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Volume 13 (2011) Issue 5 A icle 16
The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y
Anne MacCa hy
Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela
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Volume 13 Issue 5 (Decembe 2011) A icle 16
Anne MacCa hy,
"The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y"
<h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/16>
Con en s o CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011)
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e.
Ed. Ma ía Te esa Vila iño Picos and Anxo Abuín González
<h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/>
Abs ac : In he a icle "The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y," Anne
MacCa hy explo es Galician in ellec uals' ela ionship wi h I eland in hei a emp o c ea e a Cel ic
imagina y o Galicia which would ac as a cul u al o i ica ion in he ace o cen alizing o ces o
Cas ilian Spain. In pe iodicals p ominen in he 1920s, Nós and A Nosa Te a, he wish o cons uc a
sepa a e iden i y o Galicia, apa om Spain, is o en exp essed and embodied in e e ence o
I eland. Whe eas he in e es in I eland was inc eased by he s uggle o independence in ha
coun y a he ime, he basis o he simila i ies ound be ween he wo cul u es was my hical and
imagina y.
Anne MacCa hy, "The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y" page 2 o 8
CLCWeb: Compa a i e Li e a u e and Cul u e 13.5 (2011): <h p://docs.lib.pu due.edu/clcweb/ ol13/iss5/16>
Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
Anne MacCARTHY
The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y
In Spanish Galicia in he 1920s and 1930s w i e s in wo pe iodical publica ions, Nós and A Nosa
Te a, oiced he wish o cons uc an independen na ion. Ce ainly, he ac ha a small coun y
achie ed independence om a powe ul s a e illed Galician na ionalis s wi h he hope ha Galicia
could achie e au onomy. The Eas e Rising in I eland in 1916 and he subsequen Wa o
Independence (1919-1921) and he c ea ion o an independen s a e in 1922 we e ac s which had
immedia e epe cussions in Galicia. When we ead hese wo ea ly wen ie h-cen u y jou nals we can
see ha Galician in ellec uals needed hei Cel ic sis e o be mys e ious, ebellious bu , mos o all, o
be a Cel .
Joep Lee ssen sugges s ha he concep " he Cel s" is a cons uc . Tha is no o say ha he e m
is alueless o w ong; a he , i means ha i s appea ance is a p oduc o discu si e and cogni i e
ac i i y, ha i s eme gence can be his o ically ( oughly) da ed and ha i ca ies he imp in o a
numbe o conno a ions and ideological p esupposi ions (4). Lee sen s a es ha " o he ex en ha
'Cel ic' is an idea wi h a wide and a iable applica ion, Cel icism becomes a complex and signi ican
issue in he Eu opean his o y o ideas: he his o y o wha people wan ed ha e m o mean" (3). This
is applicable o Galician in ellec uals o he ea ly wen ie h cen u y: hey ound in I ish li e a u e and
cul u e a Cel icism which sui ed hei na ion building and cul u e cons uc ing ends. Lee ssen
con inues o say ha o ace he "cons uc ion and de elopmen o he no ion o Cel icism is no jus
a ma e o an iqua ian in e es , conce ning a bygone chap e in he his o y o Eu opean science and
ideology; on he con a y, i is a ma e o con inuing ele ance o a emp a his o ical and
imagological analysis o hese p e-insc ibed conno a ions o 'Cel icism'" (6). Imagology helps us o
unde s and he signi icance o images ha ha e a cul u al alue beyond ac s. They can be o mo e
alue han his o ical e idence as hey exp ess he aspi a ions and hopes o a cul u e in e ms which
a e ele an o he p esen . Fo example, Cel icism has been gi en a new lease o li e in ecen I ish
c i icism, endo sed by Edwa d Said's in e es in I eland. I is o en used as a pa allel o Said's e m
"O ien alism" o indica e how he B i ish cons uc ed an iden i y o he I ish as a mys e ious and
poe ic bu weak and e emina e " ace." These acial s e eo ypes we e adop ed unconsciously by hose
who wished o ind an au onomous iden i y o he I ish. In hei w i ings abou I eland, Galician
in ellec uals in he ea ly wen ie h cen u y use hese acial s e eo ypes o indica e he posi i e aspec s
hey pe cei e in Cel icism, bu also wi hou ealizing ha hese clichés we e employed o gi e an
exo ic iew o he Cel s. In o he wo ds, his exo ic pe cep ion implies ha he Cel is oo weak o oo
uns able, o bo h, o main ain independence om he B i ish empi e.
