

o n a so

ar e
.

arg e

ly

The G ae l

i n L i t e rat u re

hythm Ve r s e ha s r a di a n t e loqu en c e o nly

when t h ou g h t a n d v e r se s p r in g to lif e to g e th e r
in o n e c ompl e t e a c t o f mi n d In writi n g p r o s e
too t he o r din a ry m a n m ay notic e in him se lf t he
r ea c tion o n e a ch s en t en c e o f the li s t eni ng ear
th a t cl a im s s om e pl e a s ur e o f m e lod y in t he
s ou n d
Thi s pl e a s ur e m a i n t a i n s t he f ee lin g
an d
s timul a t e s
th o u g ht
U nm e lodiou s
t he
p r o se j a r s o n t he e a r lik e s li g ht n oi s e a n d
di s pl e as e s ju s t as i nh a rmo n iou s colou r s do
Fo r lit e r a r y com po s ition t he e a r pl a y s a
much sm a ll e r p a r t than t he eye in t he s upply
o f m e t a p ho r a n d illu s tr a tion
In s o fa r as it
do e s pl a y this p a rt t he s ame conditio n s o f
a ccur a t e a nd
imp a rti a l ob s e rv a tion a pply t o
it Ther e ri se s to my mi n d th a t n e im a g e
o f t he four se a s o f I r e l a nd r o a r i n g in s ymp a thy
wh en ev e r a blow w a s s truck o n t he high ki n g s
The full forc e o f th a t image i s n o t
s hi e ld
e n j oy e d by us u n l e s s the mighty n oi s e s of t he
s e a which we h a v e h e a rd r e e ch o in o u r e a r s
But do mo s t o f us r e c a ll s ound s a s they r e a lly
w e r e with h a lf t he vivid n e s s of r e m emb e r e d
and r

20 7

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gae l

sight s ? A r e n o t o u r im ag es of s i g ht mo r e
r e a li s tic th a n tho s e of s o u n d ?
D o we n o t o n t he oth e r h an d ex e r ci se o u r
p a r e c r e a t i ve fa n cy mu ch m o re in t he regi o n
of s ou n d th a n in that of s i g ht ? I t is n a t ur a l
th a t thi s s hould b e s o s i n c e w e c a r r y a bo ut
w ith u s a lw a y s our o w n ob j e ctiv e s ou n d o rgan
i e
t he voic e
C er t a i n ly t he ea r a s t he
e xt e r n a l c o n t r o ll e r o f lit e r a r y e xp r e ss io n wo r k s
m a i n ly by r e f e r e n c e t o w h a t might a lmo s t be
c a ll e d st r uctu r a l law s o f mu s ic a l f o rm I n oth e r
wo r d s it ha s a s p e ci a l lit e r a r y fu n ctio n a s the
o rg a n o f mu s ic r a th e r than as a n o rg a n o f
ob se rv a tio n I n d ee d in li s t en i n g to the o u t
s id e wo r ld
the g ood l i te r a ry e ar s e l e ct s r a th e r
the mu s ic a l s o u n d s a n d n eg l e ct s t o h ea r a t a ll
I ts lit e r a r y qu a lity tu r n s on this
t he n oi s e s
With o ut thi s h a bit t he e a r r e
s e l e c t iv e n e s s
acting o n t he wo r d s an d s en t e n c e s suggested
by thoug ht would be a pt to l e t t he u n mu s ic a l
p a s s r e a dily i n to b e i n g
But the f a s tidiou s

n
s
i hibit t he i n h ar mo n iou s
r e j e ct s
ear
ph r a se s ; a n d t he lit e r a r y e a r i s f a s tidi o u s in
,

'

20 8

The G ae l

i n L i t e ratu re

this e mph a tic s en se th a t it p re v e n t s u n mu s ic a l

ph r a se s f r o m b e i ng c re a t e d a t a l l Thi s pr e
v e n t i o n o f them i s e ff e ct e d by n o t li s t en i n g t o
th em The e a r in s uch c a s e li s t e n s fo r mu s ic
th r ou g h it
a n d only mu s ic p a s s e s int o b e i n g
The lit e r a r y e a r ha s a h a bit o f n o t imagining
t he inh a rmo n iou s and this g o e s with t he h a bit
of not li s t e n i n g t o t he s a m e
Fo r o n e right w a y there a re t w o w r o n g
The
u n lit e r a ry e a r m a y b e an e a r th a t c an n ot h e lp
b e i n g imp a rti a l th a t li s t e n s to a l l thi n g s
imagines a l l thing s a n d ha s n o h a b it o f s e l e ct
O r it may be
ing t he mus ic a lly b e a utiful
s imply a n u n li s t e ni n g e a r t h a t t a k e s littl e p a r t
in t he cont r ol o f the word o w l e a vi ng that
to t he higher po w e r s of thou g ht
e ntir e ly
Th e r e a re writer s n o doub t with g o o d thou g ht s
t o e xp r e s s who d o n o t hear th e ir s e nt e n c e s as
th e y writ e th e m down The intelligence i s
at w o rk while t he l a zy e a r t a k e s i t s r e s t I n
di fcult m a tt e r s of th o ught wh e n co n c en t r a tio n
it
o f e n e rg y o n s ub j e ct m a tt e r is imp e r a ti v e
i s right th a t n o attenti o n s hould b e given to t he
.

2 09

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

but a g ood instinctive ear would do i t s

wo r k u nh e e de d in a min d o f t he conc r e t e t y pe
W e m ay i n d ee d g o furt h e r : i t s a ctivity s e em s
to r e a ct a s s timulu s o n t he m e nt a l pow er s
S o m uch for lit e r a tur e as a ne a rt per 5 6
Ho w do e s concr e te n ess o f m e nt a l r e a ction show
it se lf in t he lo g ic a l tre a tm ent o f di f c ult sub
j e c t m a tt e r to be e x po u n d e d int e lli g ibly ? D oe s
t he C e lt di ff e r from the T e uton in this r e s pe ct ?
The di ff e r e nc e of French from G e rm a n e x po s i
tion in s ci e nc e a n d philo s ophy rises to mind
a s t he
not a bl e e x ampl e The En g li s h look
The G e rm an s
o n a n d admit the di ff e r e nc e
in di s cov e ry in s p ecul a
a r e g r e a t in l e a r n in g
tio n
Judge d by th e ir out put s o fa r t h ey
But as e xpo n e nt s of their
a r e t he g r e a t e s t
we
o w n wi s dom th e y a re di fcult t o follow :
t r a v e l th r ou g h t he l a nd but do not e a s ily n d
the P i sg a h from which to g e t the c o mp re
The French a utho r brings you
he n s i v e v i e w
int o s ight of P i sg a h a t the earliest po s s ibl e
mom en t and m a k e s you climb it a s s oon as he
th e n he co n duct s you not t oo s lowly a n d
can
ear,

21 0

The Ga el

i n L i t erat u r e

in o r d e r o v e r t he varied s l o p e s and th r ou g h
the v a ll ey s h a de s M e t a phor a p a r t thi s n e
qu a lity of e x po s itio n i s not s impl e : it s e em s
to turn chi e y on a pt n e ss to s e iz e the c ent r a l
i d ea of t he th e m e t o k e e p it w e ll in V iew
throu g hout t he whol e d e v el o pm ent o f the
s ub j e ct
to g ive t he r ea d e r a g r a s p o f
and
it n a lly as a s i n g l e whol e
Contr a s t s o f i n t e ll e ctu a l m e thod s uch a s thi s
tend to di s a ppe a r or to be ton e d down a s
c o mmunicati o n between t he in t e ll e ctu a l cl a s s es
i n cr e a s es i n t e rn a tion a lly When my f a th er w a s
D ubli n the d i s
a s tud e n t in T r i n ity Coll eg e
t i n c t i v e ch a r a ct e r of French m a the m a tic a l t e xt
book s w a s much mor e marked than it i s now
N othi n g to comp a r e with th em w a s w r itt e n
in En g li s h a t th a t tim e an d th e y w e r e t he
book s pr e s c r ibe d fo r t he D ubli n s tud ent s o f
that g en e r a tio n When these m en grew up
how e v e r th e y b r ok e the lon g s i len c e of their
U niversity by w r iti n g g r e a t bo ok s on m a th e
m a t i c s th em s e l v e s which s oon b e c am e pop ul a r
i n E n g l a nd a l s o a n d s timul a t e d imp r ov e m e n t s

in m e thod th e re S e v er a l of these book s t he

,

21 1

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

wo r k s of t he l a t e D r Sa lm o n in p a r ticul a r
we r e t r a n s l a t ed i n to French an d b e c a m e fo r
t he s ub j e ct of which th e y treat t he t e xt b o o k s
used i n French U n ive r s iti es Th e s e D ublin
book s an d t he old e r French boo k s s t an d now
o n my lib r a r y s h e lv es
The y a r e o l d f r i e n d s
t o whi ch I o w e muc h
I n s tyl e a n d m e thod
they ha v e t he same li g htn e s s o f touch a n d
s w if tn e s s o f m o v em e nt
advancin g w i th much
le s s concr e t e il lu s tr a t i o n a n d pr a ctic a l a p plic a
ti o n th a n d o t he Eng li s h b o ok s to r ea ch mo re
r a pidly t he culmi n a tion o f t he a r um e nt
Thi s
g
qu a lity a ff e ct s o n e lik e plot i n t e r e s t w e ll
s u s t a in e d and quickly d e v e lop e d in a s to r y
H e n c e t h a t sense o f unity in s ubj e ct m a tt e r
with corr es pondin g int ell e ctu a l g r a s p which
s o oth e s a n d charms the mind
I t is in s ci e n tic r a t h er th an in lit e r a r y
wo r k th a t thi s tr a it s hould be obs e r v e d b e c au s e
it g o e s without s a yi ng a s a ch a ra ct e r i s t i c o f
n e lit e r a tur e
Wh a t has b een said s o fa r
th a t French s ci en tic
a mou n t s i n f a ct t o thi s
wo r k 1 8 e xpou n d e d in a lit e r a r y m ann er I
thi n k the sa m e qu a lity will be found t o c h a ra c
.

'

21 2

The G ae l

i n L i te ratu re

I r i sh wo r k o f t he same kind s o fa r a s
it g o e s The I rish s kill in t e a chi n g is co g n a t e
t o it
But t he co n t r a s t b e tw e e n I rish a n d
E n g li sh is a very s m a ll m a tt e r a s compa r e d
with t he cont ra s t b e tw e en G e rm an an d French
The s a m e b e n t fo r u n ity o f compo s itio n
s how s it s e lf in t he C e ltic st o rie s as com a r e d
p
with the No r s e The No r s e s ag a is in fo r m
a s T e uto n ic a s a m o dern G e r m a n treatise o n
th e olo g y I t begin s n o t m e r e ly a t but b e fo r e
t he beg inning an d t e ll s y o u how thi n g s c a m e
With
t o be wh a t th e y were wh e n th e y b eg a n
and they a r e n e it ha s
a l l i t s n e qu a liti e s
n o t th a t s wift ch a r a ct e r iz a tio n which carries us
int o t he f e e li n g o f the st o r y a t its out s e t and
b e a r s us quickly o n
perh a p s
The C e ltic t a s t e fo r ly r ic is
The u n ity
a s s oci a t e d with t he same qu a lity

r
f
of a po e m i s in p a t unity o mood o n e
mood o r a cor r e l a t e d g r oup The ly r ic clo s e s
back o n it se lf s wiftly a n d is compl e t e a s o n e
mi g ht s ay i n a s ingle s w e e p o f thou g ht I t
i s in o n e mov em e n t a n d b r i ef e n ou g h to b e
compl e t e b e fo r e the op e n i ng m o o d di e s down

t er iz e

21

The G en i u s

t he

Gae l

Hen c e

it is dear to th a t instinct fo r unity which

i s di fcult t o s a ti s fy when t he n e c e ss a ry l a bour
A n epic mu s t b e built u p p a rt by
i s lo n g
p a r t I t c a n n o t b e c r e a t e d with t he p sycho
lo g ic unity of the lyric o r idyll o r oth e r sh ort er
po em T e n ny s on s t r ea t m en t o f t he Arthuri an
le g end i s v e ry h a ppy in thi s r es pe ct an d it
follow s t he o r ig i n a l s E a ch idyll i s compl e t e
in it s e lf a n d a l l to g e th e r have a s m uch
u n ity a s s om e e pic s To c a r r y thi s co n ti n uity
thr o ugh a g r e a t e pic i s an achievement much
mo r e di fcult th a n to c a r r y it th r ou g h a g r ea t
a n d d e t a il e d work o n philo s o phy
Unity o f
r e a s o n th e r e i s b e tw e e n o n e s p e ll o f wo r k and
a n oth e r but m o o d i n the n a tu r e o f thi n g s varies
f r om time to tim e
Th a t th e r e i s s om e co n n e ction b e tw een
e loqu e n c e a n d t he e motio n s we a l l k n ow
The
or
w r it e r i s stirred
e loqu e n t
s pe a k e r
and s ti r s oth e r s int o s ympa thy
e motio n a lly
with him Without thi s he m ay be g r e a t but
he i s cold a n d f a il s to s ti r hi s h ea r e r s
S t ro ng
e motio n how e v e r v er y commo n ly produc e s t he
e ff e c t o f p a r a ly s in g o r co n fu s i n g t he i n t e ll e ct
.

21 4

The G ae l i n

L i t e ratu re

m a ki n g a man s pe e chl e s s
Eloqu enc e
impli e s a wid e r e a chi ng a n d r ea dy pl a y of
f e e lin g a bout thou g ht with o ut a n y lo s s o f
tho u g ht in f e e li ng
I t impli e s j u s t t he w e ll
b a l a nce d co n c r e t e s t a t e of mind thou g ht d a r t
ing o u t int o f e e li n g but s e lf s u s t a i n e d f e eli ng
r e a cti n g
di r e ctly o n thou g ht in s timulu s t o
hi g h e r e ffo r t s A magnicent co n t ro l of wo r d s
may be given in thi s c a se by t he s pu r o f
e m o tio n a l excitement which thus e s c a p es fro m
it s e lf a s mere f ee li ng m o ving a l l t he ci r cl es
o f mind to m o re a ctivity
A n a tu r e m er ely
p r o n e to emotio n t he s en tim en t a l n a tu r e
m e lt s int o f ee li n g o a t o f tho u g ht and is s il en t
in p r opo r tio n a s it is mov e d To be e motio n a l
m e r e ly i s to be n o t e lo qu en t Eloqu en c e i s
pr e s e n t wh en the m en t a l m an if e s t a tio n is s o
whol e a n d a t o n e th a t thou g ht is b o rn n o l e s s
o u t o f a m a t r ix o f feeling th an it is cloth e d
im a g e s a n d h a rmo n ie s
a s it r i se s in w o rds
Th a t the C e lt is e loqu e n t is ob viou s e nou g h
I t i s not a t a ll s o w ell kn o wn t h a t he is n ot
s e ntim e nt a l
A cc ordi ng to a l l this it would a pp ea r th a t
an d

'

The G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

co n c r e t e mi n d e d C e lt i s s o fa r a s hi s b r a i n
pow e r g o e s t he bor n lit er a r y a rti s t of Europ e
Thi s ha s been s a id o f him be for e n o w and
a tt e mpt s have not b e en l a cki n
how
th
t
s
a
t
o
g
E n g li sh lit er a tu r e in pa r ticul ar ow e s t he b e tt er
p a rt o f i t s e xi s t e nc e to his p resence in t he
b a c kg r ou n d o f Briti sh h e r e dity But g e n eal o
f
i
o
es
genius form a n ob s cu re an d di fcult
g
s ub j e ct
n o t to be a r g u e d h e r e
My imp r es
s ion i s t h a t E n g l i s h lit e r a tu r e is g r e a t b e c a u s e
th e r e we r e g i an ts o f lit e r a tu r e in t he l an d
n o t b e c a u s e th e y w e r e p e r s on s of a n y p a rticul a r
r a ci a l s t r a i n
Ou r co n c e rn is with t he o r di n a r y
C e ltic I r i sh a n d t he lit e r a r y f a cility a pa r t f r om

g r e a tn e s s in which they a boun d a f a cility

which i s t he mo r e r e m a rk a bl e wh e n co n s id e r e d
i n r e l a tio n t o t h e i r a v e r a g e e duc a tio n a l o pp o r
I t i s s om e
t u n i t ie s i n t he n i n e t e en th c e n tu ry
tim e s s a id how e ve r e s p e ci a lly by I r i s hm e n
th a t there i s s uch a thing a s C e ltic literary

a l a ck o f p r o p o r tio n between
1 n e ffe ct i v e n e s s
the p r omi s e an d t he f r uit Wha t o f this ?
In t he r s t pl a c e it is obviou s th a t wh e r e
mo s t p e opl e h a v e s om e tu rn fo r lit e r a ture
t he

