The book begins by tracing the emergence of Celtic culture and defining what is meant by the Celtic Spirit. Chapters focusing on the myriad aspects of Celtic Spirit in relation to nature, creative living, hospitality and love of place are followed by essays tracing the literary manifestations of the Celtic Spriit, from early forms such as lyric poetry, epic tales and adventures to the magnigicent work produced as a result of the confluence of the Celtic and the Christian. The book also charts the collapse of the old Gaelic order and conflicting attitudes to the Celtic identity in the works of Anglo-Irish authors such as Maria-Edgeworth. This was followed by the re-emergence of new forms of Celtic-inspired literature in the nineteenth century, most especially in the literature of Yeats, Synge and, perhaps unexpectedly, Joyce. The extraordinary tenacity and variety of the Celtic Spirit is demonstrated through an exploration of modern Irish Literature, including works by Flann O'Brien, Patrick Kavanagh, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney, and contemporary writers such as Colum McCann.

Includes bibliographical references.