Abstract: | This paper is an attempt to show the state of Northern Irish culture and falls into two sections. Section 1 is written under the influence of an article published in The Guardian Weekend, by Ronan Bennett, where he makes a presentation of the situation of Irish culture in 1994. The study has become somewhat outdated, as the situation in Northern Ireland has considerably changed since 1994. Moreover, the article was followed by a series of replies, published by the same newspaper, which calls for further considerations, to bring the presentation up-to-date. Anyway, the underlying idea is that, in spite of the Troubles, Ulster culture still exists, although biased in many cases. In different regions of Northern Ulster artists show varieties of approaches in their works, due to political and religious influences. Section 2 is dedicated to an analysis of Brian Friel's play Translations, where political interpretations become the basis fora link between 19th century Ireland and after-war Ulster. In essence, the events of 1830 (mapping the country) show their destructive effects in the lives of the characters then, and, by extrapolation, today, as well. |
