Ireland and the Irish

Description

This perceptive and highly readable book is primarily about the Republic and how it has changed profoundly over the past forty years, as a traditional rural-based society has adapted to a wider modern world. Once so enclosed, the Irish are now committed Europeans and have gained much from Europe. They have banished their old poverty, modernized their economy and lifestyles – but are they losing the old ‘Irish’ values? On this the nation is split, as a powerful Catholic Church sees its authority contested and social change leads to moral confusion. Ardagh has talked with President Mary Robinson, Gay Byrne, the king of Irish TV, Eamonn Casey, the disgraced ex-Bishop of Galway, and countless others. His book ranges widely, from the Dublin slums to the fate of the small Mayo farms; it takes in the changing role of women, the young novelists, the music revival, the fight for the Irish language, the new-style emigrants, the creaking political system. The long chapter on the North gives an upbeat picture of the patient grass-roots efforts at reconciliation, and of how a resilient people continue normal life in the shadow of the ongoing conflict. The logic of history may well lead to a united Ireland – but not by any means yet.