Egan O’Reilly

Sigerson, in Bards of the Gael and Gall (1907), prints two visionary poems of the early eighteenth century under the name Egan O’Reilly. The first, “The Brightness of Brightness”, is an aisling, or vision-poem, in which a radiant woman who stands for Ireland appears to the poet.

Sigerson’s own note on the poet’s life treats him as John Mor O’Reilly of Cavan. The poem is generally attributed in the Irish tradition to Egan O’Rahilly of Kerry. Both pieces are given here as Sigerson prints them, in his English versions.