Eachtra Ghiolla an Amaráin
This volume presents a new edition of the renowned poem ‘Eachtra Ghiolla an Amaráin’ by the travelling, multilingual poet Donncha Rua Mac Conmara (c. 1715–1810). ‘Eachtra Ghiolla an Amaráin’ is a remarkable and unique work.
It describes the experiences of the narrator as he travelled by sea from Waterford to the New World. While he is on the ship, the goddess of Munster, Aoibheall na Carraige Léithe, appears to him, and the two of them journey to the Underworld together. The influence of Book VI of the Aeneid is strongly felt in this part of the poem, but the poet adds a uniquely Irish flavour and his own rebellious tone to the events in Hades.
‘Eachtra Ghiolla an Amaráin’ can be placed alongside other impressive works from the eighteenth century such as ‘Caoineadh Art Uí Laoghaire’ and ‘Cúirt an meon-oíche’.
The poet expresses the scope of his imagination through the weaving of the narrative and the breadth of his scholarship, so that the poem as a whole has an epic flavour. Particular attention is given to the richness of the phrasing and to the polish of the metre. This authoritative edition is founded on the original manuscript sources and provides the reader with an introduction, explanatory notes, a glossary, and an index.
