obviously these would not be known without joyce's fiction-writing career, but (sans the first few tendentious essays when he was a student) these are really solid pieces of writing! certainly had an eclectic view of ireland that he explained well. my favorite essay, and probably the strongest, was "ireland at the bar." while he doesnt elevate the irish beyond belief, he is a careful rehoritician that makes you genuinely feel the plight they face under the english yoke.