216

i n L i t e ra t u r e

The Gae l

without b e i n g e qu a lly supe r io r i n oth er

r e s p e ct s
the r e mu s t be great po ss i biliti es o f
The rst thing i n
lit e r a ry i n e ffe c tiv en e ss
writing o r s pe a ki n g i s a ft e r a l l to h a v e s om e
thing to s ay A race with t he g ift o f e x pr es
s io n
requires t he mo r e a s s idu o u s cultur e o f
s olid a tt a inm e n t a n d lit e r a r y criticism
The
C e lt ha s in thi s s en s e a g r e a t e r need o f
e duc a tio n th a n the T e uton
And thi s leads us to t he s ec o nd po in t The
C e lt i n Eu r o pe i s r e p r e s e n t e d mo s t cl e a r ly by
t he I r i s h and I rish e duc a tio n is even n o w by
n o means s a ti s f a cto r y
Till quit e re c en tly t he
r
ea
t
m
a
j
o
r
ity
of
t
h
e
p
e
opl
e
h
v
e
had
n
higher
a
o
g
e duc a tio n a l ch a n c e at a l l
a n d t he s u r p r i s i n g
thi n g i s n o t th a t th e y h a v e p r oduc e d s o fe w
men of l e tt e r s but th a t o u t o f s o s m a ll a n
mi n o r ity th er e s h o ul d have been
e duc a t e d
The ch an c e o f t he
anything lik e s o m an y
m a j o r ity will com e l a t e r o n
B ut in t he third pl a c e it s h o uld be admitted
th a t a p a r t f r om th e s e c o n ditio n s th e r e is a
o
ibility
of
pp
ren t
i
n e ff e ctiv en e s s in the
a
s
a
s
p
C e ltic qu a lity of mi n d A mind of f a cil e c o n
,

21

The G e n i u s

of

G ae l

t he

w e ll knit and re a dy for a ctio n at

a l l point s m a k e s a g ood s h ow fo r it s e lf a lw a y s
up to a c e rt a in poi n t
I t seem s b ett e r than
it re a lly i s judg ed by any oth e r s t a n d a rd
T e utonic co n c r e t e n es s c o ex i s t s o n ly with much
m en t a l po w e r but C e ltic c o ncreteness is c o n
s istent with very littl e
a n d s o t he d i s pro po r
tio n of real pow e r t o the id e a l o f po s itiv e n es s
and b r ea dt h b r i ng s a bout t he ph en om en o n of
in e ff e ctiv en es s The ideal is p r e s ent but t he
r ea l b ehind it i s n o t s t r on g en ou g h
O the r C eltic qu a litie s t oo which add to
t he a vour o f lit e r a ry genius
b e com e o bj e c
t i o n abl e wh e n t he m ent a l pow e r is a c tu a lly
The c o nd e n c e a n d d a s h t he s pi ri t
s m a ll
and p e r s o n a lity which ma r k t he C e ltic p a g e
and Celtic s p ee ch th es e d elight u s wh e n
di s pl e a s e us oth e r
t he thing it s e lf i s g ood
wi se
I n t r uth it mi g ht a lmo s t be said o f
t he C e lt th a t no t o n ly doe s he r e qui r e mo r e
but that he ha s a l s o
e duc a tion th a n oth e r s
Wit h his g ift
a g r ea t e r d e ma nd fo r br a i n s
for unity o f m en t a l m a nif e st a tio n s he c ould
c e r t a inly put them t o e xc ell ent u se
s c io u s ne ss ,

'

'

V II
CELT
IN RESPEC T O F

SPI R ITUAL

INS G HT

I h v f lt
Ap
c t h t di t u b m w i t h t h j y
Of l v t d t h ug ht ;
ublim
O f m thi g f m d p ly i t f u d
Wh dw lli g i t h lig h t f tti g u
A d th
ud c
d t h livi g i
ky
A d t h bl u
d i t h mi d f m
A m ti
piri t th t im p l
d
All thi ki g t hi g ll bj ct f ll th u g h t
ll th ug h ll t hi g
A d
W W
An d

r es e n

e e a e

so

o se

e ro

e s

on

ro

an

sen se

or e

ro

ar

an

se

se

n er

an

ee

ea n ,

n s,

a r,

an :

e s

O R DS

O RTH

C HA P TE R

VI I

T H E C E LT I N RE S PE CT O F S PIR I T UA L
IN S I G H T
titl e o f t his ch a pt e r in dic a t e s a s ub j e ct
th a t cann o t be d ea lt with a d e qu a t e l y in g en e ra l
t e rm s till s uch time a s c a r e ful s tudy has b e en
d e v ot e d to its e lucida t i on by duly qu a li e d
ob s erv er s i n e a c h o f the C e ltic count r i e s
Th es e s hould be p e r s on s o f s u fci en t a n a l y tic
intelligence and a ccur a cy a s o bserver s w ho
h a v e a l s o themselve s e x p e ri en c e o f t he psychic
r
s
ift
to
the
p
c
which
in
ot
e
a
s
r
s
e
n
o
f
e
e
h
g
th e y h a v e to weigh t he e v id en c e O f lit e ra tu r e
o n t he s ubj e ct in this s e n s e th e r e i s littl e s o fa r
as I k n o w a lthou g h th e re is with o ut d o ubt in
co untries co n t ai n in g a C e ltic popul a tion
a ll
a cl e a r co n sen su s of o pini o n a m o n g t h o s e who
TH E

22 1

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

have oc ca s ion to know T h i s op i nion m ay i n

the rs t instance be fa i r ly s umme d up wi t h
c o mm o n sense emph a s i s a s re e c t e d in t he
L owl a n d S co t s a dmir a tion fo r hi s H i g hl a n d
compa triot s s pir i tu a l
B oth are
g ift
ch a ra ct e ri s ti c a lly r e li g iou s ; a n d a s t o cr eed s
mor a l s a n d in s titution s they a r e a g r ee d By
both t he p a t h o f lif e is trodd en with a sen s e o f
s a c r e d r e s pon s ib ility t o t he O n e Et e rn a l
But
t h e r e is a di ffe r enc e I t i s n o t in z ea l it is n o t
in f a it h it i s n o t even in pra y e rfulne ss I t
a pp e a r s t o c o n s i s t in s om e di ffe r enti a tion o f
e v e ryd a y
t e mpe ra m ent o r h a bitu a l p s ycho
p h ys ic a l a ttitu d e w h ic h pr e v a il s in t he G a e lic
S c ot an d t en d s to m a k e e a s y t h a t uplift o f t he
whole n a tur e in a s in g l e a c t o f s piritu a l a s pi r a
tio n t he a c hi e ve m ent o f whi c h is t he inner w a y
o f r e li g iou s illumin a t i on p s y c holo g i c a lly co n
As t he g r a phi c Lowl a nd ph r a s e
s i dere d
d e s cr ib es it he ge ts furt h er ben in t he
e ffort to f ee l a ft e r a n d n d t he pr esen c e o f
G od If this be s o t he ch a r a ct e ri s tic o f t he
H i g h l a nd e r in t he eyes o f his L owl a nd c o
.

22 2

The C e l t

i n Spi ri t u al I n sigh t

religi o nist i s o f t he n a tu re o f th a t my s tic

s o c a ll e d a s hidden f r om co n s ciou s n e s s
ift
g
i n r e s p e ct o f i t s c a u sa l ori g in th a t g ift of
s up e r n a l
s pi r itu a l
insight which i s fully
described by tho se who have stu d ied o n the
inside t he d e v elopm ent o f Ch r i s ti a n lif e in
t he liv e s o f t he s a int s from S t Pa ul h im s e lf
onw a rd s
Th e c a se o f the G a e lic seer as for e x ampl e
t he H i g hl a nd e r who pr a y s i n the n a m e of t he
co ng r eg a tio n with g ift so p en e t r a ti n g th a t
e v e n t he c a r e l e s s on es
lo s in g touch of s e lf
a n d mundane c a res f e e l t h e m s e lv e s in t he v e ry
pr e se nce of the Et e rn a l hi s c as e if t h i s pow e r
ha s co me to him with l e s s than the n o rm a l
is cl ea rly th a t of
a mou n t o f a rduou s tr a i n in g
o n e s o co n s titut e d by n a tur e t h a t in hi s a c t of

no doubt a l s o in ot h e r fervid
a dor a tion
as
a ct s hi s whol e energy o f co n s ciou s n es s i s a s
H i s s pi r itu a l
a m a tt e r o f cou r s e a b s o r be d
uplift is impassi o ned and i n volv es his whole
p e r s on a lity
A p e r s o n o f thi s kind would
n a tura l my s tic
a s I u n d e r s t a nd be c a ll e d a

22 3

The G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

by t h o se who a r e l ea rn e d in t he hi s tory an d
have studied t he p s ycho l og y o f Chri s ti a n
my s tici s m The y wo uld n o t ho wever m ea n
m o re by t h i s th a n th a t s uch a p e r s o n if s e lf
trained a s the g re a t mystic s a int s trained t h em
se lv e s
to make t he mo s t o f al l hi s pow e rs
for t he a pp r ehe n s ion and u s e o f s pi r itu a l
t ru th would c om e mo r e e a s ily int o hi s vi s ion
o f t he Et e r n a l R e a lity
a n d b e mo r e e ff e ctu a l
a l s o in c o mmunic a tin g t he s e n s e o f it to oth e rs
The g r e a t my s tic s w e r e g r e a t b e c a u s e t he
whol e n a tu r e in them w a s g r ea t a n d s a intly
n o t s imply b e c a u s e th e y ha d
in t he r s t in
s t a nc e
an u n t r a in e d f a cility to tread the

my s tic w a y N o n e t he l e s s is it a gift t o h a v e
this n a tur a l f a cility s i n c e thus o n e is e n a bl e d t o
make t he m o st of s uch pow e r s oth e rwi s e as
o n e m a y h a p e n to h a v e t o m a k e t he mo s t
p
a l s o a n d thi s i s mo r e impo r t a n t o f that a cc e s s
to grace t he t r a n s c e n d en t lif e f o r c e s u rg i ng up
from the d e e p s whe r e t he D ivin e i s imm a n ent
I t is a g i ft to be a bl e to
i n the huma n s pirit
co n c e n t r a t e t he p s ycho phy s ic a l energy a t a n y
.

224

The C e l t i n

gift b e com e s pr e ciou s indeed

when used h a bitu a lly a t t he hi g hest l e v e l
A s a f a ct i n p s ycholo g y lo o k e d at m o re
mi n ute ly t he g ift a p pe a r s in t he r s t instance
to b e a primitive f a cility in co n c e n t r a tin g a t
o ne
time t he wh o l e energ y o f t he p sycho
phy s ic a l o rganism in s ub o r di na tio n to the a c t
o f s pi r itu a l a pp re h e n s io n
wh e th e r it g o es o u t
th e n c e t o lift up a l l i t s desire s a n d thou g ht s in
p r a y e r o r i s b a n k e d up to ri s e un s p ea k a bly
in a do r in g con t emp l a tio n I t i s n o t di fcult
to co n c e iv e t he prob a bi lity in this l a tt er case
of vi s ion s a n d t he h e a r in g o f v o ices as t he
e xp r e s s io n o f t he clim a x w e lli n g up f r om t he
B ut th e s e a r e n o t o f the e s s en c e
s ubco n s ciou s
e xc e pt when a pp e a r i n g
a nd
o f t he e xp e ri e n c e
a r e p e r h a p s n o t greatly
a s g uid e s t o a c t i o n
to b e p r iz e d The p e r f e ct e d g ift i s much mo r e
th a n a l l thi s : it impli e s n othi ng l es s th an the
f th I i h
S u ch w t S t P t ick t h v i
t h l t t r i hi vi i
whi h h w w i t t
d
th
child c yi g i n t h w d f F l t h n r t h W t
f St P ul
d t h v ic
S u ch l w r t h vi i
S
o ne

point

Spi r i tual I n si g h t

The

ere

ren

ea

h rd by J
ea

e sa

en o n
e

a so

e e

o an o f

Ar c

a r

oo

e s

oc u

s o ns o

22 5

o c es o

r s

s o n , an

ea

an

es ern

es

The G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

ubordi n a tion of t he whol e n a ture in a l l i t s

a ct s of lif e th r ou h o ut a l l i t s time t o the lif e
g
id ea l s r ev e a l e d i n r e p ea t e d e xp e r i enc e s o f s uch
s pi r itu a l
a pp r e h e n s io n
I w as n ot dis
ob e di e n t u n to t he h e a v en ly V i s i o n s a id St
P a ul To have t he vi s i o n and to be co n s t an tly
ob e di e n t to i t thi s i s t he very d e n itio n o f
a Ch r i s ti a n s a i n t
To have t he vi s i o n in th a t
wide s e n se wh e th e r ex pressed th r ou g h s ig ht s
a n d voic e s
as in t he case o f S t P a ul himself
quick en i n g o f a ll t he po we r s o f
o r by t he
thou g ht in t he n o rm a l way to s piri tual c o n

s
n
thi s is to b e a my s tic illumi n a t e d s o
c l u io s
A pe r s on mi g h t have
fa r a s the visi o n g o es
s
s
n
e
s
r
t
gift
great
o
portu
iti
in
thi
sense
e
a
p
g
but by n eg l e c t o f th e i r cultiv a tion might l et
th em b e com e o f no e ff e ct The d ea dli es t kind
of n eg l e ct i s di s ob e die n c e t o the vi s ion ; an d
this fo r t he p l a i n p s ych o lo g ic a l r ea s on that

f
mind
divided
a
a
i
n
s
t
it
s
e
lf
t
h
d
ing
e
o
o
a
g

h
n
n
r
t
e
it a t w a with
k owi g can n ot m a in t a i n
i t s p o w e r o f c o o r din a t e uplifti n g a s a whol e
U n ity o f life a t i t s hi g h e s t l ev e l i s the sag e s a im
s

2 26

The C e l t

i n Spi ri t u al I n si g h t

Christian w a y to a tt a in su ch unity i s lif e

in the s e n s e o f the D ivine pu r po se th r ou g hout
I t will I thi n k be cl e a r to t he r ea d e r th a t
how e v e r much o r littl e s i g n ic a n c e may be
assigned to evidence c o n ce rn ing t he vivid Ce ltic
s ense of the unseen
there is an unmi s t a k a bl e
a f n ity
b e tw een t he C e ltic ch a r a ct er i s tic o f
m e n t a l f a cility a n d c o n c r e te unity o f co n s ciou s
ness a s discus s ed i n t he s e co n d cha pter o f
thi s book and th a t c a p a city fo r conc en t r a tio n
inv o lving t he inter
o f lif e o n s pi r itu a l i s s u e s
pe n et ra tio n o f the seen with t he unseen a n d
the s en se of t he e te r n a l h e r e and n o w o f which
we read in t he b o ok s o f th o se w ho h a v e s tudi e d
Such
t he ps ychol o g y o f Ch r i s ti a n m y s t i c i sm
study d e a l s with the liv e s o f tho s e who w e r e in

s
r
n
for
mo
t
r
n
k
as
s
a
i
t
a
n
d
t
e
a
ch
s
e
e
s
a
St
t he
P aul St Catherine St F ra n ci s St Te r es a ;
r o u n d th e s e fou r t he wh o l e d o ctrine may b e
p r ot a bl y di s cu s s e d
We kn o w much less
a bout t he inn er hi s to r y o f the C e ltic s a i n t s :

The

The Mysti c

Way

Rel ig i on, B aro n

von

E U d hill ;
H ug l
.

er

2 27

The My s ti ca l El em en t

The G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

mo s t p a r t th ey w e r e m en an d wom en
o f a ctio n
r a th e r
th a n w r it e r s a s fa r a s w e
k n ow Thi s w a s e s p e ci a lly the case with t he
B riti sh Apo s tl e o f I r el a nd St P a t r ick Never
t he l e s s we have s om e fe w r e liqu es
f r om hi s
h a n d a n d with th em we m ay begin o u r inquiry
Tw o
int o t he e vide nc e o f C e ltic s pi r itu ality
docum e n t s in L a ti n a r e ascribed to St P a t r ick
The Co n f es s io n
and w r itt e n in hi s name
Epi s tl e t o C o r o t i cu s
I t i s t he
t he
and
fo rm e r which reveals the inner n a tu r e o f
t he writer and with which we a r e c o n c erned
h er e
for

t he

1 , Pa

The

t ick i
F i thf u l
r

m tul

s nn e r ,

d f ll
f m
y m t d pi d
n ear n e

os

an d

an

es

os

se

I u ff d c p t u t h
t f u ll i x t
I k w t th t u G d d l d w y
I t p t ivi ty with th u d m
br u g h t t I l df t t w ll d r d
W
wi thd w u lv
F
w f m G d h d f
n o

H e g o es

on

ee n

an

s an

re a n

ro

no

as

or

ca

en

re ,

no

ne

ere

o r e,

a e

oo

ra

ar

to r e cou n t how

e s e ve

i n hi s

rs e

s ix

The Rema i ns of St Pa tr i ck, Apost l e of I rel a nd, Si r

.