Cel icism is ele an no only o he s udy o he cons uc ion o a na ional iden i y o he
es ablishmen o na ional li e a u es, i is also a means by which hese same li e a u es can be mo e
cosmopoli an, as Lee ssen emphasizes when he claims ha i helps hem o o e come he e e -
p esen cen e-pe iphe y pola i y: " o he s o y o Cel icism is mo e han he sum o Gaelic, Welsh
and B e on s e eo ypes and na ionalism, mo e han he sum o he pe iphe ies' ela ions wi h hei
espec i e cen es: i is also he s o y o hese egions' sense o e hnic in e ela edness as 'Cel s', and
o he con ac s be ween hese pe iphe ies mu ually" (18). Fo Lee sen, "Cel icism is a mul i-gen e,
mul ina ional phenomenon" om which i is clea ha " he exchanges be ween coun ies, and be ween
he a ious sphe es o in ellec ual o a is ic ac i i y, a e a leas as impo an as he de elopmen s
wi hin each gen e o egion" (20). The o e coming o geog aphical and empo al on ie s indica es
he cosmopoli anism o new li e a u es. The e o e, he Galician belie in Cel ic ances y helped he
egion o lea e behind i s ma ginalisa ion and led o an awa eness ha i belonged o a Cel ic wo ld
di e en o and beyond he Ibe ian peninsula.
In he 1920s I eland was cap u ing headlines wo ldwide owing o i s poli ical s a e o a ai s and so
i is no su p ising ha small na ions iden i ied wi h I eland, a small coun y also, bu one ha
achie ed independence om a powe ul s a e. In addi ion, as Lee ssen says, "I eland is o en ocused
on as he place whe e he mos a chaic es iges o ancien Cel ic cul u e and adi ion ha e linge ed
longes and ha e le hei bes -legible aces" (8-9). I was gene ally held ha he Romans ne e
eached I eland (al hough his has been ecen ly pu in doub ) and o ha eason Cel ic cul u e was
Anne MacCa hy, "The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y" page 3 o 8
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Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
p ese ed uncon amina ed. Wi hou doub i was signi ican ha I eland managed o ee i sel om
he wen ie h-cen u y equi alen o he Roman empi e, he Uni ed Kingdom, and hus was a powe ul
model o emula e, as i success ully achie ed independence and was he sa egua d o cul u e.
I is clea ha he in e es in I ish li e a u e shown in hem has i s o igin in he Wa o
Independence and he es ablishmen o he F ee S a e in I eland: "we ha e he e he eason we should
look owa ds ou sis e I eland ha is nowadays gi ing o he wo ld, as a mani es a ion o he
p omises, a li e a u e which, pe haps may be, among mode n li e a u es, he mos o iginal, he
younges , he mos ad en u ous" (Risco Agüe o, "A mode na" [Nós 26 (1926)]: 5; unless indica ed
o he wise, all ansla ions a e mine). I eland, as a newly o med s a e, should ha e a li e a u e which
is mode n and isky. Because o he adjec i es used, one would hink ha he w i e s and ex s
men ioned in hese h ee a icles would be a an -ga de. The w i e s deal wi h in hese a icles we e
p incipally hose associa ed wi h he "Cel ic Twiligh " o "Cel ic Re i al," e ms which a e gene ally
used synonymously wi hou being exac ly he same. In he Dicciona io cul u al e his ó ico de I landa
he Cel ic is de ined by highligh ing i s Roman icism and he ac ha he wo ks w i en by hose
associa ed wi h i ha e supposedly na ional cha ac e is ics, o dis inguish hem om wo ks by English
au ho s; hence he sugges ion ha hese w i e s cul i a e he he oic Gaelic pas , ull o my hical and
legenda y igu es and c ea e a unique li e a y s yle (see Hu ley, Hughes, González Casademon ,
P aga, Aliaga 50). Fu he , he au ho s associa ed wi h he "Cel ic Twiligh " ied o c ea e a new
li e a u e in I eland based on a speci ically I ish adi ion, so o ha eason i was new in ha i was
di e en om English li e a u e. Howe e , i was no wha would ha e been conside ed mode n
li e a u e in he 1920s, when hese a icles we e w i en. I was by no means mode nis .
Ne e heless, he li e a y model which Galicians sough a he ime was o be ound in he ex s
w i en by hese au ho s, c ea o s o a new li e a u e which e e ed o a my hical Cel ic pas . As a
consequence, he "Cel ic Twiligh " had mo e in common wi h Roman icism han wi h wha was
conside ed mode n a ha ime.
