''Samhain'' was a

theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also example ...

published irregularly, with an

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

in December. The

Irish poet This is a list of notable poets with Wikipedia pages, who were born or raised in Ireland or hold Irish citizenship. Abbreviations for the languages of their writings: E: English; F: French; I: Irish (); L: Latin; R: Russian A–D * Adomnán ...

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

was a regular and leading contributor of

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

s outlining his artistic principles. It existed between 1901 and 1908.

History and profile

''Samhain'' was established in 1901. Publication began in October 1901, superseding ''Beltaine'', an occasional theatre review and publication of the

Irish Literary Theatre W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn published a "Manifesto for Irish Literary Theatre" in 1897, in which they proclaimed their intention of establishing a national theatre for Ireland. The Irish Literary Theatre was founded by Yeats, Lady ...

named for the ancient Irish festival

Bealtaine Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking th ...

. The

published ''Samhain''.Horatio Sheafe Krans. ''William Butler Yeats and the Irish Literary Revival'', W. Heinemann, 1905
Pg. 185
It has been noted that the two periodicals "constitute at once a history and a running critical commentary … of the origin and growth of the dramatic activity in Ireland." In the first issue of ''Samhain'', Yeats explained the name change as referring to "the old name for the beginning of winter, because our

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

this year are in October, and because our Theatre is coming to an end in its present shape." ''Samhain'' also published the texts of new plays for a time, but later these were printed in book form as ''The

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

Series''. It supported the poetic drama. The magazine was published in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

by Sealy, Bryers & Walker, and in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

by T. Fisher Unwin. In 1908 ''Samhain'' ceased publication.

Sources

* ''The Collected Letters of W.B. Yeats''. Edited by John Kelly and Ronald Schuchard. Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 15, 978, ''et passim''.

External links

''Samhain'', November 1905
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Abbey Theatre Defunct literary magazines published in Europe Defunct magazines published in Ireland Literary magazines published in Ireland Irregularly published magazines Magazines established in 1901 Magazines disestablished in 1908 Mass media in Dublin (city) Theatre in Ireland Theatre magazines Works by W. B. Yeats Poetry literary magazines {{Ireland-lit-mag-stub