Davis, Leith. “A ’Truly National’ Project: Thomas Moore’s Irish Melodies and the Gendering of the British Cultural Marketplace.” In Music, Postcolonialism, and Gender: The Construction of Irish National Identity, 1724-1874. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 2006. Describes how texts concerning Irish music, including Moore’s Irish Melodies, created a sense of Irish identity and were a means of examining Ireland’s colonial relationship with England.
Deane, Seamus. “Thomas Moore (1779-1852).” In The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, edited by Seamus Deane. 3 vols. New York: W. W. Norton, 1991. Points out that Irish Melodies made the Gaelic tradition acceptable to the dominant taste of readers in nineteenth century England and made Irish rebelliousness aesthetic. Provides a representative selection of the songs, with annotations, and a bibliography.
Jones, Howard Mumford. The Harp That Once—A Chronicle of the Life of Thomas Moore. New York: Henry Holt, 1937. Reprint. New York: Russell & Russell, 1970. Despite its date, still the authoritative biography of Moore, which depicts him as the embodiment of Romanticism. Places him in his cultural and historical milieu. Balances criticism and appreciation of his character and work with exemplary judgment and elegance.
Kelly, Linda. Ireland’s...
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