Ni Dhonnchadha, Aisling
(2012)
Ar an gCoigríoch: Migration and Identity in Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Irish -Language Literature.
The Irish Review, 44.
pp. 60-74.
ISSN 07907850
Abstract
Journeys abound in modern and contemporary Irish-language writing,
whether the focus of the narrative is internal migration, emigration,
return migration or simply a modern travel experience. This should not be
surprising, as there is a close relationship between physical dislocation and
the processes of linguistic minoritisation which made modern Irish-language
discourse in general a discourse of cultural displacement. What may
be surprising, however, is the range of perspectives on migration represented
by Irish-language authors and the wide range of genres employed to
represent Irish emigrant and diasporic experience. Drawing on a selection
of materials from the anthology Ar an gCoigrioch: Dlolaim Litriochta ar Sceal
na hlmirce, 1 this essay will demonstrate how Irish-language literature on
migration represents a rich diversity of individual voices and experiences.
While there is evidence to support Kerby Miller's contention that the
dominant perception of emigration among western Irish-speaking communities
in the post-famine period was that of involuntary exile, 2 many
Irish-language autobiographical and fictional accounts complicate this
interpretation. Migration and emigration are presented as being perceived
and experienced differently depending on individuals' particular positions
within families or communities. Attitudes towards emigration in Irishspeaking
communities vary over time and are influenced by political developments,
the destination of the migrant, the permanency or otherwise of
the migrant experience and the individual response to personal or family
circumstances. This essay will draw on a number of key texts to explore
how migration and emigration have been imagined, experienced and
analysed by twentieth-century Irish-language authors. The essay will focus
in particular on various aspects of the relationship between linguistic, cultural,
regional and national identity.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Migration and Identity; Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Irish; Language Literature; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > School of Celtic Studies > Nua-Ghaeilge (Modern Irish) |
| Item ID: |
4646 |
| Depositing User: |
Aisling Ni Dhonnchadha
|
| Date Deposited: |
09 Dec 2013 14:06 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
The Irish Review |
| Publisher: |
Cork University Press |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
Repository Staff Only(login required)
 |
Item control page |
Downloads per month over past year
Origin of downloads
Altmetric
Altmetric