When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- William Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Act 2 Scene 4 (8.88, 8.126)
- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal (7.62, 7.65, 7.76)
- William Shakespeare (8.90, 8.91, 12.62, 12.74)
- Alfred Noyes, "The Highwayman" (8.90, 8.111, 8.112)
- E. Phillips Oppenheim, The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss (8.114-115)
- P.G. Wodehouse (8.117, 8.129)
- John Mitchel, Jail Journal (8.129)
- Shaemas O'Sheel (8.157)
- Edward Lear, "The Owl and the Pussycat" (9.121-122)
- Seán O'Casey (12.61)
- George Bernard Shaw (12.61)
- Henrik Ibsen (12.61)
- Butler's Lives of the Saints (13.13, 13.18)
- Oliver Goldsmith, "The Deserted Village" (13.23-24)
Historical References
Irish heroes:
- Cuchulain (1.90, 1.268, 7.171) Irish folk legend
- The Red Branch Knights (1.111) Legendary Irish warriors
- The Fenian Men (1.111) Irish nationalists in the US with a revolutionary state of mind
- The IRA (1.111, 2.42)
- Eamon de Valera (2.332, 3.52, 7.171, 8.163, 10.65) Hero in Ireland's fight for independence from Britain
- Michael Collins (2.332) Revolutionary leader killed in the Irish Civil War
- Padraig Pearse (7.1) Irish poet executed for his part in the Easter Rebellion against the British
- Roddy McCorley (1.151; 1.262, 2.290, 3.24, 3.143, 10.10) Hero of the 1798 Irish rebellion
- Kevin Barry (1.252, 2.290, 3.24, 3.143, 10.10) Irish rebel executed by the British
British Monarchs:
- Queen Victoria (3.6, 8.88, 12.114)
- King Alfred (8.88) British king of the ninth century
- William the Conqueror (8.88)
- Prince Edward (8.88, 12.114) Son of Queen Victoria who later becomes King
- Henry the VIII (8.89)
- Catherine of Aragon (8.89) Wife of Henry VIII
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1.271, 7.171, 8.163, 10.65)
- The Great Depression (1.271)
- The Troubles (2.57)
- St. Patrick (2.116)
- Al Capone (2.325)
- Oliver Cromwell (2.335, 10.69)
- Pope Leo the Thirteenth (3.11)
- Adolf Hitler (3.125, 8.163, 10.65)
- Benito Mussolini (3.125, 8.163)
- Euclid (5.1)
- Cardinal Wolsey (8.89)
- Francisco Franco (8.163)
- Robin Hood (10.10, 18.5)
- Winston Churchill (10. 65)
- General Custer (15.47)
Pop Culture References
Movie Stars:
- Bing Crosby (1.107)
- James Cagney (3.137, 4.17-18, 4.75, 4.170, 4.176)
- Charlie Chaplin (4.18)
- Fred Astaire (5.73)
- Ginger Rogers (5.73)
- Charles Laughton (8.5)
- Boris Karloff (11.123)
- Jean Harlow (12.113)
- Tarzan (15.47)
- Mickey Rooney (15.99)
- Duke Ellington (12.70)
- Billie Holiday (12.70)
- Herman Goering (17.13)
Songs
- Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder? (1.14)
- A Mother's Love's a Blessing (1.23, 18.25)
- Louise (1.101)
- Two Sweethearts (1.104)
- Ireland Boys Hurrah (1.110)
- The Leprechaun (1.158)
- The Boys of Wexford (2.137)
- The West's Asleep (2.300, 3.145)
- The Road to Rasheen (2.347, 2.369)
- Christmas is Coming (3.17)
- The Kerry Dance (6.208)
- The Green Glens of Antrim (7.170)