The Irish Independence Influence on Current Irish Literature and Art

FACULTAD de FILOSOFÍA Y LETRAS DEPARTAMENTO de FILOLOGÍA INGLESA Grado en Estudios Ingleses TRABAJO DE FIN DE GRADO The Irish Independence Influence on Current Irish Literature and Art Juan Navarro Caballero Tutor: Jesús Benito Sánchez 2018-2019 Irish independence is one of the major themes that permeates Irish art and literature. This phenomenon influences the most relevant pieces of art in Irish society, presenting similar features in all of them. In this analysis, we present several examples of art and literature. Out of the Irish literature canon, we selected three examples from the three genres. In prose, James Joyce’s ‘The Dead,’ from Dubliners; in poetry, William Butler Yeats’ ‘1916;’ and in drama, Brian Friel’s Translations. These three present similar motifs in their representations of Irish independence used in literature and art. We include some of the Belfast murals that show these characteristics, even though street art is a different artistic modality from literature. The analysis explores the role of some features like the role of the Irish language or the presence of the leaders of the Easter Uprising and their influences in Irish art and literature. Irish Art, Irish Literature, Irish Independence, James Joyce, W. B. Years, Brian Friel La independencia de Irlanda es uno de los temas que más ha influenciado la literatura de la isla irlandesa. Durante el siglo XX, la independencia ha determinado el arte y la literatura más importantes de este país con patrones similares que se repiten en diversas obras. En nuestro análisis, incluimos tres ejemplos de cada uno de los géneros literarios: ‘The Dead’ de la obra Dubliners del novelista James Joyce (prosa), ‘1916’ del poeta William Butler Yeats y la obra Translations, del dramaturgo Brian Friel. Los mismos patrones, o similares, relacionados con la independencia de Irlanda aparecen en estas obras literarias. También incluimos algunos ejemplos de los murales de Belfast, que también presentan los mismos patrones, aunque sea una modalidad artística diferente. Nuestro análisis incluye el uso del irlandés o la presencia de los líderes del Alzamiento de Pascua como elementos relacionados con la independencia en el arte y literatura irlandeses. Arte irlandés, literatura irlandesa, independencia de Irlanda, James Joyce, W. B. Yeats, Brian Friel Index Introduction……………………………………………………………………………. 1 Chapter I: Historical Context. The Easter Uprising (1916) and “the Irish Troubles”……………………………………………………………………...…. 3 Chapter II: Prose. James Joyce’s “The Dead” from Dubliners……………………. 7 Chapter III: Poetry. William Butler Yeats’ “Easter 1916”…………………..…… 13 Chapter IV: Drama. Brian Friel’s “Translations”. ……………..………………… 18 Chapter V: Belfast Murals …………………………………………………………... 23 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. 28 Annex ……………………….………………………………………………………… 29 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………... 34 Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 1 Introduction A shared sense of history and culture is particularly relevant in the analysis of the literary tradition of a country. However, it becomes even more crucial in the long process of the birth of a new country. This thesis centres on the exploration of Irish cultural features present throughout the complicated process of independence the country went through. In this cultural analysis, some contextual elements become relevant in the process leading to the independence as well as afterwards. The historical context of our analysis focuses on twentieth century events. However, it also covers the very late 19th century, when there were the first glimpses of Irish people’s will for an active action of independence, as it is seen in the first literary instance we include. Then, the analysis focuses on the Easter Uprising at the beginning of the 20th century, an event that definitely marked Irish society in the fight for independence, and which is centre stage in the poem we analyse. This event was followed by the tense situation between the followers of the pro-Republican side and the pro-Unionist side, who were in conflict for almost the entire 20th century. It was during this period, that groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out most of their actions. This permeates the artistic manifestations that portray all these events of the last century. Firstly, the thesis focuses on literary manifestations of different authors. James Joyce’s ‘The Dead,’ from Dubliners, portrays the atmosphere in the country in the years previous to one of the main events that determined Irish society: the Easter Uprising in 1916. The atmosphere that we appreciate is tense, whereas the text is fraught with very significant symbology, which we will analyse and connect with the process towards Irish independence. Secondly, we move on to the analysis of a poem by the celebrated Irish poet William Butler Yeats: ‘Easter 1916.’ This poem shows Yeats’ views in regard to the aforementioned event. This poem is one of the literary productions Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 2 that is most famous in contemporary Irish society, as testified by the number of experts that have analysed it. Therefore, we think it cannot be left apart from this discussion. In four stanzas, it portrays perfectly the events, the people involved in it and the author’s point of view of the people who rebelled against British rule. Thirdly, we analyse Brian Friel’s ‘Translations.’ The play is situated in one of the Ulster counties, which directly shows the conflict in the north of Ireland, a county that is in a province dominated by the United Kingdom but that belongs to the Republic of Ireland. This is a problem that marked the aftermath of Irish independence. Ulster became divided and the Irish Troubles began. This is known as a period fraught with social instability due to the conflicts between people following the pro-Republican side and those the pro-Unionist side. Furthermore, there were terrorist attacks from both groups in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland leaving deaths behind. This situation marked the second half of the 20th century until peace was signed in the ‘Good Friday Agreement.’ To get a broader understanding of this confusing period, this thesis begins with an overview of the historical context in which all of these artistic manifestations appear. Finally, we focus on the Belfast murals, in which there are pictorial representations of features of both sides, the pro-Unionist side and the pro-Republican side. The fact that these murals are from Belfast, the Northern Irish capital, is particularly relevant insomuch as the main issues regarding the aftermath of the process of Irish independence are evident in this province. This phenomenon happened in this region since Northern Ireland is the only area in the island that remained under the rule of the United Kingdom. Therefore, its situation during the last century was socially unstable as there were conflicts between the people of both sides. Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 3 Chapter I – Historical Context Throughout the 20th century there were certain events that inexorably marked Irish society and left an imprint in artwork pieces such as books or murals. These element’s relevance plays an important role even in contemporary in Irish society, to such an extent, that native Irish people still link their literary productions in regards of this topic to the Irish literary tradition or express themselves in the Belfast murals, which are one of the main city’s attractions for tourists. These elements were not only present during the 20th century but had started to be visible in the last decades of the 19th century in the literary productions of important authors, such as James Joyce. Therefore, we will briefly overview the situation of Irish independence at the end of the 19th century, and how it developed throughout the 20th century, focusing in particular on the Easter Uprising and its consequences in the society at the time. After that, there was a consequent Irish War of Independence and a problematic process of country-formation with many disagreements that would lead into a Civil War in the island. This situation resulted in a split country, in which the counties of the northern province of Ulster were divided into the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The situation did not get any better in the middle of the 20th century, when there were certain groups in the north that still wanted the rest of Ulster to join the Republic of Ireland. There were many violent actions during this period, from both sides. For instance, there were police charges against demonstrations in big cities like Derry/Londonderry or Belfast or the violent attacks of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). This situation went on almost until the end of the 20th century, when the island underwent a process of peace and the IRA was dismantled. The consequences of these acts are still present in Irish society, as they are still drawn in Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 10 ‘— O, Mr. Conroy, will you come for an excursion to the Aran Isles this summer? We’re going to stay there a whole month.’ (Joyce 189) Gabriel refuses alleging that he has other plans in mind for his summer, which include a cycle tour around Europe. Historically, the west of Ireland has been related with Irishness, the most traditional and the most folklorically influenced area. Hence, there would be a symbolism in regards of the political environment of the 19th and 20th centuries, being the west of Ireland, the farthest area from England, the one that would be more against British rule. Therefore, Irish is widely spread, which is directly associated to the feeling of belonging to Irish identity. Irish is a crucial aspect in the National Movement, as there are issues regarding how the language is in decline since it was not allowed to speak it during oppressive rule in the past centuries. Moreover, according to An Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh (Central Statistics Office of Ireland), the percentage of population fluent in Irish increases in western counties. Therefore, the amount of people that can speak it is limited, but it is more abundant in the west of Ireland. The importance of Irish is also seen in this story, where Miss Ivors argues whether he should practise with Irish instead of other languages as an answer to Gabriel’s refusal to him going to the Aran Isles ‘— And why do you go to France or Belgium, said Miss Ivors, instead of visiting your own land? — Well, said Gabriel, it’s partly to keep in touch with the languages and partly for a change. — And haven’t you your own language to keep in touch with — Irish? asked Miss Ivors’ (Joyce 189) Miss Ivors is therefore criticizing the fact that Gabriel chooses other countries over his own to spend time in. Furthermore, she also states her opinion about which language he should practise, as Irish is not spoken by everyone in Ireland. The message hidden behind this statement tries to evoke Gabriel’s national feeling. She wants him to get interested in Ireland, and, by extension, to get involved in the Nationalistic movement. There is one element that is referenced all throughout the short story: ‘snow.’ Ireland is a country that does not get a lot of snow, even in winter time. Therefore, the emphasis put on the fact that is snowing is to be remarked and analysed. ‘He stood on the mat, scrapping the snow form his goloshes.’ (Joyce 176) ‘He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight.’ (Joyce 225) Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 11 The presence of snow in the short story symbolizes, we claim, the decadence of Ireland, which would end in the revolts of 1916, causing the death of thousands of Irish citizens. This image could be associated with the growing enthusiasm towards independence, which slowly grew in the late 19th century and early 20th century. This association could be justified if readers analyse the geographical locations the author uses. A bog is an element that has been present all through Irish history, as there are Celtic mummies along with highly important artefacts that have been found in bogs. Moreover, there is the mention of the Shannon river. This river geographically divides Ireland, and it says on Terence Brown’s notes ‘to cross the Shannon is to enter or leave the west of Ireland.’ (Brown 317) As previously mentioned, the west region of Ireland is assumed to be most closely in touch with the Irish traditions and folklore. Therefore, there could be an allegorical symbolism with the Shannon and Irishness. Joyce was not a political author, in fact, this is the most political writing by this author, but it only deals with politica l matters in six pages. ‘snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, […] and, farther westward, softly upon the dark mutinous Shannon.’ (Joyce 225) Therefore, symbolism prominent in the text. The Shannon river is mentioned together with the fact that it was snowing. The river could be used as a symbol, an image, to represent the moving to the pro-Republican side. The river divides Ireland from east to west and, by crossing it, one would enter the west of Ireland. The west of Ireland is associated with Irish values and the claim of Irishness. This can then be related to the pro- Republican side. Covering all the aspects exposed above, it becomes clear that Miss Ivors is associated with the pro-Nationalist movement. She is associated with several issues that have been influential in Irish history, more specifically with the rising of the pro- Nationalist movement. These aspects include, firstly, criticizing Gabriel for writing a column about books he is told to read. The column has no political content, but Gabriel is judged because of the political ideology the newspaper is related to. Furthermore, there are other aspects that relate Miss Ivors with the pro-Nationalist movement. She asks Gabriel whether he would like to go on a trip to the west of Ireland in the summer. The west of Ireland has been and, still, is associated with Irish traditions, culture and customs. Therefore, readers get to see the association between politics and geographical distribution. The last symbolic element that relate Miss Ivors with her political ideology Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 12 is the importance she gives to visit Ireland instead of other countries and the use of Irish language. She criticizes Gabriel for choosing other countries to spend time in rather than his own, where he can practise and recover their old language, which is being lost. There is also the symbolism the author uses to exemplify the pro-Nationalist movement, as the crossing of the Shannon would be comparable to the ideology of the pro-National political movement that developed in Ireland at that moment, which would grow exponentially as decades went on. This change in ideology would be thus represented by James Joyce. Ireland has many features that have been used to represent this pro-National movement throughout history, such as the cases of Irish, geographical elements like rivers, etc. This will be also seen in other works by other authors, like in Brian Friel’s ‘Translations,’ the issue of using of Irish instead of English is present all through the play, or the references to the streams in Yeats’ ‘1916,’ which are purely Irish landscape. Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 13 Chapter III – Poetry: William B. Yeats’ ‘1916’ “Easter 1916” may be the most popular poem by W. B. Yeats. The poem has a four-stanza structure, which is divided by the different themes of the stanzas. Even though poetry is not the most common genre to analyse and somehow criticize historical events, there is a structure similar to an essay analysing the elements of the Easter Uprising in 1916. The first stanza is made up of sixteen verses in perfect rhyme. The content of those verses is relevant for this analysis as it depicts usual Irish scenes. Yeats exposes his day- to-day life, which is seen in the use of the pronoun ‘I,’ and the Dubliners’. There are usual scenes such as greetings or talking in pubs by the fire. This may be seen in verses 5 to 12 ‘I have passed with a nod of the head Or polite meaningless words, Or have lingered awhile and said Polite meaningless words, And though before I had done Of a mocking tale or gibe To please a companion Around the fire at the club.’ (Yeats 119) This depiction illustrates the relaxed and harmonious society that could be found previous to the Easter uprising in 1916. However, there is a warning at the end of the stanza in which Yeats foresees what was about to come for Irish citizens ‘A terrible beauty is born.’ (Yeats 120). This means that a new process that would lead to the total independence from the Westminster Parliament was near its beginning, a conflict that would last several Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 14 years and that would carry the death of Irish people among which there were several of the most brilliant and promising personalities at the time. The main goal of the revolutio n would be achieved, getting a partial independence at first, and, after some years, total independence, but not without a great cost as two consecutive wars struck Ireland. Firstly, the War of Independence, then the Irish Civil War. This is the reason why Yeats calls this process a ‘terrible beauty,’ because the final aim was achieved but the cost the country paid for it was terrible for them. Furthermore, this verse is repeated in several of the stanzas of the poem, as Yeats’ clear final statement. In the second stanza, the author stops using pronouns to start using noun phrases that directly refer to relevant leaders of the Easter Uprising that made history “in other parts of the city, Eamon de Valera, Eamonn Ceannt, the Countess Markievicz and other commandants assembled their troops close to various target buildings.” (Donoghue 46) Therefore, the author personalizes the rebels, which is seen in the very first verses i.e.: from verse 17 to 23 of the second stanza ‘that woman’s days were spent / In ignorant good-will…’ (Yeats 120) This is a clear reference to the aforementioned Countess Markievicz, whom the author evidently knew, not only because of the way she is treated in the poem, which denotes a certain level of intimacy, but also because Yeats and the Countess were born in the same county, ‘the county of Sligo, wherein Yeats lies buried under the stone […].’ (Quinn 449) Yeats criticizes how all her beauty disappeared when she entered politics, as a result of her ‘nights in argument / until her voice grew shrill.’ (Yeats 120) This woman was one of the few leaders who survived the Easter Uprising and is commonly used as a symbol in present day movements like Feminism or Irish Nationalism. She is still present, even a hundred years after the uprising in which she took part, in a statue right in the middle of Dublin City Centre. The following important personalities that are mentioned in the poem by Yeats are Pearse, MacDonagh and MacBride, in this order. The first one is still very important in Irish society since he was the main orator during the Easter Uprising. He is remembered for highly relevant events during the revolt, for example, ‘Pearse, in effect the leader of the insurgents, came out of the G. P. O. and read a one-page document headed Poblacht na hEireann, followed by The Provisional Government of the Irish Republic to the People of Ireland.’ (Donoghue 47) He pities the poet comparing him to a Pegasus ‘And rode our winged horse’ (Yeats 120) assuming he was to become one of the best poets in 20th century Ireland. However, Pearse died during the revolt against British rule. Yeats does a similar thing with the two Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 15 following authors. He states that MacDonagh ‘was coming into his force; / He might have won fame in the end’ (Yeats 120), so, basically, the author is telling the reader how he considered that MacDonagh was becoming better and better in his writings and predicting how successful his career would have been if he had not lost his life fighting in the Uprising. Finally, in regards of the last author, Yeats seems to be more critical with him as ‘A drunken, vainglorious lout. / He had done most bitter wring.’ (Yeats 120) This may be due to the fact that MacBride had an emotional relationship with Yeats’ love, Maud Gonne. MacBride supposedly had an abusive relationship so that would be the main cause explaining what the critique is about. However, Yeats still mentions him in his poem because, even though he was evil, he played an important role. ‘Yet I number him in the song; He, too, resigned his part In the casual comedy; He, too, has been changed in his turn, Transformed utterly: A terrible beauty is born’ (Yeats 120) These four personalities play an important role in the poem. Yeats did not choose them randomly; the author chose them because they were important for the revolution and the four of them are still remembered nowadays, even a century later. The author repeats the famous phrase at the end of the stanza. These personalities are example of what the word ‘terrible’ in this phrase stands for. All of them, except for Countess Markievicz, were killed either during the uprising or in the aftermath. With that, the country lost several of its most promising writers and authors. The third stanza is very different from the rest included in the poem. There is no use of pronouns, in contrast to the use of the pronoun ‘I’ in the first stanza, which directly relates with Yeats’ personal experience of Irish day-a-day society or the use of the personal pronouns such as ‘her’ or ‘him’ in the previous stanza, which relates to the personalities that played an important role during and after the revolt in the Easter of 1916. There is a strong use of symbolism, which is related with the author’s personal opinion towards the Irish independence from British rule. In this third stanza, Yeats shows his point of view of a pacific process of independence. This is seen via symbolism. There is a repeated element in the stanza: the stone. Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 16 ‘Hearts with one purpose alone Through summer and winter seem Enchanted to a stone […] The stone’s in the midst of all.’ (Yeats 120-121) This stone symbolizes the thoughts of the patriots, showing how stubborn and hard they are. There is also an additional meaning to this symbol. A stone is an object that does not move, that is stuck. This could be also a point in Yeats’ argumentation. The rebels wanted independence at all costs, even if it supposed to rise up in arms against British rule. Yeats’ point of view would be that of a pacifist process of independence, like most people wanted at the time, which would have required much more time for negotiation, a time the rebels did not want to wait. ‘Yeats presented a carefully designed camouflage. It worked not by making him inconspicious, […], discreet, invisible. It set up gaudy facades, behind which Yeats could remain inviolate.’ (Maxwell 120) Hence, the author states his opinion of maybe not a pacific process of independence, but it is certain that Yeats does not share the same opinion of the rebels about the struggle, by disagreeing with the way it was done, but also without being directly clear. In regards of the last stanza, there may be two interpretations. The first one could be condemning the actions of the rebels. It is true that because of their actions, many lives were lost during the Uprising consequently losing several of the most promising writers and important personalities. This could be seen in the multiple rhetoric questions throughout the stanza, which may symbolize if all these loses were worth it, as for example ‘What is it but nightfall? / No, no, not nightfall but death;’ (Yeats 121) There are other verses in which other interpretations are made. This is the case of how some of these verses may be a critique against the fanaticism of the rebels, as in ‘When sleep at last has come / On limbs that had run wild.’ (Yeats 121) The other possible interpretation presents a completely different point of argumentation. It could be also discussed that the last verses are written with the main goal of immortalizing the rebels. If the rebels are taken as the agents of change during the Uprising against British rule, it could be argued that in the last verses, the enumeration of the rebels’ names, who died during the Uprising, symbolizes the change that shook the country. This did not happen during the revolt but during the aftermath, ‘The general reaction to the Easter rebellion was initially negative and became positive only when the British executed the leaders.’ (Frazier, 75) Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 17 MacDonagh and MacBride And Connolly and Pearse Now and in time to be, Wherever green is worn, Are changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born.’ (Yeats 121) Furthermore, Yeats makes a specific naming of all these people as a way of remembering their names for what they did and fought for. There is a specific line that relates them to what they did. In verse 78, ‘Wherever green is worn,’ (Yeats 121) there is a clear relation with Irish patriotism and its identification with the green colour. This remarks their important role in regards of this matter and why they should be remembered in history by anyone who wears that specific colour with the aim of evoking Irishness. Yeats political side comes out in this poem due to the impact of the events of 1916’s Easter. In four stanzas, the author exposes how things were in Ireland before the Easter Uprising, and then makes an elegy about the participants in it. In his words, Yeats raises awareness to the voices of many Irish citizens at the time. He expresses what many people thought of the leaders, that their violent actions were not excusable and should not be followed, but at the same time, they encountered a terrible fate in the aftermath. This is what eventually gave the discontented pro-Republican siders the enough courage to rebel against the British and raise in arms for the independence. Therefore, “a terrible beauty was born,” for Irish independence was achieved by fighting, and at the cost of having lost many of the most promising literate people of the time. Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 18 Chapter IV – Drama: Brian Friel’s ‘Translations’ In the play ‘Translations,’ by the Irish author Brian Friel, there are multiple elements that are important for the analysis of the Irish conflict. There are issues related with the language, as it may be firstly drawn out from the title of the play. Even though the play is entirely written and played in English, the Irish characters, supposedly, speak in Irish. The issue of language is one of the main issues that are present in the play “Translations,” in The Irish Troubles and in Irish society at present. “Translations” was first performed in Derry/Londonderry, a city which faces problems, even regarding its own name, a type of situation that is evident in the play and that is still present nowadays. This chapter explores, firstly, the problems concerning the issue of language in Ireland . Languages highly influence identity and also determine how people see the world around them, as language predetermines human mind. This is definitely important in the society presented by Friel as a new language is being imposed by the English who are arriving to the island. Secondly, the chapter discusses the problem involving the translation of the names of Irish places into English. The chapter focuses on the topic of what naming is and what it supposes for humans, alongside the idea of identity. Thirdly, the analysis explores the presentation of a romantic relationship between two characters that belong to two different societies. What this relation between these people represents is transcendental and goes beyond the play itself. Friel presents a complex situation in a complex society. An Irish version of “Romeo and Juliet,” in which none in the entire two societies approves the relationship between them, which eventually has consequences. Language is the main issue the play resolves around. Firstly, ‘Friel was occupied with questions of language and translation at this time and shied away from the possibility Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 19 of propaganda’ (Murray 86) The played is called ‘Translations,’ which gives a clue about how important translating and language are in the play. Indirectly, translations are the conductors of the action in the play. That is the reason why Englishmen come to Baile Beag / Ballybeg, to translate the names of the places of that part of county Donegal into English. Translations make Lieutenant Yolland enter in touch with the Irish community, which would eventually lead to him, an Englishman, falling in love with Maire, an Irishwoman. It also seems that the play was itself translated literally from Irish into English. There are sentence structures that are purely Irish, but the language used is English. This could also mean that the variety of English Irish people use is influenced by Irish somehow. ‘JIMMY: I thought you had English? MAIRE: Three words.’ (Friel, Selected Plays 388) The quotation shows how Jimmy asks Maire whether she can speak English or not. However, he does not use the verb ‘to know’ but ‘to have’ instead. This is possible since ‘to know a language’ in Irish is made with the possessive: ‘Tá Bearla agam,’ which means I know English. Irish people do not ask others how many languages they know but how many languages they have. Secondly, the play was firstly performed on 23rd September 1980, right in the middle of The Irish Troubles. However, the author, Friel, always stated that the play did not include any political ideology or hidden message. He insisted in the play being only about language “What worries me about the play are [...] the political elements. Because the play has to do with language and only langua ge” (Friel, "Extracts from a Sporadic Diary" 58) However, it cannot be denied that the play can be related with the Irish conflict and that it includes and portrays several aspects of it. Language in Ireland is certainly an issue as, before the English arrival to the island, there was a previous language, spread and spoken by the islanders. That language was Irish or Gaelic. However, with the arrival of the English people, they imposed their language, leading to its current situation nowadays. There are two official languages in Ireland: Irish and English. Besides the co-officiality of both languages, it is the latter, the one that is mostly used. This is the reason why the play is written in English and not in Irish, because English is the language the Irish use and speak the most. Furthermore, there is a significant percentage of the Irish population that cannot speak Irish, so it would have been very difficult for some people to understand the play, due to the very little amount of Irish language speakers. ‘Translations is a play for modern Ireland.’ (Pine 210-211) A Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 26 people. This is seen in the mural4 with the headlines of many newspapers that show how there are news regarding all these bombings and assassinations of innocents. This denouncing of unfair events is linked to the pro-Unionist side as the IRA fought for the independence of Northern Ireland and its subsequent union to the Republic of Ireland. This is the reason why the pro-Unionist murals show how this organization acted and what it meant to agree with their actions: the death of innocent civilians. To do this, there is a collage made of the headlines where people are able to read how people died by IRA’s hands. This association was rejected socially not only by pro-Unionist siders but also by part of the pro-Republican side, again, maybe influenced by Daniel O’Connell, as seen for example in the ‘20,000 Rally in Dublin for Peace in North and Against I.R.A. Killing’ (Clarity The New York Times) The last analysis involves the murals including content belonging to the pro- Republican side. Traditionally the Irish national feeling has been associated with elements that were opposed to English values. That is, the Irish language, Gaelic sports, the traditional Irish patterns in sculptures, historical and archaeological heritage, etc. Therefore, the elements used to claim and encourage the Republic movement are those of this kind, reminding of those that appear in some of the literary examples included in this study. However, these are not the only patterns and elements used to claim the Irish national feeling, which has as its final aim to convince people to separate from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland. The faces of the Easter Uprising leaders are used also as an emblem, relating as well to Yeats’ ‘1916’. The revolution took place in Easter Monday of that year planned ‘by Irish intellectuals and other leaders of the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood), a society within the nationalist organization called Irish Volunteers,’ (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica) This is seen in the mural 5, showing the four coats of arms of the four provinces of the island of Ireland, the colours of the Irish flag and above everything a phrase in Irish. This tries to evoke the Irishness in Ulster people. The four provinces are represented in the mural, thus giving importance and representation to all of them. This could be understood as the sense of not leaving Ulster behind, as remembering a province divided into two different countries. Furthermore, the colours of the flag of the Republic of Ireland represent that union 4See ‘mural 4’ in Annex (page 32), extracted February 25th 2019 from Belfast Murals, www.belfastmurals.co.uk/single_mural.html?protestant_victims. 5 See ‘mural 5’ in Annex (page 32), extracted February 25th 2019 from Belfast Murals, www.belfastmurals.co.uk/single_mural.html?easter_lily. Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 27 between Catholic (green) and Protestant (orange). And finally, the phrase in Irish carries a simple message: a language of our own, different from English. This phenomenon is a strategy the government of the Republic of Ireland puts to work in every place, not just in Ulster. Every official signal, traffic signal, etc. goes first in Irish, and, secondly, in English. Moving on to another part of the mural, the faces of people along with the slogan: “honour Ireland’s dead” are quite noticeable. This is a way to remember the people who led the Easter Uprising in 1916, who were executed because of treason. Almost every person involved in the Uprising was executed either during the revolt or after their defeat. This represented