119:. Yeats refused, excusing himself as being too busy with his own work. Lady Gregory volunteered instead, initially hoping that the work might serve as a source of raw material to nationalist poets, as well as a rebuttal to critics of Irish literature like Atkinson and Mahaffy. At first, she lacked confidence in her writing abilities, and expected the work to take her a lifetime. After she earned the encouragement of Yeats, the work went to press in less than two years.
229:
stylised and courtly written Gaelic, resulting in language that could be awkward at times. Instead, she sought a more indigenous Irish style, familiar to her through her efforts at collecting local folklore. With the help of Sean
Connolly, she undertook an experiment in translation. Connolly, an Irish speaker, translated a section of the legend into spoken Irish, which Lady Gregory then translated literally into English. The results convinced her that the colloquial
228:
The ultimate goal of Lady
Gregory's translation efforts was to produce an edition of the CĂș Chulainn legends which would be accessible to a general audience. She felt many of the earlier translations suffered from their attempts to make a literal translation in current English of the original
255:
also earned Lady
Gregory a place of power as a writer within the Irish Revival. Yeats was hugely supportive of the book, beginning his introduction to the work by declaring it "âŠthe best that has come out of Ireland in my time," and eventually writing five plays around the legends.
285:, Hyde also worried that a popular English version would discourage those otherwise driven to learn Irish. However, upon seeing her work, Hyde warmed, offering information, sources, and encouragement towards its completion.
315:, even censored version of the tales, removing mentions of sexuality and body functions. Lady Gregory, and Nutt as publisher, had to respect the legal and social realities of a country observant at that time of the
281:
had mixed feelings about the effort at first, declaring her vernacular translation style unsuitable for ancient myth (an opinion shared by her cousin
Standish James). As an advocate of the
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as a model for the translation, and Lady
Gregory wrote of the work in her diary as a guide for selecting and weaving together her disparate sources with pleasing, literary prose.
29:. First published in 1902, it is one of the earliest such collections to appear in English. The book covers the lifespan of the hero, from conception to death, and draws on
127:
Lady
Gregory used many sources and looked to many literary figures within her social circle in her styling and writing of her version of the CĂș Chulainn myths.
568:
244:
proved a financial success, selling out four editions within ten years. It remained profitable throughout the 1920s, averaging Lady
Gregory 30
205:
Lady
Gregory translated her materials into a dialect which she referred to as Kiltartanese, her version of the dialect spoken in her home
578:
583:
69:
501:
474:
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of
Kiltartan retained much of the character of the old language, and that it would be an acceptable translation tool.
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said 'It's not your business to write â Your business is to make an atmosphere'". She undertook the book only after
174:
One of Lady
Gregory's closest London friends was Lady Layard (born Mary Enid Evelyn Guest). Lady Layard's mother,
53:, rather than a writer. She recorded in her diary that "I dreamed that I had been writing some article & that
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89:
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related many tales of the hero, though not connected in the manner Lady Gregory would edit her own version.
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in 1892: a corpus which does not include CĂș Chulainn himself, but does contain stories of his kinsmen.
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legends based on previous oral and written versions, as collected and translated by
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319:, and the compromises do not detract from the basic story. The modern Irish critic
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539:. Vol. 2: Cuchulain and the Red Branch of Ulster. Dublin: New Island Books.
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225:. The effect is not overwhelming for the reader, however, and is quite readable.
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Cuchulain of Muirthemne: the story of the men of the Red Branch of Ulster
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asked Yeats to compose a collection, which would retell Irish myth and
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Two of Lady Gregory's cousins published books relating to Irish myth.
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Nutt himself had also written a pamphlet on CĂș Chulainn entitled
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184:. This was the first translation of the tales to be published.
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In the United States, the book earned the admiration of
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refused an offer to translate his own edition of Irish
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Inventing Ireland: The Literature of the Modern Nation
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296:, formerly a comrade of Lady Gregory and Yeats in the
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337:
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373:
433:
385:
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49:Lady Gregory considered herself a supporter of the
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138:in 1878, which included tales about CĂș Chulainn,
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323:has declared the work to be "an Irish classic".