F gu
er

so n ,

l d i t E g li h bl k v

r a n s at e

n o

2 28

an

er s e

es

y ea r s

S mu l
a

The C e l t

captivity the
i nn oc en c e :

i n Spi r i t u al I n si g h t

Lo r d

Ik w
Ad m n i h d m
A f th
m ig h t

Y e a,

o o se

twi x t

me

g av e

a so n

youth

hi s

on

g oo

an d

l i

an d

ill

o n so at o n

tt a in s without hum an aid cast

o n h i s o w n r e s ou r c es
a

t u ch

The

an d

er

Thu s he
a s it w e r e
%

to

ne

e re

had pity

an d

pp h i

en s o n o f

re

my

God,

m a k e s his poo r r e tu r n a full c o n fe s

si o n o f a dori n g f a ith
A g a in he i s d e pre s se d by hi s ign o rance
then comfort e d by conviction o f his mi s s io n
a n d G od s c h oic e of him to serve
and

Th f t
My i g n r n

i t h m m t di l
u Ihv tl d
; b
Wi t h b vi ty d l g c f p h
T t
h w t h S piri t m v
t d p t hi g
Th
u l ff c t i
mi d
d th hum
it g i n t m
it i t m
B t w
I w u ld t l g b l w t i g Hi pr i
Ev t h ug h t m p h c i n t hi I m
u mp t u u wi th my u d d t mm i g t g u
P
t mm i g t g u
Y t i t i wri tt n t h t t h
S h ll y t b wif t t p k t h w d f p c
e r e o re

o a

o - d ay
ce

ec a

an

re

e so

r es

e s

no

e s a

o s

ea

s n

an

an

2 29

ea r n e

e as

erc

sc o s e

e ec

e s o

so

an

as

on

an

s,

ons

ve

no

en

e re

es

se

e e

ee

r ea

an

so

a se

or

se e

er n

s a

on

er n

e,

es

on

ea e

The G en i u s

m u ch

Gae l

t he

h n li th t h rg
W h Ch i t pi t l
t
f
nd
t h w ld
B
w rd f hi lv t i
d
t ind
L d w d b ut w d f p w w t i
h
N t wi t h p
i k b u t by t h Spi i t f G d
d i qui
H
it r i d m up
wh w
M \
f li h m f m m id t f th m t m d
d l w l
Wi m
d d i p w r f p ch
A i n ll l
p p t t d i pi d
M
v n m t h b utt f thi w ld c
Ab v t h t t b wh t w I m
H whil t t l t wi t h f
d r v r n
F i thfu l i h t d u mpl i i g ly
I v t hi p pl t wh m t h ch i ty
O f C hri t ig m f my t f lif
If I b w thy ; th t wi t h h u mbl h t
A d t u t hf u l lip I t
h it
Ho w

o,

s e

ea r n e

or

ear an

re

e,

s er e

re

no

ee

s o rn ,

ce

e e e

ar

r es

e ar

ea c

a n n

or

e,

or

nc o

e,

or

ns

es ee

ear a n

ns

lo n e

an

an

an

eo

as s

o en

ea r ts,

n o ur

ri

a se

earn e

ar e

er

as
s

e o n us ,

ee

eas

e ar

no

or

on

e r es

ro

e se

e,

He

sa

er e

en an

e,

es,

r e,

se

es

or

en - n

oo

o re

s,

e,

t he

r s

ea r

of

v e r t s to the hi s to r y of his co n v e r s i o n
in t he wood s an d o n the mou n t a in s
re

h ly f

f i th
I n r d i n m th t i
i gl d y
I
id m y
h un dr d p y
r f w ; t h t ft
A d i t h n ig h t
I n w d d th m u t i I
mi d
b f d yli g h t t hr ug h w
A d ri n t p y
T h u g h f t t h u g h r i n d y t I t k ill
w
th i n m t h
u g ht l w
N
w
pi i t f G d wi thi m b u d
F
t h n th
An d

e,

c e ase

ve

oo

or

or

as

e s

ra

en

2 3o

er s ,

ve

oo

as

s o

sn o

a ne

re

an

so

n a ns

ro

er e

er

e or e

er

ra

ros

on

sc a c e

s an

ro

a s n

as a

se

an

as

sa

ea r an d

no

rn e

no
,

The C e l t

i n Spi r i t u al I n si g h t

ni g ht in s l e e p a v o ice d e cl a r es to him
th a t he s h a ll s e e hi s l a n d a n d h o m e Ag a i n it
sa ys
Beh o ld thy s hip i s r e a d y
S o he
e s c a p e s with many t r i a l s f r om hi s se r vitud e
O n c e mo r e a mid s t hi s o w n pe opl e there pr e
s e n t l y com e s to him the c a ll f r om I r e l a n d i n a
n i g ht vi s io n t he p s ycholo g ic a l i n t e r es t o f which
is co n s id e ra bl e :
One

I n n ig h t i i I b h ld m
C mi g tw r f m I l d V ic t h
I u m bl l tt br ug h t h
m t
d I d
li n
t
H g
f th I i h
it
Th v ic
d m th ug h t I h rd t h y
A d whil I
O f t h m t h t by t h w d f F l t h dw ll
O
yi n g t h u
B id t h W t
C m h ly y u th d w lk m g t
m
All wi t h
v ic I t t u ch d m t t h h r t
d
d m
wk
A d I c u ld
t h n ig h t I k w t I
A d
w if tw wi t hi n m
wi th u t
G d k
p y d wi th w d x c di g xqu i i t
O
I u ld t u d t d till t t h cl
H wh g
hi
p k i thi wi
ul
H
t h i H w h p k 1 I w k wi t h j y
F

c
I
H
im
p yi g i t w
w
A d
Wi thi m d I w my lf th ug h
V s on

as

er a

nn

es o

e,

one

no

ne

ra

e s

or

no

e,

an

an

so

no

us,

er s a n

ee

se

ea

ra

se

sa

23 1

ea

o s e,

av e
o

as

as

no

co

e or

sa

on e

on

er

s,

o re,

cr

sa

oc u

or

as

ee

s,

no

co

an

an o

on

ea

c ea n ,

r ea

e,

ra n ,

so

oo

e s e rn

one

e,

o ne

re a

or

e :

r s

rea

an

re an

re a

ro

ers

es

e e

ave

er e

so

The G en i u s

t he

of

G ae l

Wi thi n m y lf d r m th t i
Ov th i
I h rd H i m p y
m
S t g ly wi t h u rg n t g
my lf t h whil
A m d d w d i g w h h uld p y i m
se

er

an

o ve

nner

an ,

r on

an

on

ea

ra

ro a n s ,

az e

e,

er n

se

ra

I w k d c ll d
T m m y wh t Hi
p tl y
Th S pi i t h lp t h w k
f
p y ;
F
wh w p y d k w t w u g h t
Wh t t p y f t h S pi i t H im lf d th p y
F
wi th g i g i x p ibl
N t t b p ut i
Tur n in g now t the e a rly Chri tian G lic
o

or

en

or

or

ra

us

s a

ra

an

o r,

roa n n

an

os

ea

e sa

no

o ur

ra

as

ne

re s s

er

e o

se

n e ss o

no

ra

ae

po e m s a tt e ntio n m ay be dire c ted r s t t o t he

invoc a tion known a s S t Pa trick s B r ea s t
pl a t e o r The G u a rd sm an s Cry in w h i c h
the s t r o n g c o ncrete s en s e o f D ivin e a l l in
S a i nt s a ng e l s
a ll n e s s i s vividly illu s tr a t e d
the fo r c e s o f na tu r e a r e a ll inv o ke d t o c o n
tribute to t he f ullm en t of t he p r a y e r which i s
The t r a n s l a tio n
a dd r e s s e d to the Triune G od
is by D r Whitl e y Stok e s :
I u p i my lf t d y by m ig h ty ir tu
I v c t i f t h T i i ty
f
I b eliev i n T h
wi t h c f i
O
ne i th C t f th l m t
,

ra s e

ss

se

o-

on

r n

ree n es s ,

r ea o r

2 32

e,

an

o n e s s on

e e e

en s

ne

The C el t

i n Spi ri t u al I n si g h t

I u p i my lf t d y
By t h
vi tu f t h B ir th f C hri t w i t h hi
B p ti m
B y t h vi t u
f Hi C u i x i
wi th Hi B u i l
By th
d A c
ir t f Hi R u ti
i
B y t h vi t u
f Hi C mi g t t h
nt n f t h
Ju dg m nt
I u p i my lf t d y
By t h
irt u f t h S phim l v
b di
f A g l
(Th vi t u t h t bid ) i n t h
ti
I th h p
f R u
u t t h r w rd
f th P t i
In th p y
h
I t h p dic t i
f t h P ph t
I th t
hi ng f t h A p tl
f th C
I t h f i th
f
c f H ly V i g i
I th i
f ig h t u m
I th d d
I u p i my lf t d y
B y t h li g h t f t h
n
f h
; by t h vi t u
f
w th f c f
Th whi t n
f li g h t i g t h
Th
wift
p d f t h wi d
Th d p t h f t h
t bili ty f t h
th
Th
f
ck
Th m
I u pr i my lf t d y
p w t pil t m
By G d
Th mi g h t f G d t u plif t m
f G d t l d m
Th k wl d g
f G d t l k b f
m
Th
y
r a se

se

ue

es

e v

ra

re

ea c

nn o c en

ons
s

e o

ess

n ess

e e

no

e o

ce

ro

o-

er

ns

ea r
s

e s,

or
e

ee

e,

e o

enc e

es ,

en

e,

s ea ,

se

a se

se

en s o n ,

e s,

n n

n ess

ro

s un

e s a

sn o

s,

os

eo

a r ar c

r a

o n es s o rs ,

n o

on

o-

an

rr ec

se

e o

r a se

on

r re c

es

es

ers

ee

e s

on ,

er a

o-

se

ra s e

oo

e,

ea

e o re

e,

23 3

re

e a ve

The G en i u s
The

of

e ar

God to

t he

of

G ae l

me,

ea r

w d f G d t m k m l qu t
Th h
d fGdt df dm
Th p t h f G d t li b f
m
Th
hi ld f G d t h lt m
Th h t f G d t g u d m
F m th
f d m
F m t h t m pt t i n f i
F m t h d ir f tu
F m ll t h t m di t t il g i t m
The

or

an

os

e s n ar e s o

ro

ro

ro

Al

es

Af ar

and

es o

na

a n ea r,

o n e an d

in

e,

e,

e,

o n s,

s o

e,

ar

en

e o

er

e o re

ro

e en

v c es ,

re ,

a e ev

mu l ti tud

a ns

e,

h v I i v k d ll th p w
B tw
m y lf d v y d g u m cil p w r
O pp d u t my b dy d m y ul
Ag i t t h i t ti
p ph t
f f l
Th bl ck l w
f h th n d m
Th f l
l w f h y t h c ft f id l t y
Th
p ll f w m
d mi t h
d dr u id
A d ll k wl d g t h t h t h d l d t h
ul f m
Ch i t d f d m t d y
d
Ag i t p i
d burn ing
g i t d w i g
wu d
U til mul ti tu di u w d h f ll t m
C h i t b wi t h m C h i t b f m
C h i t b hi d m C h i t wi thi m
C h i t b l w m C hri t b v m
C h i t t my ig h t h n d C h i t t my l f t h d
C h i t i n b d th C hri t i l g th C h i t i h ig ht

So

a e

ee n

se

o se

a se

r s

e s,

ra

o a r

s , an

ro

a se

an

es s

s,

e so

an

ro

a ns

an

n n

s,

s re

re a

r s

2 34

en

en

e,

e or e

r s

e,

av e

ar

r s

e,

e o

er e s

no

er

so

an

r s

ea

e ro

an

en ,

an

ons o

er s

e er

o so n

r s

e en

a ns

r s

no

r s

r s

an

n c an a

es e

n o

a ns

e,

e,

r s

an

The C el t

i n Spi r i t u al I n sigh t

C h i t i n th h t f ll w h thi k m
C hri t i n t h m u th f ll w h p k t m
C h i t i n v y y th t
m
C hri t i v y t h t h m
I u p i my lf t d y by m ig h ty irt u
I v c ti f t h T i i ty
I b li v i
Th
f i f O
w ith c
i
th C
t f th l m t
D mi i t l u D mi i t l u C hri t i t l u
it
S l u t D mi
mp
bi
m
r s

er

er

r s

ea r s

ra s e

n e ss

on

es

ua,

se e s

ear

o-

e a rs

r n

ea

rea o r

s,

ne,

se

e,

on ess o n

sa

an

ree n ess

on

se

e e e

es

sa

en s

s,

er n o

sc u

ne

es

sa

S id e

by side with thi s m a y be pl a c e d t he

followi n g o n St C olum b a in I o n a t r a n s l a t e d
by E ugene O Cu r r y f r o m a n I ri s h M S in
t he Burgundian L ib r a r y
B r u s s e l s I t s e em s
lik e l y th a t thi s date s f o m t he ea r l y p e iod o f
I ri s h mi s s i o nary e n t e r p r i s e in Eu r op e when
C o l um b an u s a n d hi s c o mp an io n s t a r r i e d
St
f o r a time in Burgundy b e f o re they w en t up
t he Rhine to Switz e r l a n d and a ft e r w a r d s to
I t a ly

D li g h tfu l w u ld i t
o

pi

be t o m e

cl f ck
T h t I m i g h t ft
f th
Th f c
c
On

nn a

a e o

23 5

e o

ro

en see
e o

ea n ;

The G en i u s

T h t I m ig h t w tch
a

Ov

it s

wid
th y h n t m u i
t he

er

eav

o f t he Gael
i ng w v
a es

e sea ,

Wh n
th ir F t h
t
Up t h w ld c u ;
T h t I m ig h t i t l v l p kli g t d
I t w u ld b
cu f
w;
T h t I mig h t h r t h g f t h w d f u l bi d
S u c f h ppi
;
T h t I m ig h t h t h t h u d f t h cl m u w
Up t h ck ;
Th t I m i g h t h r t h
by t h id f t h ch u ch
O f t h u u di g
;
Th t I mig h t w tch i t bl u f
f ll w
d ;
G
t t
T h t I m ig h t b v i t bb d d
I n t h ir cycl ;
Th t m y m y tic l m m ig h t b i f i th

