“The blessed isles” and the “native shore”
“The blessed isles” and the “native shore”

Depictions of the Earthly Paradise and Ireland in “The Voyage of St. Brendan” by Denis Florence MacCarthy

Author(s): Julia Helena Wilde
Subject(s): Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature, British Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Saint Brendan; Ireland; Great Famine; Denis Florence MacCarthy; homeland; emigration
Summary/Abstract: The medieval story of the Irish saint, Brendan the Navigator (c. 484–c. 577) and his voyage in search of the Earthly Paradise has inspired many artists. A narrative poem “The Voyage of St. Brendan” (1848) by Denis Florence MacCarthy was written at the time of the Irish Famine (1845–1849) which led to a mass emigration to America. The poet connects the past with the present, resurrecting the belief that St. Brendan was the first European to discover America. He combines Brendan’s patriotism with his courage to cross the ocean in search of the Earthly Paradise identified with America. The aim of this paper is to compare the detailed descriptions of Ireland with the marvellous images of the Earthly Paradise in MacCarthy’s work. By looking at the portrayals of both places through historical revisionist lenses, I argue that MacCarthy creates a transtemporal bridge between two islands of happiness - the human and the spiritual one - in order to revive the Irish pride and hope.

• Details
• Contents