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1Ireland,IslandofSaintsandSagesJamesJoyceNationshavetheirego,justlikeindividuals.Thecaseofapeoplewholiketoattributetothemselvesqualitiesandgloriesforeigntootherpeoplehasnotbeenentirelyunknowninhistory,fromthetimeofourancestors,whocalledthemselvesAryansandnobles,orthatoftheGreeks,whocalledallthosewholivedoutsidethesacrosanctlandofHellasbarbarians.TheIrish,withapridethatisperhapslesseasytoexplain,lovetorefertotheircountryastheislandofsaintsandsages.Thisexaltedtitlewasnotinventedyesterdayorthedaybefore.Itgoesbacktothemostancienttimes,whentheislandwasatruefocuscfsanctityandintellect,spreadingthroughoutthecontinentacultureandavitalizingenergy.ItwouldbeeasytomakealistoftheIrishmenwhocarriedthetorchofknowledgefromcountrytocountryaspilgrimsandhermits,asscholarsandwisemen.Theirtracesarestillseentodayinabandonedaltars,intraditionsandlegendswhereeventhenameoftheheroisscarcelyrecognizable,orinpoeticallusions,suchasthepassageinDante'sInfernowherehismentorpointstooneoftheCelticmagicianstormentedbyinfernalpainsandsays:Quel'altro,chene'fianchiecosipoco,MicheleScottofu,cheveramenteDellemagichefrodeseppeilgioco.Intruth,itwouldtakethelearningandpatienceofaleisurelyBollandisttorelatetheactsofthesesaintsandsages.WeatleastrememberthenotoriousopponentofSt.Thomas,JohnDunsScotus(calledtheSubtleDoctortodistinguishhimfromSt.Thomas,theAngelicDoctor,andfromBonaventura,theSeraphicDoctor)whowasthemilitantchampionofthedoctrineoftheImmaculateConception,and,asthechroniclesofthatperiodtellus,anunbeatabledialectician.ItseemsundeniablethatIrelandatthattimewasanimmenseseminary,wherescholarsgatheredfromthedifferentcountriesofEurope,sogreatwasitsrenownformasteryofspiritualmatters.Althoughassertionsofthiskindmustbetakenwithgreatreservations,itismorethanlikely(inviewofthereligiousfervourthatstillprevailsinIreland,ofwhichyou,whohavebeennourishedonthefoodofscepticisminrecentyears,canhardlyformacorrectidea)thatthisgloriouspastisnotafictionbasedonthespiritofself-glorification.Ifyoureallywishtobeconvinced,therearealwaysthedusty2archivesoftheGermans.FerreronowtellsusthatthediscoveriesofthesegoodprofessorsofGermany,sofarastheydealwiththeancienthistoryoftheRomanrepublicandtheRomanempire,arewrongfromthebeginning--almostcompletelywrong.Itmaybeso.But,whetherornotthisisso,noonecandenythat,justastheselearnedGermanswerethefirsttopresentShakespeareasapoetofworldsignificancetothewarpedeyesofhiscompatriots(whouptothattimehadconsideredWilliamafigureofsecondaryimportance,afinefellowwithapleasantveinoflyricpoetry,butperhapstoofondofEnglishbeer),theseveryGermansweretheonlyonesinEuropetoconcernthemselveswithCelticlanguagesandthehistoryofthefiveCelticnations.TheonlyIrishgrammarsanddictionariesthatexistedinEuropeupuntilafewyearsago,whentheGaelicLeaguewasfoundedinDublin,weretheworksofGermans.TheIrishlanguage,althoughoftheIndo-Europeanfamily,differsfromEnglishalmostasmuchasthelanguagespokeninRomediffersfromthatspokeninTeheran.Ithasanalphabetofspecialcharacters,andahistoryalmostthreethousandyearsold.Tenyearsago,itwasspokenonlybythepeasantsinthewesternprovincesonthecoastoftheAtlanticandafewinthesouth,andonthelittleislandsthatstandlikepicketsofthevanguardofEurope,onthefrontoftheeasternhemisphere.NowtheGaelicLeaguehasreviveditsuse.EveryIrishnewspaper,withtheexceptionoftheUnionistorgans,hasatleastonespecialheadlineprintedinIrish.ThecorrespondenceoftheprincipalcitiesiswritteninIrish,theIrishlanguageistaughtinmostoftheprimaryandsecondaryschools,and,intheuniversities,ithasbeensetonalevelwiththeothermodernlanguages,suchasFrench,German,Italian,andSpanish.InDublin,thenamesofthestreetsareprintedinbothlanguages.TheLeagueorganizesconcerts,debates,andsocialsatwhichthespeakerofbeurla(thatis,English)feelslikeafishoutofwater,confusedinthemidstofacrowdthatchattersinaharshandgutturaltongue.Inthestreets,youoftenseegroupsofyoungpeoplepassbyspeakingIrish,perhapsalittlemoreemphaticallythanisnecessary.ThemembersoftheLeaguewritetoeachotherinIrish,andoftenthepoorpostman,unabletoreadtheaddress,mustturntohissuperiortountietheknot.Thislanguageisorientalinorigin,andhasbeenidentifiedbymanyphilologistswiththeancientlanguageofthePhoenicians,theoriginatorsoftradeandnavigation,accordingtohistorians.Thisadventurouspeople,whohadamonopolyofthesea,establishedinIrelandacivilizationthathaddecayedandalmostdisappearedbeforethefirstGreekhistoriantookhispeninhand.Itjealouslypreservedthesecretsofitsknowledge,and3thefirstmentionoftheislandofIrelandinforeignliteratureisfoundinaGreekpoemofthefifthcenturybeforeChrist,wherethehistorianrepeatsthePhoeniciantradition.ThelanguagethattheLatinwriterofcomedy,Plautus,putinthemouthofPhoeniciansinhiscomedyPoenulusisalmostthesamelanguagethattheIrishpeasantsspeaktoday,accordingtothecriticVallancey.Thereligionandcivilizationofthisancientpeople,laterknownbythenameofDruidism,wereEgyptian.TheDruidpriestshadtheirtemplesintheopen,andworshippedthesunandmooningrovesofoaktrees.Inthecrudestateofknowledgeofthosetimes,theIrishpriestswereconsideredverylearned,andwhenPlutarchmentionsIreland,hes