Romanticism/nationalism/Ireland: On Thomas Moore’s Irish melodies

In the nineteenth century, Thomas Moore was no less popular than Wordsworth with English readers. Sad to say, analogous to the legendary Atlantis, Moore’s poetry submerged under the landscape of literary teaching and study. Tarnished around such masters as Yeats and Joyce, Moore was unfavorably excluded from the spotlight of Irish study. M0ore’s poetry, in reality, was held in high esteem by his intimate contemporary, Lord Byron. However, though highly-seasoned in Romantic spirit, in no way was Moore identical with the canonical English Romanticists, not least because of his Irish identity, which had a lot to do with 19th-century Irish colonization/de-colonization history. As is often the case, Moore’s poetry centered on Irish national destiny and colonial tragedy, a fact that accounted for the title of Irish national bard accorded him. In the light of Romantic literature, this paper tackles Moore’s Irish Melodies, focusing on issues like Irish Romanticism and Irish cultural nationalism. Aside from the textual analysis, concepts of Irish cultural nationalism are brought into consideration for further critical enquiry. Hopefully this paper will help facilitate the re-consideration of century Romantic literature and the reflections on modern Irish cultural nationalism simultaneously. And thus, Erin, my country tho’ broken thou art, There’s a luster within thee, that ne’er will decay; A spirit, which beams through each suffering part, And now smiles at all pain on the Prince’s Day. --Thomas Moore “The Prince’s Day” Copyright © 2010 臺灣科技大學應用外語系.