Tea at Trianon: Tolkien and Ireland

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Tolkien and Ireland

When I was in Ireland in October there was so much that made me think of Middle-Earth, which surprised me since it was my understanding that Tolkien did not like Ireland or Irish culture. Yet I wondered if Tolkien had ever been to Ireland. It turns out he had.

From Ireland:

One rainy afternoon in County Clare, Peter began a friendly chat with an elderly lady in a pub. Her name was Ms Crowe, and for many years she had worked for man called Dr Martyn, who in turn had been friends with JRR Tolkien when the author worked as an external examiner to National University Galway in the 40s and 50s.

Ms Crowe recalled how Tolkien and the doctor would often take trips to the lunar-like landscape of the Burren. When you consider that Tolkien was visiting the Burren around the same time that he was writing The Lord of The Rings, it’s easy to see how the stark beauty of this region might have inspired him. (Read more.)

From Brehon Academy Blog:

J.R.R. Tolkien, the literary genius behind “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” harboured a profound connection with Ireland that echoed in both his literary creations and personal experiences. Tolkien’s immersive engagement with Irish landscapes, language nuances, and Celtic mythologies collectively shaped the timeless landscapes and sagas of Middle Earth that continue to captivate the imagination of generations.
Central to this connection is Tolkien’s affinity for the Burren region in County Clare, West of Ireland. The Burren’s distinctive landscape, marked by craggy fissures and encroaching woods, stands as a plausible muse for Tolkien’s ethereal realm of Middle-Earth. While as a distinguished English Language and Literature professor at Merton College, University of Oxford, Tolkien made multiple sojourns to the Burren. During these visits, he lodged at Gregan’s Castle in Ballyvaughan, fostering a bond with the captivating Irish scenery.
Additionally, his role as an external examiner at the Department of English in University College Galway further deepened his ties with Ireland, with examination stints in 1949, 1950, 1954, and 1959, he had plenty of opportunity to be inspired by her mythical landscapes.
The complex tapestry of Tolkien’s linguistic choices reveals intriguing connections to the Irish language. The name ‘Gollum,’ for instance, is speculated to draw inspiration from Poulnagollum in Clare, home to Ireland’s longest cave. (Read more.)

From An Sionnach Fionn:

Taken together one would certainly be left with the impression that J.R.R. Tolkien had mixed feelings about Ireland, while acknowledging being a frequent visitor to the country.... What made him emphasise his relative lack of empathy for certain aspects of Ireland and Irishness, and above all the Irish language, while elsewhere clearly expressing his fondness for the nation? And why note that the Lord of the Rings, the most public expression of his by then much-changed mythology for England, was completed before he ever set foot in the country? Perhaps he was already worried that enquiring readers and critics would see more of Ireland in his legendarium than they would of England? Or perhaps his views were even more complex than that? (Read more.)