The Ballad of Father Gilligan Essay Example

The poem is written in the form of a ballad, traditionally sung with short and regular stanzas that convey a short yet deeply significant story. While Yeats's poems typically do not express religious themes, this particular poem does. Although Yeats himself was a protestant who later embraced theosophy and mysticism, the tone of this poem is Catholic. Additionally, deviating from his customary style, Yeats incorporates an Irish word, 'mavrone', which in Irish translates to 'mobhron' and signifies a cry of grief.

The poem not only addresses the poverty of rural Ireland, but also the extreme religiosity of its people. The fact that Father Gilligan failed to reach the dying man in time and that no pri