Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland / Edition 2

by Richard English

Overview

Full of rich details drawn from years of original research, this study analyzes the shaping of the past, present, and future of Ireland through the history of Irish nationalism. A full presentation and explanation of why Irish nationalists have believed and acted as they have, why their ideas and strategies have changed over time, and what effect Irish nationalism has had in shaping modern Ireland is included. From the Ulster Plantation to Home Rule, from the Famine of 1847 to the Hunger Strikes of the 1970s, from Parnell to Pearse, from Wolfe Tone to Gerry Adams, from the bitter struggle of the Civil War to the uneasy peace of the early 21st century, this work investigates the key points in Irish history and debates the possibility of a post-nationalist period for Ireland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780330427593
Publisher:	Pan Macmillan
Publication date:	04/28/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Richard English is the author of several books, including Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA and Radicals and the Republic. He is a frequent media commentator on Irish politics and has written on Ireland for the Financial Times, Irish Times, the Times Literary Supplement, and Newsweek.

Editorial Reviews

English (politics, Queens Univ., Belfast) here broadens his scope after Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA to cover the entire history of Ireland. He offers a detailed look at the messy historical experience of a divided but fiercely proud community struggling against an occupying power finally to achieve victory. He primarily reviews the political issues and violent events after the Act of Union 1800, when there was more activity and certainly more documentation. English introduces the theories of nationalism and how it relates to power, struggle, and community-a complicated, emotional relationship that is necessary to understand, as nationalism came to be the dominant element of Irish society and politics. After its initial publication in the United Kingdom, this title won the 2007 Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, given for works that promote peace and reconciliation in Ireland. Suitable for all public and academic libraries, where it can be shelved near Hugh Kearney's Ireland: Contested Ideas of Nationalism and History.
—Daniel K. Blewett

Library Journal