What do you think?
Rate this book
Judging
Judging Redmond and Carson
John Redmond and Edward Carson remain two of the biggest names in modern Irish history. At the peak of their careers as senior members of the British parliament, they were locked together in combat over Home Rule. Divided by the union with Britain, they had surprisingly much in common. Contemporaries saw them together, and routinely judged them in comparative contexts. But with the partition of Ireland and independence, they have been disconnected, viewed wholly apart, and seen in political contexts scarcely imagined by people at the time.
This new volume in the ‘Judging’ series is the first dual and comparative biography of Redmond and Carson - the first to assess them as contemporaries would have done. It uses both new approaches and much new evidence to shed fresh light on their sometimes fraught private lives, their professional and political achievements, and their stands on violence and war. The result is a strikingly original reassessment of the two men and their legacies.
This new volume in the ‘Judging’ series is the first dual and comparative biography of Redmond and Carson - the first to assess them as contemporaries would have done. It uses both new approaches and much new evidence to shed fresh light on their sometimes fraught private lives, their professional and political achievements, and their stands on violence and war. The result is a strikingly original reassessment of the two men and their legacies.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 1, 2020
I have savoured this book over the past few weeks, reading it slowly, as one sucks on a boiled sweet. I read Dermot Meleady’s biography of Redmond some years ago and enjoyed a fresh view of his life, but this comparative biography is the first proper look I got of Carson. What a fascinating character he is! Coming from relatively humble beginnings to dazzle both Irish and English bars, he was a far more fragile character than I, and I think many, would expect. Besides, though Redmond was more familiar to me, the book’s concise appraisal of his worldview and political capabilities was nevertheless sapid.
Jackson analysed both men with rigour, sympathy and a sharp wit. Carson is, he suggests, possibly the greatest Chief Justice England never had, but is also histrionically unreliable and unsuited to ministerial office. Redmond possesses fine eloquence and administrative capability, but is also lethargic and unimpressive to others. That the two men were opposite types is hardly surprising, but Jackson points out that they often differ in unexpected ways: it was Redmond who was born in the bosom of the Mother of Parliaments, not the conservative Carson; and it was the Unionist who had the temperament to lead a revolutionary campaign, albeit in favour of the status quo ante, whereas Redmond, convinced of the impossibility of armed insurrection, stuck stubbornly to constitutional means.
Jackson’s writing is excellent. He has a sure-footed way of building a cogent argument throughout a chapter, lightly adorning it with the occasional quoted epigram or anecdote, and finishing it off with a justified, yet almost impudently brilliant conclusion. Most noteworthy is his opinion at the end of the book’s weightiest chapter, which also emphasises the value of the biography’s comparative approach; musing that each men’s skills might have better fitted his counterpart’s role, he states: “It is hard to escape the dual impression that Redmond possessed the skills needed for ministerial office, while Carson was admirably well-equipped to inspire and lead a popular Irish movement.”
Overall, this book was a pleasure. The research in it shines a light on an era of Irish history both fascinating and somewhat forgotten, while the analysis brings the two personalities who dominated the age sharply into focus. As an exemplar of pleasant yet serious historical writing, I cannot think of a better book.
Jackson analysed both men with rigour, sympathy and a sharp wit. Carson is, he suggests, possibly the greatest Chief Justice England never had, but is also histrionically unreliable and unsuited to ministerial office. Redmond possesses fine eloquence and administrative capability, but is also lethargic and unimpressive to others. That the two men were opposite types is hardly surprising, but Jackson points out that they often differ in unexpected ways: it was Redmond who was born in the bosom of the Mother of Parliaments, not the conservative Carson; and it was the Unionist who had the temperament to lead a revolutionary campaign, albeit in favour of the status quo ante, whereas Redmond, convinced of the impossibility of armed insurrection, stuck stubbornly to constitutional means.
Jackson’s writing is excellent. He has a sure-footed way of building a cogent argument throughout a chapter, lightly adorning it with the occasional quoted epigram or anecdote, and finishing it off with a justified, yet almost impudently brilliant conclusion. Most noteworthy is his opinion at the end of the book’s weightiest chapter, which also emphasises the value of the biography’s comparative approach; musing that each men’s skills might have better fitted his counterpart’s role, he states: “It is hard to escape the dual impression that Redmond possessed the skills needed for ministerial office, while Carson was admirably well-equipped to inspire and lead a popular Irish movement.”
Overall, this book was a pleasure. The research in it shines a light on an era of Irish history both fascinating and somewhat forgotten, while the analysis brings the two personalities who dominated the age sharply into focus. As an exemplar of pleasant yet serious historical writing, I cannot think of a better book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review