Are you looking to explore a bit of Irish history this March? If so, you may want to think about rediscovering some of the country’s famous poets. In my opinion, there are several whose works are well worth reading. With that said, here’s a passing glance at five of my favorites:
One of the first poets on my list is William Butler Yeats. He was born in 1865. I chose him because he wrote amazing poetry and had unusual interests. Those interests included the supernatural. He was so fascinated by the subject that he even went on to form the Dublin Lodge of the Hermetic Society. It was initially designed to be an organization that concerned itself with mysticism. Some of his poems also revealed his interest in such matters. Among them are “Supernatural Songs”, “Under the Moon” and “All Souls’ Night.” Other Yeats poems of note include “I am of Ireland” and “Are You Content.” Yeats died in 1939.
Poet Oscar Wilde also made my list because of his poems and his interesting history. One of the things that I found fascinating about him was that his mother and father were writers too. In addition, he also spent time in prison for indecency. Over the course of his career, he wrote many interesting poems including “Her Voice”, “Roses and Rue” and “The Grave of Keats.” He born in 1854 and passed away in 1900.
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore is another poet that I felt compelled to include on my list purely because of his poetry. One of my favorite poems by Moore is “All in a Family Way.” If you take the time to read it, you will see that parts of the poem remain relevant to this day. Other Moore works of note include “Oh, the Shamrock”, “Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms” and “How Oft Has the Banshee Cried.” He was born in 1779 and passed away in 1852.
I also had to include James Joyce on my list because he was an incredibly talented man. In addition to writing poems, he also wrote non-fiction and fiction. In my opinion, some of his best poems were “The Twilight Turns”, “Who Goes Amid the Green Wood”, “Silently She’s Coming By” and “Alone.” He was born in 1882 and died in 1941.
Austin Clarke
Lastly, I decided to place Austin Clarke on my list. He was born in 1896 and was said to have been heavily influenced by Yeats. Clarke also eventually went on to open his own publishing house. It was called Bridge Press. His poems of note include “The Blackbird of Derrycairn” and “The Planter’s Daughter.” Out of those two, my favorite one is “The Planter’s Daughter” because of its imagery. Clarke died in 1974.
