Translation and the Nation

This chapter examines the intersection of nation and translation by studying the translation activities of Young Irelanders. It looks at how European links challenge notions of national distinctness while at the same time assisting in a programme of political and cultural separatism. By examining how Irish cultural mediators imported ideas, forms and motifs from Europe through translation, this chapter considers the international nature of nationalism in this period. The appropriation and diffusion of European tropes and forms through translation is a striking example of transnational flows, even in the most national of arenas.