This thesis focuses on the development of Irish song literature in the context of the Irish Cultural Revival of 1891–1922. This was a period of intense cultural and political activity in Ireland, during which musical and other artistic productions were consciously deployed to assert a culturally distinct Irish nation. The remarkable and popular successes of the Irish Literary and Gaelic Revivals—parallel movements within a larger Cultural Revival—led to an exceptional abundance of texts available for musical setting. However, the response of song composers to these texts and to the revival movement as a whole has, to date, been an unexamined area within Irish musicological research. The definition of song literature for this study is intentionally broad, and includes published song collections, translations, and arrangements of folk songs, as well as original art song compositions. The research examines how aspects of the Revival cultivated the development of a distinct Irish song literature and considers how Irish identity was expressed through the medium of song. The response of songwriters to the revival movement is contextualised through an investigation of the milieu in which writers, poets, composers, and performers collaborated. The findings of this research challenge narratives that suggest that music was a missing element during the Revival, and instead show that the production of song literature constituted a vibrant thread throughout the period. The research positions Irish composers at the heart of revival activities and shows how songs were used as potent articulators of a unique Irish identity and culture. Through an assessment of Irish song literature, this thesis traces the contribution of a neglected element of Irish expression during an exceptionally creative period prior to political partition and the formation of the Irish state.