Cu l ri E i ;
T h t m y h t c t i ti mi g h t f ll
ki g u p h
O l
T h t I m i g h t b w il m y vil ll
T h ug h i t w r t y t umb t h m ;
T h t I m ig h t bl t h L d
Wh
d
ll ;
H v wi t h i t c u t l b i g h t d
L d t d d d;
T h t I m ig h t
h i n ll t h b k
T h t whi h w l d h lp m y ul ;
e

on

s c

or

s ee

r e o

e ro

rr o

r o ar

on

er

er o

or o

s er

no

on

e s

er s

an

oo

es

na

e,

r n

on

on r

ear

oo

on

no

ess

or

s r an

ea s

or

an

es s

ti m

er

ou

es s

or

er s ,

oo

so

At ti mes kneel i ng t o the Hea ven

At

oo

s ea rc

er s a

ea e n

an

er

e e

on

e o

sea

re a e s

so rro

or

s,

av e s

ea

e s

n ess

ear

on

s ra n

ar

e so n

se

er

rs e

e e

ea

e no

i ng i ng p lm
sa

2 36

my hea r t ,

The C e l t

i n Spi ri t ual I n si g h t

At ti mes medi t a ti ng

C hi f
e

At t i mes

of

on

h ly

t he

t he Ki ng
o n es

wor k w i t hou t

at

mpu l si on

co

Thi w u ld b d li g h tf ul
A t t i m pl u ki g d ili f m
s

es

A t th
o

t m es

er

At t i m es di str i bu t i ng
At t i mes i n

sc

hi
s

f Hea ven ,

ro

t he

ro

f ood

t o t he

poor ,

her mi ta g e

from t he presen ce of
vouc hsaf ed t o m e

God

i n g wh m I r will k p f m
All t hi n g th t w u ld d i m

The K

ee

se ve

ng

The best g u id a nce

Ha s been

ck

ro

ec e v e

me

This littl e po em is g iv e n here p a r tly fo r

i t s int e r es t a s d e s c r iptiv e o f lif e fr o m within
for t he g r ea t I rish saint t he Apo s tl e of
S cotl a nd a t times o f comp a ra tiv e leisure o n
hi s s e a g irt i s l e
I t is re l ev an t to t he topic
o f thi s ch ap t e r s di s cou r s e as ch a r a ct e r iz e d by
that feeling of intimacy between G od a n d m a n
and n a tu r e i n a l l t he littl e h o mely thi n g s a n d
s imp l e w a y s o f lif e which i s o f t he very e s s e n c e
C e ltic spirit in high a n d low a lik e
o f the
C o n f es s io n
A s P a trick puts it in t he
com e s f r om the Mo s t
al so
U nlearnin g
'

Poem B ook of the Ga el ,

2 37

E H ull p
.

1 1 1

The G en i u s
Hig h

G ae l

t he

G od run aw y u n t u g ht

him se lf

of
a

c ll

he

noth e r e x a mpl e ex qui s it e in i t s

s implicity a n d mo s t racy o f the s oil
take t he
So n g o f Manchan t he He rm it Abbo t o f
L em a n a g h a n in K i n g s Cou n ty who di e d 6 6 5
o f whi c h I quo t e here t he r s t v e a n d t he
l a s t three verses t he oth er three d es c r ib e the
s er v ices of t he h e r mit a g e
Fo r

'

'

I wi h 0 S f t h L ivi g G d 0 A ci t E t l
Ki n g
hidd h u t i t h wild
i m pl cl u d d
F
t hi g
hi pl c
ch ti g hi
ll bli t h li t h li tt l l k i
Th
li g h t m l y
p l f t h S pi i t g c w hi g my
Th c l m cl
i wy
A wid wild w dl d
v y id i t h d t h
u y
O f g l d v ic d g t w h t d y d w h t t h ir
w t p lm f m
t h th
A u th
p ct t
b k
th
s

on

en

ern a

en

or a

e r n e ss ,

e se

e a

s ns

an

as

ra e ,

an

oo

on

er

e,

es

r ser

a e,

oo

e ar

so

ar

e rn

as

s er s ,

or

sa

ee

so

so n

ca c

A ch ic l d ich with g r i u
f m my d
ro

an

ac o

o or

n c

an

s un ,

oo r ,
o

238

roo

ac r o s s

dw t
g if t
s,

n-s r et c

hi

ng

The C el t i n

Spi ri t u al I n si g h t
f
I w uld p i m

wi th
t nt d p w
T i thy p i t h ug h u t
l h u

Few m en

s e,

an

and

ca

ra se

ro

dy

t he

s at

ea s

n ee

Thi

The

e en ,

o ur

en

an o n

mo

o ur

on e ,

f g
h u mbl

ar e

d t
es

oa s

ng

im p l f

r ee ,

us

ra n

b ti

no

ar e ,

h b n dry I h
lb iu
t l k b u t my d
th

i s t he
ra

ch c

ee

or r

ea

c on

i f m l b tw wh pr y r i d
d u p ply ;
N gr d i
h
impl f
f th
ib ld y
Br

en

r ze,

er ,

ra se

ese

ee

b ee

o o se ,

or o

e,

t he

and

he n

o or,

s,

R u g h r i m n t f tw d
n d thi will my
gh f
Ki g ll w ;
A d I t
b
i tti g d p yi g t G d u d v y
l fy b g h
o

en ou

or

ee

e s

ou

ea

ee

an

ra

er e

er

h a v e ex pr e sse d in thi s s ev e n th
c e n tu r y po em t he a n tiqu e spirit o f j oyful
co n t e n t and piou s a s pi r a tio n which endures to
thi s day a n d d ig n i es life in t he cott a g e
hom e s o f Western I r e l an d
I t must how e v e r be r em emb e r e d th a t this
j oyful co n t empl a tion in tender ki n dly I rish
f a shion o f nature and man and the i n t e r fu s ion
Th P m B k f t h G l E H u ll p p
7 8
Her e y o u

'

oe

oo

ae

2 39

1 1

The G en i u s

of

G ae l

t he

with the pr e se nc e o f G o d b e lo ng s r a th er
to t he r e st time o f t he pr a ctic a lly energetic
C e ltic sa int I n thi s r e s p e ct t he e a r ly Chu r ch
o f I r e l a n d fu r n i s h e s a shinin g e x a mpl e of the
Chri s ti a n life id ea l i n op e r a tio n
Fo r wh a t
i s th a t lif e id ea l clo s e ly co n s id e re d ? R e li g iou s
lif e in e s s e nc e i s lif e in t he s en s e o f the D i v i n e
pu r po s e lif e in a l l i t s m an if e s t a tio n s This
I
impli e s
a n i n n e r lif e co n f o rm a bl e t o the
)
mind o f Chri s t s o as to make of the s oul
a D ivine i n s trum en t a pl a c e wh e r e t he D ivin e

pow e r dw e ll s a n d incarnates it s elf t he e qu i v a

2
s
r
a
l ent o f Christ
it
im
lies
l
o
out
a
n
e
( )
p
life d evot e d t o furtheran c e i n the wo r ld of c on
d i t i o n s f a vou r a bl e t o t he d e v elopm en t o f t he

lif e fo r a l l men the a ccompli s hm en t o f the

D ivine dest i ny t o which t he hum an r a c e is
c a ll e d N o r must it ever be fo rg o tt e n th a t
t he pu r s uit o f t he out e r r e s ult is e ff e ctiv e n o t
o n ly fo r i t s o w n a chi e v em e n t but a l s o as a

n
s
c
y
m
to minds o f an ex tro s p e ctiv e
r
ea
n e es s a

cast the chi ef me a n s o f p r omoti ng t he inner

o f a ll

The My sti c

Way

E U d hill p
.

2 40

er

65

The C el t i n

Spi r i t u al I n si g h t

d e v e lopme n t
Wo r k is a kin d o f p r a y er
pr o vided it i s G o d di r e ct e d wo r k The pu r s uit
o f the i n n e r o r m y s tic way
hidden with Christ
in G od i s o n t he oth e r h a n d n e c es s a r y t o
s e cu r e c o i n h e r e n c e o f t he m a n s lif e pu r po s e
in t he lif e o f G o d and s o to p re s er v e him f r o m
w a s t e o f energy a n d t a l en t o n t a s k s th a t have
no
re a l
Such g r o w th t o w a r d s
s i g n ic a n c e
t he lif e o f G od mu s t impl y a g r o w th i n t he
pow e r o f s e lf e xp r e s s io n under two o r d e r s t he
et ern a l
and
the co n t empla ti v e
t he t emp o r a l
and t he a ctiv e
Thu s the t r ul y illumi n a t e d
m an
ow s o u t in univ ers a l
s a y s R uy s b r oe ck
He
ch a r ity tow a r d s h e aven a n d upo n earth
i s t he i n t e rm e di a r y between G od a n d c r e a tio n
Fo r t o u s e t he matchless m e t a ph o r o f St
P a ul
the w hol e creati o n travaileth a n d
gr o aneth t o g e th e r w a iti n g fo r t he r e v e l a tio n
of the s o n s of G od
th a t revelati o n b y
which a n d by which al o ne t he l o n g p a i n ful
p r o c e s s o f e v o lutio n i s e n a bl e d t o enter o n i t s
l a s t great stage o f d e v elopm e n t in a cco r d a n c e
with id e a l s of t he e n d tow a r d s which it m o ves
%

24 1

The G en i u s

of

Gae l

t he

i d e a l s o f a wo r ld movi ng f r ee ly in all i t s pa r t s
tow a rd s t he r e a liz a tion o f s pi r itu a l comm u n io n
within it se lf a n d with G od
Th e r e w a s no l a ck o f P a ulin e pra ctic a l re
in the I rish s a int s o f t h e s e old en tim es Their
p a g a n in h e r it anc e o f her o ic en erg y and e nt e r
pri se w a s touch e d to new i s s u es but s u ff e r e d
no
diminutio n
P a t r ick s missi o n i n e ffe ct
ch a n g e d a l l bu t d e s tr o ye d n othin g
I r el and
a b a ndon e d t he r ol e o f t he her o fo r t h a t o f t he
thou g h invested s till with the h e roic
s a int
t e mp e r a nd i t s thirst fo r d ee d s
Her w a r
policy ha s c ea s e d and the p ea c e policy o f
mi s s io n a r y l ab ou r t a ke s its pl a c e L ong a ft e r
Columb a s time his follow e r s c a r r y o n their
a n d e xt e n d their c o n qu e s t s
s pi r itu a l w a r f a r e
ov e r N orth e r n E n g l a n d and t he Midl and s
Mo n a s t e r i e s t r a ci n g t h e i r o rigin t o I o n a a r e
pl a n t e d throu g h o ut S a x o n B r it a i n and a t o n e
tim e it s eem s lik ely t ha t I ri s h r a th er th a n
R om a n Ch r i s ti a nity is lik e ly t o r ei gn in t he
E ng li sh l an d C o lu mb an u s who w as tw enty
t w o y e a r s youn g e r than Columb a g o e s with
.

24 2

The C e l t

i n Spi ri t u al I n si g h t

mi s si o n band to B urg undy S w itz e r l an d and

N o r th e r n I t a ly to c o mb a t p a g a n i s m and
immo r a lity i n pl a c e s which then were v e r y
d a r k by e s t a bli shi n g a ft e r t he I r i s h f a s hio n
i n du s t r iou s a n d s a i n tly c o mm unities a s e x
a mpl e s and for instructi o n in the p e opl e s mid s t
The o l d p a s s io n fo r a d v e n tu r e a n d en t e r p r i s e
which we m a y imagine t o have po s s es s e d t he
Mile s i a n s o n the i r j ou r n e y We s t mo v e d by
a nc e s t r a l
urging th em t o g re a t
an
s pi r it
dee ds
th a t s pirit is fou n d anew in the I r i s h
mi s s io n a r i es They visit a l l t he i s l a n d s o n t he
th ey g o n o r th and
n o r th w e s t B riti s h co a s t
di s c o ver t he Sh e tl a n d s they g o f a r th er n o r th
In A D
a n d make a s e ttl e m e n t in I c e l a n d
8 7 0 when t he No rw eg i a n s c a m e to I c e l an d
th e r e were Ch r i s ti a n s th er e who d e p a rt e d a n d
left behind them I ri s h b o ok s b e ll s a n d oth e r
thi n g s f r om whence it m a y be i n f e r r e d that
th e s e Christian s were I r i s h
S o says an o l d
t e xt which % euss quot e s in hi s G r am m at i c a
I n all di r e ctio n s th e y g o fo r th
C el t i c a
some
s om e in s ea rch o f mi s si o nary l a bou r s
a

24 3

The G en i u s

t he

of

Ga e l

move d by a de s ire fo r wo r ld k n owl e d g e a n d

n e w e ld s of l ea r n i n g
Th e r e i s g o o d r e a s o n mo r e o v e r to think
th a t an oth e r I r i s hm an St Brendan carried
hi s l a bou r f a r th e r and fo und e d a chu r ch o n the
Ame r ic a n co n ti ne n t it s e lf The evidence o f
s uch an I r i s h s e ttl e m en t com es f r om the No r s e
men who di s co ver e d G reenland fo r th e m s e lv e s
towa r d s the e n d o f t he t en th c en tu r y
The
e a r li e s t
N ors e s e ttl e r s in G re en l an d w r it e s
Mr C F Ke a r y t he hi s to r i a n o f the Vikin g s
in We s t e rn Ch r i s t en dom h e a r d t e ll f r om the
natives o f th a t pl a c e o f a s e ttl e m en t o n t he
co a s t oppo s it e but fa r o ff o f a b o dy o f s tr a n g e r s
w h om t he E s kimo s described a s w a lki n g to
gether in p r oc es s ion s d r e s s e d a l l in whit e
carrying l o ng s t a v es w ith cloth s hanging f r om
them a n d s p e a kin g o r cryin g o ut in a p e culi a r
f a s hio n
The oppo s it e co a s t here s p o k en o f
mu s t have been s o m e pa r t o f N 0rt h Am e r ic a
th a t Vi n l a n d o r Win eland p ro b a bl y which t he
N o r s em e n a ft e r w a r d s di s c o vered an d p a r tl y
s e ttl e d
By the No r s e this co unt r y wa s a l s o
-

244

The C e l t

i n Spi ri t ual I n si g h t

c a ll e d Whit e M a n s La n d o r I r l a nd hy t m y k l a
t e
G r e a t e r I r e l an d
S uch an en t e r p r i s e a s thi s would how e v e r
i n a l l p r ob a b ility have s prung n o t s o m u ch
f o m t he humani s tic mi s s i o nary impul s e a s
f r o m de s ire t o p i e r c e t he my s t e r i e s o f th a t o ther
wo r ld b e y o n d t he o c e a n w a v e t he idea o f
which ha d pl a y e d s o l a rg e a p a r t in s haping
the im age s of C e ltic p a g a n myt h o lo g y The
mi s s i o n t o Eu r op e co n c e rn s u s mo r e
The I r i s h g r ip o n t h e Ch r i s ti a n id ea l in tho s e
e a r ly day s
mu s t h a v e b ee n s o m e thin g m o r e
i n tim a t e a n d wh o l e n a tu r e d th a n u s u a l t o
a ccou n t f o r i t s e ff e ct in thi s a bu n d a n t o utput
of h e r o ic e n te r p r i s e thi s wid e s p r ea d f e r v o u r
d e dic a t e d to s pi r itu a l u s e s S ignicant t o o
i s the fact that wh e r e a s the C e ltic Church
it s e lf o n t he m o d e l o f t he civil
o r g a n iz e d
instituti o n s o f t he cou n t ry and w a s f r i en dly t o
native t r ib a l l a w and t he b a r dic lit e r a tu r e the

