Richard English's brilliant new book, now available in paperback, is
a compelling narrative history of Irish nationalism, in which events
are not merely recounted but analysed. Full of rich detail, drawn
from years of original research and also from the extensive
specialist literature on the subject, it offers explanations 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. It takes us 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 twenty-first century. Is it imaginable that
Ireland might – as some have suggested – be about to enter a
post-nationalist period? Or will Irish nationalism remain a defining
force on the island in future years?
'a courageous and successful attempt to synthesise the entire
story between two covers for the neophyte and for the exhausted
specialist alike' Tom Garvin, Irish Times