This phenomenon was the result of several generations of poets and academics in Cork originally associated with the nationalist movement in Ireland which championed Irish language literature and education.
Roots of the Movement
Although he only learned Irish in his late 20s, Daniel Corkery (1878 - 1964) became a mentor for the next generation of poets who would write in Irish Gaelic. A native of Cork city who eventually became a professor of English at University College Cork in 1930, he worked with members of the Irish Language revival movement to form the Cork Dramatic Society. In his influential book The Hidden Ireland, he studies the work of eighteenth century Irish poets who spoke for the Catholic population of Ireland, often overshadowed by the dominant Anglo-Irish culture of the time.
Sean O Tuama (1926 - 2006) and Sean O Riordain (1916 - 77) were both heavily influenced by Daniel Corkery and influenced a later generation of poets in turn. As professor of modern Irish at University College Cork in the 1950s and a poet in his own right, O Tuama also wrote plays and academic papers in Irish. During his time at the college he established high standards for the study of Irish literature and gave seminars on the poet Sean O Riordain.
O Riordain himself, in addition to being one of many translators of Medieval Irish in his generation, is one of the most notable 20th century Irish language poets. He is the author of several collections of poetry well known in Ireland.
Innti Magazine
Originally a broadside launched in 1970 by students of the UCC, and continued as a magazine under edtior Michael Davitt and others, this is the publication by which Irish language poets in Cork in the 1960s and 70s are collectively known. Besides Davitt, the three best known poets of the "Innti group" are Gabriel Rosenstock, Liam O Muirthile, and Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill.
Innti magazine was the showcase of the movement to introduce modern themes into Irish poetry and move away from the traditional nationalist politics that had dominated Irish-language culture since the early 20th century.
The Most Famous Poets of the Innti Movement
Michael Davitt (1950 - 2005) first learned Munster Irish at school. After graduating from the UCC with a BA in Celtic studies, he relocated to Dublin where he worked for Gael Linn, an Irish-language cultural organization, and Irish-language broadcaster RTE. A bilingual collections of his Rogha Danta/Selected Poems appreared in 1987 (Raven Arts, ISBN 1 851860 29 0). Heavily influenced by the Beat poets and Bob Dylan, Davitt infused his poetry with a modern, international spirit.
Gabriel Rosenstock, (1949 - ) a Limerick native, has written several bilingual poetry collections, and translated other works, including Japanese haiku into Irish. In addition to being a poet, he is also a prose writer, playwright and translator, and has worked for an Irish language television program and newspaper. An edition of his Rogha Danta/Selected Poems appeared in 2005 from publisher Clo-Iar Chonnachta (ISBN 1 902420 95 0). He currently lives in Dublin.
Liam O Muirthile (1950 - ) is a native of Cork who has published several collections of poetry, a novel, and poetic drama in the Irish language. His work has won several distinguished prizes in Ireland. He studied Irish and French at UCC and now lives in Dublin, where he has worked for Gael Linn and RTE and written a weekly column for the Irish Times. His most recent volume of poetry, Sanas (Cois Life, ISBN 978 1 901176 71 1) was published in 2007.
Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, (1952 - ) the most famous and arguably the most outspoken of the Innti poets, has published several bilingual collections. She currently lives in Dublin. Her life and work is discussed here.
Rosenstock, O Muirthile and Ni Dhomhnaill are all members of the prestigious Irish cultural organization Aosdana, as was Davitt until his death.
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