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The Transformation Of Ireland 1900 - 2000
This is a ground-breaking history of the twentieth century in Ireland, written on the most ambitious scale by a brilliant young historian. It is significant that it begins in 1900 and ends in 2000. Most accounts have begun in 1912 or 1922 and largely ignored the end of the century. Politics and political parties are examined in detail but high politics does not dominate the book, which rather sets out to answer the question: 'What was it like to grow up and live in 20th-century Ireland?' It makes extensive use of unused or neglected sources. It deals with the North in a comprehensive way, focusing on the social and cultural aspects, not just the obvious political and religious divisions.
896 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 25, 2011
I read this book along with R.M. Foster's "Modern Ireland", and might have given both books 3's instead of 4's if I read either one in isolation. The two books together, however, provide a unique and comprehensive view of Ireland from 1600 to 2000. Where Foster concentrates on the colonial period, Ferriter limits himself to the period of the Easter uprising, the Anglo-Irish war, the civil war, and all that came after. Instead of focusing on details of the lives of Michael Collins or Eamon deValera, Ferriter spends most of his time talking about the common people - how Catholicism formed both a bulwark of faith and a mask of denial, how subcultures like women and socialists fared, and how deValera's romanticist agro-primitivism held Ireland back in the 1930s-40s period. Ferriter does a decent job covering the 1972 to 1998 period, but it would be interesting to see a second edition of this book that included 2000-2010, tracing the time when Ireland became the "Celtic Tiger" through support of high tech, to the time in 2008 when its corrupt banking system brought everything crashing back to earth.
November 28, 2015
Much of Irish written history speaks to particular, individual events, esp. of the last century: Easter 1916; the war for independence and the civil war that followed; the Troubles that followed those, starting in 1968 or so; the autobiographical accounts of poverty and struggle threaded amid that. What is harder to explain is how Ireland went, from 1900 to 2000, from political and religious oppression to a vibrant and open society, from destitution to the "Green Tiger" economy, from a struggle for political freedom to one for personal freedom. Mr. Ferriter has provided a broad social history that speaks to that. Although the political struggles are mentioned, he explains their impacts, not simply the chain of events. More importantly, he puts those events in context. The footnotes and bibliography show considerable breadth and depth of research; the prose is straightforward. Very worthwhile for anyone interested in Ireland.
As a masterwork of history this is worth comparing to other recent work on other histories, to the likes of, e.g., James McPherson's treatment of the American civil war (Battle Cry of Freedom), or Tony Judt's look at recent Europe (Postwar), as broad-canvas history that does not neglect the social changes or the people caught up in the times. It's a good trend and Mr. Ferriter seems to be in the front rank.
As a masterwork of history this is worth comparing to other recent work on other histories, to the likes of, e.g., James McPherson's treatment of the American civil war (Battle Cry of Freedom), or Tony Judt's look at recent Europe (Postwar), as broad-canvas history that does not neglect the social changes or the people caught up in the times. It's a good trend and Mr. Ferriter seems to be in the front rank.
October 17, 2019
While the author displays vast amount of historical knowledge on many different themes in Irish history, the book is not to be read for any lay person trying to understand Irish history.
This book is for the more educated and knowledgable student of Irish history, as Ferriter takes us from the Ireland of 1900 to the Ireland of 2000. There he covers different themes of the decades, encompassing political, labor, artistic and cultural changes that took place in each of the decades. Jumping from one topic to the next, Ferriter does little to explain to the reader who the characters are that appear in each of his chapters. For those unfamiliar with Irish history and culture, supplemental reading is required.
As a historian and educator, Ferriter excels in that capacity. But to any reader, beware, it's not going be a very fun nor quick read.
This book is for the more educated and knowledgable student of Irish history, as Ferriter takes us from the Ireland of 1900 to the Ireland of 2000. There he covers different themes of the decades, encompassing political, labor, artistic and cultural changes that took place in each of the decades. Jumping from one topic to the next, Ferriter does little to explain to the reader who the characters are that appear in each of his chapters. For those unfamiliar with Irish history and culture, supplemental reading is required.
As a historian and educator, Ferriter excels in that capacity. But to any reader, beware, it's not going be a very fun nor quick read.
November 11, 2021
This huge book reads like an Irish equivalent to Eric Hobsbawm's The Age of Extremes. It is well-written and some of it is even based on primary research. Thus, it is not a bare survey of twentieth-century Ireland. Despite the author's liberal bias and his curious habit of constantly name-checking other historians (curious because he is an established historian), it is a very good piece of work that anyone interested in Irish history should consult.