a final blow for the pro-Unionist side due to the cruelty with which these people were treated. Therefore, each Easter there is a memorial for these people who died for their country. In the next mural6, there is a similar pattern that reminds of the previous one. The faces of several people appear under the slogan: “since 1970, seventeen people killed including children” The aim of this sentence is to denounce the brutality with which the people who supported the pro-Republican movement were treated in Northern Ireland. The police were tense due to the IRA conflict and, on several occasions, they had to act in order to suppress the pro-Republican side. This resulted in the death of many people, which was strongly criticised by the media as it happened during The Troubles. This mural is just a pictorial exemplification of what this criticism meant. This was also aimed to remember the people of Belfast that were being repressed, and, on certain occasions, killed because of their political ideology. Murals are pictorial representations of the two sides in which the Ulster society is divided, and between which there is no apparent conflict nowadays. However, the Brexit referendum showed how a significant percentage of Northern Irelanders voted to remain within the European union. This may come from the fact that some families are divided between the two countries and separating could convey building a physical border between them. Also, it would be more difficult for the pro-Republican side to achieve their goal and join the Republic of Ireland. 6 See ‘mural 6’ in Annex (page 33), extracted February 25th 2019 from Belfast Murals, www.belfastmurals.co.uk/single_mural.html?civil_order. Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 28 Conclusion Common patterns used to associate with the Irish process of independence appear in different artistic manifestations. That is, for example, the faces of the leaders of the Easter Uprising in 1916, that have been referenced to or appear in almost every artistic work. In Joyce’s ‘The Dead,’ the trip to the Aran Islands, in which some of them met, is referenced associating the west of Ireland with Irish tradition and Irishness, then in Yeats’ ‘Easter 1916,’ the author comes across some of them to express his feelings and thoughts about them. Finally, these people serve as tool, nowadays, in Belfast pro-Republican murals, which use them as martyrs to express how the ones that want the independence are repressed and, at extreme points, killed. There are many issues regarded when speaking of Irish independence, such as the importance Irish language carries, as it is the main issue portrayed in Friel’s ‘Translations,’ and it appears as well in Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’ The current situation of the language results in not even half of the population of Ireland being able to speak it. This is in part due to the imposition of English during the centuries in which the British ruled the island. Irish is present also in the pictorial representations of the murals, which include phrases in Irish as an identifying national element. After what has been exposed, Irish independence is clearly still present in the most influential artistic elements of the current society. Not only this society is influenced by the writings of the past century, as many of these authors were recognized with international awards for their work, but also in Belfast murals, which serve as a means of expression for the people of both sides. The presence of the elements related to the independence cannot be underestimated and still influences current Irish society. Nowadays, with the Brexit approaching, it will become more and more clear how these elements might be used again to express the differences the Northern Irelanders present regarding the issue. The importance of the artistic manifestations related to the Irish process of independence we have covered is unquestionable. Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 29 Annex — Belfast Murals (all murals available at http://www.belfast-murals.co.uk/) Mural 1 Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 30 Mural 2 Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 31 Mural 3 Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 32 Mural 4 Mural 5 Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 33 Mural 6 Universidad de Valladolid Navarro 34 Works Cited “1916 Rising | The Irish Times Easter Rising Commemoration.” The Irish Times, www.irishtimes.com/1916. Arthur, Paul, and Kimberly Cowell-Meyers. “Irish Republican Army.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 29 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Irish-Republican-Army. Arthur, Paul, and Kimberly Cowell-Meyers. “Sinn Féin.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Sept. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Sinn- Fein#ref714621. “Belfast Murals.” Belfast Murals, www.belfast-murals.co.uk/. 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