The Vi ki ng s

r d r wh
d t il t t h

The

e a

ea

s as

b y t m yk l a
-

C F K y
t d will d i t hi b k f u th
i i t
t di t i
p r i t nt N
b ut I l d
in

Wes ter n

Chr i stend om ,
n

n e res e

e s s e

orse

24 5

ra

on a

oo

ear

r an

er

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gael

d e v e lopm e n t o f both w a s p r of o un dly in u en c e d

by t he s pi r it o f the Church th o ugh with o ut a ny
lo s s o f their o wn e s s en ti a l character And s o
w e get in a ft e r d a y s th a t u n ity o f s pi r it which
i s s o n a tu r a l and y e t s o r a r e between t he
traditi o n o f p a g a n h e r o and Ch r i s ti a n s a i n t
th a t w a s t r e a s u r e d s o c a r e fully b y t he pe opl e
th r ou g hout t he succeeding c en tu r i es
They
t o ok t o the m se lv e s t w o h er o e s to be c e n t r es
of the n a tio na l hOpe writes M rs G reen
Finn t he ch a mpio n leader o f the Fi an a the
w a rba n d s o f o ld time a n d P a t rick the saint
A multitud e of t a l e s suddenly s pran g up o f
t he a dve n tu r e s of F inn the w a rr ior worthy o f
a king
t he s o n o f wi s dom the mighty hu n t e r
o f every m o un tain a n d for e s t in I r e l an d who s e
d e a th n o min s tr e l c a r e d to s i n g Ev e ry po e t
was e x p e ct e d t o r e cit e the f a m e in life o f Fir m
P e di g r ee s were invented
a n d his c omp a n ion s
t o link him wi th every g r e a t h o u s e in I reland
S ide b y
f o r their g re a t e r g lo r y a n d auth o rity
s ide
wi th Finn t he p e opl e s et St P a t r ick
k e e p e r o f I r e l a n d against a l l s t r a n g e r s guar
,

246

The C el t i n

S pi ri t u al I n si g h t

dian o f th e ir n a tion a n d t ra ditio n

I t wa s
P atrick they told who by invincible p r a y e r
a n d fa s ting at last comp e ll e d H e a v e n t o grant
th a t outl an d e r s s hould n o t fo r ever inhabit
Erin
A r o un d th e e w a s the triumphant
I ri s h hop e o n t he D ay o f Judgment the m en
o f E rin s h a ll com e t o judgment
fo r a ft e r t he
tw e lv e th r o ne s o f the Apo s tl e s w e r e s e t in
r
r
u
d
a
h
r
e
s
e
to
jud
t
ib
of
I
a
l
P
t
ick
m
e
t
e
s
a
J
g
him s e lf s hould at t he e n d ari s e a n d c a ll t he
pe opl e of I r e l a n d to be j udged by him o n a
mounta in in th e i r o wn l an d
L ooki n g back a c r o s s t he Christian centuries
l e t u s i nquire whether there may n o t h a v e b een
s om e thi n g in lif e fo r the p a g a n G a el and i n hi s
n a tive intuiti o n o f i t s meaning that h a rmo n iz e d
with t he new visi o n o f t he s up e rn a l wo r ld
and m a d e it f r om t he r s t i n t e lli g ibl e a s a

living reality the p r e s en c e o f G od a n d the

odlik
in
man
a bov e a l l a n d with a ll a n d
e
g
in you a ll a s the g r ea t Apo s tl e s a ys
The student who s e a r ch e s o u t the mark s o f
.

I r i sh Na ti on a l i ty ,

A S G r n pp
.

24 7

ee

0
9 ,

91

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

p ag a n G a e lic r e li g io n in t he workin g s of the

a n ci e n t I r i s h mind i s doo m e d to disapp o intment
if hi s th o u g ht s be be n t o n cl e ar di s ti n ct io n s
s uch a s we n d i n the d e v e lopm e n t o f T e uto n ic
myth o l o g y Th e r e i s in t he G aelic myth n o
t a n g ibl e d e limit a tion of S phere as b e t we e n g od s

a n d men and the dem o n ho s t s

n othi n g cor r e
s po n d i n g
to A s g a r d M an n h e im and J otu n
heim We k n ow n o t fo r inst an ce wh eth e r t he
F omo r i a n s of s to r y who harried the co a st s of
Ul s t e r i n t he dim di s t an t p a s t were e ar ly
c o ming i n v a d e r s f r om ov e r t he n o rthern s ea s o r
d emo n ho s t s f r om t he s pi r it l an d b e lo w t he
w a v e Such e nemies of men coun t for n o t
much howe v e r i n t he m yt holo g ic a l outl o ok o f
Mo r e imp o rt an t a r e
t he cheerful I r i s h mind
t he Tu a t ha D D a n a nn
a pp e a r i n g s o metime s
in t he lit e r a tu r e as a pre G aelic race of wi s e
mighty men s om e tim es a s the divine
an d
p e opl e o f I r e l a n d t he g o ds o f t he l an dwh o se
no w
s p e ci a l h a bit a tio n i s v a r iou s ly c o nceived
within the hill s n o w beneath t he s ea a n d y e t
but v i s ibl e
a g a i n i n t he upp e r w o r ld o f men
,

24 8

The C e l t

i n Spi rit u al I n si g h t

onl y to tho se w ho have t he g ift o f v i s iont he

mys tic r a ci a l a f n ity it m a y be o r r e l a tion b y
s pi r itu a l fo s t e r a e
n
which
the
ift
d
p
d
o
n
e
e
s
g
g
N o r a e the s e th r e e co n c e pti o n s o f l o c a lity d i s
t i n g u i s he d
th e y a r e p r es e n t t o g e th e r i n t he
s ame s t o r y
fu se d in feeling i n t e ch a n g e a bl e
in thou g ht Thi s a s ha s b e e n w e ll p o inted o u t
by Mi s s El e a no r H ull i s o n e of t he di fculti e s
of genuine I ri s h lit e r a tu r e the cu r iou s f e e li n g
that we a r e hung between two w orld s t he s een
and the u n s e en ; th a t we a r e n o t quite a mon g
ather th a t w e d o n o t quit e kn o w
a ctu a liti e s o r
wh e re t he actual begin s o r where it e n d s
Ev e n in dealing with hi s to r y w e m a y s uddenly
nd ou r s e lv e s w a ft e d a w a y i n t o s o m e illu s o r y
s pi r it wo r ld with which the hi s to r i a n s eem s to
d e a l with t he s ame s ob e r e x a ct n e s s a s in d e t a il
ing any f a ct o f o r di n a r y lif e
There i s in m o st lit e r a tu r e s a meeting place
where t he mythol o g ic a l a n d t he hi s t o r ic s t a n d
i n clo s e c o njuncti o n t he o n e dyi n g o u t a s the
oth e r t a k e s i t s pl a c e
O n ly in I r el an d we
never seem t o r e a ch thi s poi n t ; we c a n never
,

24 9

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gae l

ywh er e sa y H e r e ends l eg en d h er e b e g in s
hi s to r y
At rst we a r e inclined t o doubt
t he a ccu r a cy o f any p a rt o f t he s tory ; but a s
w e contin u e o ur e x a mi n a tio n w e a r e surprised
at the s ub s t a n ti a l co r r e ctn e s s o f t he a n ci en t
r e co r d s
s o fa r a s w e a r e a bl e t o t e s t th e m
whether o n t he hi s to r ic a l o r the so ci a l s id e
The p o e t i s never wholly po e t he is a l s o pr a c
tic a l man ; an d t he hi s tori a n i s n e v e r wholly
ch r o n icl e r and a n n a li s t he is a l s o a t t he b a ck
o f hi s mind folklo r i s t l o v e r o f n a tu r e d r ea m e r
I t i s t he puzzl e a n d t he charm o f I r e l a nd
Tho s e w hom it m er e ly puzzl e s esteem it a s
madness and co n fu s io n ex c e pt in s o fa r as th ey
m a y b e puzzl e d s till mo r e by t he f r e qu e n t s h a r p
o utb r ea k s of shrewd wit h o mely co m mo n s ense
Tho se w hom
a n d keen ob s e rv a tio n o f n a tu r e
it ch a rm s will s e e k to und er s t an d it ; a n d it
I b e li ev e be b e s t un d e r s t o od a s a n a tu r a l
can
m a n if e s t a tion of the hum a n mi n d under a pr o
fou n d s ense of s om e a l l e mb r a cin g r e a lity o ve r
l y i n g and un d e r lyi n g o ur wo r ld o f hum an

an

The Poem B ook

f the

Ga el ,

2 50

E H u ll p
.

xx

iv

The C el t i n

S pi r i t u al I n si g h t

thou g ht a n d n a tu ra l thi ng s The ch a r a ct er i s tic

of t he C e ltic lit e r a tu r e i s n o t th a t it ha s any
m onopoly in thi s c o n s ciou s n e s s o f a s up e r n a l
wo r ld im m a n en t throu g hout n a tur e
All
religi o u s feeling spring s f r om the dim begin
ning o f thi s ; a ll genuine r e li g i o u s th o ught
p o ints to its d e v e lopm en t f r om t wi li g ht d aw n
to t he full illuminati o n o f n o o n tid e
The
p r im a r y C e ltic ch a r a ct e r i s tic i s t he s up e r n o r m a l
i n t en s ity and pre va l e n c e for t he c o m m o n fo l k
of thi s co n s ciou sn e s s even i n the m o rning of
k n owl e d g e when t he r a c e s o f no r th e r n E ur o pe
w e r e d e v e lopi n g th e i r id e a s o f t he in vi s ibl e a n d
N 0 oth er p a g an lit e r a
e t e r n a l f o r th e m s e l v e s
tu r e is a t o n c e s o d e moc r a tic in i t s o p e r a ti o n
o r s o d ee ply tinged by thi s g en e r a l sense o f
s pi r itu a l imm anence a n d p e r s on a lity in n a tu r a l
The se co n d and mo r e impo r t an t
t hi n g s
ch a r a ct e r i s tic is that i n the d e v e lopm en t o f
under Ch r i s ti an
t he r a c e th r ou g hout hi s t o ry
t e a c h i n g an d a ll t he i n u e n c e s o f Christend o m
.

I t d u c ti by St
T
W
R
ll
t
Fi
f

Se e

Deed s

on

n ro

nn ,

o p fo r d

es o n

25 1

B ro o

t o The

Hig h

The G en i u s

t he

of

G ae l

thi s s piri tu a l s e n s e ha s pr e s e rv e d its o r i g i n a l

h
rip
o
n
t
e
everyday
imaginati
o
n
i
t
s
a
s
s
o
g
c ia t i on with hom e ly th i ngs
its r eg a r d fo r t he
littl e a s w e ll a s the l a r g e in n a tu r e whil e a t the
s ame
time it ha s been gr o wing up i n to t he

e
r
r
l
cl a e visi o n of a l that is implied even o ut
s id e p a r ticul a r r e li iou s ordi n an c e s an d learned
g

f
o
deniti o ns o d ctrine in t he G od a bov e a ll
w o rking in a l l a n d e v e r m o ving t he s pi r it o f
A s p a g an
man to b e c o op e r a n t with H im
o r a s Ch r i s ti a n the C e lt has a lwa y s
s o fa r a s
hi s light w e nt
been farther be n
Th r o u g hout the c e n tu r i e s t he G a e lic p e a s an t
ha s e volv e d a rare i n tim a t e s en s e o f un seen
r e a liti e s in co n t a c t w ith his n a t ur e as a wh o l e
and in ue n ci n g hi s life in a l l p a r ticul a r s H e
d o e s n o t o f cou r s e e x pr e s s him s e lf in l a r g e
but with hom e ly
g e n e r a liz a tio n s like the s e
di r e ct n e s s and witho ut s e lf co n s ciou s n e s s L e t
u s l o o k a t the e vid e n c e a s it re v e a l s t he I r i s h
pe a s an t of t he We s t to d a y H e it i s who b e s t
r e p re s e n t s
the ch a r a ct e r i s tic G a e l
Al s o I
thin k t he C e lt o f Wa l e s will con c e d e to him
s o m e s t a n di n g a s the ch a r a ct e r i s tic C e lt
,

252

The C e l t i n

S pi ri t ual I n si g h t

W e turn r s t to the p r ic e l es s

ou r c e o f i n
f o rm a tio n which ha s b e e n op en e d up t o t he
wo r ld by D r D o u g l a s H yde i n hi s coll e cti o n
a t rst h a n d f r om I ri s h s p e a k e r s
of the Rel i
i
D r H y d e s k n ow
g o ns S on g s of C o n n a cht
l e d g e o f t he p eopl e a n d th e i r language i s
p r of o u n d A s a G ae lic s p e a k e r a n d th e i r c o
r e li g io n i s t
His
he has n a tu ra l advantages
w o rk fo r I r e l an d a n d I r i s h nati o nality i s k n o w n
t o th e m a n d give s him fu r th e r a cc e s s t o th e i r
mi n d s Thi s i s his e s tim a t e o f th e i r s pi r itu a l
e n dowm e n t
A piou s r a c e i s t he G a e lic r a c e The I r i s h
G a e l is piou s by n a tu r e He s e e s t he hand o f
G od i n every place in e v e r y time a n d in e v er y
thing
The s pi r it a n d the thing s o f the s pirit
a ff e ct him mo r e pow e r fully than the bod y a n d
In t he things he d o e s
t he thing s o f t he body
n o t s e e he d o es n o t b e li e v e the l e s s fo r n o t
a n d in t he thing s he se e s he
s eeing th e m ;
will s e e mo re than a m a n o f an y o th e r r a c e ;
what i s i n v i s ibl e fo o th e p e o pl e i s v i s ibl e fo r
him G od i s for him a thing assured true
-

2 53

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gae l

invisible pow er s b ef o r e
him a n d by his s ide an d at hi s b ack th r ou g hout
the d a y and th r ou g hout t he night I t i s f r om
this f e e li n g th a t t he o rdinary e xpr e s s io n s and
s a lut a tio n s of t he I r i s h language com e
Th e s e he d e t a il s they speak fo r th em s e l v e s
and a s you pictu r e to y ou rse lf in im a g i n a tion
t he old m a n the hom e ly moth e r t he fresh l a d
o r t he dainty maiden who might b e S peaking
you fe e l behind t he wo r d s the pu r e s incerity
Fo r
G ood
o f dir e ct i n t en tio n in t he mind
mo r n i n g t he I rish G a e l s a y s G o d salute
you
and the cu s tom a r y r e s po n s e com e s
G od and M a ry g re e t y o u
To a p e rs o n
enga g ed in a n y wo r k he s a ys
P r o s p e r it y
f r om G od o n you and fo r a bl e s s i n g i n
n
n
G
od
lif
l
e
th
e
you
I
n
e
ral
M
a
e
n
e
g
y
g
s uch a n interchange o f cou r t e s y as t he taking
o f s n u ff f r om y ou hi s g re e ti n g e xt en d s ch a r a c
t e r i st i c a l l y to kindred a n d pi e r c e s the unseen
The bl e s s in g of G o d b e with t he s oul s o f y o u r
d ea d
B e tt e r k n own th a n mo s t of th e se is
the phr a se
G od rest hi s s oul w h ich in

i n t el l i g i bl e

He

s e es

2 54

The C e l t i n

Spi r i t ual I n sigh t

C a thol i c I r e l a nd o n a l l o cc a s io n s public a s
w e ll as private follow s t he s pok e n r e f e r e nc e
to t he name o f o ne dead O n great oc c a s io n s of
n a tio n a l a ss embly when s p ee ch turn s t o r em i n
i s c e n c e o f t he h e ro es who h a v e f a ll e n by t he
w a y even t he s tr a n g e r if sensitive to inu enc e
b e come s a wa r e o f a d ee p und e rlyin g n ot e in
t he corpo r a t e con s ciou s n e s s
a s en s e of t he
e t e r n a l s pi r itu a l p r e s en c e a n d of s oci a l s olid
I have in my
a r i t y with t he ho n ou r e d dead
mind a s p ee ch a t t he I r i s h N a tio n a l C on v en
tio n 1 9 1 2 and a sudden p a s s a g e in it o n
the her o ic d e a d throu g h which r a n t he refrain
instin ctively breaking o ut a t t he end o f every
p e r iod G od b e with the dead I a lw a y s s a y
N o r is it to honou r e d frien ds a lon e th a t this
t r ibut e is p a id i n toke n o f s a c re d c o mradeship
between the living a n d t he dead Speaking o f
a politic a l fo e who i s dead
t he s impl e p ra y e r
s p r in g s n a tu r a lly t o the
G o d r e st hi s s oul
lip s o f the I rish N ati o nalist a t W e s tmin s t e r
An E n g li s h M emb e r o f Pa rli am en t onc e
des c ribed to me an occ a s io n in t he old g ht
,