October 23, 2020
Very long and thorough, primarily focused on the inner workings of politics on the island, though most especially on the Republic and only derivatively on the six counties of the North. The theme of the approach is foreshadowed in the title: how did Ireland emerge from being a boggy backwater and European afterthought, dominated by a colonizer and by the narrow parochialism of the Catholic Church, into a modern pluralistic state with a vibrant culture and economy? The answer is lengthy, detailed, heavy on political science, political history, and political intrigue, and while somewhat celebratory, the tone of the work is not triumphalist. As other reviewers on this page have noted, it is probably not a good beginning work for those unfamiliar with Irish politics and history, for those who don't know Fianna Fail from Fine Gael from Sinn Fein, but for those with even a modicum of background knowledge it provides a lot of information about the mortar and bricks of modern Irish society and governance. As an added plus the work concludes with a discussion and celebration of the work of the great writer John McGahern, which I found an especially winning touch.
May 3, 2021
This book is an absolute tome, both in terms of scale and scope. It tells the story of modern Ireland and how political, economic, social and cultural combined to form the Republic and inform its development. It relates the complexity of Irish identity and the ongoing struggles to define it, reminding us that in terms of State, the Republic remains young. It challenges the often simplistic narratives that characterise Ireland's history, detailing the multifaceted influences behind key inflection points.
A stunning undertaking and it is fantastically pulled off. My only complaint- and it feels niggly - is that such scope sometimes makes following chronology difficult. It is hard to imagine how the author could have pulled it off better.
A stunning undertaking and it is fantastically pulled off. My only complaint- and it feels niggly - is that such scope sometimes makes following chronology difficult. It is hard to imagine how the author could have pulled it off better.
October 17, 2007
This guys knows how to write history! Lucid, clear, and you even manages to remember some facts
August 11, 2025
For some reason my review disappeared from the list of reviews some months after I posted it. Here it is again:
Fundamental reading for anyone Irish, or anyone who is seriously interested in modern Ireland. In this wide-ranging critical account of Ireland’s political, economic, and cultural evolution from 1995 to 2020, Ireland’s most authoritative contemporary historian presents a compelling, if sometimes disjointed, narrative. His book mirrors the chaotic and often contradictory nature of modern Ireland, a country grappling with its past while contending with the same globalised, neoliberal free-market economics that has taken deep root everywhere.
This is the kind of book you have to work on. I made notes as I was going. Here's my summary of what Ferriter says.
Politics and Corruption:
Ireland’s political class remains an isolated elite, detached from ordinary citizens and unrepresentative of their interests. Corruption is endemic, particularly in banking and governance, while policing scandals and institutional cover-ups expose deeper failures of accountability.
Boom, Bust, and Bailout:
The Celtic Tiger era was marked by reckless speculation, financial mismanagement, and outright fraud. The inevitable crash of 2008 - framed afterwards as “nobody’s fault” - led to bailouts, austerity, and an ongoing housing crisis, with ordinary people bearing the brunt. Ireland’s increasing integration with the EU has reshaped its economy and identity, a process accelerated by Brexit, whose consequences remain problematic for both North and South.
Northern Ireland: A Divided Peace:
A long, often harrowing section analyses the tortured peace process leading to the 1998 Belfast Good Friday Agreement. While it ended large-scale violence, it did not deliver true reconciliation, and instead institutionalised two parallel, separate communities (Unionists and Republicans).
Social Upheaval and Cultural Shifts:
The Catholic Church’s once-dominant influence has crumbled under the weight of its own scandals—a grim tale of priests, perverts, and cover-ups. Women’s rights battles, from reproductive freedom to broader gender equality, have exposed deep-rooted societal conflicts. Meanwhile, Ireland's healthcare system remains dysfunctional, with no universal provision.
The Housing Crisis and the Chimera of Home Ownership:
Housing policy failures have made home ownership increasingly unattainable, exposing the harsh realities of an entrenched neoliberal approach to economics. A generation that has known nothing else accepts it as inevitable; even the once "revolutionary Socialist" Sinn Féin is drifting towards the political centre, leaving only the tiny People Before Profit party to argue for a fairer society. This is the creeping influence of Thatcherite economics, though Ferriter himself hesitates to acknowledge that there is any remaining British influence on Irish life.
National Identity and Heritage:
Debates over Irish neutrality, migration, and asylum reflect tensions between tradition and modernity. Conservation issues - such as the turf-cutting tradition - highlight ongoing struggles over the Irish landscape.
Culture and the Arts:
The book offers a rich exploration of Ireland’s literary scene, from poetry and theatre to the rise of “millennial fiction” including overhyped authors like Sally Rooney. The Irish language endures but remains contested in modern Ireland. Music, from traditional forms to rock, continues to evolve; the Riverdance phenomenon (which I find horrible but which Ferriter, who is quite a singer himself, does not dislike) exemplified a broader trend of cultural commercialisation and a mixing-up of identity.