The w i e s associa ed wi h he Cel ic Twiligh exp essed a Roman icism which was easily
assimila ed by Galician in ellec uals, bu when he ac s did no sui hei pu poses, hese same
in ellec uals ei he igno ed hem o made hem i hei ends. Some imes his was because o hei
limi ed knowledge o he ac s, bu also because he e was a conscious e o o modi y hem. Vicen e
Ma ínez Risco Agüe o desc ibes each one o he w i e s he men ions in an almos iden ical way, as
mys e ious, s ange ebels and begins wi h a e e ence o Conn adh na Gaedhilge (The Gaelic League,
ounded by Douglas Hyde and Eoin MacNeill in 1893 o e i e he I ish language). Risco Agüe o says
ha Douglas Hyde was "a pe ec Cel e en in his physical appea ance, kindly, chee ul and me y"
(Nós 26 [1926]: 6). Hyde (1860-1949), a na ionalis and i s p esiden o I eland, was Anglo-I ish,
i.e., a descendan o English P o es an s and so his judgemen based on his physical appea ance is o
he ma k as he was no a Cel ic I ishman bu Anglo-Saxon in o igin. The same occu s wi h S andish
O'G ady (1832-1915). He was a philologis , his o ian, and ansla o o Old I ish and in he abo e
men ioned a icle he is desc ibed in his way: "he ea i med his ai h in he u u e des iny o his ace"
and "like Galicia, E in is ull o s ange people. S andish O'G ady is one o he s anges " (Risco
Agüe o, "La mode na" [Nós 26 (1926): 6]). Howe e , O'G ady was also Anglo-I ish, hus no a
"s ange" Cel , al hough en husias ic abou all hings Cel ic and conse a i e in his poli ical ideas
(Hu ley, Hughes, González Casademon , P aga, Aliaga 242). Ne e heless, "while he was alone he
was a na ionalis , since he saw ha sepa a ion was a possibili y, he became a Unionis , when
Unionism made some p og ess, he hen became a communis " (Risco Agüe o, "La mode na" [Nós 26
(1926): 6]). This highligh s his Cel ic eccen ici y and does no ake in o accoun ha some o hose,
like O'G ady who we e in e es ed in I ish cul u e we e nei he na ionalis s no communis s, bu
conse a i e Anglo-I ish. Indeed, as Robe Welch eminds us, O'G ady el ha he ascendancy, o
Anglo-I ish uling class, had a ole o play in o e ing leade ship o he na i e Ca holic Cel s. Applying
Thomas Ca lyle's ideas on he oism o he I ish s a e o a ai s, Welch el ha he "Anglo-I ish
ascendancy should ha e aken o e he leade ship o he Gaelic people" (434). O'G ady, a he han
suppo ing any sub e sion o he s a us quo, was ac ually in a o o p ese ing he au ho i y o he
uling class o which he belonged, hus demons a ing how di e en he was: his philosophy shows ha
he did no us he I ish Cel s o ule hemsel es hus e ealing ha he belie ed hem o be in e io .
Anne MacCa hy, "The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y" page 4 o 8
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Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
O'G ady exp essed his ese a ions abou I ish my hs hus: "ea ly I ish his o y is he c ea ion
mainly o he ba ds" o which he adds "doub less he legenda y blends a some poin wi h he his o ic
na a i e" bu i is di icul o d aw a dis inc ion be ween wha eally was his o ically ue and wha
was a legend (524). In pa icula he oices his ese a ions abou he Milesians: " unning down he
long lis o Milesian kings, chie s, b ehons, and ba ds, whe e i s shall we pause, a es ed by some
subs an ial o m in his p ocession o emp y ghos s — how [ o] dis inguish he man om he shadow,
when o e all is di used he same concealing mis , and he eyes o he li ing and he dead look wi h
he same pale gla e?" (524). The conclusion he eaches is as applicable o Galician li e a u e a he
beginning o he wen ie h cen u y as i is o I ish li e a u e, when bo h ound a digni ied adi ion in
hei my hical, Cel ic pas . This iew an icipa es c i ics such as Lee ssen who speaks o he imagina y
quali y in some o he iews on he o igin o he Cel s. O'G ady ecognizes ha he his o y o a
coun y and i s li e a y adi ion do no ha e o be based on ac o ha e discu si e, iden i a y
po en ial. Ins ead, hey ha e, as he says, a eali y which is as ele an , o mo e so, han his o ical
ac . Fu he , Risco Agüe o depic s he sea ch o a digni ied adi ion in Galicia wi hou gi ing any
signi icance o a ac ual iew o his o y. The "mode n" I ish o whom he speaks exis wi h he Galicians
in a common Cel ic e i o y, beyond ime.
