Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire
Encyclopedia
Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire or the Lament for Art Ó Laoghaire
is an Irish
keen
, or dirge
written by his wife Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill
. It has been described as the greatest poem written in either Ireland or Britain during the eighteenth century.
The late eighteenth-century epic poem is one of the greatest laments ever written, and one of the greatest love poems of the Irish Language
. Eibhlín composed it capturing the life and death of her husband Art on May 4, 1773.
It details the murder at Carraig an Ime, County Cork
, of Art, at the hands of British official Abraham Morris, and the aftermath. It is one of the key texts in the Irish oral literature
corpus. The poem was composed ex tempore
and follows the rhythmic and societal conventions associated with keening and the traditional Irish wake
respectively. The caoineadh is divided into five parts composed in the main over the dead body of her husband at the time of the wake and later when Art was re-interred in Kilcrea.
Parts of the caoineadh take the form of a verbal duel between Eibhlín and Art's sister. The acrimonious dialogue between the two women shows the disharmony between the two prominent families concerned.
Art Ó Laoghaire
Art Ó Laoghaire , a Roman Catholic, was an officer in the Austrian army.Having returned home to Rathleigh House near Macroom, Cork, Ireland, Art refused to sell his prize-winning horse to Englishman Abraham Morris, and was thus made an outlaw...
is an Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
keen
Keening
Keening is a form of vocal lament associated with mourning that is traditional in Scotland and Ireland.-Etymology:"Keen" as a noun or verb comes from the Irish/Scots Gaelic term "caoineadh" and references to it from the seventh, eighth and twelfth centuries are extensive.-History:Written sources...
, or dirge
Dirge
A dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. A lament. The English word "dirge" is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam , the first words of the first antiphon in the Matins of the Office...
written by his wife Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill
Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill
Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill also Eileen O' Connell, was an Irish noblewoman and poet, the composer of Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire....
. It has been described as the greatest poem written in either Ireland or Britain during the eighteenth century.
The late eighteenth-century epic poem is one of the greatest laments ever written, and one of the greatest love poems of the Irish Language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
. Eibhlín composed it capturing the life and death of her husband Art on May 4, 1773.
It details the murder at Carraig an Ime, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, of Art, at the hands of British official Abraham Morris, and the aftermath. It is one of the key texts in the Irish oral literature
Oral literature
Oral literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. It thus forms a generally more fundamental component of culture, but operates in many ways as one might expect literature to do...
corpus. The poem was composed ex tempore
Ex tempore
Ex tempore has two meanings:-Performance:"Extempore" or "ex tempore" refers to a stage or theater performance that is carried out without preparation or forethought. Most often the term is used in the context of speech, singing and stage acting...
and follows the rhythmic and societal conventions associated with keening and the traditional Irish wake
Wake (ceremony)
A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing...
respectively. The caoineadh is divided into five parts composed in the main over the dead body of her husband at the time of the wake and later when Art was re-interred in Kilcrea.
Parts of the caoineadh take the form of a verbal duel between Eibhlín and Art's sister. The acrimonious dialogue between the two women shows the disharmony between the two prominent families concerned.
Literary References to the Caoineadh
- Peadar Ó Riada (son of the famous Seán Ó RiadaSeán Ó RiadaSeán Ó Riada , was a composer and perhaps the single most influential figure in the revival of Irish traditional music during the 1960s...
) has arranged Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoghaire to be sung, most famously by the Cor Ban Chuil Aodha.
- Professor Patricia Rubio notes the similarities between Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoghaire and Seamus HeaneySeamus HeaneySeamus Heaney is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer. He lives in Dublin. Heaney has received the Nobel Prize in Literature , the Golden Wreath of Poetry , T. S. Eliot Prize and two Whitbread prizes...
's "The Burial at ThebesThe Burial at ThebesThe Burial at Thebes is a play by Irish Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, based on the fifth century BC tragedy Antigone by Sophocles. It is also an opera by Dominique Le Gendre...
".
- Playwright Tom McIntyre dramatised the events, and his play won the Stewart Parker Prize in 1999.
- Hunter S. ThompsonHunter S. ThompsonHunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
used an excerpt from the anglicized version of this poem as an epigraph to The Rum DiaryThe Rum Diary (novel)-External links:* Totally Gonzo – The Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Journalism Community* at the Internet Movie Database*...
:
-
- "My rider of the bright eyes,
What happened to you yesterday?
I thought you in my heart,
When I bought your fine clothes,
A man the world could not slay."
- "My rider of the bright eyes,
- Also, a fictional San JuanSan Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
street mentioned frequently in the novel is "Calle O'Leary", possibly another reference to the poem (Art Ó Laoghaire's name is anglicized as Art O'LearyO'LearyO'Leary is an Irish name, an anglicized version of the original Gaelic patronym Ó Laoghaire or Ó Laoire.The Uí Laoghaire clan, today associated with the Uibh Laoghaire parish in County Cork, is considered by scholars to have originated on the south-west coast, in the area of Ros Ó gCairbre , of...
).
- Breandan O'Madagain has argued that the lament would have been originally sung, and very likely to have been sung to a melody that is still in existence. He demonstrates this in his work "Keening and other Old Irish Musics" (Clo Iar-Chonnachta, 2006), which includes a recording of the keen to a likely traditional melody.
External links
- The Lament For Art Ó Laoghaire Online text in Irish and English