What If?: Alternative Views of Twentieth-Century Ireland

by Diarmaid Ferriter

We all know that there was nothing inevitable about much of modern Ireland's history. Things could have turned out very differently, so it is natural to wonder what would have happened if certain events had never occurred or happened in a different way. This book asks the What if? Ferriter looks at 20 events in twentieth century Ireland and discusses each with 2 experts to speculate on how things might have developed had circumstances been different. In doing so, the programs also shed much new light on what actually did happen; how Ireland changed during the course of the twentieth century and the experiences of those who lived through it. The big questions are what if there had been no 1916 Rising; if Ireland had been invaded during World War II; if there had been no programs for economic expansion; if Mary Robinson had not been elected president in 1990? But the book also poses other, less obvious, what if Joyce and Beckett had stayed in Ireland, if Britain had blocked Irish immigration in the 1950s; if there had been no Late Late Show, or Magill Magazine or no Ben Dunne revelations; if Bishop Eamon Casey had never met Annie Murphy, or John Charles McQuaid had never been Archbishop of Dublin? What if? Not only offers a glimpse of what might have been, it is also an entertaining, thoughtful, provocative and original look at some of the milestones of twentieth century Irish history.

Genres: Ireland, History

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not Ferriter's best

Ferriter's work as a historian is outstanding in the field of Irish history; his 'The Transformation of Ireland' is invaluable to anyone interested in 20th-century Ireland. This book, as interesting as its considerations may be, is sometimes too reliant on the transcripts from Ferriter's radio program without enough analysis on the part of Ferriter as historian. For anyone looking for a quick introduction to some of the crucial issues in the study of Ireland throughout the past one hundred years, however, this book would be wonderful.

[Peter Thew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irish counterfactual history of the 20th century. Based on a radio series broadcast in 2003, some of the social history topics - like abortion - are necessarily well out of date now. But the more political topics - if there had been no 1916 Rising, if John Charles McQuaid had not been Archbishop of Dublin, if the Blueshirst had attempted a coup, if Proportional Representation had been abolished in either of the referenda held mid-century - still make for interesting reading. It needs to be read selectively, but most of the book is still relevant today.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/717949.html[return][return]This is a collection of twenty essays, of between eleven and fourteen pages each, summarising a series of radio discussions on RT

[Eilymay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book - I couldn't put it down. Speculative history rocks :)