Ano he enigma ic Cel is John Milling on Synge and Risco Agüe o desc ibes him "as a good
I ishman, as a pe ec example o someone om wes e n cul u e, Synge is decidedly a Roman ic, and
as such, he ha es ou a i icial, ensla ing ci ilisa ion. Like ou Pondal, a sympa hize wi h ebels,
amps, he lonely, all hose who ges icula e, e ol ing agains a i icial mode ni y" (Risco Agüe o, "La
mode na" [Nós [1926]: 6]). Risco Agüe o po ays Synge as a ebellious Roman ic w i e and hus he
mode ni y which his Galician in ellec ual inds in I ish li e a u e has no hing o do wi h mode nism. In
ac , he ejec s mode n socie y in a ypically Roman ic ashion. Wha is new in I ish li e a u e is ha i
b eaks away om English li e a u e o o m a new au onomous w i ing. Thus, mode n I ish li e a u e
was mode n because i was a new li e a y exp ession. Mode ni y is also seen by hem as being qui e
nega i e. Like he Roman ics, hey iden i ied wi h a ebellion agains he mode n wo ld and so
ejec ed a p og essi e mode n socie y. This Roman icism is mani es ed in hei belie s abou he Cel ic
wo ld. As Geo ge Wa son holds, " he Cel ha has been cons uc ed o e he las wo hund ed yea s is
cons uc ed ou o opposi ion o mode ni y, and especially o aspec s o mode ni y such as science,
echnology and adminis a ion. He is unable o change, because he has been ins uc ed ha change is
a non-Cel ic quali y" (220). This inabili y o change shows us ha he my h o he Cel and i s
associa ed belie s, c ea e a his o y which is non-his o ic, beyond change, beyond ime and
consequen ly in opposi ion o he idea ha change b ings p og ess, pa icula ly scien i ic o echnical
change, o he idea ha he u u e o humani y is supe io o he pas .
Riscio Agüe a e e s o se e al names which we e o be deal wi h in u u e a icles, al hough in
he end hese ne e appea ed. These a e all w i e s o cul u al na ionalis s associa ed wi h he Cel ic
Twiligh o wi h I eland's s uggle o independence: Lady G ego y, Pad aic Colum, Edwa d Ma yn,
Pad aic Pea son [Pea se], Thomas MacDonagh, John Eglin on, Seamus O'Sulli an, Te ence MacSwiney,
A hu G i i h, Daniel Co ke y, Liam O'Flahe y, Sean O'Casey, Oli e Goga y, and Desmond
Fi zge ald (Risco Agüe o, "La mode na" Nós [1926]: 5]). I would ha e been in e es ing o ead wha
au ho s in Nós would ha e had o say abou Daniel Co ke y. Co ke y c i icized he "Cel ic Re i al" o
he na ionalis concep ion o I ish adi ion and his o y as being ozen in a non- ime and in an
idealis ic loca ion. Co ke y (1878-1964) w o e Synge and Anglo-I ish Li e a u e (1931), a landma k in
I ish c i icism and in which he asks which o he wo li e a u es in I eland a he ime, he li e a u e
w i en by he "Cel ic Re i al" o popula li e a u e would be he ounda ion o u u e I ish w i ing: "i
one hen hold ha Anglo-I ish li e a u e has sca cely begun o exis , one may ask: Whe he is his
unsophis ica ed popula li e a u e, wi h i s I ish message, o he exo ic poe y ha I eland, he I eland
ha coun s, ca es so li le o , he be e ounda ion o build upon? Does i no seem ha his simple
poe y, close o he g ound, clumsily endea ou ing o ecap u e he no es ha bea , pulse-like, in he
na ion's hea , is capable o being e ined, o being in ensi ied, o being ca en in o shapely o ms?
Whe eas one may well wonde i he all oo sophis ica ed alien-minded poe y o he 'Cel ic Re i al'
school, dead i ed as i is, wea y o s a ing a i s own ai s and g aces in he mi o , is capable o
u he g ow h" (24). He is c i ical o he "Cel ic Re i al" because i does no exp ess he eal I eland.
He desc ibes i as some hing exo ic, s ange, ha canno de elop u he because i is oo di e en
Anne MacCa hy, "The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y" page 5 o 8
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Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
om he eali ies o he coun y. He also w i es using Roman ic e ms bu his desc ip ion o he same
w i e s hey admi e is di e en . Acco ding o Co ke y, hese w i e s do no c ea e a u u e I ish
li e a u e because hey a e no I ish and do no unde s and he li e o o dina y people. On he
con a y, popula li e a u e does unde s and hem and al hough i is no sophis ica ed, i is no exo ic
ei he . Fo Co ke y, he "Cel ic Re i al" is s agna ed because i is a i icial and i is ou o ouch wi h
I eland and hus he uses he e m "exo ic" o desc ibe i s o eignness which dis ances i om he I ish
people.
