---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poetry is not Irish or any other…"
description: "\"Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when writers such as Messrs. Clarke, Farren and the late F. R. Higgins pursue Irishness as a poetic e..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/patrick-kavanagh-14181_end_poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationa_847047.png"
---

#  Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when…

![“Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when writers such as Messrs. Clarke, Farren and the late F. R. Higgins pursue Irishness as a poetic end, they are merely exploiting incidental local colour.” quote by Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/patrick-kavanagh-14181_end_poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationa_847047.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/patrick-kavanagh-14181_end_poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationa_847047.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/patrick-kavanagh-14181_end_poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationa_847047.png)

> “Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when writers such as Messrs. Clarke, Farren and the late F. R. Higgins pursue Irishness as a poetic end, they are merely exploiting incidental local colour.”

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Irishness is a superficial label; true poetry transcends nationality.

**In simple terms:** Poetry beyond borders.

Key Takeaway

Write universally.

Themes

identity art nationalism

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

literary analytical

When to use this quote

- Teaching literature
- writing workshops
- cross‑cultural projects

Key Concepts

Literary theory cultural studies

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your heritage shape your work?
- Can poetry be truly borderless?

A Different Perspective

Risk of ignoring cultural context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Irish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irish/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [In the country places of Ireland, writing is held in certain awe: a writer was a dangerous man from whom they instinctively recoiled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/in-the-country-places-of-ireland-writing-is-held-in-certain-awe-a/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [Ancient Ireland sweeping In again with all its unbaptized beauty: The calm evening, The whitethorn blossoms, The smell from ditches that were not Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/ancient-ireland-sweeping-in-again-with-all-its-unbaptized-beauty-the/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [“I think being a woman is like being Irish... Everyone says you're important and nice, but you take second place all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-think-being-a-woman-is-like-being-irish-everyone-says-you-re/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fionnula-flanagan/i-m-irish-and-always-will-be-but-america-has-taught-me-so-much-maybe/)

[Fionnula Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fionnula-flanagan/)

> [There's all sorts of soul. There's Irish soul and Native American soul. If it touches you and moves you, it's soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oates/there-s-all-sorts-of-soul-there-s-irish-soul-and-native-american-soul/)

[John Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oates/)

> [Thankfully the rest of the world assumed that the Irish were crazy, a theory that the Irish themselves did nothing to debunk. They had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/thankfully-the-rest-of-the-world-assumed-that-the-irish-were-crazy-a/)

[Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/)

> [“Why would she do that?" "Because she's a Yankee - a Maine Yankee, the worst kind. On a given day, they can make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/why-would-she-do-that-because-she-s-a-yankee-a-maine-yankee-the-worst/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“A horn honks.I look up, expecting to see the white Audi. But there’s a sleek black four-door with shiny silver rims instead. e driver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-tucker-2/a-horn-honks-i-look-up-expecting-to-see-the-white-audi-but-there-s-a/)

[K A Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-tucker-2/)

> [“...books, ingeniously coupled with music and alcohol, enabled the Irish to transcend reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-queenan/books-ingeniously-coupled-with-music-and-alcohol-enabled-the-irish-to/)

[Joe Queenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-queenan/)

> [“Do you know what Ireland is?' asked Stephen with cold violence. 'Ireland is the old sow that eats her farrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/do-you-know-what-ireland-is-asked-stephen-with-cold-violence-ireland/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

> [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/)

[John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/)

> [“Ireland is probably named the “Emerald Isle” because there are lots of precious stones found there, such as sapphires and rubies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/ireland-is-probably-named-the-emerald-isle-because-there-are-lots-of/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/)

[Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

## More by Patrick Kavanagh

> [My chin is weak. I find it hard to make decisions. For years I had been caught between the two stools of security on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/my-chin-is-weak-i-find-it-hard-to-make-decisions-for-years-i-had-been/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [The keynote of simple folk is bad manners, familiarity. They intrude on one's private soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/the-keynote-of-simple-folk-is-bad-manners-familiarity-they-intrude-on/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [Yeats, protected to some extent by the Nationalistic movement, wrote out of a somewhat protected world, and so his work does not touch life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/yeats-protected-to-some-extent-by-the-nationalistic-movement-wrote/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [I want to reveal in a simple way the usual - and unusual - life of the city; the corporation workman, the busmen, policemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/i-want-to-reveal-in-a-simple-way-the-usual-and-unusual-life-of-the/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [Natural life, lived naturally as it is lived in the countryside, has none of that progress which is the base of happiness. Men and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/natural-life-lived-naturally-as-it-is-lived-in-the-countryside-has/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [How strange a thing like that happens to a man. He dabbles in something and does not realise that it is his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/how-strange-a-thing-like-that-happens-to-a-man-he-dabbles-in/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [Actors are loved because they are unoriginal. Actors stick to their script. The unoriginal man is loved by the mediocrity because this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/actors-are-loved-because-they-are-unoriginal-actors-stick-to-their/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [Malice is only another name for mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/malice-is-only-another-name-for-mediocrity/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [ Publication there \[in Nimbus\] was to prove a turning point… The publication of his next volume of verse, Come Dance with Kitty Stobling, was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/publication-there-in-nimbus-was-to-prove-a-turning-point-the/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [“It often occurs to me that we love most what makes us miserable. In my opinion, the damned are damned because they enjoy being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/it-often-occurs-to-me-that-we-love-most-what-makes-us-miserable-in-my/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [Ancient Ireland sweeping In again with all its unbaptized beauty: The calm evening, The whitethorn blossoms, The smell from ditches that were not Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/ancient-ireland-sweeping-in-again-with-all-its-unbaptized-beauty-the/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [In the country places of Ireland, writing is held in certain awe: a writer was a dangerous man from whom they instinctively recoiled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/in-the-country-places-of-ireland-writing-is-held-in-certain-awe-a/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [In the dear dead days beyond recall, when I was in my prime as a film critic, the industry was booming. Hollywood, to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/in-the-dear-dead-days-beyond-recall-when-i-was-in-my-prime-as-a-film/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [Young writers should keep out of pubs and remember that the cliche way of the artistic life is a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/young-writers-should-keep-out-of-pubs-and-remember-that-the-cliche/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [The second-grade films - where are they? No more are they made, and yet they were by far the best films for holding hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/the-second-grade-films-where-are-they-no-more-are-they-made-and-yet/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

[Explore all 47 Patrick Kavanagh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

## More End quotes

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/)

[AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/)

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/)

[Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/)

> [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Obviously, I want to win, but at the same time, at the end of the day, it's a game and that's what I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-rendon/obviously-i-want-to-win-but-at-the-same-time-at-the-end-of-the-day-it/)

[Anthony Rendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-rendon/)

> [I loved Twitter. But I was going to end up saying something that would get me into trouble. I have kept a clean nose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-richards/i-loved-twitter-but-i-was-going-to-end-up-saying-something-that-would/)

[Micah Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-richards/)

> [I'm a humanist at heart: at the end of the day, we are all human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chet-faker/i-m-a-humanist-at-heart-at-the-end-of-the-day-we-are-all-human-beings/)

[Chet Faker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chet-faker/)

> [At the end of the day, winning games is the only thing that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-vanvleet/at-the-end-of-the-day-winning-games-is-the-only-thing-that-matters/)

[Fred VanVleet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-vanvleet/)

> [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [My best business decision was to be independent as a musician and artist. My worst was compromising on certain aspects of a deal for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-best-business-decision-was-to-be-independent-as-a-musician-and/)

[Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/)

> [Regular panelists on shows can be terrifying. They own that space, and many guest comics suspect they are favoured in the edit, while their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/regular-panelists-on-shows-can-be-terrifying-they-own-that-space-and/)

[Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/)

> [Our ape legs make us great generalists - we can walk, run and climb. But when you try to do too many things at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/our-ape-legs-make-us-great-generalists-we-can-walk-run-and-climb-but/)

[Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/)

> [I have an intense dislike of doctrines, because you will always end up eating your words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/i-have-an-intense-dislike-of-doctrines-because-you-will-always-end-up/)

[Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/)

Browse all 7,862 End quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when writers such as Messrs. Clarke, Farren and the late F. R. Higgins pursue Irishness as a poetic end, they are merely exploiting incidental local colour.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Patrick Kavanagh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationality-and-when-writers-such-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "End"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationality-and-when-writers-such-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/patrick-kavanagh-14181_end_poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationa_847047.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/patrick-kavanagh-14181_end_poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationa_847047.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/patrick-kavanagh-14181_end_poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationa_847047.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when writers such as Messrs. Clarke, Farren and the late…” — Patrick Kavanagh",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Patrick Kavanagh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Poetry is not Irish or any...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationality-and-when-writers-such-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/poetry-is-not-irish-or-any-other-nationality-and-when-writers-such-as/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
