Dora Sigerson

Irish nationalist and Celtic revivalist DS published twenty-two volumes of poetry (in which ballads predominate), as well as two collections of short stories, one of short sketches, a fairy tale, a nursery rhyme, and a novel. Some of her poetry volumes reprint writing from earlier books. Some of her writings mix prose and poetry, narrative and song: a form of lyricism reminiscent of traditional Irish story-telling. Much of her poetry laments the loss of Celtic culture, mythology, language, and literature, grief for the golden past of Kathleen Ni Houlihan (the glorified female embodiment of Ireland), and mourning for the deaths of Irish nationalists and for the devastation inflicted on Ireland's land and people by years of warfare. She also addresses gender and family issues, telling tales of women who sacrifice themselves for love or for lovers, while their men are generally unconstant if not actually false. Her prose sketches reflect her love of nature and animals.