Au ho s who published in Nós we e awa e o he c i icisms o he "Cel ic Re i al" in I eland a his
ime. Fo example, in a ex in Nós published in 1928 we ead ha "Liam O'Flahe y, in spi e o his
beau i ul name … doesn' seem o eel lo e o he A an Islands [o he coas o Galway, in he Wes
o I eland]. Those s one c es s sca cely isible eigh days ou o h ee hund ed and six y i e in he
yea , in he dynamism o he mis s and he wa es, slashed by he sea bi ds. He said ha Synge had
gi en a pu ely li e a y imp ession o he islands. I don' hink so. The same was said o Pondal. The e
a e many ypes o objec i i y and he wo s , he mos decep i e and dange ous, is o le onesel be
ca ied away by he a e age sensibili y o people. I could be ha he e is a lo o cu ing a dash in
his, as i was always swee o hu he hallowed mas e . Some imes he shopkeepe 's a i ude
iumphs and no a en ion is paid o wha he old ishe man hinks. O e en o wha he young
ishe man hinks" (140). The w i e canno unde s and why O'Flahe y does no app ecia e he beau y
o he A an Islands and he e again we see a e lec ion o he belie s held by he Cel ic Re i al ha he
Wes o I eland was he eal I eland, a backwa d egion which, because o i s e y backwa dness, held
he easu e o Cel ic he i age. Pe haps wha is mos ou s anding in his, howe e , is O e o Ped ayo's
a i ma ion ha "some imes he shopkeepe 's a i ude iumphs and no a en ion is paid o he
hough s o he old ishe man" (140). This shows ha he au ho has ead Yea s and p e e ed his
iew o I eland, which he conside ed an inno a ion, o he da ke one, ha he ound in O'Flahe y,
who p e e ed o desc ibe he eali y o I ish li e. This idea is exp essed in e ms used by Yea s (he is
in ac e e ing o his poem "The Fishe man"). The backwa dness ye na u al beau y o wha Yea s
saw as he simplici y o he people who li ed in he Wes coas epi omized a Roman ic ision o
I eland. Beyond his d eam a e he eali ies o I ish socie y which Yea s c i icizes bo h in his poem
and in "Sep embe 1913," when he lamen s he pe iness o he I ish o his gene a ion: "Wha need
you, being come o sense, / Bu umble in a g easy ill / And add he hal pence o he pence / And
p aye o shi e ing p aye , un il / You ha e d ied he ma ow om he bone? / Fo men we e bo n o
p ay and sa e" (55). Thus he e ms he au ho bo ows om Yea s a e he ishe man who s ood o
ha Roman ic, exo ic iew o I eland which o e looked i s cul u al di e si y and he ha sh eali ies o
li e he e, and he shopkeepe , s anding o Yea s's c i icism o wha he saw as he so did eali ies o
I ish li e.
The ealis ic depic ion which O'Flahe y gi es in his w i ings o he li e o many I ish people in he
ea ly wen ie h cen u y does no i in wi h wha w i e s in Nós and A Nosa Te a a e sea ching o in
I ish li e a u e, as he shows ha he I ish a e no li ing in an ideal legenda y space beyond ime. He
p e e s o show he ha dships caused by he pa icula ci cums ances in which hey li e, as a esul o
he colonial his o y o I eland, inescapable his o ical ac s. Howe e , o ge an e en clea e idea o
wha he Galician in ellec uals wan ed I ish li e a u e o be, i is in e es ing o ead wha Risco Agüe o
says abou Synge: "his w i ing is no wi hou an idealis ic and mys e ious dep h supe io o
Mae e linck" ("La mode na" [Nós 28 (1926): 5]). John Milling on Synge (1871-1909) was a w i e and
d ama is associa ed wi h Yea s, he Cel ic Twiligh , and he Abbey Thea e, he na ional hea e o
I eland. His desc ip ion o he A an Islands in The A an Islands (1907) is e idence o his in e es , in
common wi h o he w i e s in he Cel ic Re i al in he Wes o I eland and mos o all o hose pa s
whe e Gaelic was s ill he i s language. Fo hem he eal I eland was p ese ed in he Wes , an
I eland di e en om England, p imi i e and backwa d, ozen in ime. I is no s ange, hen, ha
la e gene a ions would c i icize his a i ude and would p e e o speak no only o wha li e was eally
like o he ishe men and a me s in hese coas al pa s bu o wha i was like o all I ish people in
all pa s o he coun y. O e o Ped ayo a oids hose ealis ic desc ip ions which bind he w i e o a
pa icula ime. He says ha O'Flahe y is a w i e who gi es an "o ensi e analysis ha sca cely
lea es a mys e ious epu a ion in he chosen soul … in Synge's wo k he e is e idence o he uni e sal
and he e e nal. No hing could be u he om and a he abo e a mode n en i onmen han he
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en i onmen o Synge's plays, whe e he souls mo e in on o an unchanging na u al backg ound, a
backg ound which in luences hem and o which hey a e a agmen " (Nós [15 Ma ch 1926]: 6). Tex s
in Nós show dis us in mode ni y because a he beginning o he wen ie h cen u y he wo ld was
changing much mo e quickly han be o e, a ac which may ha e lead his g oup o in ellec uals o
seek an iden i y in he my hical, he p imi i e, in wha exis ed be o e his o y. Wa son w i es o he
Cel ic wo ld in he same e ms, explaining ha i "is placed ou side, o dep i ed o , his o y" (208).
