50 Figures to Help Resurrect Ireland - Day Twenty
Lady Gregory
Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (née Persse; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Irish dramatist, folklorist, and theatre manager from County Galway. With the world-renowned poet, William Butler Yeats, and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced several books of retellings of stories taken from Irish mythology.
Born into a class of that identified closely with British rule, she later turned against it. While raised in an Anglican family, the seeds of love for a more distinct Gaelic tradition were sown early in her life. She was educated at home, and her future vocation was strongly influenced by the family nurse (i.e. nanny), Mary Sheridan, a Catholic and a native Irish speaker, who introduced the young Augusta to the history and legends of the local area.
At the macro level, her conversion to cultural nationalism, as evidenced by her writings, was emblematic of many of the political struggles to occur in Ireland during her lifetime.
Lady Gregory is mainly remembered today for her work behind the Irish Literary Revival. Her home at Coole Park in County Galway served as an important meeting place for leading Revival figures, and her early work as a member of the board of the Abbey was at least as important as her creative writings for that theatre's development.
Lady Gregory's motto was taken from Aristotle: "To think like a wise man, but to express oneself like the common people."
In part because of this Aristotelian quality, Lady Gregory was instrumental in fostering a revival of Irish drama, bringing to the stage many works based on Irish myths, legends, and historical events.
Lady Gregory’s Significance
For Irish people, Lady Gregory's contributions are invaluable as they have helped us to reclaim and celebrate our cultural heritage. She did this with courage during a time of political and social upheaval. Her writings and theatrical productions played a pivotal role in shaping Irish identity and national self-confidence.
In terms of her significance to Christians, Lady Gregory's work intersects with Christian themes and values, directly or indirectly. Many of the ancient Irish myths and legends she helped to preserve contain elements that embody, or at least resonate with, Christian symbolism, narrative, and teachings.
Just as Dr Louis Markos and John C.H. Wu have each observed how ancient Greek & Roman, and Chinese myths find their fulfilment in Christ, some scholars have similarly noted the snug fit between Irish mythology and Christian themes.
God and the Gaels
One simple example of the interpenetration of Irish mythology and Christian Theology is the tale of "The Voyage of Bran," which features themes of spiritual quest, redemption, and the journey to the Otherworld. These themes bear resemblance to Christian narratives of pilgrimage and the ultimate search for divine truth. Another example is the story of "Tír na nÓg," the Land of Eternal Youth, which echoes the Christian concept of heaven as a realm of joy and fulfilment.
Moreover, one of the most striking characters of more recent times is The Countess Kathleen O’Shea, a Yeats creation who stands as one of the most charming Christ-figures of recent fiction.
As a matter of history, the intertwining of Irish myths and Christian Truth should come as no surprise. Many of these beloved Irish tales were directly transcribed and preserved by monks and other Christian scholars. These scholars often infused the old Irish legends with Christian interpretations and moral lessons.
This direct (and most often organic) Christian influence, in the transition from the oral tradition to the written form, is evident all over the island & and has been made clearer by Fr. Conor McDonough’s recent Treasure Ireland series.
One relevant example of this pattern of Christianised myth is the story of the Christ-like Cuchulainn of Muirthemne, which Lady Gregory retold in her lifetime.
The Lady and Literature
To focus on literature more specifically, her Cuchulain of Muirthemne is still considered a good retelling of the Ulster Cycle tales such as Deidre, Cuchulainn, and the Táin Bó Cúailnge stories.
Thomas Kinsella wrote "I emerged with the conviction that Lady Gregory's Cuchulainn of Muirthemne, though only a paraphrase, gave the best idea of the Ulster stories".
However, Gregory’s version omitted some elements of the tale, usually assumed to avoid offending Victorian sensibilities, as well being an attempt at presenting a "respectable" nation myth for the Irish. Although, her paraphrase is often not considered dishonest.
Other critics find the bowdlerisations in her works more offensive, not only the removal of references to sex and bodily functions, but also the loss of Cuchulain's "battle frenzy" (Ríastrad); in other areas she censored less than some of her male contemporaries, such as Standish O'Grady.
More broadly, Lady Gregory's significance endures because her work continues to inspire and captivate audiences, both in Ireland and beyond.
Through her writings and theatrical productions, she not only preserved Ireland's rich cultural heritage but also helped to bridge the gap between ancient mythology and modern living.
Her legacy as a champion of Irish literature and culture remains a source of pride for the Irish people and a testament to the enduring power of storytelling.
‘The significance of a myth is not easily to be pinned on paper by analytical reasoning.
It is at its best when it is presented by a poet who feels rather than makes explicit what his theme portends, who presents it incarnate in the world of history and geography, as our poet has done.’
- J. R. R. Tolkien
1790s – Coole Park, Gort, Co. Galway
