Ireland’s Art, Literature and Architecture

IRELAND’S LITERATURE

Ireland has a long history of creating beautiful works of literature and art and if it’s something you are interested in exploring further, contact our team today.

The earliest Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks in Latin and Early Irish, who recorded both poetry and mythological tales. While the English language was introduced to Ireland in the 13th century, Irish remained the dominant language of Irish literature until a decline of it's use began in the 17th century. Ireland’s first great Irish writer in the English language was Jonathan Swift, with numerous others gaining international renown since, including Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Eavan Boland, James Joyce and W. B. Yeats.

The best place to begin an exploration of Ireland's literary history is the Dublin Writers Museum which occupies an original 18th-century house. The Museum of Literature Ireland is a new landmark cultural institution picturesquely located on St Stephen’s Green in one of Dublin’s finest historic houses, and draws inspiration from the work of Ireland’s most famous writer, James Joyce. The James Joyce tower and James Joyce Centre are two other museums dedicated to the influential novelist.

Ireland's most famous writers created some of their best work in Dublin's cafes and pubs such as Bewleys on Grafton Street, Davy Byrnes, Nearys, and Toners and letting us add a Literary Pub Crawl to your visit is a great way to take in some of them.

IRELAND’S ART

The history of art in Ireland began around 5000 years ago with Neolithic stone carving which can be seen at Newgrange. Many stunning artifacts created during the Bronze Age have also been discovered. In the 6th to 8th centuries the newly Christianised Irish created masterpieces such as the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch. These can be seen at the National Museum of Archaeology. Another masterpiece of the same era, the Book of Kells, can be found in the Trinity College library. For a further study of Irelands art history, the National Museum of Decorative Arts should be on your to do list, along with the Museum of Modern Art.

The National Gallery of Ireland houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It was founded in 1854 and opened its doors ten years later and has an extensive collection of Irish paintings from artists including Jack Yeats. The Hugh Lane Gallery is also worth a visit and hosts the Francis Bacon studio.

IRELAND’S ARCHITECTURE

For the lover of architecture, a study of construction in Ireland should begin with a journey to some of it's Megalithic tombs (Newgrange) and Iron Age ring forts (Dun Aengus). The influence of Christianity on the island can also been seen with the presence of churches, monasteries and cathedrals and round towers built by religious orders to protect valuables from Viking raids. In rural areas traditional stone whitewashed cottages are still dotted across the land, and there are also castles in varying states of repair to be seen in every county.

The influence of English rule in Ireland can be seen in the Georgian and Victorian architecture, especially in Dublin city. In the 20th century, Irish architecture followed the international trend towards modern and often radical building styles with Brutalist architecture dominating the 1970s and 80s, and the 90s seeing the arrival of high rise building in the Irish Financial Services Centre and Docklands areas.

If you would like to plan a wonderful literature, art or architecture tour to Ireland, contact our team today.