Finding Ireland: A Poet's Explorations of Irish Literature and Culture

by Richard Tillinghast

Richard Tillinghast, a celebrated American poet and critic, lived for a year in Ireland in the early 1990s and then returned each year until he became a resident in 2005. From an insider/outsider perspective, he writes vividly and evocatively about the land and people of his adopted home, its culture, its literature, and its long, complex history. Tillinghast orients the reader to Ireland as it is today. Following its entry into the European Union, Ireland changed radically from an impoverished, provincial, former British colony to a country where a farmer takes his wife on skiing holidays in Switzerland and is proud of his wine cellar, to one now home to immigrants from Europe, Africa, and Asia. For many Americans―Irish Americans in particular―Ireland is a mythic and timeless land; from his unique vantage point, Tillinghast debunks a good many stereotypes that prevent our seeing Ireland for what it was, as well as what it has become. Most of Finding Ireland is devoted to thoughtful readings of the works of Irish writers and playwrights, including W. B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, Oscar Wilde, and Brian Friel, as well as lesser-known names that deserve a wider readership. Tillinghast also considers the significant contributions of Anglo-Irish authors―John Millington Synge, Elizabeth Bowen, George Moore, Violet Martin and Edith Somerville, William Trevor, and Derek Mahon―with excursions into Irish architecture, music, and garden design. In contemporary Ireland, Tillinghast finds a dynamic society that has stepped out of the shadows of its troubled past to embrace an inclusive, outward-looking interpretation of its history. Intimate in tone, entertaining, and always accessible, Finding Ireland captures an expatriate's enthusiasm for his new country and its evolving identity.

Genres: Ireland, Travel, Poetry, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2008

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not going to finish this, but I'm still going to rate it two stars instead of one because I didn't dislike it, exactly, I just...didn't find it interesting enough to continue. The main problem I have with it is that I feel like this is a guy who's really into Irish poetry, which is something that I don't think a whole lot of people know much about, but he doesn't do a whole lot to explain who the people he's mentioning are or why they're important or interesting or...anything. It's like there's very little context, and it made it really hard for me to stay focused. He just didn't make Irish poetry come alive for me, I guess. Ah, well.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at Ireland but it really should have been titled 'finding Anglo-irish' Ireland. Though the author claims impartiality, the emphasis is heavy on those who leaned more to the British and Protestant schools of thought, and at times the author seems openly antagonistic towards native Irish and the Irish Catholics

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, it’s good and well-written, but it is literary critique. Great for a university student who signs up to study the topic, but not exactly a book the casual reader can pick up and enjoy, in my opinion.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book a while ago and never changed my status. I enjoyed it but it wasn't what I thought it would be. I know of a few more Irish poets than I did before.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I had the right frame of mind for this read. I enjoyed various moments where the author describes Ireland and its history and culture, but it also read like a literary analysis and that just wasn't what I was looking for. I often caught myself zoning out. I do think this could be enjoyable read for some but you've got to be in the right mood for it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best way for me to explain my issues with this book is to talk about the title. Finding Ireland and Explorations of Irish Literature is a very strange way to title this book. Its scope is extremely limited. He examines Ireland from the Anglo perspective -- which is not a problem but that is what needs to be said.

And then there were just strange comments throughout the book -- like Seamus Heaney not being a product of the Northern Ireland conflict , without explaining this rather strange comment, especially when the poet lost a cousin in the conflict and wrote a whole book called North??

His commentary about the gardens of Mt. Stewart was also very odd -- as when he talks about the times when this garden and its owners were in their glory - was all together sweeter. I ask honestly -- sweeter for whom?

Again, I think if the author had retitled the book and wrote a better introduction about his focus, I would not have been so startled by what he wrote. It would not have fixed all my issues (The organization, etc.) but it would not have irritated me so much.