255

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

d a y s wh en t he H ou s e w a s s t a r tl e d by thi s
utt e r a n c e followin g t he n a m e of M r W E
F o r s t e r f r om the mouth o f o ne w ho w a s a t that
time a v e r it a bl e s cou r g e to a ll op po n en t s of
H om e R ul e
M y friend un d er s t o od and was
touch e d but th e re were tho se to who m a t r s t
the wo r d s u n e xpe ct e d a s th e y w e r e seemed
a h e a r tl e s s mock e r y
But th a t w a s lo n g a g o
Tu r n again t o D r D o u g l a s H y d e a n d hi s
Western pe a s a n t s Follo w i n g o n hi s e x ampl es
o f s a lut a tio n a n d bl e s s i n g he s a y s :
G od i s th e r e i n hi s m o uth a n d b e fo r e his
H e i s the true s o n o f
eyes d a y an d night
tho s e old s a int s who s pr e a d t he li g ht of Christ
th r ou g hout t he wo r ld H e is n o w by n a tu re
a Chri s ti a n f r om t he d a y o f hi s bi r th to t he
h o ur o f hi s d e a th
Thu s thi s c a r e ful o b s e r v e r s umm a r iz es t he
co n clu s i o n s to which he i s l e d by a ll t he f a ct s
o f deed a n d wo r d o bserved a mo n g t he living
p e opl e the m s e lv e s fro m whom a l s o he
l a b o r i o u sly co lle ct e d by wo d of mo uth a
mi s c e ll a n y of r eli g iou s s o ng s which ll t w o
i ng

2 56

The C e l t

i n S pi ri t u al I n si g h t

volum e s I s el e ct a few e x ampl e s as illu s tr a

tiv e o f di ffe r e nt a sp e ct s o r s t a g e s i n t he lif e o f
the pi o us s oul
Mo s t o f the r eli g iou s po em s s o th e i r
coll e ctor a n d tr a n s l a to r t e ll s u s w h ich he g o t
f r om t he p e opl e in C o nnacht are g iving a dvic e
to do g o o d w o r k s The n a tu r a l bent of t he
p e opl e is to p ra c t i c al id e ali sm, and the t ea ch
i n g o f t he Chu r ch with i t s emph a s i s f o r the
l a ity o n a tt e n tio n to lif e r a th e r than the under
s t a n di n g o f doctri n e
t en d s to t he s am e e ff e ct
H e r e is a n e x ampl e s impl e to b a ldn e s s
.

'

d d d wi t h u t l i
fl h d
wi th u t li g d d d
rt h h
Th t i t h
t i g h t d t f ll w
Th t i t h d d g t ff i t
Do g oo
Do

ee

es

oo

e one

s ra

e r oa

an

a se

e or

ee

s o n ea

r oa

oo

no

ere,

Thi s mi g ht e qually w ell p a s s for a F e ni a n

utt e r a n c e o r fo r an instructi o n of S t P a t r ick
The p r a ctic a l s pi r it i s seen again but with

r
l
h
e
s
n
h
r
deeper

vou
t
o
p
y
a
i
n
a
l
s
t
e
a
e
r
s
a
g

o
th a t a re for u s e during the p er f o r m
in s ng
ance o f hom e ly tasks a bout t he hou s e and in
the e ld s E ach littl e h e a r th s on g e xp r e s s es
.

2 57

The G en i u s

of

Gae l

t he

a s en s e o f s piritu a l di g nity a n d chara ct eristi c

bl e s s in g attache d t o t he due p er form a n c e o f
t he task
H e r e is a s o n g for t he g i r l who
r a k e s do wn t he r e to s a v e it for t he ni g ht
%

I v t hi
m
Ev

ig h t
m
C
h
i
v
t
;
y
O th t p f th h u
l t M y
L t B id i
t h m iddl b

As

sa

en s o

re t o

sa

ar

se

r s

m e vivid s e ns e o f t he u n se en comp an y
and s impl e tru s t in th e ir p r ot e c ting lov e is
One
s hown in the f o llowi n g morni n g p r a y e r
need n o t be a C a tholic to r ea liz e the comfo r t
i n g tenderness o f this s pi r itu al intima cy with
t he fri e ndly ho s t unseen
Th e

sa

Gd
o

an g e s

An d

sa

M ay G o d

us

and

M a c Duag h

c mp y
whil w liv
h ly M y

be

b ed

Aft
.

er

Br

id

hi
e

t he

is

an o

R
th

o sa r

e,

ar

M ac Da ra

and

p t ct
u til
ro e

s av e u s

an

An d C o l u m c i ll e
An d

o ur

e ve

us ,
.

y w u ld b id b f
m f B id g t

er n a

e sa

or

2 58

e o re

go

ng

to

S pi r i t u al I n si g h t

The C e l t i n

A s p e ci a l i n t e re s t a tt a c h es t o the e v e ni n g
p r ay e r f r om which i s given b e low the begin
ning and t he e n d I t w a s fou n d in In n i sm a a n
in t he i s l a n d o f A r a n An ot h e r v e r s ion o f
t he sa m e po e m
di ff e r i ng v e ry s li g htly
and
f r om it w a s fou n d i n Loch a b e r S cotl an d I t
would se em th e r e f o r e th a t w e m ay have h e r e
a n e xpr e s s io n o f G a e li c r e lig iou s traditi o n th a t
dates b a ck to v e r y e a r ly tim e s
C o mpari ng thi s p r a ye r with t he l a s t the
reader will n otic e the p r e s e n c e i n it o f a mo re
d e v e lop e d con s ciou s n e s s t he c r a vi n g fo r G o d
nearness a s a shield f r om s in
Thu s it
op e n s :
'

'

d w wi t h G d d m y G d l i d w wi th
Th t I m y t li wi th t h Evil
A d t h t t h Evil m y
t l i wi t h m
li e

no

an

no

me ,

The n follow s t he a pp e a l t o t he mor e intimate

s aints t o g a th e r r ou n d t he c o uch :

i dl f B ri g i t b hi d my b k
f M y b f
d t h m tl
m b
c m t m 0 Mi h l Og
d by t h h n d l d m

M ay t he g
An
An d
An

e o

an

e o

ar

e,

ea

2 59

ac

e o re

ae

e,

The G en i u s of

t he

Gae l

The l a st s e c tio n op e n s a n d clo s es with

penit e nt s pr a y e r to Chri s t

t he

I m k my p c wi th
a

dr p

On e

Fo r

my

on

v ry

si n

e e

t he

ea e

So n

c ear

G od

of

h t f T hy m r y d w h w
Ih
i d t Th
e ar

av e s n n e

ee

n -s

e c

er

Th i s next i s m o r e o f t he n a tu r e o f a d enit e
a c t of cont r itio n
The s ense o f s i n is troubl e d
but i t s chi e f interest to my mind
a n d d e e pe r ;
lies i n the r s t li n e implyin g as it do es that
i n n e r s e a rch fo r G od a n d Hi s th o ughts
unde r as t he po em s a ys the thoug h t o f
t he hum a n min d
.

'

h ug h t m y I G d th ug h t
f my i
c p m y mi d
id did t y
F
wh t I
At t h th
f c
f i I t n d t hi
ly u ff i g
0 J u
U d
H lf
n

er

my t

or

s ns

es a

sa

or

ron e o

es

I tu
O n e m or e

rn

sa

o n ess o n

Th

x ampl cl a im

n d ,

s a

ee a g a n

er n

no

s s or e

to

d ay

tt ention I t i s
I t s t r ik es
a pr a y e r to b e said durin g M a s s
Th i t m di t li
i v k t h i d of t h Ap tl
d P u l by
i n p t ic ul P t
m
e

ar

n er

ar

a e

e e r an

n es

na

260

e a

os

es ,

The

Ce l t i n Spi r i t u al I n sigh t

it s hould a higher not e o f f a ith a n d

breathes a d e e p e r sens e o f that uni o n of human
to D ivine which is o n the o n e hand dedica

n
tio , o n the oth e r inspirati o n a n a c t o f grace
As in t he oth e r p r a y e r s o ng s the s a int s thi s

e
t
h
e
tim
Virgin o n ly a re invit e d to partici
pate
as

w T h my u l T h u Ki g f g c
t l ;
A d l t it
t f ll
f T hy c
t
wi t
O Bl d Vi g i M y
I n t h h d f thy S d I l y my u l
Cut
b i g h t th t h
i
S hi ld m f m ill wh n t h

es t o

ee

no

B e ar

so

n ess ,

an

ou

e s se

on

ro

ra

e,

o n ro

ar

an

er

n enan c e

so

s un ,

e rac e

r un

Th e s e a re a fe w illu s tr a tion s o u t o f m a ny
th a t mi g ht be given Th e y are o f t he p e opl e
h o m e ly vivid p en e t ra ti ng f r a g m en t a r y s ign s
a s it were
o f a s ubtl e spiritual s to r m clo a k t o
w r a p a l l lif e a bout a n d shield t he s o ul f r om
w oe
Comin g o u t o f c h urch o n Sund a y s they
oft e n s a y :
G ood by e Christ ; g o o d by e
M a y t he Apo s tl e s keep u s t ill we
M a ry

com e a g a in
Anot h e r witness cl a im s o ur a tt e ntion a ju s t
,

261

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

ob se rv e r wise in thou g ht and w o r d s H er e

i s Mi s s El e a n o r H ull s estimate of the c a s e :
s he
r e mi n d s
us
of
t he p a r t which I r e l a n d
h e r s e lf as hom e l a n d ha s pl a y e d in t he cultu r e
o f t he r a c e
Whe r e t he o utward di s t r a ction s o f lif e are
f e w t he g r a v e mo n oto n y o f s e a and moo r
a n d b o g l a nd
the swirl of clo ud and mi s t and
t he lon e li n e s s of w a s t e pl a c e s sink m o re d ee ply
int o t he mind The visible is l es s f e lt th an the
i n v i s ibl e a n d lif e i s s u r rou n d e d by a netwo rk
o f f e a r s and d r e am s to which t he tow n dw e ll e r
i s a s t ra n g e r
To d ay in t he w e s t e rn i s l e s
o f I reland and S cotl a nd
the hu n t sm a n g o ing
o u t t o hu n t
t he s h e rm a n t o s h o r l a y hi s
net s
t he a g r icultu r a li s t t o s o w o r r e a p hi s
h a r v e s t an d the w e a v e r o r s pinn e r t o wind
hi s y a r n g o fo r th to t h e i r wo r k w i th s om e
f amili a r ch a rm p ra y e r o r ch a rm hym n oft e n
b ea utifully c a ll e d t he bl e s s i ng s o n th e ir lip s
The milkmaid c a lli n g h er co w s o r churning her
butt er t he you ng g irl f e ar ful o f the e v il ey e
a n d the cott a g e r s weeping up he r h e a r th in the
1

'

262

The C el t

i n Spi ri tu al I n si g h t

v e n i ng laying herself down t o s l e ep at ni g ht

o r r i s i n g up in t he mor n in
r f e a rs
oth
th
i
e
s
o
e
g
o r s mooth th e i r w a
d
a
e
r
r
e
i
by
om
whi
p
d
s
e
s
e
p
y
or or t ha a p r a y e r o r a verse o r a bl es s i n g
The d ee p religi o us feeling of t he C e ltic
mind with i t s fa r s t re tchi n g h an d s g r opin g
tow a r d s t he my s t e r iou s a n d t he innite com e s
out in th e se s pont an e ou s and s impl e e j a cul a
tio n s
Mo r e e x am pl e s will b e fou n d u n d e r t he
heading o f R e li g iou s P o em s in Mi s s Hull s
d e li g htful b ook c a ll e d The Po em B o ok of
t he G a el
Th e y a re s he t e ll s u s
t he
thou g ht s o f s uch humbl e p e o pl e a s the p o o r
f a rm s e r v a n t who had s o m a n y thing s t o
do f r o m dark to d a r k th a t s he had n o time
fo r lo n g prayers and knew o nl y a littl e prayer
taught her by her moth er which l a id o u r
carin g an d o u r k e e pin g an d o u r saving o n
t he Sacred Trinity
H eaven forb id th a t the p e opl e o f I r e l a n d
or
a ny
oth e r
t he C e ltic p e opl e s g e n e r a lly
Th P m B k f t h G l E H u ll p xxx vi

'

oe

oo

ae

263

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gae l

p e opl e sh ould l a y cl a im in a boa s tful pr e s um p

t u o u s s pi r it to be a p e culi a r p e opl e in t he
r e li iou s
n
o
t
a
m
sense
I
who
w
it
t
i
s
r
e
h
g
a
C e lt The thou g ht s o f t he G a e l for his
p ar t a re mor e co ncerned with hi s wo r ld than
with him se lf : he kn o ws himself in hi s op en
eyed lov e o f n a tur e his s oci a bility his e nj oy
m e nt o f comp a ny musi c and lit e ra tu re H i s
common s e n s e and sanity hi s pr a ctic a l t a l e nt
hi s s oci a l g ift s he u se s lib e r a lly in r ea ctio n o n
hi s world ; but he i s mor e con s ciou s o f hi s
d e f e ct s th an of hi s merits in their r es p e ct All
thi s i s o f a pi e c e with th a t di s po s ition to who l e
n a tur e d r e a ctio n o n experience in e v e ry ph a se
t he hi g h e s t m a nif e s t a tio n o f which i s uplift o f
t he p s yc h ic a l energies a s a whol e in r a pt a tt e n
tio n and r e s po n s e to t he thin gs o f t he u n s e en
This a bility t o c o n c e ntra t e a ll t he p sychic a l

e n e rg i e s
in a tt ention within o r wit h out a
co ncr et e a tt ention in whi ch the compo s it en es s

e
a
i
s
v a r i d r e ction
not lo s t thi s is
o f their
t he q u a lity whi c h ha s b ee n e volv e d by t he
C e lti c r a c e mor e p a rticul ar ly i n t he c our se of

264

The G ae l

i n S pi r i t u al I n si g h t

lon g and varied e xp e r i enc e of lif e

In
the C e lt o f hi s to r y and es pecially of t o d a y
it a pp e a r s a s a c o ngenital e n dowm en t B u t
he ha s no monopoly in it : like o th e r t a l en t s
it c a n b e pr a cti se d it c a n be t a u g ht In the
meanwhile the ra c e th a t has it mo s t hi g hly
d e v e lope d ha s i n s o fa r as it go es a mi ssi o n
t o t he wo r ld
M a yb e it i s n o t fo r n o thing
th a t to u se t he wo r d s o f a g o od I r i s h
Au s t r a li a n p r i e s t
G od s c a tt er e d o ur p e opl e
like seed o e r t he l e a
Wh a t we a re co n c e r n e d h e r e t o n oti c e mo r e
p a r ticul a r ly i s that t he f a cility fo r uplift t o
the s up e rn a l wo r ld with which manifestati o n
of t he C e ltic geniu s this ch a pt e r i s c o n
cerned i s of the e s s e nc e o f t he natural g ift
which m a rk s t he Ch r i s ti a n my s tic in the
a cc e pt e d
sen se
o f that
t er m
L if e i n i t s
whol e n e s s is their a im says o ne who has
made a lif e s tudy of Christian p sycholo g y a
co n cr e t e and a ctu a l e x i s t en c e which s h a ll
includ e both G o d a n d t he world an d s h a ll
raise to their hi g he s t terms u s e fo r t h ei r
it s