Some imes, when a sea ch o a cul u al iden i y is closely associa ed wi h he seeking o a sui able
cul u al his o y, i is p e e able o igno e he la e and go beyond i o a my hical pas . Galician
in ellec uals in he ea ly wen ie h cen u y ound hei Cel ic iden i y in his my hical ime and so el
ha hey belonged o some hing e e nal, uni e sal, and anscenden , all alues necessa y in cul u es
s uggling o a digni ied iden i y.
Fo I ish na ionalis s, his o y is he accoun o he de elopmen o a na ional iden i y closely ied
o a pa icula place. Howe e , i is in e es ing o see ha Galician iden i y is no ied o one place bu
c osses on ie s o c ea e a new Cel ic space made up o di e en Cel ic coun ies. Cel icism c ea es a
wo ld on he ma gins o Eu ope, independen o he limi ia ions imposed by ime. Risco Agüe o claims
ha "howe e i happened a easu e was eleased, opening up again he e e nal sp ing o T adi ion"
(Nós [15 Feb ua y 1926]: 6). In o he wo ds, he Cel ic wo ld sha es an unchanging and e e nal
easu e, i s adi ion. I is no common o one Cel ic coun y, bu belongs o all. This pan-Cel icism is
seen in A Nosa Te a in a se ies o a icles which desc ibe I ish his o y as a cons an igh agains
B i ish opp ession om a na ionalis Ca holic poin o iew. These a icles likely de i e om a Galician
ansla ion o a book men ioned in A Nosa Te a in i s 15 No embe 1921 issue, La agedia de I landa
by Da el Figgis and E skine Childe s ansla ed o Spanish by A. Ruiz y Pablo (7). We ha e al eady
seen O'G ady exp ess his doub s abou whe he his is jus legend o his o ical ac . Fo hese Galician
w i e s, howe e , he his o y o I eland began wi hin a p ehis o ic, e hnic amewo k. I s his o ic
de elopmen began when Milesius sen he i s se le s om Galicia and hus, consequen ly, he I ish
a e descendan s o Galicians. This was o g ea impo ance o I ish na ionalis s, no only because i
emphasized ha he I ish we e acially di e en om he English, bu also because I ish cul u e was
ne e con amina ed by he G aeco-Roman adi ion and i i su i ed ha ancien impe ialism
un ouched i could su i e B i ish impe ialism. The e appea ed in Nós, on 15 Feb ua y 1931, he i s
o a se ies o a icles on he Leabha Gabhála: " he His o y o King B eogán and he Sons o Mil,
acco ding o he Leabha Gabhala" ("A his o ia d'El-Rei B eogán e dos illos de Mil, asegún o Leabha
Gabhala") (Risco Agüe a). The Leabha Gabhála is a my hical his o y o p e-Ch is ian I eland
desc ibing i e in asions which ook place be o e he a i al o he Cel s (Hu ley, Hughes, González
Casademon , P aga, Aliaga 34). Welch w i es ha i is "now ead as a wo k o my hog aphy and
legend" a he han his o ical ac (304). The Milesian in asion o I eland desc ibed in he Leabha
Gabhála in e es ed Galicians pa icula ly in he 1920s: "keeping in mind he conside able impo ance
which his book has o us, in ha which e e s o he in asion o I eland by he Milesians o he
B igan iños, we a e going o publish he e he Galician e sion o Chap e s 11, 12 and 13, which a e
hose conce ned wi h he ace o B eogán" (Risco Agüe a, "A his o ia" 23). The a icle sugges s ha
he my hical cha ac e o his s o y in a quo a ion om Hyde bu does no seem o cla i y i he
Milesians we e o we e no Cel s. Pe haps his dis inc ion was no conside ed impo an . Fu he , i is
clea in he a icles published in A Nosa Te a in 1920-1921 ha I ish iden i y has no changed since
he ime o Milesius bu has su i ed all subsequen in asions and emained in ac . A my hical
dimension does no ha e o submi o a i ma ion o nega ion, i is o no impo i wha is men ioned
happened o no . Wha is impo an is ha he my h exis s. Al hough he w i e s who w o e abou
I eland in Nós and A Nosa Te a we e na ionalis s in he iewpoin s exp essed, hey did no like o
limi hemsel es o a pa icula place. No did hey wish o limi hemsel es o a de ini e ime. In A
Nosa Te a he e is a ex en i led "Do discu siño de con e encias na ionalis as na Exposición Cas elao.
