Rethinking Irish History: Nationalism, Identity and Ideology

by Patrick O'Mahony, Gerard Delanty, Patrick O'Mahoney

This book provides a critical interpretation of the construction of Irish national identity in the longer perspective of history. Drawing on recent sociological theory, the authors demonstrate how national identity was invented and codified by a nationalist intelligentsia in the late nineteenth century. The trajectory of this national identity is traced as a process of crisis and contradiction. One of the central arguments is that the negative implications of Irish national identity have never been fully explored by social science.

236 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 1998

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some interesting arguments about the nature and creation of Irish nationalism in the early 20th century. However, the book seemed to really lack a strong empirical evidence base to support its conclusions. That's not to say that the book misses the mark, it is well argued and the arguments make sense, however the supporting evidence could, and should, be more up front.

As an historian, I found this book to be a challenging read based on the way it was written. It's use of sociological jargon significantly detracts from its readability. In all honesty, one can get just as much value from the book by reading the introduction, first chapter, and conclusion as you can from reading the whole thing.