Famous Irish Poets
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Nicknamed the emerald isle, Ireland is the second largest island of the British Isles situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The country is rich culture and legacy, and has been a major source of influence throughout the world. Though Ireland mostly shares the traditions and culture with Great Britain, it nevertheless has a strong indigenous culture that is effervescent in its literature, music and language. Talking about Irish literature, it has its roots well laid in the seventeenth century, with earliest known works written and produced by monks in Latin and Irish. Irish litterateurs have made their presence felt in all spheres of written form – be it poetry, short story, novel, essay, history, fiction or even non-fiction. Though English has dominated as the Irish literary language for decades now, there have been pioneering writers and poets who have penned in Irish and brought out some of the most prominent literary works. Irish poetry can be steeply divided into two categories in terms of language – Irish and English. While WB Yeats has been the pioneering leader of Irish literature and poetry, the country has been home to many more great poets such as Brendan Behan, Pat Boran, C. Day Lewis, James Stephens, Evan Boland, Thomas Moore, George William Russell and so on. Find out in details about the life and works of Irish poets.
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1
W B Yeats(One of the Greatest English-Language Poets of the 20th Century and 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature Winner)
Birthdate: June 13, 1865
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Sandymount, Ireland
Died: January 28, 1939
Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet, playwright, and prose writer W. B. Yeats is remembered as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. Known for works such as The Tower, he also helped establish the Abbey Theatre. An occult enthusiast, he was also part of The Ghost Club.
2
Jonathan Swift(Satirist & Author of 'Gulliver's Travels',' A Tale of a Tub' and 'A Modest Proposal')
Birthdate: November 30, 1667
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: October 19, 1745
Eighteenth-century essayist, poet, and pamphleteer Jonathan Swift is remembered for his iconic works such as A Tale of a Tub, A Modest Proposal, and Gulliver's Travels. One of the world’s greatest satirists, he gave rise to the deadpan Swiftian style. He had also been the Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
3
Oscar Wilde(One of the Greatest Playwrights of the 'Victorian Era')
Birthdate: October 16, 1854
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: November 30, 1900
Widely regarded as one of the most popular writers of all time, Oscar Wilde is best remembered for his plays and epigrams. He was also one of the best-known personalities during his time as he was popular for his conversational skills, flamboyant dressing sense, and biting wit. Imprisoned in 1895 for consensual homosexual acts, Oscar Wilde was pardoned posthumously in 2017.
4
Seamus Heaney(Poet, Playwright & Translator Who Received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Birthdate: April 13, 1939
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Castledawson, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Died: August 30, 2013
Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet, translator, and playwright. One of the most respected poets of his generation, Heaney was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. He also won other prestigious awards, such as the Eric Gregory Award. Several years after his death, Seamus Heaney is still considered one of the main contributors to poetry in Ireland.
5
C. Day Lewis(British poet and Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972.)
Birthdate: April 27, 1904
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Ballintubber, Ireland
Died: May 22, 1972
C. Day-Lewis was an Anglo-Irish poet who also wrote many mystery stories. From 1968 to 1972, he served as the Poet Laureate. He also contributed as a publications editor during World War II, working for the Ministry of Information.
6
Iris Murdoch(Irish & British Novelist Best Known for Her Novels: 'Under the Net', 'The Sea, the Sea' and 'The Bell')
Birthdate: July 15, 1919
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: February 8, 1999
One of the most popular Irish-born British novelists, Iris Murdoch is remembered for her psychological novels, which had a good dose of sexuality, philosophy, morality, and comic elements. While she won the Booker Prize for The Sea, the Sea, the Oxford alumnus had also worked for the HM Treasury and the UN.
Birthdate: October 30, 1751
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: July 7, 1816
Irish-born playwright and satirist Richard Brinsley Sheridan is remembered for his plays such as The School for Scandal and A Trip to Scarborough. He owned Drury Lane Theatre in London and was known for reviving the Restoration comedy of manners, replete with stock characters and satire.
Birthdate: April 16, 1871
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland
Died: March 24, 1909
A major figure of the Irish Literary Revival, John Millington Synge is best remembered for his play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots in Dublin due to its satiric depiction of the Irish nature of boasting. His life ended abruptly at 37, due to blood cancer.
Birthdate: October 21, 1904
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Inniskeen, Ireland
Died: November 30, 1967
Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh is best remembered for his long poem The Great Hunger and his depictions of harsh rural conditions. His initial experience of working on a farm offered him the setting for his novel Tarry Flynn, which was banned for a while and later performed as a play.
Birthdate: July 24, 1878
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: October 25, 1957
Edward Plunkett was a talented Irish author, known for his fantasy novels such as The King of Elfland's Daughter. Initially educated at Eton and then at Sandhurst, he had also been part of the British Army in World War I. He also designed chess puzzles and was a keen hunter.
Birthdate: February 9, 1923
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: March 20, 1964
Irish author and poet Brendan Behan is remembered for his trademark satire and for his works such as The Quare Fellow and Borstal Boy. In a life plagued with arrests, he had served 14 years behind bars for the attempted murder of a policeman. He was also a lifelong alcoholic.