A e mosa dise ación de Viquei a" ("Abou Na ionalis Discou se a he Cas ellan Con e ence: The
Beau i ul Discou se o Viquei a") wi h a e e ence o a monk who spen h ee hund ed yea s lis ening
o a nigh ingale sing and he is "in oxica ed wi h music is a symbol o ou musical Galician soul,
d eaming o (o li ing in ima ely in, does i ma e which?) he noisy sho es o he A lan ic" (A Nosa
Te a [10 Ap il 1920]: 2). We unde s and om his ha ime does no ma e : he monk o e came i s
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limi s by li ing longe han no mal and in ac li ing hose yea s mo e in ensely when he o go ime
lis ening o he nigh ingale sing.
In he poe y o James Cla ence Mangan (1803-1849), one o he i s I ish w i e s o use English,
we ind a simila ascina ion wi h opes and igu es which li e longe han he limi s o a no mal
li e ime: his is a Roman ic heme and is o en ound in olklo e. Mangan showed his in e es in i by
ansla ing many poems on his subjec om Ge man and Mangan exp esses his nega i e iew o he
changes which he p o agonis o he poem expe iences du ing his long li e. Al hough i does no
p esen he idyllic ision o he monk lis ening o he nigh ingale, i is showing a simila conce n wi h
he limi s which ime imposes. Mangan's anxie y was caused by he ime ull o poli ical and social
changes du ing which he li ed, a e olu iona y ime when i was easible ha I eland could become an
independen na ion e en i in he u u e. This possibili y is e lec ed in a li e a y conce n wi h he
e e nal which su passes he limi s o ime. I is an exp ession o ne ousness abou he su i al o
new li e a u es and new cul u es once hey ha e achie ed au onomy. I is also a wish o s abili y as
new li e a u es a e agile and his is a possible explana ion also o hei longing o he e e nal, ha
which will p e ail o e cu en obs acles.
Pe haps wha was ue o I eland a his ime can also be said abou Galicia in he ea ly wen ie h
cen u y. When de ying he es ain s imposed by he egime he idea o being able o su pass he
limi s o ime came o ep esen he c ea ion o a new ime o a new na ion. The w i e o "A e mosa
dise ación de Viquei a" is o he opinion ha all Galician a is s ha e he monk's soul and ha music
has a na ion building capaci y ha can help o achie e he e e nal, he pe manen : "indi idual e o s
a e no equen : we ha e o li e in spi i ual communion wi h ou people and in his way h ough a
collec i e e i al we will be able o ge back wha is bes in us: ly icism" (A Nosa Te a [10 Ap il
1920]: 2). Th ough he ly ical in a Galician a is s will each a spi i ual eali y beyond he ac s o he
p esen o he pas . Thus Galician cul u e is no empo a y bu will achie e ha pe manence
necessa y o hose looking o , o ha ing jus achie ed, au onomy.
Michael Ha d and An onio Neg i claim ha " he g ea Wes e n me aphysical adi ion has always
abho ed he immeasu able" and ell o he "deep ha ed ha me aphysics has o he immeasu able"
because i he e is no measu e " he e is no cosmos; and i he e is no cosmos, he e is no s a e …
Th oughou mode ni y, he immeasu able was he objec o an absolu e ban, an epis emological
p ohibi ion" (355). Galician li e a u e exp essed his ascina ion wi h he immeasu able, pe haps in
de iance o wha Ha d and Neg i de ine as he "ep is emological p ohibi ion" o mode ni y on ha
which is beyond ime and place. New li e a u es wished o ee hemsel es om he hie a chical
s ai jacke which measu e and imposes and so we e no only ascina ed wi h he immeasu able bu
employed my hic iews o his o y and place o lee om a mo e exac , p ecise e sion o eali y.
