Topic 56: Historical relations between Ireland and Great Britain. Irish authors: Sean O'Casey and James Joyce

(Introduction) Ireland and Great Britain share a common language,

many cultural features and even, in the case of Northern Ireland, the same land.

(Introduction) However, the relationship between both nations

has been fraught with tension, disputes and violence, which reflect an instability that lasted for many centuries.

(Introduction) The two authors to be studied in this unit both echo, in their very different ways, life in Ireland in the late nineteenth and twentieth century,

Sean O’Casey through the medium of plays and James Joyce through the novel.

(Historical relations between Ireland and GB: The Norman Invasion) In 1169, Norman mercenaries from England

invaded Ireland at the request of an ousted Irish King.

(Historical relations between Ireland and GB: The Norman Invasion) In 1171, King Henry II of England invaded Ireland

to assert control over his Norman subjects, declaring himself Lord of Ireland.

(Historical relations between Ireland and GB: The Norman Invasion) Though the Normans had a profound impact on the island,

many eventually assimilated into Irish culture.

(Historical relations between Ireland and GB: The Norman Invasion) By the end of the 15^th century,

English rule in Ireland was limited to a small area around Dublin known as the Pale.

(Early Modern Ireland) In the 16^th century, the Tudor monarchs sought to regain control of Ireland.

Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland and fought to impose English rule and Protestantism

(Early Modern Ireland) The conquest of Ireland was effectively complete in 1601

after the Battle of Kinsale, but most Irish people remained Catholic.

(Early Modern Ireland) During the English Civil War (1642-1652),

Oliver Cromwell crushed an Irish rebellion between 1649 and 1652 with great loss of life.

(Early Modern Ireland) Catholic land was confiscated and given to

Cromwell’s soldiers and Scottish colonists, deepening resentment.

(Early Modern Ireland) Penal laws against Catholics were introduced throughout the seventeenth century,

limiting their rights and forcing them to pay tithes to Protestant clergy.

(Modern Ireland) Tensions between the British rulers and the Irish population continued. Following a rebellion in 1798,

Ireland formally became part of the United Kingdom.

(Modern Ireland) Although Catholic emancipation in 1829 removed many restrictions on Catholics,

hardships continued.

(Modern Ireland) The Great Famine YEARS

1845-1852

(Modern Ireland) The Great Famine (1845-52), caused by a potato blight which destroyed the staple food of the poor,

leading to the death of millions of people and the emigration of a million more.

(Modern Ireland) The Great Famine (1845-52), caused by

a potato blight which destroyed the staple food of the poor,

(Modern Ireland) The use of the Irish language declined as

Irish was forbidden in schools.

(Modern Ireland) Persistent discontent with British rule led to

repeated rebellions and agitation for land reform and home rule in the later 19^th century.

(Modern Ireland) Easter Rebellion in Dublin YEAR

1916

(Modern Ireland) The 1916 Easter Rebellion in Dublin

declared Irish independence but was quickly suppressed.

(Modern Ireland) However, the subsequent execution of its leaders

significantly shifted public opinion, increasing support for Irish nationalism.

(Modern Ireland) At the 1918 election, the pro-independence Sinn Féin party

won and set up the first Dáil, an independent parliament in Dublin.

(Modern Ireland) After the War of Independence (1919-1921),

the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, resulting in the division of the country into the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland.

The Irish War of Independence YEAR

1919-1921

When did the pro-independence Sinn Féin party win?

At the 1918 election

What was the first Dáil?

An independent Parliament in Dublin

What happened after the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed?

The country (Ireland) was divided into the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland

(The Troubles) The Northern Ireland conflict, known as

the Troubles

(The Troubles) The Northern Ireland conflict, known as the Troubles,

spanned from the late 1960s to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

(The Troubles) The troubles is

sometimes described as an “irregular war” or “low-level war”.

(The Troubles)The troubles involved

escalating violence and acts of terrorism by groups like the IRA and INLA.

(The Troubles) Key events

• Bloody Sunday (1972)

• The Irish Hunger Strike (1981)

• The Brighton hotel bombing (1984)

• The Omagh bombing (1998)

(The Troubles) Bloody Sunday in 1972,

when British soldiers killed 14 civilians

When did the Troubles begin and end?

The troubles began in the late 1960s and ended with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Which nationalist paramilitary groups were active during the Troubles?

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) were the main nationalist groups.

(The Troubles) The 1981 Irish Hunger strike,

during which 10 republican prisoners died of starvation

(The Troubles) The Brighton hotel bombing in 1984

targeting politicians like Thatcher

(The Troubles) The Omagh bombing in 1998,

the deadliest incident, killing 29 people and injuring over 200

(The Troubles) The Good Friday Agreement (1998) also known as

The Belfast Agreement

(The Troubles) The signing and ratification of the Good Friday Agreement (1998), also known as the Belfast Agreement,

eventually broke this cycle of killings, bombings and violence, bringing stability to the region.

(The Troubles) The Belfast Agreement was signed

under Tony Blair’s labour government, and it acknowledged Northern Ireland’s status as a part of the UK until a majority north and south of the border wished otherwise.

(The Troubles) Under which UK government was the Good Friday Agreement signed?

It was signed in 1998 under Tony Blair’s Labour government.

(The Troubles) What did the Good Friday Agreement state about Northern Ireland’s status?

It acknowledged that Northern Ireland would remain part of the UK unless a majority in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland voted for unification.

(The Troubles) In the 2016 Brexit referendum,

55.8% of Northern Irish voters supported remaining in the EU

(The Troubles) However, unlike Scotland,

there were regions in Northern Ireland where the majority opted to leave the European Union.

(The Troubles) In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 55.8% of Northern Irish voters supported remaining in the EU.

However, unlike Scotland, there were regions in Northern Ireland where the majority opted to leave the European Union.

(Irish Literature) At the end of the 19^th century and throughout the 20^th century, Irish literature experienced a remarkable period marked by globally successful works, especially those by Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, W. B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, C.S. Lewis and George Bernard Shaw,

many of whom left Ireland to make a life in other European countries.

(Irish Literature) How did Irish literature develop in the late 19th and 20th centuries?

It experienced a remarkable period of global success, with works by Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, W. B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, C.S. Lewis, and George Bernard Shaw.

(Irish Literature) Who were some of the most influential Irish writers of the 19th and 20th centuries?

1. Oscar Wilde

2. James Joyce

3. W. B. Yeats

4. Samuel Beckett

5. C.S. Lewis

6. George Bernard Shaw.

(The Irish movement) The main aim for this movement was

Ireland as an independent nation.

(The Irish movement) They claimed that Ireland possessed many distinctive features such as

• a unique religion

• history

• and a sense of community.

(The Irish movement) The Irish literary renaissance was a flowering of Irish literary talent

at the end of the 19^th and the beginning of the 20^th century that was closely allied with a strong political nationalism and a revival of interest in Ireland’s Gaelic literary heritage.

(The Irish movement) What was the Irish Literary Renaissance?

A flowering of Irish literary talent at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, closely linked to political nationalism and a revival of Gaelic literary heritage.

(The Irish movement) This movement was centred on

the poet and playwright William Butler Yeats.

(The Irish movement) This movement helped establish

a distinct Irish cultural identity.

(The Irish movement) Among the most well-known writers who presented their plays to Irish theatre companies were:

1. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900).

2. Bernard Shaw (1856-1950).

3. James Joyce (1882-1941).

4. Sean O'Casey (1880-1964).

5. Samuel Beckett

Sean O’Casey YEARS

1880-1964

Original name of Sean O’Casey

John Casey

Sean O’Casey, original name John Casey, was born into

a lower middle-class Irish Protestant family.

(Sean O’Casey) After his father’s death when he was six,

the family became progressively poorer.

(Sean O’Casey) With only three years of formal schooling,

O’Casey educated himself by reading.

(Sean O’Casey) He began working at 14 mostly in

manual labour, including at the Irish railways.

(Sean O’Casey) O’Casey became involved in the cause of Irish nationalism,

and he changed his name to its Irish form and learned Gaelic.

(Sean O’Casey) Influenced by Dublin’s slums and labour leader Jim Larkin,

he became active in the labour movement and wrote for the Irish worker.

(Sean O’Casey) Influenced by Dublin’s slums and labour leader

Jim Larkin

(Sean O’Casey) Disillusioned with politics, he turned his energies to drama,

using tragicomedy to portray the poverty, resilience, and struggles of Dublin’s working class.

(Sean O’Casey) What did Sean O’Casey portray using tragicomedy?

• The Poverty

• Resilience

• Struggles

  of Dublin’s working class

(Sean O’Casey) His plays reflect

• his criticism of political failures

• and admiration for the spirit of the Irish poor.

(Sean O’Casey) After several of his plays had been rejected,

the Abbey Theatre in Dublin produced The Shadow of a Gunman (1923), set in Dublin during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921).

Where is set The Shadow of a Gunman (1923)?

In Dublin during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921)

What play did The Abbey staged in 1924?

Juno and the Paycock

In 1924, The Abbey staged Juno and the Paycock, his most popular play,

set during the period of civil war over the terms of Irish independence.

The Plough and the Stars (1926)

was set during the 1916 Easter Rising.

What is the setting of The Plough and the Stars (1926?

During the 1916 Easter Rising

When first produced in the 1920s, these plays (The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923; Juno and the Paycock, 1924; The Plough and the Stars, 1926)

helped to enlarge the Abbey theatre’s reputation.

O’Casey moved to England in 1926, where he met and married

the Irish actress Eileen Carey Reynolds and lived for the rest of his life.

When did O’Casey move to England?

In 1926

His move to England was partly due to the Abbey Theatre’s rejection of

his anti-war play The Silver Tassie (1929).

O’Casey’s later plays are considered

less powerful and moving than his earlier realistic plays.

He abandoned vigorous characterisation in favour of

expressionism and symbolism, and sometimes didactic drama.

These later plays (O’Casey) include

• Cocka-Doodle Dandy (1949)

• The Bishop’s Bonfire (1955)

• and The Drums of Father Ned (1958).

Cocka-Doodle Dandy YEAR

1949

The Bishop’s Bonfire YEAR

1955

The Drums of Father Ned YEAR

1958

O’Casey works

1. The Shadow of a Gunman (1923)

2. Juno and the Paycock (1924)

3. The Plough and the Stars (1926)

4. The Silver Tassie (1929)

5. Cocka-Doodle Dandy (1949)

6. The Bishop’s Bonfire (1955)

7. The Drums of Father Ned (1958)

The Shadow of a Gunman YEAR

1923

Juno and the Paycock YEAR

1924

The Plough and the Stars YEAR

1926

The Silver Tassie YEAR

1929

(The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923)

(The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923)

(The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923)

(The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923)

(The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923)

(The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923)

(The Shadow of a Gunman, 1923)