A Nation Haunted by Its Past:
But perhaps the most striking revelation tells us something darker about Ireland: not only is it a deeply, institutionally corrupt country (like most others); it also has its own unique history of cruelty and violence, particularly towards children, women, and the vulnerable, that is different from other countries.
This unspoken horror is made all too evident by Ferriter, not only in Ireland’s social history but also in much of its contemporary fiction, which, with great literary brilliance, lays bare the country’s unresolved traumas; one of the best, but most heartbreaking examples is Patrick McCabe's "Butcher Boy" .
The great achievement of this major work of modern Irish history is its revelation that a fundamental darkness lingers at the heart of Irish society - one that is too often ignored but that comes out in the work of Ireland's greatest novelists.
Fundamental reading for anyone Irish, or anyone who is seriously interested in modern Ireland. In this wide-ranging critical account of Ireland’s political, economic, and cultural evolution from 1995 to 2020, Ireland’s most authoritative contemporary historian presents a compelling, if sometimes disjointed, narrative. His book mirrors the chaotic and often contradictory nature of modern Ireland, a country grappling with its past while contending with the same globalised, neoliberal free-market economics that has taken deep root everywhere.
This is the kind of book you have to work on. I made notes as I was going. Here's my summary of what Ferriter says.
Politics and Corruption:
Ireland’s political class remains an isolated elite, detached from ordinary citizens and unrepresentative of their interests. Corruption is endemic, particularly in banking and governance, while policing scandals and institutional cover-ups expose deeper failures of accountability.
Boom, Bust, and Bailout:
The Celtic Tiger era was marked by reckless speculation, financial mismanagement, and outright fraud. The inevitable crash of 2008 - framed afterwards as “nobody’s fault” - led to bailouts, austerity, and an ongoing housing crisis, with ordinary people bearing the brunt. Ireland’s increasing integration with the EU has reshaped its economy and identity, a process accelerated by Brexit, whose consequences remain problematic for both North and South.
Northern Ireland: A Divided Peace:
A long, often harrowing section analyses the tortured peace process leading to the 1998 Belfast Good Friday Agreement. While it ended large-scale violence, it did not deliver true reconciliation, and instead institutionalised two parallel, separate communities (Unionists and Republicans).
Social Upheaval and Cultural Shifts:
The Catholic Church’s once-dominant influence has crumbled under the weight of its own scandals—a grim tale of priests, perverts, and cover-ups. Women’s rights battles, from reproductive freedom to broader gender equality, have exposed deep-rooted societal conflicts. Meanwhile, Ireland's healthcare system remains dysfunctional, with no universal provision.
The Housing Crisis and the Chimera of Home Ownership:
Housing policy failures have made home ownership increasingly unattainable, exposing the harsh realities of an entrenched neoliberal approach to economics. A generation that has known nothing else accepts it as inevitable; even the once "revolutionary Socialist" Sinn Féin is drifting towards the political centre, leaving only the tiny People Before Profit party to argue for a fairer society. This is the creeping influence of Thatcherite economics, though Ferriter himself hesitates to acknowledge that there is any remaining British influence on Irish life.
National Identity and Heritage:
Debates over Irish neutrality, migration, and asylum reflect tensions between tradition and modernity. Conservation issues - such as the turf-cutting tradition - highlight ongoing struggles over the Irish landscape.
Culture and the Arts:
The book offers a rich exploration of Ireland’s literary scene, from poetry and theatre to the rise of “millennial fiction” including overhyped authors like Sally Rooney. The Irish language endures but remains contested in modern Ireland. Music, from traditional forms to rock, continues to evolve; the Riverdance phenomenon (which I find horrible but which Ferriter, who is quite a singer himself, does not dislike) exemplified a broader trend of cultural commercialisation and a mixing-up of identity.
A Nation Haunted by Its Past:
But perhaps the most striking revelation tells us something darker about Ireland: not only is it a deeply, institutionally corrupt country (like most others); it also has its own unique history of cruelty and violence, particularly towards children, women, and the vulnerable, that is different from other countries.
This unspoken horror is made all too evident by Ferriter, not only in Ireland’s social history but also in much of its contemporary fiction, which, with great literary brilliance, lays bare the country’s unresolved traumas; one of the best, but most heartbreaking examples is Patrick McCabe's "Butcher Boy" .
The great achievement of this major work of modern Irish history is its revelation that a fundamental darkness lingers at the heart of Irish society - one that is too often ignored but that comes out in the work of Ireland's greatest novelists.
April 23, 2025
A thorough, well researched, and honest social history of Ireland in the 20th century. If you're looking for a narrative account of 20th century Ireland, then this book is not for you. Like all good quasi-academic level texts, it assumes you already know the facts. The book explores the social context of the facts. The author backs himself with extensive citations that are effectively woven into the text to help tell the story of Ireland. Having been present for some of the events myself, I can say that the author does a fair job of relating the life and times.
