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Welcome to the Kilkenny International Swift Society website. The society aims to promote contemporary social and political commentary through poetical satire in the spirit of Jonathan Swift.

NEWS
Interest in political satire is increasing. See this article in the Guardian as a sample.
Guardian UK article on political satire May 2008

"Seeking 21st century poetic satire. Never was there an age riper for poisonous pens. Please sharpen yours"
Posted by
Billy Mills Friday May 2 2008 15:30 BST


NEW SATIRE COMPETITION AND FESTIVAL
by 'The Boyne Writers Group'
to commemorate Jonathan Swift

Details and competition rules at www.boynewriters.com/swift.html,

 

QUERIES & COMMENTS

UPCOMING CONFERENCES:

Conferences (Listed by BSECS)

 

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Associations/Societies:

International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures
British Association of Irish Studies
International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Eighteenth-Century Ireland Society
British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies

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  • See Swift's Complete Works Prose and Poetry available for download as ebooks from this site

Epitaph of Swift: "The body of Jonathan Swift, Doctor of Sacred Theology, dean of this cathedral church, is buried here, where fierce indignation can no more lacerate his heart. Go, traveler, and imitate, if you can, one who strived with all his strength to champion liberty"

SPONSORS
We would like to sincerely thank our sponsors, including the Kilkenny County Council for their support of the 2007 Swift Satire Poetry Competition.

If any other sponsors would like to support the competition please contact geninfo@swiftsociety.com

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ON THE FIVE SENSES

All of us in one you'll find,
Brethren of a wondrous kind;
Yet among us all no brother
Knows one tittle of the other;
We in frequent councils are,
And our marks of things declare,
Where, to us unknown, a clerk
Sits, and takes them in the dark.
He's the register of all
In our ken, both great and small;
By us forms his laws and rules,
He's our master, we his tools;
Yet we can with greatest ease
Turn and wind him where we please.
One of us alone can sleep,
Yet no watch the rest will keep,
But the moment that he closes,
Every brother else reposes.
If wine's brought or victuals drest,
One enjoys them for the rest.
Pierce us all with wounding steel,
One for all of us will feel.
Though ten thousand cannons roar,
A
dd to them ten thousand more,
Yet but one of us is found
Who regards the dreadful sound.
Do what is not fit to tell,
There's but one of us can smell.

 


Swift
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.


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