265

The G en i u s

t he

G ae l

hig h e s t purpo s es that pow e r o f r e c e ptivity th a t

pow e r of co n t r oll e d a tt e n tio n th a t pow er o f
e n e r g e tic
r e sp o n s e which ch a r a ct e r iz e c on
,

s c io u s n e s s

Ch r i s ti a n philo s oph er de s crib es the

C h ri s ti a n s a int t he s upr em e p r a ctic a l my s tic
I n these pa g e s it is int en d e d to s ay n o mo r e
than th a t in the outlook ov e r humanity a s
r a ng e d in racial g roup s or n a tion s t he C e ltic
p e opl e s h ave by s om e h a ppy i n s t i n ct o r
fortun a te thou g h p er h a p s s e emin g ly unfo r
t u n a t e comb i n a tion
oi
c i rcum st a nc es b een
s h a p in g
mor e th a n oth e r s for t he r ea liz a tion
and th a t n o t he r e an d there o n
o f t he typ e ;
the hero ic s c a l e but in hom e ly guise a n d
quiet w a y s o n the o r di n a r y s c a le o f c o mmo n
human n a tu re
Th i

s t he

'

266

V II I

GAEL C ETHOS

T hi c u t y
s

rs

is

n db n k t h w u p by
th I t i
ci t l n d

no sa

ro

c t pri f
h u d i n t h r hi
f civili t i
bl i t
t
n t iq u i ty by i t pi ty i t v l u d i t uff i g Ev y
f
t
h
i
h
E
u
p
c
t
t
r
iv
t
m
t
t
g
I i h mi d
so

of

n r

on o

en

re

ca

re

r s

a c

re a

ce

ro

ea n r a e

ear

ve s

a o

a s se n

an

za

r, a n

s s

on ,

s s

ea

en

an

r ac ea

er n
o

n o

er

e r

er o

HO M AS

AVIS

C HA P TE R

VI I I

T H E GAE L I C E T H OS
T H R OU G H OUT the p r e c e di n g p ag e s C e ltic
character ha s been illu s t r a t e d chi e y by refer
en c e
to t he f a ct s o f I rish human nature
We l sh and F r e n ch an d H i g hl an d Scotch a r e
rightly held to have a cle a r sh a r e in t he C e ltic
h e r it a g e but ine vit a bl y the min d g o es back
t o I r e l a nd as to the % ion o f t he C eltic r a c e
There is the hom e o f the C e ltic idea Ar e w e
justie d i n tr e a ti ng i t s p e opl e a s t he typic a l
e x a mpl e o f C e ltic n a tu r e ?
What ha s e thn ol o g y
to s ay o n t he sub j ect ? H o w fa r i s I rish
h e r e dity a fact of C e ltic r a c e ? Ar e t he I r i s h
m o re C e ltic o r l et u s s ay much mor e C e ltic
th a n a n yb ody e l s e ?
Eth n ol og y do e s n o t return s o very certain
.

2 69

T h e G en i u s o f

t he

Gae l

n sw er The S cotch and E n g li s h immigra

tio n s we k n ow S om e m ay be pr o ne to ov e r
e s tim a t e th e m
but c e r t a i n it is th a t f r om t he
tw e lfth c e n tury t o t he s e v en t e enth wave a ft e r
wave o f that imm igrati o n invaded I r i s h s ho r e s
If a ll tho se w ho c a m e f r om the l a rg e r island
wer e pure T euton s this dilution of the native
elem ent might cou n t fo r m uch But the e a r li e r
B ritish r a c e s c o u n t fo r a g o od d e a l even in
B ritain n o w and e s p e ci a lly i n tho se p a r t s c o n
t i g u o u s to t he I r i s h s e a
At l e a s t it is certain
th a t t he B r iti s h immigrants in I r e l an d w e r e
co n s id e r a bly l ess Te uto n ic th an if t h ey had
be e n G e rm a n s o r D utch
I n earlier d ay s the D a n es ma d e s e ttl e
m e nt s in I reland an d th e r e i s n o mi s t a k e a bout
t he Nor s e a dmixtu re now a s a r a ci a l e l e m e nt
The D ane i s s tron g al o ng t he e as t co a s t t o d ay
The No rm a n invasi o n brou g h t in o n c e m o r e
u n d e r a n oth e r f o rm a m e a su r e o f hi s i n u en c e
a n d he is p r e s e nt in t he Scotch imm i rati o n
g
i n to U l s te r H e is n o t Celti c thou g h n e ith e r is
he pur e Te utonic The No r se C e ltic mixture
an a

27 0

The G ae li c E t h o s

is prob a bly o n e o f the b es t lik e a g ood

m a rriag e in which ea ch mate s uppl em e nt s but
reverences the oth e r each re j o icing t o n ot e a n d
e n cou r a g e in t he child r e n
the qu a liti e s that
a r e ch a r a ct e r i s ti c o f t he oth er
E a r li e r s till w as I r e l a nd t he h o me o f t he
un d ilut e d C e lt ? All r e s ea r ch g o e s to s how
the co n t r a ry A s i n oth e r l and s s o in I r e l an d
it would se em th a t t he d a r k h a i r e d da k eyed

Ib e r i a n i n du s t r i o u s p a ti en t pe rs i s t en t a n d
n
r
r
e
h
e
e
rhap
m
l
choly
was
th
b
fo
C
lt
e
s
e
a
e
e
t
e
p
and w a s n o t o ut r oote d by him I t may be th a t
t he C e lt of mod e r n hi s tory i s
for t he mo s t
p a r t r a ci a lly a C e lt Ib eri a n The Celt of G a ul
in C aesar s time w a s a s C aesa r t e ll s us f a ir
haired a n d fair skinned a s w e ll as t a ll a n d
blu e o f ey e H e i s m a r k e d out cl ea rly f r om
t he sm a ll e r d a r k I berian
S o we c a ll th em :
o f their l a n g u a g e in I r e l a n d w e have n o tr a c e
B ut the mod e r n C e lt is mo r e oft e n than n o t
d a rk o f h a ir thou g h the blu e g re y o f his ey e
set l a r g e and expres s ive b etween thick bl a ck
l a sh e s m a rk s him lik e a l a b e l In s t a tur e he
,

'

27 1

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

v a ri e s b etwe en the typ es H e is t a ll and he

is s h ort but n ea r ly a lw a y s o f a thl e ti c bu ild
s howin g
in slimness an d cl ean s t r o n g li n e s
Eith e r C e lt has a b s o r be d Iberian by i n t e r
marriage o r Ib er i a n ha s a bso r b e d C e lt ;
s a mpl e s
of ea ch race i n c ompa r a tiv e purity
a pp e a rin g t o be
howe v er by no mea n s n o n
e xi s t e nt
D id the C elt be com e I b e ri a n o r t he Ib e r i a n
C e lt ? Fo r t he main a r g um e n t in th ese p ag e s
it m a tt er s littl e wh a t t he a n s w e r I f w e h a v e
b een d iscussin g C e lt I b er i an o r even Ib er i a n
c h a r a ct er instead o f C e lti c this would o n ly
m ean th a t t he C e lt ha s disappeared and an o ther
race ha s com e to be c al l e d by hi s n am e a n d
to b e id en ti e d with hi s l ang uag e I t s e em s
h a rdl y worth whil e to arg ue h e r e t he qu e s tio n
wh e th e r t he r a c e th a t preceded t he Te uton an d
N o r s em a n in W es te r n Europ e w a s mainly
C e ltic o r m a i nly s om e thi n g e l s e I t do e s n o t
m a tt e r much s till th e r e are a t l ea s t two g ood
but
r e a s on s f o r r e g a rdi n g it a s m a inly C e ltic
in s om e de g ree mixed
i

'

'

27 2

The Gae li c Et h o s

Limitin g our s e lv e s to I re l a nd we may in

the r s t pl a c e note that in m en t a l typ e t he
mod e rn G a e l o f the I r i s h West answers w ell
e n ou g h t o C aes a r s d e s c r iptio n o f the G a uli s h
C e lt making a llow a n c e s fo r t he p r e j udic e s o f a
conqu e ror and o n e moreo v e r who r e pr e s ent e d
a much mor e a dv a nc e d a n d s t r on g ly or g a niz e d
civilizati o n The characteristics o f in g enu i ty
quick wit a d a pt a bility a r e s p e ci a lly u nm i s
t a k a bl e a s hi n t s
There i s an a tmo s ph e r e
a b o ut C ae sa r s G a ul s that s u g g es t s t he I r i s h
m an
To o much weight mu s t n o t be attached
to hi s charge against thi s primitiv e p e opl e of
c k l e n e s s in pu r po se
But it c a nn ot be passed
ov e r : it s t and s o ut in marked cont ra s t with the
id ea li s tic t e n a city will fo r c e and p e r s i s t e nc e
in pur po se sh o wn s o n ot a bly by both the G ae l
and t he C y m ri to d a y Thi s c kl e ne s s which
C aesar n ot e s in hi s G a ul s o f t he century b efo r e
the r s t m a y b e a ccou n t e d fo r a s a n a tu ra l
manifestati o n of t he quick a d a pt a bl e g en ia l
t empe r am e nt in t he a b sen c e o f a fo r m a tive
politic a l i d e a l N o n e t he les s do we get f r om
27 3
s
,

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

it by contra s t with t he mo d e rn We l s hm a n s
persistence a hint for t he presence in h im o f
Ib e ri a n qu a lity a s judged a l s o by t he light
o f the R om a n con qu e ro r s e x p e ri e nc e
H e re
we d ea l with a f a ct not an o pi n ion The
s ti ff es t
resistance t he R om a ns met with in
'
B ritain w a s from t he Ib e r i a n Silur e s o f S o uth
W a l e s N o d oub t t he Silure s are th e r e s till
a p a ti e n t
u n fo rg e tti n g pe opl e In their s tout
ness as ght ers th e y s h o w mor a l a s n o doubt
they ha d r a ci a l a f n ity with th o s e unfree tribes
in I r e l a nd who sub ju g ate d by t he c o n quering
M il e s i a n s were used by th em in mo r e co n s t a n t
military s e r vic e th a n could be required o f f r e e
t r ib e sm e n a n d who made o f th e ir s ubj e ctio n
in this r e s p e ct a g re a t oppo r tu n ity The f r e e
m e n of t he domi n a nt r a c e could n o t be com
e rv e i n the e ld fo r mo r e than a
e
l
l
e
d
t
o
s
p
lik e the mod e r n B r ito n
s ho r t tim e e a ch y e a r :
th e y had oth e r things t o do The s ub j e ct
r a c e s s upp li e d t he w a r r io r c a s t e livin g by t he
chase a n d by plund e r o f e n emi es as when
u n d er their m a s t e r s name of Scot s an d in

'

27 4

The Gae l i c E t h o s

lli an c e with the P ict s th e y ha rried t he co a s t

o f B r it a i n
Thu s the unfree p e opl e s s uppli e d
to t he H igh K i n g s the s t a n di n g a rm y t he
Fi a nn a o f E rin under i t s o w n milit a r y
lea d er s i t s o w n cu s tom s a n d s o ci a l r e g ul a tio n s
In due cou r s e there s p r a n g up a mo n g t he
Fi a n n a a cycl e n o w f a mou s o f s to r y an d s o n g
comm e m o r a ti ng t he g r e a t d e e d s a n d oth e r
a d v e n tu r e s o f Fir m and t he w a r r io r ch a mpio n s
s u rr ou n di n g
him This i s t he s e c o n d g r e a t
cycl e o f I r i sh h e r oic lit e r a tu r e as the pre
M il e s i a n cycl e o f t he Ul s t e r h e r o e s and t he
Tai n B o Co o a l n ey is t he r s t
In thi s e a r li e r
literature a l s o we r ea d o f thes e p e opl e a s
s oldi e r s
i n t he army o f M e a v e
% u e en o f
Co n n a cht which she b r ou g h t a g a i n s t t he
Ul s t e rm e n
Th e y were k n own under the
r ee
r
l
name
of
F
i
r
b
o
l
but
there
were
th
e
n
e
a
g
g
t r ib e s a n d the Fir G a li a n was o n e o f them
By he r hu sband s a n xiou s in quirie s a s to t he
c o nditi o n of their troo p s M e a v e i s compe ll e d
to admit a ng r ily th a t a s compa r e d with t he
littl e c a n be s aid fo r t he r es t
G a i l i a na
a

27 5

The G en i u s

Wh e n

o f t he Gael

oth e r t r oop s halted to en c amp

t he
G a i l i a n a ha d ni s hed pitchi ng th e ir
bothi e s when t he oth er s ha d s e t up their
s h e lt e r s
t he G a il i a n a ha d nished cooki n g
wh en t he oth e r s b eg a n to e a t t he G a i l i a n a had
ni shed th e ir m e a l while t he oth e r s w e r e s till
eating t he G a i l i a n a were in bed and a s l e e p
And thi s s upe rio r ity b eing maintained in
c o urage e n e rg y and a cti v ity th r ou g hout
M e a v e c o n s ide r s them to b e a danger to
and
l e s t they s hould b e c o m e t oo
a utho r ity
pow e r ful s c a tt e rs th em thr o ugh o ut t he ho s t
The
Mil e s i a n s afte rward s s c a tt e r e d th em
throu g hout I re l a nd p r ob a bly a s a low e r l e s s
fre e cl a ss a n d drew f r om th em the a rmi e s
of
who s e p r ow e ss we hear in the fou r th
c e n tu ry I t would s ee m th a t a t a int o f Firbo lg
heredity is n o t lik e ly t o d e tr a ct from t he
ch a r a ct e r of t he G ae lic ra c e All t he o l d I rish
p e opl e s a pp e a r t o h a v e been g oo d g ht e r s
The Mil e s i a n s o f t he hi s to r i e s stand out a s
being wi s e rul e r s and s oci a l a dmi n i s t r a to r s
a n d n othin g w e know o f them is m o re
al so ;
%

t he

27 6

The Gaeli c E t h o s

to their cr e dit t h a n the f a ct th a t the sub j e ct

r a c e s a tt a i n e d t o p o s itio n and ho n ou r un de r
them and thi s in m o re w a y s th a n o n e B u t
o f thi s
mo r e l a t er
As regards I r i sh e thnolo g y th er e f o r e t he
p r e s e nc e of t he Fi r bol g must be fully and
may b e g l a dly a dmitt e d A s to t he phy s i c a l
tr a it s o n e l e a n s to t he notion th a t t he C eltic
heritage o f blue g r e y eye s ee i ng too how
e xpr e s s iv e a f ea tu r e it i s ha s mo r e r a ci a l sig u i
c a n c e than the d a rk h a i r th a t m a y be an
The f a i r skin too i s a
Iberian h e r it a g e
mark o f t he G ae l but the s oft clim a t e o f
I reland go es fa r to make s ki n s f a i r er th a n
they would be e l se wh e r e
The mor e fu n d a m en t a l f a ct for us is th a t
c a ll e d C elt is t he Celtic
t he l a n g u ag e of the s o
l a n g u a g e I n I r el an d H i g hl an d S cotl an d a n d
the I s l e o f M a n it is t he G a elic b r a nch o f
Celtic speech with i n co n s id er a bl e di a l e ctic
variati o ns in e a ch o f these c en tr es This f a ct
thou g h n o t c o nclusive a s to race throw s the
burden o f pr o o f o n th os e who would cont en d
,

27 7

The G en i u s

th a t

G l by l

of

G ae l

t he

h
e
in
main
t
g
a G a e l by n a tu r e a l s o
The G a e l by l a n g u a g e
w a s the man t o whom a l l G a e lic t r a dition s o f
cultu r e s to r y a n d m a nn e r s c a m e down Into
that herita g e a l l the ra c e s o f a n ci e n t I reland
entered at an ea r ly d a t e th o ugh equality bef o re
t he l a w a n d r e c o g n iti on at cou r t o f t he s ub j e ct
p e opl e s lit e r a tu r e a s a G a e lic cl a s s ic did n o t
take pl a c e till t he t e n th c e n tu r y Thi s lit e r a
tu r e w a s t he s to r y o f t he Fianna o f Erin : u p
t o t he time o f the g r ea t f a mi n e it w a s s till
g reen in t he W e s t
With t he r i se o f t he Fianna o f Erin from t he
inte rmarriage be tw e e n t he r a c es
s ub j e ct r a c e s
m a y have b e com e m o r e common th a n be fo r e
thou g h w e h e a r o f it even in t he o l d Ulidi an
The daughter o f % u ee n M ea v e i s
s to r i e s
to the Fi rb ol g ch ampi on Fe rdiad
a f a n c e d
I nt erm a r r i a g e ha s in f a ct b e en go ing o n a l l
throug h t he c e n tu r ie s N 0 o n e c a n f e e l s ur e
but t he n a l impr e s s ion is th a t t he F i r bol g ha s
been fo r t he mo s t p a r t a bs o rb e d th a t it i s
t he G a e l w ho look s o u t o f t he big viol e t e ye s
t he

ae

u ag e

an

is

not

'

27 8

The G aeli c E t h o s

and expressive cou n t en anc e s o f t he b e a ut if ul

Co nn em a r a child r en
Whether this domin a n c e of t he G a e l in t he
w e s t e rn r a c e mixtu r e be a s impl e e th n olo g ic a l
f a ct o r d e p en d s o n the G a e lic s oci a l g ift w e
c a n n ot t e ll C e r t a i n it i s th a t t he G a e l in a
commu n ity i s a pt t o be lik e the littl e l e a v e n
th a t l e a v en s t he whol e lump H i s expre s
s i v en e s s
r e s po n s iv e n e s s
an d i n t e r e s ti n g indi
v i d u a li t y
m a k e him a liv e ly so c i a l fo r c e
transf o rming oth e r s i n to o r tow a r d s hi s o w n
lik e n e s s I n a f amily if t he moth e r is I rish
if t he f a th e r i s I rish
t he child r e n a r e I rish :
t he
r e s ult
I n d e e d it
i s much t he s a m e
happen s n o t i n f r e qu en tly th a t t he Celtic e x
r
e
s
s
i
e
n
e
s
s
s
s
s
s
v
s
o
timulate
re
p
o
n
s
e
a
t
o
p
C e lticiz e wh o l e hou s ehold s a n d s o ci a l ci r cl e s
by di r e ct p e r s o n a l i n u en c e an d fo r t he mo s t
part u n co n s ciou s ly An I rish nur s e o r an I ri s h
butl e r may b e a po t e n t i n u en c e o n a l l the
juni o rs o f a f a mily Men o f E n g li s h race who
have b ee n b r ou g ht up in I r e l a nd a r e oft en
a w a r e of this a n d it i s ea s y to und e r s t a nd
The
.