Birthdate: February 1, 1878
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cloughjordan, Ireland
Died: May 3, 1916
Born to schoolteacher parents, Thomas MacDonagh initially aspired to be a missionary. However, he later taught English and French, and then focused on writing. The author of plays such as When the Dawn Is Come, MacDonagh later joined the Irish Volunteers and led the Easter Rising before being executed by shooting.
13
Edna O'Brien(Novelist, Playwright, Poet and Short-Story Writer)
Birthdate: December 15, 1930
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tuamgraney, County Clare, Ireland
Irish novelist Edna O'Brien is known for dealing with themes related to women’s issues, such as sexual repression of women in a male-dominated society. While she initially studied pharmacy, she later soared to fame with novels such as The Country Girls trilogy, some of which were banned in Ireland for their sexual openness.
Birthdate: December 8, 1860
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Drumaness, County Down, Ireland
Died: February 2, 1939
Birthdate: 1818
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: October 12, 1895
Birthdate: January 20, 1950
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Birthdate: April 10, 1867
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Lurgan Tarry, County Armagh,Ireland
Died: July 17, 1935
Birthdate: December 27, 1821
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Wexford, Ireland
Died: February 3, 1896
Birthdate: April 13, 1825
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Carlingford, Ireland
Died: April 7, 1868
Thomas D'Arcy McGee was an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, and poet. As a young man, he opposed British rule in Ireland and was in favor of creating an independent Irish Republic. He later became conservative in his beliefs and moved to Canada. He helped create the Canadian Confederation in 1867 but was assassinated the following year.
Birthdate: September 24, 1944
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Birthdate: September 26, 1852
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: March 13, 1899
Birthdate: August 17, 1878
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Parnell Square West, Dublin, Ireland
Died: September 22, 1957
Birthdate: September 6, 1965
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Mullingar, Ireland
Died: February 20, 2009
Birthdate: November 23, 1941
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Birthdate: 1652 AD
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: July 30, 1715
Birthdate: December 8, 1881
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Longford, Ireland
Died: January 11, 1972
Birthdate: May 1, 1803
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: June 20, 1849
Birthdate: April 12, 1816
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Monaghan Town, County Monaghan, Ireland
Died: February 9, 1903
Charles Gavan Duffy was an Irish poet and journalist active during the late 19th-century. He studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and began his journalistic career soon after under the guidance of political activist and journalist Charles Hamilton Teeling. Later in life, he moved to Australia and became the 8th Premier of Victoria.
Birthdate: October 24, 1885
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Galway, Ireland
Died: April 21, 1969
Alice Perry scripted history as the first European female engineering graduate. Born into a family of inventors and engineers, she later became the only female country surveyor in Ireland. She also served as an inspector for the Home Office but deviated to writing poetry after her retirement.
Birthdate: January 23, 1859
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: April 2, 1931
Birthdate: 1981 AD
Birthplace: Galway, Ireland
Birthdate: September 29, 1949
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kilfinane, Ireland
Birthdate: 1615 AD
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: March 19, 1669
Birthdate: May 3, 1843
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cork, Ireland
Died: April 4, 1913
Birthdate: September 11, 1679
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: October 24, 1718
Birthdate: May 9, 1828
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Mullinahone, Ireland
Died: August 22, 1882
Birthplace: Clonenagh, Ireland
Died: March 11, 0824
39
Patrick MacGill(Former writer known as "The Navvy Poet" because he had worked as a navvy before he began writing.)
Birthdate: December 24, 1889
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Glenties, Ireland
Died: November 1, 1963
Birthdate: October 25, 1826
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cork, Ireland
Died: April 6, 1862
Birthdate: October 4, 1886
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cork, Ireland
Died: October 15, 1958
Lennox Robinson was an Irish dramatist, theatre producer and director, and poet. He is best remembered for his association with the Abbey Theatre and was responsible for publishing the first detailed history of the company, Ireland's Abbey Theatre, in 1951. The Lennox Robinson Literary Festival is held every year in his memory in Douglas, Cork, Ireland.
Birthdate: December 14, 1791
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kildare, Ireland
Died: February 21, 1823
Birthdate: April 3, 1798
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kilkenny, Ireland
Died: August 30, 1842
Birthdate: July 7, 1823
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Pettigo, Ireland
Died: May 1, 1907
Irish economic historian John Kells Ingram didn’t just excel in math in his younger days but also showed considerable talent in literature and languages, teaching oratory and Greek at Trinity. He is remembered for his extensive work on the Poor Law and also for his contribution to inversive geometry.
Birthdate: 1600 AD
Birthplace: Irish
Died: October 15, 1653
Birthdate: 1795 AD
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: November 23, 1846
Apart from writing math texts, Irish author George Darley also penned poems and novels and was a talented literary critic. He also wrote as John Lacy for The London Magazine. His stammer and his inability to publish his literary works probably pushed him into depression in his later life.
Birthdate: August 17, 1780
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: November 24, 1860
Birthdate: April 26, 1950
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Handsworth, Birmingham, England
Died: May 8, 2020
Carl Tighe was a British essayist, novelist, academic, and poet. He began writing poems and short stories as a teenager and eventually became a lecturer in English. He carried out research on central European literature and comparative politics and wrote on a diverse range of topics. His novel Burning Worm won the Authors’ Club Award in 2002.
Birthdate: 1739 AD
Birthplace: Killarney, Ireland
Died: February 3, 1777