Great Irish Voices: Over 400 Years of Irish Oratory

Amongst the multitude of speeches, sermons and addresses annually delivered by Irish men and women, only a few are permanently preserved. The remainder are forgotten. The main objective of this compilation is to bring together a selection of speeches, sermons and addresses from some of Ireland’s greatest statesmen and women over the last 1000 years. They are arranged in chronological order, with an introduction giving the background to each one. Brief biographical notes are also given on each speaker at the back of the book. The orations chosen are always interesting in themselves and many of them prove enlightening views of historical events. For example, Ireland’s stance, both North and South during World War Two can be readily seen by reading Eamon de Valera’s, Lord Craigavon’s and James Dillon’s speeches at the time. The great speakers of the Irish past are represented with Grattan, Burke, O'Connell and Parnell each given considerable attention. The great Irish lawyers are also well represented with John Philpot Curran’s speech at Archibald Hamilton Rowan’s trial being the most notable. However, no compilation of Irish speeches would be complete without church sermons, Jonathan Swift’s being the highlight amongst them.