• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Irish America

Irish America

Irish America

  • HOME
  • WHO WE ARE
    • ABOUT US
    • OUR CONTRIBUTORS
  • IN THIS ISSUE
  • HALL OF FAME
  • THE LISTS
    • BUSINESS 100
    • HALL OF FAME
    • HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES 50
    • WALL STREET 50
  • LIBRARY
  • TRAVEL
  • EVENTS

Shelley’s Irish Poem

By Julia Brodsky, Editorial Assistant
December / January 2016

December 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment

A long-lost poetical pamphlet by Percy Bysshe Shelley was unveiled at the Bodleian Library in Oxford on November 10th. Shelley wrote the pamphlet, Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Things, in 1811 to protest Britain’s involvement in the Napoleonic war and, in particular, the jailing of Irish journalist Peter Finnerty, who had been accused of libel after critiquing British military operations.
Poetical Essay had been considered lost until a single copy was found in a private collection in 2006. The Bodleian Library recently acquired the copy and made it available to the public, marking the occasion with a reading of the 10-page essay by actress Vanessa Redgrave.
Journalist Peter Finnerty, whose name features more prominently in the poem than does Shelley’s (the author is noted simply as a “gentleman of the University of Oxford”), is believed to have been born in County Galway, and he was involved with the United Irishmen revolutionary movement. After the 1798 rebellion, Finnerty penned an attack on the judges who condemned members of the movement to death and was imprisoned for seditious libel. Upon his release, he emigrated to London and worked as a parliamentary reporter. His criticism of the British military action in Denmark and his condemnation of Lord Castlereagh, secretary of state for war, led to his second imprisonment in 1811.
Shelley was not Finnerty’s only supporter; there was a major campaign to raise funds in his defense, which included public meetings in Dublin and Belfast. Finnerty was released in 1813 and continued working as a journalist until his death in 1822. William Hazlitt, essayist and close friend of Finnerty’s, wrote that “he loved Ireland to the last.” ♦

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Highlights

News
Articles and stories from Irish America.....
MORE

Hibernia
News from Ireland and happenings in Irish America.....
MORE

Those We Lost
Remembering some of the great Irish Americans who have passed.....
MORE

Slainte!
Discover Irish ancestry, predilections, and recipes.....
MORE

Photo Album
Irish America readers share the stories of their ancestors....
MORE

More Articles

  • Morrison Visas: Round Two

    Morrison Visas: Round Two

    Hard to believe that it's already a year since the days of Morrison Madness, when tens of thousands ...
  • British Government Faced With Legal Dilemma Over 1997 Murder of Sean Brown

    British Government Faced With Legal Dilemma Over 1997 Murder of Sean Brown

    This month is crunch time for the British government on one of the most prominent legal cases from t...
  • Hibernia | Honoring Our Heritage & Empowering The Next Generation

    Hibernia | Honoring Our Heritage & Empowering The Next Generation

    Irish American Partnership: Investing in Ireland's Future For the Irish American Partnership, th...
  • Hibernia | Sports

    Hibernia | Sports

    Hibernian Hoops: From City Gyms to the World Stage When the National Basketball Association (NBA)...

Footer

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Give a Gift
  • Newsletter

Additional

  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · IrishAmerica Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in