Swedish Irish Society

The Irish, it is said, are gifted wordsmiths -a theory borne out by the country's plentiful number of Nobel laureates. Indeed, four Irish authors have received the world-famous and prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature.

This was commemorated in 2004 by a joint issue of stamps by the Post Offices in Sweden and Ireland. The stamps feature portraits of the writers together with symbols of their work.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) received the Nobel Prize in 1923 for his dramatic writing. Yeats founded and ran the Irish Literary Theatre, which later became The Abbey Theatre, for the duration of his life. His most famous works include "Land Of Heart's Desire" and "The Hourglass."

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was a free-thinker who worked as a dramatist and literary and music critic. He received the Nobel Prize in 1925 "for his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty." Wider audiences are most familiar with "Pygmalion," which later became the musical My Fair Lady.

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) won the Nobel Prize in 1969 "for his writing, which - in new forms for the novel and drama - in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation." Beckett won fame primarily for his dramas, of which the most well known was "Waiting for Godot," a provocative and humoristic portrayal of man, who continues to wait and hope in world devoid of hope.

Seamus Heaney (1939- ) is a poet, lyricist and essayist. Heaney received the Nobel Prize in 1995 "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past." He was born in Northern Ireland, resides in Dublin, is a guest professor at Harvard, has received an honorary doctorate from Queen's University in Belfast, and has been a professor at Oxford. Last year Heaney received an honorary doctorate from Stockholm University in Sweden. Heaney's works often depict his childhood years in the Irish countryside and the troubles in Northern Ireland. His works include "North" and "Seeing Things," two collections of poems.

af Chapman

The sailing ship af Chapman on Skeppsholmen is a familiar sight to Stockholmers, but how many realise that she was originally an Irish sailing ship?

St Brigid and St Birgitta

St Birgitta of Sweden was one of the most influential Swedish women in history. A Swedish scholar, Bishop Bengt Wadensjö, has written an interesting article on the origin of her name and other parallels with St Brigid of Ireland.

St Brendan

Another interesting historical link is to be found in the medieval church in Täby, where a mural painting of the Irish St Brendan standing on a whale's back can be seen. This is a familiar event in the classic Irish story of Saint Brendan's Voyages, but how did it come to be painted in the church in Täby?

Valentine's Day

Yet another saint who is well known everywhere is St Valentine, at least indirectly through Valentine's Day , 14th February. There is an interesting story behind the fact that St Valentine's shrine can be seen in Dublin.

Swedish Irish Connections

Nobel Prize Winners

af Chapman

St Brigid and St Birgitta

St Brendan

Valentine's Day