Aisling facts for kids
The aisling (pronounced "ASH-ling") is a unique kind of poem that became popular in the Irish language during the late 1600s and 1700s. The word "aisling" means "dream" or "vision." Many of these poems are still sung today as traditional Irish songs called sean-nós.
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What is an Aisling Poem?
In an aisling poem, the poet has a dream or vision. In this vision, Ireland appears as a woman. Sometimes she is young and beautiful, and other times she looks old and tired. This mysterious woman is often called a spéirbhean, which means 'heavenly woman'.
She often talks about the sad state of the Irish people. But she also promises that things will get better soon. This hope was usually linked to the idea of the Roman Catholic House of Stuart kings returning to power in Great Britain and Ireland.
How the Aisling Started
The aisling poem grew from older types of poetry. One type was like the French reverdie, where a poet met a beautiful, magical woman who represented spring and nature. Another influence came from Irish mythology. In these old stories, a god or goddess from the Tuatha Dé Danann (ancient Irish gods) would cry for a recently fallen hero.
One of the first aisling poems was written in the early 1600s by Geoffrey Keating, an Irish priest and poet. His poems featured visions, like the goddess Cliodhna weeping for a hero. Later, in 1653, an unknown poet wrote an aisling about the death of Piaras Feiritéar, an Irish clan leader. In this poem, the goddess Erin mourned his passing.
The Father of the Aisling
Aodhagán Ó Rathaille is known as the "father of the aisling." He was the first to connect the aisling tradition with the cause of the House of Stuart kings, who were in exile. In his poems, the woman from the Otherworld would express sadness over the Stuart heir being away from Ireland.
A typical aisling poem by Ó Rathaille would go something like this: The poet, feeling sad about Ireland's troubles, falls asleep. In his dream, a beautiful woman appears. She is so bright and grand that the poet thinks she must be a goddess. He asks who she is, and she tells him she is Erin (Ireland). Her sadness is for her true king, who is in exile. This king was either the Old Pretender or the Young Pretender. The poem then ends with a promise that Ireland will be saved when the king's son returns.
Another famous aisling poet was Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin. Some of the most well-known aisling poems are Gile na gile by Ó Rathaille and Ceo draíochta i gcoim oíche by Ó Súilleabháin.
A Famous Aisling Song
The very popular sean-nós song Mo Ghile Mear is an aisling poem. It was written by Seán "Clárach" Mac Domhnaill and is about the defeat of the Jacobite rising of 1745 at the Battle of Culloden. In the song, Ireland is personified as the goddess Erin. She sings about her sorrow, feeling like a grieving widow because her rightful king was defeated and exiled.
Mo Ghile Mear became incredibly popular after Sean O Riada helped make it famous. Many artists, like The Chieftains and Sting, have recorded it.
Aisling in Scottish Gaelic
Aisling poems also appeared in Scottish Gaelic literature. In 1753, John Cameron wrote "A Song to Doctor Cameron," an aisling lamenting the absence of Archibald Cameron of Lochiel, who was executed for supporting the Jacobite cause.
Aisling in Modern Times
The play Cathleen ni Houlihan, written in 1902, was inspired by the aisling tradition. In the play, Cathleen Ni Houlihan is an old, poor woman who represents Irish republicanism. She can only become young again if a young man sacrifices his life for her. She also symbolizes The Morrígan, an Irish goddess of war and sovereignty.
Later, poets like Pádraig Phiarais Cúndún updated aisling poetry. Instead of focusing on the Jacobite cause, they wrote about more recent religious and political issues for the Irish people. Cúndún's poems inspired Seán Gaelach Ó Súilleabháin, who used the aisling style to write about the experiences of the Irish diaspora (Irish people living outside Ireland), the Easter Rising of 1916, and the Irish War of Independence.
