''Irish Avatar'' is an 1821

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

, known as Lord Byron.

Background

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the so-called " Irish Question", regarding the response of the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

to rising nationalistic sentiments in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, began to once again emerge into the public consciousness. The "question" had been exacerbated by the ultimately unsuccessful

uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

by the

United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association, formed in the wake of the French Revolution, to secure Representative democracy, representative government in Ireland. Despairing of constitutional reform, and in defiance both of British ...

in 1798, inspired by the French Revolution. As a result of pressure from the opposition as well as Ireland, the incumbent government administration was forced to repeal portions of the

Penal laws Penal law refers to criminal law. It may also refer to: * Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism * Penal laws (Ireland) In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...

and grant increased authority to the Irish parliament. However, on January 1, 1801, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

were merged into the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

; the Irish parliament was abolished, and Irish representatives received seats in the

British parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

. The act increased Irish support for

home rule in Ireland A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...

. Lord Byron was impressed by ''Lines on the Entry of the Austrians into Naples'', which was written by Irish writer

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

in 1821. Therefore, he conceived ''the Irish Avatar'' as a work in the same vein, attacking the "servile Irish" as Moore had attacked the capitulating Neapolitan soldiers.

Contents of the pamphlet

Byron wrote the pamphlet ''Irish Avatar'' after the royal visit by

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

. Byron criticised the attitudes displayed by the

Irish people The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and Culture of Ireland, culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has be ...

towards

the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

, an institution he perceived as oppressing them, and was dismayed by the positive reception George IV received during his visit. In the satirical pamphlet, Byron lambasted

Irish unionists Unionism in Ireland is a political tradition that professes loyalty to the crown of the United Kingdom and to the union it represents with England, Scotland and Wales. The overwhelming sentiment of Ireland's Protestant minority, unionism mobi ...

and voiced muted support towards Irish nationalism. He describes

having been received by a 'legion of crooks, and an army of slaves.'

Reception

Thomas Moore expressed positive criticism for the ''Irish Avatar'', and had written in his journal that he had "Received Lord Byron's tremendous verses against the King & the Irish for their late exhibition in Dublin – richly deserved by my servile & hollow-hearted countrymen".

Byron and Ireland

Byron had expressed concerns over the "Irish Question" in letters which dated back to the years he was a student at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. In his second speech to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, which he delivered on 21 April 1812, Byron spoke in defense of the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

Irish Catholics Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...

. The formal reason for the speech was a proposal to set up a committee to investigate the complaints of Irish Catholics. However, from the outset, Byron made it clear that he perceived their complaints to be part of a larger nationalist movement. In the speech, Byron warned of the danger of favoring

Irish Protestants Protestantism is a Christianity, Christian community on the island of Ireland. In the 2011 census of Northern Ireland, 48% (883,768) described themselves as Protestant, which was a decline of approximately 5% from the 2001 census. In the 2011 ...

over Catholics, warning that this would only increase the sectarian divide in the country. Byron also castigated several British politicians for their indifference to Irish affairs in the speech.The Life., с. 682.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Lord Byron Poetry by Lord Byron 1821 poems Pamphlets Anti-Irish sentiment British satirical poems Cultural depictions of Irish people