author
Alfred Perceval Graves
1846–1931
A poet, songwriter, and folklorist, he helped preserve Irish songs and verse while also playing a part in the wider Celtic revival. His work blends literary polish with a deep affection for traditional music and storytelling.
1 Audiobook
A Celtic Psaltery Being Mainly Renderings in English Verse from Irish & Welsh Poetry
by Alfred Perceval Graves
About the author
Born in Dublin in 1846, Alfred Perceval Graves became known as an Anglo-Irish poet, songwriter, and folklorist. He was educated at Trinity College Dublin and later worked as a school inspector, but he is best remembered for his writing and for his efforts to collect, edit, and promote Irish songs and ballads.
Graves was closely associated with the Irish literary and cultural revival. His books and song collections helped bring traditional material to new readers, and his interest in folk culture shaped much of his career. He was also the father of the poet and critic Robert Graves, which gives him an added place in literary history.
He died in 1931. Today, he is remembered less as a single-book author than as a lively champion of Irish verse and song, someone who helped keep older traditions in circulation for modern audiences.