Philip O'Leary – författare

The Gaelic Revival has long fascinated scholars of political history, nationalism, literature, and theater history, yet studies of the period have neglected a significant dimension of Ireland's evolution into nationhood: the cultural crusades mounted by those who believed in the centrality of the Irish language to the emergent Irish state.This book attempts to remedy that deficiency and to present the lively debates within the language movement in their full complexity, citing documents such as editorials, columns, speeches, letters, and literary works that were influential at the time but all too often were published only in Irish or were difficult to access. Cautiously employing the terms "nativist" and "progressive" for the turnings inward and toward the European continent manifested in different authors, this study examines the strengths and weaknesses of contrasting positions on the major issues confronting the language movement. Moving from the early collecting or retelling of folklore through the search for heroes in early Irish history to the reworking of ancient Irish literary materials by retelling it in modern vernacular Irish, O'Leary addresses the many debates and questions concerning Irish writing of the period. His study is a model for inquiries into the kind of linguistic-literary movement that arises during intense nationalism.

Gaelic Prose in the Irish Free State, 1922–1939 is a continuation of Philip O’Leary’s previous path-breaking book on the prose literature of the Gaelic Revival. The period following the War of Independence and Civil War saw an outpouring of book-length works in Irish from the state publishing agency An Gúm. The frequency and production of new plays, both original and translated, have never been approached since. O’Leary has investigated all of these works, as well as journalism and manuscript material, and discusses them in a lively and often humorous manner. Several writers known for their work in English, such as Liam O’Flaherty, Sean O’Faolain, and Frank O’Connor, who were either writing on occasion in Irish or engaging in debates within the Gaelic movement, emerge as important figures. With the publication of Gaelic Prose in the Irish Free State, 1922–1939, we have at last an authoritative and balanced account of this major but neglected aspect of the Irish cultural renaissance. This will be an essential reference book for anyone interested in Irish literature in the twentieth century.

A collection of poems celebrating nature, inspired by the wonderful Worcestershire countryside, written by Philip O'Leary.

The three volumes of this series offer a detailed history of how prose in the Irish language developed from the birth of the native state in 1922 to 1951. Making extensive use of contemporary newspapers, journals, personal papers, and other primary texts of all kinds - novels, short stories, plays, biographies - the books recreate the intellectual and ideological climate of the time with regard to the preservation and spread of Irish as a modern literary language. Separate chapters deal with such questions as the role of the native speaker in the creation of a contemporary literature, the importance of the Gaeltacht on rural subjects and themes, interpretations of Irish history, the literary potential of early Irish heroic literature and mythology, the value of translation into Irish, and the challenges of providing popular entertainment such as light reading, theatre and the cinema. Particular attention is paid to major literary works like those of Mairtin O'Cadhain, Liam O'Flathartaigh (O'Flaherty), and Brian O'Nuallain ('Myles na gCopaleen').

Irish-language theatre has at times been on the fringes of Ireland's cultural landscape - invisible and underground - but its influence can be seen all over the island of Ireland. An Underground Theatre is the first full-length study of playwrights working in the Irish language in the pivotal 1930-80 period. In this landmark volume Philip O'Leary analyses the works of Mairead Ni Ghrada, Seamus O Neill, Eoghan O Tuairisc, Sean O Tuama, and Criostoir O Floinn and discusses the production history of their plays and the critical reception of first productions and major revivals. O'Leary also outlines the beginnings of drama in Irish in the early twentieth century and provides important historical context. The developments in Irish-language theatre since 1980 are also discussed in this important contribution to Irish theatre studies. Using a wide range of sources, O'Leary gives a thorough evaluation of five of the most significant Irish-language playwrights and charts the monumental influence and reach of their work.