With respect, folks, in English we tend to privilege rhyme as the most poetic of devices because frankly, it's the most obvious and we're not the hardest working bunch. Irish verse is a much more complicated beast and on equal footing with rhyme there are three very important elements: amus, uaithne and uaim (assonance, consonance and alliteration). In addition there is the dunadh, or close, which means that the last syllable of the last line should rhyme with -- or be the same as -- the first syllable of the first line, to close the chain.
These have been written since around the 12th century -- that we know of. A few conachlonns exist that have been attributed to Amergin Gluingel, the Chief Ollam (bard) of the Milesians, who won Ireland from the Tuatha de Dannan in around the 2nd century BC. Examples can be found in the Ulster Cycle, the Mythological Cycle and other important texts. Training to become a bard (fili) took several years and took place in academies, with many never reaching higher than journeyman status. The conachlonns we write here take one tiny element of a form and turn out what the ancient bards would probably view as akin to finger painting -- no matter our skill, we're never going to match up to theirs.
As to when it would best suit your needs for a poem -- conachlonns are traditionally chant-like, sometimes for spells, sometimes for mesmerising the listener with the wonders of the scenery. Used in conjunction with alliteration and careful syllabic rhythms, they are poems to capture an audience and not let them go until you reach that satisfying close.
These have been written since around the 12th century -- that we know of. A few conachlonns exist that have been attributed to Amergin Gluingel, the Chief Ollam (bard) of the Milesians, who won Ireland from the Tuatha de Dannan in around the 2nd century BC. Examples can be found in the Ulster Cycle, the Mythological Cycle and other important texts. Training to become a bard (fili) took several years and took place in academies, with many never reaching higher than journeyman status. The conachlonns we write here take one tiny element of a form and turn out what the ancient bards would probably view as akin to finger painting -- no matter our skill, we're never going to match up to theirs.
As to when it would best suit your needs for a poem -- conachlonns are traditionally chant-like, sometimes for spells, sometimes for mesmerising the listener with the wonders of the scenery. Used in conjunction with alliteration and careful syllabic rhythms, they are poems to capture an audience and not let them go until you reach that satisfying close.
It could be worse