150:(often confused with his cousin) published the
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517:
569:Books involved in plagiarism controversies
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415:
111:Later that same year, English publisher
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491:
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169:The Cuchulain Saga in Irish Literature
264:offered enthusiastic praise as well.
248:a year in royalties until her death.
136:History of Ireland: The Heroic Period
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427:
403:
367:
343:
187:Yeats recalled Nutt's suggestion of
213:. The dialect was a version of the
163:. He also referred Lady Gregory to
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37:in addition to the stories of the
14:
595:
496:, University of Wisconsin Press,
579:Works based on the Ulster Cycle
108:, including Yeats and Gregory.
584:Works by Augusta, Lady Gregory
535:Lady Gregory, Augusta (2023).
519:Lady Gregory, Isabella Augusta
317:Catholic theology of sexuality
1:
251:As her first published book,
122:
44:
304:her materials for the work.
236:
161:Cuhulain, The Irish Achilles
7:
527:(2nd ed.) – via
483:Kohfeldt, Mary Lou (1985),
458:Lady Gregory: An Irish Life
72:issued a report, declaring
10:
600:
448:
300:, accused Lady Gregory of
92:and parroted by Professor
84:. This report, written by
494:Lady Gregory's Toothbrush
485:Lady Gregory: A Biography
68:In 1900, a commission on
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200:
537:Irish Myths and Legends
465:Kiberd, Declan (1996),
309:Cuchulain of Muirthemne
253:Cuchulain of Muirthemne
242:Cuchulain of Muirthemne
18:Cuchulain of Muirthemne
298:Irish Literary Theatre
148:Standish Hayes O'Grady
132:Standish James O'Grady
51:Irish Literary Revival
492:TĂłibĂn, Colm (2002),
456:Hill, Judith (2005),
94:John Pentland Mahaffy
487:, New York: Atheneum
176:Lady Charlotte Guest
70:education in Ireland
59:William Butler Yeats
27:Lady Augusta Gregory
21:is a version of the
469:, London: Vintage,
460:, Sutton Publishing
269:Theodore Roosevelt
106:Irish nationalists
290:Hail and Farewell
194:Le Morte d'Arthur
96:, infuriated the
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531:
529:Internet Archive
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223:Gaelic languages
217:, but using the
215:English language
76:to be devoid of
74:Irish literature
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574:Mythology books
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512:Further reading
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503:978-029918000-3
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476:978-009958221-2
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307:Many today see
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90:Robert Atkinson
86:Trinity College
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382:, p. 151.
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370:, p. 151.
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348:
346:, p. 150.
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288:In his memoir
283:Irish language
258:George Russell
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202:
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181:The Mabinogion
153:Silva Gadelica
134:published his
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35:oral tradition
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416:Kohfeldt 1985
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321:Declan Kiberd
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167:. Her book,
165:Eleanor Hull
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102:Douglas Hyde
67:
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39:Ulster Cycle
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440:TĂłibĂn 2002
392:TĂłibĂn 2002
380:TĂłibĂn 2002
356:TĂłibĂn 2002
113:Alfred Nutt
82:imagination
23:CĂș Chulainn
564:1902 books
558:Categories
273:Mark Twain
262:J.M. Synge
123:Influences
88:Professor
45:Background
521:(1903) ,
428:Hill 2005
404:Hill 2005
368:Hill 2005
344:Hill 2005
237:Reception
211:Kiltartan
78:idealism
31:folklore
449:Sources
313:prudish
221:of the
140:Deirdre
543:
500:
473:
246:pounds
219:syntax
207:barony
142:, and
117:legend
104:, and
55:W.B.Y.
327:Notes
201:Style
541:ISBN
498:ISBN
471:ISBN
271:and
260:and
144:Medb
63:myth
33:and
209:of
191:'s
80:or
560::
334:^
292:,
275:.
146:.
65:.
41:.
549:.
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