27 9

The G en i u s

of

t he

Gae l

oci abl e G ael imaginative a n d symp a t h etic

is in a l l r a nk s o f lif e a b o r n e duc a to r Pe opl e
who k n ow him e s p e ci a lly t he you n g pe opl e
cond e in him a r e s timul a te d by his int er e s t
in th em li s t en to him with d e li g ht b ec om e hi s
com r a d e s and p r ot by his manners And
s o n o doubt in tho s e di s t a nt times t he G a i l i a n a
a n d t he oth e r F i r b ol s s c attered throu g h t he
g
g hti ng ho s t or dispersed a mo ng t he t r ib e s a s
rent pa yin g t en an t s o n t he land en j oy e d much
fr e e c o nve r s e with t he liv e ly minded G a e l
and c a u g ht f r om him t he s oci al s pirit and
lit e r a r y s kill which bo r e fruit l a te r in th a t
n ot a bl e
coll e ctio n of s t o r y an d s on g which
The
w e c a n s tudy for ou r s e lv e s to d a y
lit e r a ry G a e l with hi s e duc a tion a l org a niz a
tio n o f druids b ar d s a n d br ehon s ha d n o
d o ubt a dva n t a g e o ver t he g a ll a n t but mor e
primitive Fi rb ol g O th e r thing s b e i ng e qu al
when two p e opl e s mi n g l e s pi r itu a l domin a n c e
is a pt to g o t o t he o n e th a t m a ke s o r ha s
r s t made t he s to r ie s and t he s on g s
B r i e y this is how t he G a e lic lit er a ry
s

2 80

The Gae li c E t h o s

honour s s t and divid e d in view o f the mo s t

r e c e nt research i n to t he o rigin o f the F enian
s to r ie s
O f the two great cycl es o f I r i s h h er oic
rom anc e t he e ar lie r w a s t he Ulidi a n s er i e s
t e t he Tai n B o C o o a l n ey a n d t he o ther s to r i e s
of Cuchul a i n and t he Ul s t e r ch a mpio n s Thi s
i s t he G a e lic o riginal tho ro u g hly G a e lic i n
r a c e as we ll a s G ae lic in l an g u a g e It s d i s
cour se is much of ch ampion s a littl e o f g od s
o r f a er y
a very littl e o f wild nature s pi r it s
and d emo n ho s t s I t mov es in t he s etti n g o f a
f r e e p r ovinc e and a kingly court to t he ho n ou r
a n d pre s ervati o n o f which a l l manly vi r tu e s
a n d loy a lti e s a r e de v o ted
This w a s b e for e
the d a y s o f T a ra a nd t he Mil e s i a n H i g h K i n g s
t o whom th e r e i s no r e f e r en c e in any of the
The Mil e s i a n s comi n g l a t er s ucc e e d e d
s to r i e s
the Ulidi an s in po w er a n d milit a r y f a m e They
made themselves masters o f I r e l an d but they
h a v e n o m a s t er pie c e of lit e r a tu r e s t a n di ng in
their n ame F rom comp ar i s o n of the evidence
it a pp ear s th at the Mile s i a n b a rd s a dopt e d t he
Ulidi a n he r o lo r e du r i n g t he s e v en th century
,

28 1

t he

T h e G en i u s o f

G ae l

rec o very o f the Tai n B o C o o al n ey which

was lo s t is a po e ti c way o f saying thi s The

s ubj e ct
s
ho w e v er a n d n o doubt t he
t rib e

Mil e s i a n s a l s o mu s t ha v e been in touch with

s om e o f it a t l e a s t lon
b
fo
r
this
tim
e
I
t
e
e
g
is r e a s on abl e to assume that t his cont a ct fo r
them w a s th e i r e duc a ti o n in G a elic s oci a l idea s
a n d their o r i g i n a l s timulu s a s artists in G a e lic
lit e r a tu r e G e nuin e lit e r a tu r e t oo it i s thi s
Fenian cycl e o f s to r y an d s o ng te lli ng n o t o f
kin g s a n d cou r t s but of the p e opl e s h e r o e s
a n d t he thin g s t he m a k e r s kn e w
I t t e ll s of
the comm on p e opl e s h er o e s as m a s t er s of w a r
lov e r s o f a nim a l s a n d n a tu r e
a n d t he ch as e
e qu a l to the best in ch a mpio n s hip
t he g en tl e
a r t s a n d a l l hi g h cou r t e s y but j u s t t he Fianna
f
r om t he
ghting
b
a
n
d
s
o
E
rin
sprung
f
r
o
)
(
and c a s ti ng o ver hill a n d v a ll ey th r ou g h
s oil
o u t the land a v e s tu r e o f s o n g and s to r y that
will l a s t while I r el an d l a s t s
The

'

See

I t d u c ti
n ro

C l tic T x t
e

on,

Ei
El

I r i sh Li tera ture,

o n

s,

vo l

vii

M a c Neil ,

ea n o r

H ull

28 2

The Lay s

an d

Pa r

a so

Tex t B ook
-

t I I ch p
.

Fi on n ,

vi

The Gae li c E t h o s

Thu s the G a e lic e tho s in tho s e e a r ly d a y s

wo r k e d o n t he s ub j e ct p eo pl e and in the t en th
c en tu r y their co n t r ibution to G ae lic lit er a tu r e
b eg a n to be a dopt e d by t he o f ci a l b a r d s o f
Tara a n d w r itt e n down by the Chri s tian s c r ibe s
who added to it their o w n n e s to ry o f P a t r ick s
m eeti n g and fri e n d s hip with t he an cient Fenian
h e r o e s 0 i s m an d C a o i l t e who ha d w o n d r ou s ly
s u r viv e d to his day
By t he time th a t t he
Mil e s i a n s to r y o f the i n v as io n s was made
s e tti n g
fo r th t he doct ri ne that a ll t he p e opl e
o f I reland sprang f r om the s a m e st o ck
t he
obviou s f a ct s were a s we may s u r mi s e su f
c i ent l y
co n s i s t en t with t he s to ry
The
Mil e s i a n s were mo r e th a n co n qu er o r s : th e y
a b s o r b e d i n to th e i r b o d y p o litic and s pi r itu a l
the g ood material which they fou n d in t he
l a n d o f their a doptio n I r e l an d b e fo r e t he
No rm a n c am e may b e d e s c r ibe d th e r e fo r e
as
G ae lic i n mind n o less than in spe e ch
with a f r i ng e o f mo r e o r l e s s as s imil a t e d No r s e
o n the easte rn co a s t s
The Norm a n s t a y e d and multipli e d a n d
,

283

The G en i u s

of

t he

G ae l

bands o f En g li sh ry followe d him c en tu r y a ft e r

c e n tu r y till the f a i r e r lands o f I re l an d had
pa s sed f r om G aelic to E n g li s h a s they had
p a s s e d from Ibe rian to G aelic hands An d
f r om time to tim e th e r e came mi g hty breaths o f
the E nglish e tho s t o o ; and in due cou r se the
E n g li s h pow e r s e t up its Chu r ch and l a n g u a g e
i t s cu s tom s and i t s l a w s
So a ft e r lo n g
struggle a n d a t the co s t o f much lo s s in
n a tio n a l vit a lity ov e r rul e d a n d w a st e d the
l an g u a g e and the l a w s a n d e v en t he lit e ra tu r e
o f t he English c a m e to b e f a i r ly e s t a b l i s h e d
B ut the E n g li s h instituti o ns which ou r i s h b es t
to d ay a r e th o se withi n which t he E n g li s h
r e pl a c e d by t he w o rkin g s o f
e tho s i s b e i n g
the G ae lic s pi r it upon the m Such are the
langu age a n d the lit e r a tu r e o f the Engli sh
I rish The n e w s oci a l o r d e r which
s p e a ki n g
is c o ming in ha s t he o l d G aelic ideals at its
cor e A g r ea t wo r k remains t o be do n e i n
the t r a n s fo rm a tio n of n a tio n a l e duc a tio n
The adjustment of in s titutio n s in I reland to
I rish id e a l s is indeed far f r om com pl e t e but we

2 84

The Gae li c E t h o s

hop e th a t t he s tru g g l e i n t he old u n h a ppy

w a y i s n e a r ly ov e r
W e have s till t o s e e
wh a t I r i s h id e a l s w i ll d o a s a ppli e d t o o u r
n e w mod e r n I r e l a n d in a s t a t e of lib e r ty
M e a nwhil e wh a t has happened i n t he pe r
s o n n e l o f t h a t mixture o f r a c e s which ha s been
fo rmi ng fo r the s e s ix c e ntu r i es since t he
No r m a n inv a s io n ? Wh a t e v e r t he politic s of
the A n g lo I r i sh wha t is their m e n t a l typ e ?
I n t he r a ci a l mixtu r e doe s the G a e l co n t r ibut e
I n t he
t he larger s h a r e of spiritual h e r it a g e ?
s oci a l mixtu re d o e s hi s typ e a c t o n oth e r typ e s
t o e duc a t e th e m in his likeness ?
Th e s e qu e s tio n s have b een an s w er e d be fo r e
I t is from t he hi s to r y of t he Eng li s h in I re l an d
th a t w e know what t he pow e r o f t he I r i s h idea
is
The I rish n a tio n of to d a y is indeed a
r a ci a l compound m i x e d a nd mixed again
but t he domi n a ti ng qu a lity o f t he G a e lic
e tho s
t he
educative genius o f t he G a e lic
nature has trained t he a li e n e l em en t s fo r
t he mo s t p a r t i n to conformity with t he s pi r it
of t he G ae l

m ay

28 5

T h e G en i u s o f

t he

G ae l

An ob j e ction how e v e r s u g g e s t s it s e lf an d
demand s a r e ply C e ltic a n d th ere fo r e G a e lic
n a tu r e as d es c r ib e d in th es e p a e s s ee m s to
g
turn upo n a v e r y e s s e nti a l ch a r a ct e r i s tic r oot e d
in r a ci a l physique If this be s o how i s it
po s s ibl e that it s hould be acquired by a n alien
under a ny educative proc e ss ?

h
t
e
s
i
s
In
r t pl a c e it a qu a lity a not a bly

h um a n qu a lity t h a t u n d e r f a voura bl e ci r cum

s t a nc e s c a n b e d ev e lop e d
We c a n give o u r
se lv es a wo r se o r a b e tt e r ch a nc e o f d e v e lopi n g
it I n t he s e cond pl a ce th a t b etter chance
i s prob a bly best given by the s timulu s o f
p e r s o na l cont a ct with tho s e pre emi nent i n the
qu a lity And in the third pl a c e t he An g lo
I r i shm a n u n l e s s he be o f superi o r m en t a l
c a libr e s eldom ha s it in t he s a m e degree a n d
with t he s am e i n s t i n ct i v en e s s a s t he I rish G a el
The n o n G ae l l e ft to himself r e v e r t s t o hi s
racial typ e H e must re tu r n a g a in an d a g a in to
hi s so urc e o f s timulu s in G aelic ci r cl es if he
would maintain hi s ch a ra ct e r a s qua s i G ae l
And this I s a y f r om p e r s o n a l e xp e r i en c e
,

28 6

T h e Gae li c E t h o s
h a vi n g cl a im to but a sm a ll s hare if a ny in
t he ancient G a e lic s t o ck
To the G a e l him s elf it i s n ot the racial s tock
in the e s h that s eem s t o m a tt e r but t he ideal s
o f t he r a c e a n d th e i r p r e se rv a tio n fo r t he I rish
p e o pl e and tho u g h he m a y n o t think o f it fo r
t he wo r ld
I t i s t o t he s pi r itu a l I re l an d a s
t o t he
I s r a e l that t he p r omi se s
s piritu a l
are fulll e d
B e for e the r s t N o rm a n s et hi s foot up o n
I ri sh s oil t he I r i s h n a tio n had achie ved a
t r uth
s piritu a l r ea lity a grip o n the e t e r n a l

f
r
l
civilizati
n
that could n o t be
o
ea
o
I t had fu s e d a ll e l em ent s of t he
a n n ull e d
p r ehi sto r ic a n d old e r hi s t o r ic s t o ck it had
it did in tim e
a s s im il a t e d t he D ani s h s e ttl e rs
ab so rb the N o rm an s and t he train that f o llow e d
th e m Then c am e t he l o n g dark c e n turi es
du r i n g which t o a l l o ut w a r d s e emi ng t he
I r i sh nati o n s u ff e r e d s hip w reck a n d w a s
d e s t r oy e d But the ideals o f I rish civiliz a tio n
were ne v er d e s troy e d a n d w o rked like l e a v en
in the s up e r i n cumb e n t a li en m a s s The seed
,

28 7

The G en i u s

lif t he

of

t he

G ae l

piritu a l I re l a nd g r ew s e c r e tly
thr o u g h a ll t ho se darkened tim e s
Now it
ha s g r own to full e r m a nif e s t a ti o n than ever
b efo r e a n d s t an d s fo r th t a ll a n d s t r on g i n t he
eld o f t he wo r ld with the a li en e l em e nt s o n ce
mor e g r a ft e d i n to it T h i s i s the triumph o f
I r i s h n a tion a lity it i s t he t r iumph o f t he C e ltic
spirit in h i s tory : c onqu e r in g nothing it wi n s
The s pi r itu a l I r e l a nd was t o o
by con se nt

r e a l to d i e t oo tru e to h um an typ e O ut o f
lo n g tribulati o n it arise s an d r en e w s i t s
u s in g n o w in t he wi de r circl e s o f the
s t r e n g th
E ng li sh s p ea kin g wo r ld i t s g ift o f drawin g o u t
t he n e humanity o f oth e r s whic h in practice
is t he e s sen c e o f the genius o f the G a e l

of

28 8

B I B L IO G RA PHY

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SO UTHERN REG IO NAL LIBRARY FAC ILITY
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