While March Madness and Saint Patrick's Day are two very different occasions in the eye's of the average person, for me, they are two of my favorite events of the year. This year, the NCAA tournament started on March 17, causing the two to merge and create the best day ever. In celebration of this rare occurrence, I have formulated a March Madness bracket of Irish authors.

The task involved comparing the greatest Irish literary minds and deciding who, out of hundreds of poets, novelists, and playwrights, deserved the title of champion. After analyzing the following four lists of Irish writers: Wikipedia's List of Irish writers, Ranker's 50 Famous Irish Authors, and the top 10 lists found on Irish Central and The Washington Post, I chose the First Round candidates. I then broke them into four brackets based around the authors' birth years. After deliberating over the many options, I finally came up with the Sweet 16 of Irish literature.

1.James Joyce, 1882-1941

"Irresponsibility is part of the pleasure of all art; it is the part the schools cannot recognize."

James Joyce is not only noted for being a prolific writer in Ireland during his life, but is thought to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. A writer of both poetry and prose, Joyce is best known for writing Dubliners, Ulysses, and Finnegan's Wake

2. Brendan Behan, 1923-1964

"All publicity is good, except an obituary notice."

Brendan Behan was a writer of the literary trifecta: poetry, plays, and prose. He wrote both in Irish and English and is thought to be one of the greatest Irish writers of all time. Outside of his literary success, Behan was a political activist and member of the IRA. Some of his works include The Quare Fellow, Borstal Boy, and Confessions of an Irish Rebel.

3. Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

During Oscar Wilde's life, he wrote essays, poetry, prose, and plays. His intellectual wit has made him a distinguished author of the 19th century and potentially one of the most quoted authors of all time.The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest are two of his greatest works.

4. Roddy Doyle, 1958-

"When you grow up on an island, what matters is how you stand to the sea."

Roddy Doyle is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter from Dublin. He also has written a handful of children books. His novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha received the Booker Prize in 1993. He is also well-known for his novel The Commitments. A film adaptation of the book was created in 1991.

5. C.S. Lewis, 1898-1963

"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different..."

C.S. Lewis was a novelist, poet, and critic from Northern Ireland. He is best known for his children's book series, The Chronicles of Narnia but has a handful of other novels and works about Christianity like The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity.

6. Brian O'Nolan, 1911-1966

"It is clear enough that you are making some distinction in what you said, that there is some nicety of terminology in your words. I can't quite follow you."

Better known under his pseudonym, Flann O'Brien, Brian O'Nolan is regarded as a major figure in postmodern literature. "Flann O'Brien" was not O'Nolan's only alias. He also wrote some of his work under the name of Myles na gCopaleen. His work includes a multitude of satirical columns published by The Irish Times, and the novels, At-Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman, and An Béal Bocht which was written in Irish.

7. George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

George Bernard Shaw, who preferred to be known just as Bernard Shaw, was a notable playwright and critic during the early 20th century. He wrote over 60 plays in his lifetime but some of his best-known pieces include Arms and the Man, Pygmalion, and Saint Joan. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925.

8. Anne Enright, 1962-

"People do not change, they are merely revealed."

Anne Enright is a writer of both fictional and non-fictional prose. She has been awarded the 1991 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the 2001 Encore Award, the 2007 Man Booker Prize for her novel, The Gathering, and the 2008 Irish Novel of the Year. Her work mainly focuses on relationships and Irish history. Other works she has written outside of The Gathering include The Wig My Father Wore and The Green Road.

9. Seán O'Casey, 1880-1964

"Laughter is wine for the soul - laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness - the hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living."

Seán O'Casey is best known as a playwright from Dublin. He also wrote a handful of memoirs and was very devoted to Irish nationalism, becoming a member of the Gaelic League in 1906. Most of his work focuses around the life of Dublin's working class. Some of his work includes The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, and Within the Gates.

10. Frank McCourt, 1930-2009

"It's lovely to know the world can't interfere with the inside of your head."

Frank McCourt is best known for his memoir, Angela's Ashes. The book depicts the hardships McCourt's family faced while he grew up in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. McCourt's ability to put the raw and harsh reality of his childhood into words earned him a Pullitzer Prize. To this day, there is a free walking tour in Limerick that takes tourists to all of the major locations mentioned in his book.

11.Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745

"There is nothing constant in this world but inconsistency."

Jonathan Swift is noted for being one of the best satirist to write in the English language. His serious yet ironic writing style made political and socioeconomic critiques about the society of his day, often calling the English out for their mistreatment of the Irish. A few pieces that he is best known for include A Modest Proposal and Gulliver's Travels.

12. Sebastian Barry, 1955-

"After all the world is indeed beautiful and if we were any other creature than man we might be continuously happy in it."

Sebastian Barry is a novelist, poet, and playwright from Dublin. His poetic prose and raw depictions of Ireland within his work have earned him spots on the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize in both 2005 and 2008. His novel, The Secret Scripture won the 2008 Costa Book of the Year and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Some other pieces by Barry include A Long Long Way and On Canaan's Side.

13. Samuel Beckett, 1906-1989

"You're on earth. There's no cure for that."

Samuel Beckett is known as one of the most renowned authors from the 20th century. While born in Ireland, Beckett spent most of his life in France and wrote in both English and French. He composed plays, novels, and poems usually relating back to the tragic and bleak nature of the human condition. Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature for his work. A few pieces by him include Waiting for Godot, Molloy, and Dream of Fair to Middling Women.

14. William Butler Yeats, 1865-1939

"There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met."

W.B. Yeats was one of the first major figures in literature during the 20th century. Known as a prolific poet, Yeats was the first Irishman ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. Some of his most memorable books of poetry are The Tower and The Winding Stair and Other Poems. His grave site is located in Shannon, Ireland and is frequented by tourists visiting the area.

15. Seamus Heaney, 1939-2013

"Walk on air against your better judgement."

Seamus Heaney was a poet and playwright originally from Northern Ireland. He received over ten awards for his poetry, including the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was also a professor of Poetry at both Harvard and Oxford during his lifetime. Authors and poets alike have stated that he may be the best poet of our time. Some of his works include Death of a Naturalist, Human Chain, and Station Island

16. Eavan Boland, 1944-

"Poetry begins where language starts: in the shadows and accidents of one person's life."

Eavan Boland is a poet from Dublin. Her work typically focuses around ordinary life but also includes political and historical themes. Some of her books of poetry include In a Time of Violence, Against Love Poetry, and In Her Own Image. Boland has worked as a tenured English Professor at Stanford University since 1996.

Don't agree with the winner or think I forgot someone? Leave a comment below with your favorite Irish author.