One important way of penetration of Irish literature and culture in Spain was through the northwestwern part of the country, Galicia in particular. Geographical, historical and ideological facts favoured a trend towards everything connected with Ireland. Therefore, Irish literature was studied, translated and became a model for some Galician critics and writers. One reason for this approach was entirely ideological: Ireland stood for a representative of the Celtic countries and Galicia was one

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... f their members, or so they claimed. The implications of the Irish Literary Renaissance were carefully followed and, as a consequence, brought about cultural and literary manifestations inspired by the Irish movement. The geographical position of the north west of the Iberian peninsular within a European context made it worthy of privileged maritime trading relations from time immemorial, fundamentally with countries to the north. To ¡Ilústrate this point briefly we will refer to some revealing facts. It seems to have been proved that there were sea links in prehistoric times between Galicia and the British Isles; at the end of the fourth century the coast of the province of Lugo was a home to a sizeable group of emigrants from Britanny who had fled the harassment of the Germanic tribes. To these we owe the place-name "Bretona," which still exists today. The relationship with the Celtic nations of the Atlantic seaboard resulted in the entry of literature related with Britanny through Galicia into the rest of Spain. Many years later, in 1388, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Pretender to the crown of Castille, entered the port of La Coruña with his fleet and thus initiated his campaign to achieve his ambitions. La Coruña was the point of departure for Philip II and the fleet escorting him on his way to Southampton to marry Mary Tudor; later, in 1580, from this same port expeditions left to support the struggle of the Irish nationalists, an enterprise with a dramatic ending, in that the English soldiers, under the orders of Walter 230