An Cogadh Seo

Publication Instance Details #163

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	War HR & Weapons of Mass Destruction (incl. nuclear)
War / Genocide Referenced	War: Global War on Terrorism
Irish Context	Specific Irish place or place-name mentioned Colonization and Colonial Legacy (Ireland)
Languages	Irish
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Notes	The poet-speaker of this poem writes about the present war, but refuses to name it. Based on the publication date, the poem is actually based on the War on Terror, although the speaker states that she prefers to avoid the present tense, and mourn instead those who died in the Battle of Rosnaree. This could refer to the Williamite Wars, as Prince William of Oriens held a fort in Rosnaree, or it could refer to a battle in the mythological Ulster Cycle, in which Concobhar Mac Neasa went to fight Cairpe Nia Fer. The poet-speaker states that she writes out of hope and love, and that she pities both those who 'push the buttons', and those who die as a result of the explosions caused by these actions. She mourns and expresses her sympathy and concern for all of us who are headed into the abyss - a reflection, perhaps, on how she views the contemporary conflict of the poem, the War on Terror.