Irish Writers

The Irish are a nation of writers. Ireland is a small country with a small population, so the number of writers who have achieved universal fame is incredible. Among the most famous Irish writers, they have produced some of the most renowned and significant works of literature in the English language. Here is a list of some of the most prominent Irish writers of the last four centuries, with a message to us from each one, ordered by their popularity.

1. James Joyce – one of the most influential writers of the 20th century

James Joyce was born in 1882 in Dublin and is widely considered to be one of the most important and influential Irish writers of the early 20th century. The most famous of James Joyce’s works would be his book Ulysses, which took him seven years to write, and is commonly praised for its unique modernist style that completely revolutionised fiction writing in the 20th century.

2. Oscar Wilde – known for his flamboyant fashion and writing style 

Born in Dublin in 1854, Oscar Wilde quickly became one of the most recognisable writers around, not only thanks to his literary works, but because of his colourful fashion style and legendary wit. Oscar Wilde published many famous works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, along with many other children’s stories.

3. Samuel Beckett – a great playwright, poet, and novelist

Samuel Beckett was born in Dublin in 1906 and, alongside his fellow Dubliner, James Joyce, is commonly regarded as being one of the most influential playwrights, poets, and novelists of the 20th century. His works were written in both English and French and are based on human nature, often containing dark and comedic undertones.

4. C. S. Lewis – he created a world of imagination 

C. S. Lewis was born in 1898 in Belfast and lived there for the early part of his life. He was said to have been a very imaginative child, so perhaps it’s not surprising that he used this to his advantage in writing the children’s classic The Chronicles of Narnia.This series has sold over 100 million copies in 41 different languages and has been adapted by many forms of media too.

5. Roddy Doyle – he perfectly captures Irish humour in the written form

Roddy Doyle was born in 1958 in Dublin and is famous and loved for his novels which perfectly capture and convey the typical Dublin sense of humour. The majority of them are set in working-class Dublin. Each book in The Barrytown Trilogy has been adapted into a film and have become cult classics within Irish culture.

Irish Poets

Irish poets hold a paramount significance in the literary world, their verses often weaving a tapestry of cultural heritage, historical reflection, and emotional resonance. Through their words, they capture the essence of Ireland’s rich traditions and collective consciousness, offering profound insights into the human experience. Possibly the most difficult and most romantic of all forms of written art, becoming a successful poet is no easy task, but Ireland has produced more than one – much more than one, in fact! Although there is a vast choice on offer, we picked 5 of the best poets to explore.

1. William Butler Yeats

Nobel Prize winning William Butler Yeats is definitely the most well known poet to come from Irish shores, as much for his body of work as his turbulent private life. As a young poet, he was more inclined to create slow moving lyrical poems, while in his later career he delved more into realism and political commentary. He is considered to be one of the foremost writers of 20th century literature both in Ireland and the world.

He wrote the poems The Second Coming, When You Are Old, The Lake Isle of Innisfree, Easter, 1916, and He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.

2. Seamus Heaney

Ireland’s most treasured poet of modern times is without a doubt Seamus Heaney, who died in 2013 at the age of 74. Another Nobel Prize winner, the long list of accolades and awards he received throughout his life is seemingly endless. His poems are extremely accessible making great use of the five senses, and are still regularly taught on school curriculums all over the world. 

He wrote the poems Mid Term Break, Requiem for the Croppies, and Digging.

3. Patrick Kavanagh

Born in 1904, Patrick Kavanagh is another poet from a rural background, this time from the somewhat deprived area of Iniskeen, County Monaghan. Seamus Heaney noted that Kavanagh had influenced his work, and much of Kavanagh’s poetry is also based on rural experiences. In fact, the poet spent the first 27 years of his life working as a farmer and shoemaker in his home town before trying to make a living from his writing aspirations.

He was not recognised for his poetry until late in life, which made him increasingly depressed and aggressive – and this is sometimes reflected in his work. He did, however, receive a great deal of posthumous praise, and there is a statue of him on the banks of the Grand Canal in Dublin (among other places).

He wrote the poems On Raglan Road, Canal Bank Walk, and Advent.

4. Samuel Beckett

Best known for his plays such as Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett was also a celebrated poet and yet another Nobel Prize winner. Born in 1906 in Dublin, he spent most of his adult life in France and wrote in both French and English. His work is widely regarded as being modernist (and in some cases postmodernist), and became increasingly more minimalist and abstract throughout his life.

Not much is known about Beckett’s private life as he went to great lengths to keep it just that – private. He was known to be an amiable, open person in private and was open to discussing his work and the process behind it with fellow artists who sought him out. In public interviews however, the opposite was true. He died in 1989 and was interred in Montparnasse, Paris.

He wrote the poems What Would I Do Without This World, and Cascando.

5. Eavan Boland

Born in 1944 in Dublin, Eavan Boland is one of the few females regarded as one of Ireland’s great poets. Now in her 70s she is still working and producing acclaimed pieces of work, with her most recent collection being published in 2014. She also works as a professor of English, literature and various other writing-related subjects in colleges in Ireland, the UK and the US, dividing her time between Dublin and Palo Alto.

To date she has published 35 poetry collections, and she seems to have no intention of stopping just yet. Her experiences as a wife and mother have influenced her work greatly, and she often explores the everyday and the ordinary, using it to frame bigger themes rooted in politics and history. Her father’s work as an Irish diplomat and her mother’s profession of a post-expressionist painter have also significantly influenced her.

She wrote the poems And Soul, The Lost Land, and The War Horse.