Ireland

by R.V. Comerford

This history of Ireland focuses on the ways in which the nation has been depicted by competing interests, from political factions to religious groups to commercial powers. By examining the origins of Ireland's various identities, and looking at Irish culture, religion, and language, Comerford offers an original work of scholarship that analyzes Ireland's rich history and traces the formation of its national identity.

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Olivia Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise and honest summary of the cultural identity of Ireland. While Comeford’s criticism of a singular Irish identity may not reflect popular sentiments, he reveals often neglected perspectives of what it means to be Irish. His complex narrative of culture is one to be applied to other nations.

[John Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quirky and least favorite book I have read on Ireland, although I did learn more about my heritage from reading this book. The writing is eccentric and didn’t connect with me like most Irish books have in the past.

Comerford speaks about the Irish struggle in a disconnected manner. While talking about the journey and unusual relationship with Britan. The author reports that around 1800, Ireland had half the population of Britain while only a quarter of the land; since then, Ireland only had about 10% of the population.

The book claimed that the distinction between the two nations was supported by myth and rhetoric of origins. He states that the term “Anglo-Irish” were connected to Protestants, unionists, and upper-class.

The author spoke about how religion tore apart the country but that it was more about the faith. The book shared that the country was open to Jews escaping Germany from 1933 until 1945 but later showed some level of Antisemitism, although less vicious than most of Europe.

The discussion in the rest of the book was weak – about language, literature, culture, and sports. I got little out of reading this half of the book. Worse, the words did not grab me or interest like other books on Ireland. This book was a struggle that did not capture the true Irish story that I know.