In his poem Cois na Tuinne ("Beside the Wave"), Seán Gaelach describes meeting the goddess Érin. He promises her that the Irish Volunteers will rise up and drive the English out of Ireland. He predicts a booming economy, the return of the Irish language, and a re-forested Ireland filled with singing birds.
Even after the Irish War of Independence ended in 1922, poets continued to use the aisling form.
The Garden of Remembrance
In 1966, the Garden of Remembrance was opened in Dublin. It honors "all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom." In 1976, a competition was held to find a poem for the monument. The winner was Liam mac Uistín, whose poem An Aisling ("We Saw a Vision") is now written on the stone wall in Irish, French, and English.
During Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Ireland in 2011, Liam mac Uistín's poem was read aloud in Irish at the Garden of Remembrance. The Queen also laid a wreath there, honoring "the generations of the vision" that the poem speaks about.
"An Aisling"
I ndorchacht an éadóchais rinneadh aisling dúinn.
Lasamar solas an dóchais agus níor múchadh é.
I bhfásach an lagmhisnigh rinneadh aisling dúinn.
Chuireamar crann na crógachta agus tháinig bláth air.
I ngeimhreadh na daoirse rinneadh aisling dúinn.
Mheileamar sneachta na táimhe agus rith abhainn na hathbheochana as.
Chuireamar ár n-aisling ag snámh mar eala ar an abhainn. Rinneadh fírinne den aisling.
Rinneadh samhradh den gheimhreadh. Rinneadh saoirse den daoirse agus d'fhágamar agaibhse mar oidhreacht í.
A ghlúnta na saoirse cuimhnígí orainne, glúnta na haislinge.
"We Saw A Vision"
In the darkness of despair we saw a vision,
We lit the light of hope and it was not extinguished.
In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision.
We planted the tree of valour and it blossomed.
In the winter of bondage we saw a vision.
We melted the snow of lethargy and the river of resurrection flowed from it.
We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river. The vision became a reality.
Winter became summer. Bondage became freedom and this we left to you as your inheritance.
O generations of freedom remember us, the generations of the vision.
Aisling Poems that Make Fun
Some poets used the aisling style to write funny or critical poems, known as satire.
Scottish Satire
In 1751, the Scottish Gaelic poet Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair wrote a satirical poem called An Airce ("The Ark"). Instead of a beautiful goddess, he describes meeting the ghost of a man who was executed. The ghost predicts bad things for a rival clan. The poet is told to build an "Ark" like Noah, to save only certain people. This poem was so strong in its political message that copies of the book it was in were publicly burned!
Irish Satire
Around 1780, the Irish poet Brian Merriman also made fun of aisling poetry in his famous work Cúirt An Mheán Oíche ("The Midnight Court"). Instead of a beautiful goddess, he describes being arrested by a scary old hag while sleeping. The hag takes him to a court where the women of Ireland are suing the men for not marrying and having children. The poem is a funny, wild dream that criticizes society.
A Soldier's Dream
Dòmhnall Ruadh Chorùna, a Scottish Gaelic poet and World War I veteran, wrote Aisling an t-Saighdeir ("The Soldier's Dream"). In this poem, he dreams of hunting a deer. But the dream quickly changes to a terrifying war scene. He wakes up just in time to escape a dangerous situation on the battlefield.
Other Uses of "Aisling"
- The LÉ Aisling (P23) was a ship in the Irish Naval Service from 1980 to 2016.
- "Aisling" is the title of a poem by famous Irish poet Seamus Heaney from his 1975 collection North.
- The Irish author Ciaran Carson has said that many of his stories are based on the idea of the aisling, or dream vision.
- Some people believe the tune of the famous song Danny Boy comes from an ancient song called Aisling an Oigfear. The lyrics of Danny Boy, which sound like a mother's message to a son leaving home, are seen as a metaphor for Ireland itself and the people who left during the Irish diaspora.
Images for kids
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Saoirse (freedom in the Irish language) in the aisling in the Garden of Remembrance.
