Irish antiquity and ancient Greece: Standish O'Grady's History of Ireland

McAteer, Michael (2025) Irish antiquity and ancient Greece: Standish O'Grady's History of Ireland. ACTA ANTIQUA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 65 (1). pp. 115-129. ISSN 0044-5975

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Abstract

Published between 1878 and 1881, the three volumes of Standish O’Grady’s History of Ireland comprise a narrative of Irish mythology, driven by the author’s conviction that many of the ancient tales were rooted in actual history. Although not immediately felt, the impact of History of Ireland became long-lasting, a point of departure for an array of literary works treating Irish mythological topics during what came to be known as the Irish Literary Revival. This paper addresses History of Ireland from the perspective of O’Grady’s background as a student of ancient Greek civilization. It considers the most important comparisons that he drew between Irish and Greek antiquity, including his contention that the seat of the High Kings of Ireland, Tara, was equivalent in symbolism to Mount Olympus in ancient Greece. The paper assesses the strengths, weaknesses and significance of O’Grady’s case for considering Irish mythology as approximate to that of the Greeks

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