February 2, 2025
An excellent book. Structurally, Ferriter moves through time chronologically but uses key thematic concerns to also move forward and back, which has an almost novelistic effect. Indeed, the use of literary sources is a key aspect of the book. It's interesting when he discusses the various child abuse scandals how the subject of history hits its limits and struggles to analyse a record of silence.
October 1, 2019
Quite frankly, I wouldn't bother reading this one. The author presumes you know Irish history, so really, only an Irishman would understand it. The only reason I gave it a 2-star rating was that I learned a few tidbits of history here and there.
August 2, 2019
My first book on Irish history and has to be a first point of call for anyone else who has never done Irish history before and want to start the journey.
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August 12, 2019Terrific read...great sweeping history of the last century...Ferriter writes in an accessible, informative style...
February 16, 2021
3.5, because I didn’t read the whole thing, but it’s an impressive overview of 20th C Irish history, with some parts more interesting than others (to me).
August 4, 2022
For sheer scale Ferriter's work is unparalleled - with clear strength in political and social history and an eye for irony.
May 13, 2017
Revealing and thoughtful about the Ireland we all know but do not want to talk about. Ferriter brings the reader to whatever piece of history is being examined and uses words that associate with a wide range of people across academia and beyond. The only criticism that can be announced is that he does leap from one moment to the next without introducing the event properly. As always, Ferriter creates a history worth reading and easy to understand.
September 24, 2013
I found this book very difficult to read. I don't know if it was the structure or the language or something else entirely, but it's taken me about 18 months to get through it. Also, and this isn't the fault of the book, I don't think it was what I was looking for. I don't know very much about the history of Ireland, and this book, while trying to be an overview of the turbulent 20th century, seems to assume a lot of knowledge that I didn't have.
Things that I would consider to be fairly major events: the Easter rising, the war of independence and civil war, the transition from Free State to Republic, the Troubles, didn't get really get much space. In a book as ambitious as this, trying to cover social and cultural history, as well as political, I guess it's inevitable that you can't go into huge levels of detail, but I was hoping for a decent overview of modern Irish history before delving into more depth on individual topics, and I don't really feel that I got that.
Things that I would consider to be fairly major events: the Easter rising, the war of independence and civil war, the transition from Free State to Republic, the Troubles, didn't get really get much space. In a book as ambitious as this, trying to cover social and cultural history, as well as political, I guess it's inevitable that you can't go into huge levels of detail, but I was hoping for a decent overview of modern Irish history before delving into more depth on individual topics, and I don't really feel that I got that.
January 27, 2016
At almost 800 pages, this survey history of Ireland in the 20th Century is not a quick read. However, I found it a great help as I try to develop an understanding of how Ireland got to where it is today from 1916 and the immediate background years to that eventful year. The prose is clean and clear as the author summarizes roughly decade by decade events in politics, culture, literature, media, sport, defense, international relations, trade, economics, etc. Lots of names are mentioned and placed in the context of their endeavors and the times in which they were set. Some 60 pages of endnotes and a 30 page plus bibliography offer additional comments and places for the reader to go who wants to know more about anything raised in the main text. I'll definitely be holding on to this unique resource for future reference!
October 11, 2012
Nice to read an Irish history book once again.
Ferriter is an accomplished historian of modern Ireland, particularly famed for his explorations of sexuality in Irish history with his 'Occasions of Sin'. This book is the most authoritative one yet of Ireland in the 20th century. He combines social, cultural, economic and political history to create a great canvass of Irish 'progress' throughout the century. His conclusions are what any member of the liberal intelligentsia would conclude, so don't expect any great revelations. He has written an excellent and insightful history of Ireland, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Definitely the most complete narrative history I've read in some time. Flawless.
Ferriter is an accomplished historian of modern Ireland, particularly famed for his explorations of sexuality in Irish history with his 'Occasions of Sin'. This book is the most authoritative one yet of Ireland in the 20th century. He combines social, cultural, economic and political history to create a great canvass of Irish 'progress' throughout the century. His conclusions are what any member of the liberal intelligentsia would conclude, so don't expect any great revelations. He has written an excellent and insightful history of Ireland, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Definitely the most complete narrative history I've read in some time. Flawless.
March 3, 2008
This hefty 890 pages covers the history of Ireland from the time of the struggle for independence to the current emergence as an economic power in the times of the Celtic tiger. It covers this period in a very thorough fashion and as a result is at times a bit slow going for those with a vague knowledge of the political machinery of Ireland. It has a remarkable bibliography and is worth having as a comprehensive reference.
June 19, 2009
tackles Ireland's 20th century from various angles - politically, socially, culturally, etc., and still never gets too heavy or overloaded.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews