Ireland

Literary growth in Ireland, as it did in many countries, began with a rich history of strong oral tradition. Stories were passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. There were many influences for the escalation of literary growth mostly originating from religion or military vicissitudes. Ireland's strong Catholic background and the bloody conquests of the English made for the inspiration of many influential authors throughout the country.

The plight of the Irish, as caused and begun by the military conquests of Henry II and the English in the early 1100's, continued for generations. This was the target of many satirical authors, perhaps most notably Jonathan Swift. The English refusal of acknowledgment of the Catholic church caused many monastic influences in writing as well. The Great Famine, a disease that ravaged potato crops all across Europe leaving over one million Irish dead, was also a large influential event for many Irish authors.

Listed below are three of whom I thought were Ireland's most aspiring authors and a brief description of their contribution towards the escalation of literary growth in their country.

__**Jonathan Swift (1667-1745):**__ Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland. His mother was originally from England and his father from Ireland. It is believed that after the death of his father, Swift's mother went back to England and left him in the care of his father's family. Swift is most widely known for his satirical works on the political ideologies of the English. His most famous works include //Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Tale of a Tub, Draiper's Letters, Battle of the Books, Journal to Stella,// and //An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity.//


 * __[[image:BURKE.jpg width="110" height="132"]]Edmund Burke (1729-1797)__**: Edmund Burke was born in Dublin, Ireland. His famous work that distinguished his notoriety was //A Vindication of Natural Society: A View of the Miseries and Evils Arising to Mankind,// a satirical work that mocked the radical political stance of Lord Bolingbroke, an English politician and philosopher.

__**James Joyce (1882-1941):**__ James Joyce was born in Dublin, Ireland. Although he spent much of his adult life outside of the country, his writing was still firmly rooted in his homeland. One of his most controversial works was //Finnegan's Wake//, a book written entirely in idiosyncratic and experimental linguistics. It generally remains unread by most of the population due to its difficulty for the reader. Other famous works include //Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man//

Pictured below is a map of Ireland.

(http://goeurope.about.com/library/graphics/ireland_map.jpg)