The Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill paper was very thorough and thoughtful. The author has a keen grasp of the bardic tradition and what it means to Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill. To illustrate this, the author describes Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill's childhood and how it would later affect her decision to write exclusively in Gaelic. The importance that Nuala places upon the traditional language of her country is evident in the paper. The author does an outstanding job of dissecting a sampling of her poems.
The background portion of the paper provides and in-depth look at the events which led to Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill's emergence as an advocate of a purely Irish language to be spoken in Ireland. Her multi-cultural experiences growing-up provide cause for her need to expose her own culture that became anglicized. The striking change in her attitude toward Irish linguistics is well conveyed. The author uses a story in which Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill was writing a poem. Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill was struck with the irony of the fact that she was writing a poem about Ireland in a foreign tongue. She at once began to start writing in Gaelic. The schism in the poems marks her break with writing in English.
The author of this paper does a fine job of dissecting an array of Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill's poems.
A sampling of poems are given to entertain the reader and give the audience a flavor of
this talented poet. The poem selections are appropriate to the purpose of the author's paper. They clearly show Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill's affinity for her Irish heritage and language. At the end of each poem, a commentary is given that provides background to the motives for each of the poems. The analysis is concise and astute. Additionally, the author brings in historical references that are pertinent to the period in which the poem was written.
Clearly, ample thought and consideration were provided for this paper chronicling the life and works of a true Irish patriot. The paper flowed extremely well. The poems broke up the paper appropriately. They provided a visual aid of sorts to reflect the style and efforts of Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill. The only fault to be found in the paper are a few grammatical errors. These can easily be corrected and do not detract from the content or effect of this fine paper.