Staging the agallamh: the influence of poetic dialogues on plays and performances in the Revival
Published in Irish Studies Review, January 2026.
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Abstract
The literary and cultural revival of the early twentieth century in Ireland created a new stage for drama and traditional arts practice. Innovation and experimentation were also features of the dramatic movement of the time. This article gives an account of the recitation and performance of oral poetry at Gaelic League concerts and competitions in the revival and focuses on the agallamh beirte, or poetic dispute, in particular. It examines the interest dramatists took in the oral tradition and shows the influence the agallamh as a literary form had on the dramatic works of Alice Milligan and Lady Gregory. Other key figures and influential dramatists of the revival period are also discussed in this regard, including W.B. Yeats, Douglas Hyde, Patrick Pearse and John Millington Synge.