O Rathaille

Michael Hartnett's masterly translations of Aodhagan O Rathaille (c.1670-1729) grant us entry into issues of religious, political, and economic conflict. They marry the energy of the original meters to the vitality of fervent speech. A variety of Gaelic forms pulses with excitements and anxieties. The laments fuse personal and cultural sorrows and proffer reports of the death of an entire civilization.