In conclusion, Galician in ellec uals sus ained a my hic iew o I ish li e a u e and cul u e ha was
no gauged by ac s ei he by a ime which can be measu ed o space which can be iden i ied wi h a
pa icula place. As bo h Lee ssen and O'G ady sugges , my hs a e mo e po en han ac s. Cel ic
coun ies, a om being limi ed o a speci ic geog aphically loca able spo , belong o an ideological
space, one which exis s bu which is imbued wi h a common sense o belonging which goes beyond
on ie s. New li e a u es o en exp ess hei desi e o independence by anscending he limi s
imposed by ime and space hus insc ibing in he accep ance o egional s a us wi hin Spain o
Galicians. The in e es in all hings Cel ic in Galicia shows how in ellec uals we e b eaking wi h he
pas h ough bypassing hese limi s and inding an imagina y adi ion which held ou he hope o a
be e u u e.
No e: I hank Juan Casas Rigall and An ón Figue oa Lo enzana o hei ad ice in he w i ing o my a icle.
Wo ks Ci ed
Co ke y, Daniel. Synge and Anglo-I ish Li e a u e. Co k: Co k UP, 1931.
"Do discu siño de con e encias na ionalis as na Exposición Cas elao. A e mosa dise ación de Viquei a." A Nosa
Te a 117 (1920): 1-4.
Figgis, Da el, and E skine Childe s. La agedia de I landa. T ans. A. Ruiz y Pablo. Ba celona: I.G. Seix & Ba al
He ms, 1921.
Ha d , Michael, and An onio Neg i. Empi e. Camb idge: Ha a d UP, 2000.
Hu ley, Jacqueline A., B ian Hughes, Rosa M. González Casademon , Inés P aga, and Es he Aliaga, eds.
Dicciona io cul u al e his ó ico de I landa. Ba celona: A iel, 1996.
Anne MacCa hy, "The Image o I eland in Ibe ian Galicia in he Ea ly Twen ie h Cen u y" page 8 o 8
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Special issue New T ends in Ibe ian Galician Compa a i e Li e a u e. Ed. M.T. Vila iño Picos and A. Abuín González
"La T agedia de I landa." A Nosa Te a 151 (1921): 7.
Lee ssen, Joep. "Cel icism." Cel icism. Ed. Te ence B own. Ams e dam: Rodopi, 1996. 1-20.
O'G ady, S andish. "His o y o I eland: C i ical and Philosophical." The Field Day An hology o I ish W i ing. Ed.
Seamus Deane. De y: Field Day Publica ions, 1991. 523-25.
O e o Ped ayo, Ramón. Nós (1928):
Risco Agüe o, Vincen e Ma ínez. "A his o ia d'El Rei B eogán e dos illos de Mil, asegún o Leabha Gabhala." Nós
86 (1931): 23.
Risco Agüe o, Vincen e Ma ínez. "A mode na li e a u a i landesa." Nós 26 (1926): 5-9.
Risco Agüe o, Vincen e Ma ínez. "A mode na li e a u a i landesa." Nós 27 (1926): 4-12.
Risco Agüe o, Vincen e Ma ínez. "A mode na li e a u a i landesa." Nós 28 (1926): 2-5.
Said, Edwa d W. O ien alism. New Yo k: Pan heon Books, 1979.
Wa son, Geo ge. "Cel icism and he Annulmen o His o y." Cel icism. Ed. Te ence B own. Ams e dam: Rodopi,
1996. 207-20.
Welch, Robe , ed. The Ox o d Companion o I ish Li e a u e. Ox o d: Cla endon P, 1996.
Yea s, William B. "Sep embe 1913." Selec ed Poems. By William B. Yea s. London: The Folio Socie y, 1998. 55-56.
Yea s, William B. "The Fishe man." Selec ed Poems. By William B. Yea s. London: The Folio Socie y, 1998. 72-73.
Au ho 's p o ile: Anne MacCa hy eaches English philology a he Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela. He
in e es s in esea ch include he s udy o nine een h-cen u y I ish li e a u e, wen ie h-cen u y I ish d ama, he
impo ance o an hologies in he c ea ion o li e a y epu a ion, and he ecep ion o he wo k o James Joyce in
Galicia. In addi ion o nume ous a icles, MacCa hy's book publica ions include Iden i ies in I ish Li e a u e (2004)
and James Cla ence Mangan, Edwa d Walsh and Nine een h-cen u y I ish Li e a u e in English (2000). E-mail:
<[email p o ec ed]>
