In connection with the world beyond globalization, new theories such as SamuelHuntington's 'The Clash of Civilization', Gilbert Achcar's 'New World Disorder' and'The Third World War' are emerging. This paper was motivated by the personalthinking that the Republic of Ireland as Celtic Tiger goes beyond globalizationtoward 'uisneach', as the hidden tradition, and that Yeats is a great guide toilluminate the quest and that Heaney is an inheritor or an achiever of the quest.
This paper begins with the hypothesis that the modern Irish poetry is seekingtheir hidden tradition, 'uisneach'. I think that to understand the modern Irish poetry,we should first understand what is meant by 'uisneach'. 'Uisneach' has the variousmeanings: in the geographical sense, it means the area of the "territorially elusive"fifth province of Mide, the navel or the center of Ireland; in the religious sense, itmeans the sacred center of Ireland in pagan times; in the mythological sense, it isrelated to the Ulster Cycle including "Oidheadh Chloinne Uisneach", the fate of theSons of Usnech, known as the Deirdri Ballads; and in the aesthetical sense, itmeans the origin where creative energy is flowing.
W.B. Yeats was a knight in charge of the quest of the Irish politicalindependence through the Celtic Revival against Anglo-Saxon's scientific modernity.His search for 'uisneach' reflects the resistance on the regional as well as theEuropean level against Anglo-saxon's culture. Seamus Heaney's poetry is also goingtoward the fifth spiritual space where the Irish people believe a reconciliation is tobe made, by taking some steps. And lastly, he also goes beyond the global spacetoward their hidden world based upon Celtic belief and the mild liberalistaestheticism.
My last conclusion is that 'uisneach', a hidden tradition or vision means the Celtic vision modern Irish writers have sought. I think that Yeats is a poeticpredictor or mentor to illuminate another waste land, Ireland, by suggesting thevision while Heaney is an inheritor in that he goes toward the hidden traditionYeats suggested.