• Search Research Projects
  • Search Researchers
  • How to Use
  1. Back to previous page

A Study on the Literature of St Patrick's Purgatory in Lough Derg

Research Project

Project/Area Number 14510546
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field 英語・英米文学
Research InstitutionWaseda University

Principal Investigator

MIKAMI Hiroko  Waseda University, Faculty of International Liberal Studies, Professor (20181860)

Project Period (FY) 2002 – 2004
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2004)
Budget Amount *help
¥3,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
KeywordsLough Derg / St Patrick's Purgatory / Carleton, William / Kavanagh, Patrick / Heaney, Seamus / Pilgrimage / Station Island / Takamure, Itsue / ヴィクター・ターナー / アイルランド / パトリック・ガヴァナー / デニス・デヴリン / ショーン・オファエロン / ダンテ / 国際研究者交流
Research Abstract

The pilgrimage to St. Patrick's purgatory on Station Island of Lough Derg has an extraordinary magnetism that attracts many Irish writers. Lough Derg has been an arena of Irish literature over eight hundred years. In this study, the transformation of Irish society is examined through Lough Derg literature from the mid-nineteenth century to 1980s. This research consists of three parts : (1) Analysis of Lough Derg Literature : William Carleton's 'Lough Derg Pilgrim' (1843), Patrick Kavanagh's poem, 'Lough Derg', written in 1940s, and Seamus Heaney's sequence of poems, 'The Station Island' (1984) are the works mainly dealt with and examined. Each writer's concerns are focused on the sources of artistic creativity, artistic freedom or the lack of it, and the preoccupation with the past through place. Certainly, each work is the writer's challenge of redefining himself and his society. (2) Lough Derg and the sociological analysis of contemporary Irish society. In contrast to the drastic decline in numbers of church attendance, Lough Derg pilgrimage continues to thrive. This aspect is examined through the fieldwork at Lough Derg and interviewing of the pilgrims (2002), and the analysis of popular literature and newspaper articles. Lough Derg literature, especially Heaney' s, attracts a new type of 'tourists' and this can make an assumption of alternative tourism there. (3) Comparative study of pilgrimage and pilgrim literature between Ireland and Japan. In order to highlight the characteristics of Lough Derg pilgrimage, the fieldwork of pilgrimage to 88 temples at Shikoku (in part) was done with Dr McCartney from University of Ulster.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2004 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 2003 Annual Research Report
  • 2002 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (1 results)

All 2005

All Journal Article (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] 'Seamus Heaney's "Station Island" and Lough Derg Pilgrimage'(in Japanese)2005

    • Author(s)
      Hiroko, MIKAMI
    • Journal Title

      Eire(Japan-Ireland Society) 25

      Pages: 10-26

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2004 Final Research Report Summary

URL: 

Published: 2002-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

Information User Guide FAQ News Terms of Use Attribution of KAKENHI

Powered by NII kakenhi