3 Quotes by Declan Kiberd

Declan Kiberd: Irish writers were an early warning system about abuseArtists played a vital role in the State's formation and since independence have held it to account

A man [Joyce] whose earliest stories appeared next to the manure prices in the Irish Homestead knew that columns of prose, like columns of shit, could both recultivate the earth.

Our national poet WB Yeats said that every Irish writer had a decision to take: whether to express Ireland or exploit it. In his day, the choice lay between expressing the nation to itself or exploiting it for the amused condescension of a mainly overseas audience.Holding a mirror up to the people was a risky business: many, seeing an unflattering image, were inclined to smash the glass in anger.