Jellurgal

Publication Instance Details #2414

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
No	No	Yes	No	No	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	HR & Colonisation/Colonial Legacies Genocide Indigenous Rights (incl. culture & language)
War / Genocide Referenced	Genocide: Genocide of indigenous people in Australia (pre 20th century)
Irish Context	Colonization and Colonial Legacy (Ireland) Specific Irish place or place-name mentioned
Languages	Irish
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Notes	This poem describes author's journey to Jellurgal, a mountain in the land of the Australian Yugambeh people. The native guide is described as having some Irish heritage, being of Ó Domhnaill stock from Donegal, and the speaker of the poem immediately feels an affinity to him. The myths of the native peoples are discussed, with the speaker comparing 'Jaibrín' the mountain giant with the Irish legend of Fionn Mac Cumhaill. The poem is mostly descriptive of the culture and myth of the Yugambeh, however, when 'Ó Domhnaill' plays one of the songs of his people on the didjeridu, the speaker of the poem describes it as a heartfelt mourning for a transformed, beaten-down people. It is likely that the allegory to Irish myth and heritage is significant - the speaker clearly draws a comparison between the downtrodden Yugambeh and the disenfranchised, defeated Irish Earls.