September 1913

What need you, being come to sense,
But fumble in a greasy till
And add the halfpence to the pence
And prayer to shivering prayer, until
You have dried the marrow from the bone;
For men were born to pray and save:
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave.


Yet they were of a different kind
The names that stilled your childish play,
They have gone about the world like wind,
But little time had they to pray
For whom the hangman's rope was spun,
And what, God help us, could they save:
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave.

Was it for this the wild geese spread
The grey wing upon every tide;
For this that all that blood was shed,
For this Edward Fitzgerald died,
And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone,
All that delirium of the brave;
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave.

Yet could we turn the years again,
And call those exiles as they were,
In all their loneliness and pain
You'd cry 'some woman's yellow hair
Has maddened every mother's son':
They weighed so lightly what they gave,
But let them be, they're dead and gone,
They're with O'Leary in the grave.

WB Yeats

Article originally published on: Monday 8th September 1913

If you'd like to help with producing further articles, please sign up here!
More articles can be found here.

An Claíomh Solais means "The Sword of Light", and is named after an Irish newspaper originally published around the beginning of the twentieth century. This project is opening a window to that time, not so long ago, and sharing the hopes, dreams and visions of the men and women who founded the modern Irish Republic.

The project will follow in their footsteps along the path laid down by Hyde, O'Conaire, MacNeill, Cusack and many others through sharing news, ideas, articles of Irish cultural interest and more, as well as helping to support Irish language and cultural initiatives. You can find out more about An Claíomh Solais by clicking on the buttons below, or join our team as we begin the great Gaelic restoration!

Collapse of the Terror

British Rule's Last Stages

What the Elections Meant

We have seen how in ancient Ireland the people were themselves the guardians of their land, doing all for themselves according to their own laws and customs, as interpreted by the Brehons, which gave them security, prosperity, and national greatness, and how this was upset by the English determination to blot out Irish ways, when came poverty, demoralisation and a false respect for English standards and habits.

The English power to do this rested on military occupation and on econ
Read more...

The Parting of Goll From His Wife

When they are shut up by Fionn on a sea-girt rock, without chance of escape.

A Dialogue

(Goll speaks)
The end is come; upon this narrow rock
To-morrow I must die;
Wife of the ruddy cheeks and hair of flame,
Leave me to-night and fly.
Seek out the camp of Fionn and of his men
Upon the westward side;
Take there, in time to come, another mate.
Here I abide.

(Goll's wife replies)
Which way, O Goll, is my way, and thou perished?
Alas! few friends have I!
Small praise that woman
Read more...

The Great Lamentation of Deirdre for the Sons of Usna

"As to Deirdre, she was a year in the household of Conchobar, after the death of the Sons of Usna. And though it might be a little thing to raise her head or to bring a smile over her lip, never once did she do it through all that space of time.... She took not sufficiency of food or sleep, nor lifted her head from her knee. When people of amusement were sent to her, she would break out into lamentation:—

Splendid in your eyes may be the impetuous champions
Who resort to Emain after a foray;
More brilliant yet was the return
Of Usna's h
Read more...

Coolock and the Union Jack

In recent days there's been an uproar over the appearance of the Irish tricolour, symbol and standard of the Republic, waving alongside the Union Jack during protest marches in Belfast. Outrage has been expressed in the halls of power from Dáíl Éireann to Stormount to Westminster. And in fairness it is quite a picture – not something you'd see every day.

But what do we really see when we look at this picture? Should we take it at face value or should we have a conversation about the cause and context of this undoubtedly historical event? Not a hi
Read more...

The Irish Flag

The Council of the Irish Citizen Army has resolved, after grave and earnest deliberation, to hoist the green flag of Ireland over Liberty Hall, as over a fortress held for Ireland by the arms of Irishmen. This is a momentous decision in the most serious crisis Ireland has witnessed in our day and generation. It will, we are sure, send a thrill through the hearts of every true Irish man and woman, and send the red blood coursing fiercely along the veins of every lover of the race.

It means that in the midst of and despite the treasons and backslidings of leaders and guides, in the
Read more...

Irish War News

THE IRISH REPUBLIC

Vol. 1. No. 1
DUBLIN, TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 19I6.
One Penny

“IF THE GERMANS CONQUERED ENGLAND.”

In the London “New Statesman” for April 1st, an article is published—“If the Germans Conquered England,” which has the appearance of a very clever piece of satire written by an Irishman. The writer draws a picture of England under German rule, almost every detail of which exactly fits the case of Ireland at the present day. Some of the sentences are so exquisitely appropriate that it is impossibl
Read more...

Recent News

Name Galway's New Pedestrian Bridge in Honour of 1916 Hero Julia Morrissey

An Athenry native, Julia Morrissey, was a key figure in Cumann na mBan's Galway branch. In 1916, she commanded a group of 50 women during Easter week, as part of the rebellion in Galway that was led by Liam Mellows. When Mellows first came to Athenry in 1915, Mor... [more]

Human activity discovered in Ireland 33000 years ago

A REINDEER BONE fragment uncovered in a cave contains a revelation set to dramatically alter the understanding of Irish human history. The bone fragment was found at Castlepook Cave near Doneraile in north Cork where a mammoth bone was discovered in 1972. T... [more]

Wolfe Tones announce anniversary gig

After breaking records at Electric Picnic over the weekend, the Wolfe Tones are set to mark six decades of making music with an anniversary gig in Dublin next year. The Wolfe Tones drew the largest crowd to date to the festival’s Electric Arena on Sunday as a s... [more]

RIA culture night 2023

Come and join us on Culture Night 2023, we will have lots of cultural activities for all ages! Explore the Royal Irish Academy - a hidden Georgian gem tucked away on Dawson Street. View the earliest example of Irish writing - the 6th century Cathach, have a go at som... [more]

More than one million people are actively learning Irish

More than one million people are actively learning Irish on Duolingo according to data from the language app. A recent report (June 2021) listed Irish as the 16th most popular language to learn on the app, with 1.10 million users actively learning the language. ... [more]

United Ireland poll

Linda Ervine places herself in the “don’t know” group when it comes to a united Ireland, saying: “I’m one of those people that will have to be convinced.” Almost one in five voters in Northern Ireland are in the same category, acco... [more]

Two-thirds support more Irish in daily life

THERE IS A clear desire for the Irish language to be a more prominent feature of daily life in this country, with younger people associating it closely with national identity. New polling, conducted by Ireland Thinks/The Good Information Project, has found that almos... [more]