Evolving Portrayals of Medieval Irish ‘Ulster Cycle’ Narratives in the Irish and Scottish Revivals, c. 1870–1930
School: Celtic & Scottish Studies / School of Languages, Literatures & Cultures
Supervisors: Dr Kate Louise Mathis (University of Edinburgh), Dr Abigail Burnyeat (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig / University of the Highlands and Islands), Dr Peter Mackay (University of St Andrews)
Keywords: Irish Literary Revival, Celtic Revival in Scotland, Gaelic Literature, Irish Literature, Medieval Gaelic Literature, Ulster Cycle
About Tyler’s Research:
The ‘Ulster Cycle’ comprises a body of tales, developed initially c. 900-1200 in Ireland (and later, Gaelic Scotland), which centre the exploits of Cú Chulainn, a legendary warrior who defends Ulster from invasion. This project will evaluate these tales’ representation in the Celtic and anglophone literatures of the Irish and Scottish Revivals, c. 1870-1930, to explore how the tales redevelop between languages and geographical areas across their medieval to modern renditions. It will comprise the first dedicated examination of Revival-era writers’ engagement with and transformation of medieval ‘Ulster Cycle’ narratives during the decades encompassing the Irish revolutionary period, the Scottish Renascence, and foundational scholarship on Celtic-language literatures. Guided by theories of adaptation, the project will reassess Revivalist authors’ purpose and intent by evaluating how their depictions of ‘Ulster Cycle’ tales and characters deviate from and develop their medieval (and other influential) sources. Medium, form, genre, language, narrative, motifs, and intended audiences will all be considered. Analysis will address contemporary events (e.g., the 1916 Easter Rising) and regional politics (e.g., between Ulster and the rest of Ireland); in particular, postcolonial theory will inform comparisons of emergent Irish Free State literature with contemporaneous Northern Irish and Scottish publications. Moreover, the project will digitally map the re-emergence of Ulster-set narratives to provide insight into their Revival-era diffusion, which extends well beyond their highly site-specific medieval origins. Crucially, mapping collaborations between Irish and Scottish authors will help reveal regional networks of activity, furthering understanding of the critically neglected nature of Irish-Scottish Revival-era intellectual exchange.
