 Thomas Davis (1814-1845) Irish writer and politician who was the chief organizer and poet of the Young Ireland movement.
A Protestant who resented the traditional identification of Irish nationalism with Roman Catholic interests, he evolved, while at Trinity College, Dublin, an ideal of uniting all creeds and classes in a vigorous national movement. In 1842 he co-founded the weekly Nation, which supported Daniel O'Connell's agitation for restoring an Irish parliament and which became the organ of the writers known as the Young Irelanders. Davis wrote patriotic verses such as "A Nation Once Again" and "The Battle of Fontenoy"; his writings virtually became the gospel of the Sinn Féin movement. His Essays and Poems, with a Centenary Memoir, 1845-1945 appeared in 1945. |
A Rich And Rare LandShe is a rich and rare land, Oh she's a fresh and fair land; She is a dear and rare land, This native land of mine. No men than hers are braver, Her women's hearts ne'er waver; I'd freely die to save her, And think my lot divine. She's not a dull or cold land, No, she's a warm and bold land, Oh, she's a true and old land, This native land of mine. Could beauty ever guard her, And virtue still reward her, No foe would cross her border No friend within it pine. Oh, she's a fresh and fair land, Oh, she's a true and rare land; Yes she's a rare and fair land, This native land of mine. |