The Battle of the Books
Jonathan Swift worked for William Temple during the time of the controversy, and Swift's "A Tale of a Tub" (1703/1705) takes part in the debate. From its first publication, Swift added a short satire entitled "The Battle of the Books" to the "Tale of a Tub." In this piece, there is an epic battle fought in a library when various books come alive and attempt to settle the arguments between moderns and ancients. In Swift's satire, he skilfully manages to avoid saying which way victory fell. He portrays the manuscript as having been damaged in places, thus leaving the end of the battle up to the reader.
Mullagh, County Cavan
The V. Rev. Dr Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, wrote parts of "Gulliver's Travels" and "The Tale Of The Tub" whilst staying near Mullagh. Dean Swift was staying at the country home of his cleric friend The Rev. Thomas Sheridan at Quilca House, which is close to the old, historic Mullagh village. Other notable descendants from the (Quilca) Sheridan family are the 18th century playwright Thomas Sheridan and notable writer Richard Brinsley Sheridan.