The Darkness Echoing: Exploring Ireland’s Places of Famine, Death and Rebellion

by Dr Gillian O'Brien

The Irish Times Top 10 Bestseller!From war to revolution, famine to emigration, The Darkness Echoing travels around Ireland bringing its dark past to lifeIt's no secret that the Irish are obsessed with misery, suffering and death. And no wonder, for there is darkness everywhere you in cemeteries and castles, monuments and museums, stories and songs. In The Darkness Echoing, Gillian O'Brien tours Ireland's most deliciously dark heritage sites, delving into the stories behind them and asking what they reveal about the Irish.Energetic, illuminating and surprisingly funny, The Darkness Echoing challenges old, accepted narratives about Ireland, and asks intriguing questions about Ireland's past, present and future.'My history book of the year' Ryan Tubridy'As thought-provoking as it is informative and entertaining' Irish Times'Hugely enjoyable, thought-provoking and informative ... An essential read' History Ireland

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ireland

384 pages, Paperback

Published April 6, 2023

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting a more flowery, prose-filled anthology of irish folklore and history, so I was a teeny bit disappointed when it turned out to be more of a dark tourism guide to ireland. however, the last two chapters full of insightful and fascinating discussions into the ethics of museum heritage, historical storytelling, and memory/commemoration — I could’ve read an entire book on that alone!

3/5

[Fionnuala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books like this one, that blend travel writing with history and throw in a bit of memoir too. History is fun to read about but even better to visit (even if it's not so much fun to live), and this book tells a very complex story through a fascinating blend of these approaches. It's a grown-up Horrible Histories, covering the dark and morbid sides of history but elevating it with a lot of context, insight, and emotion. Some places I recognised, some I've even been to; others were new to me, or only tangibly known. O'Brien brings each and every place to life, and in comparing the places I've actually been and finding her account impressively accurate, I have no reason to believe that the immersive feel to all the other locations is just as accurate.

I can't say I enjoyed the postscripts as much -- while they raised valuable points about how we read history and how we should include stories that have been marginalised or even outright ignored through the past, the tone was very different and they said nothing that O'Brien hadn't made clear through the rest of the book. It was very strange to read such an atmospheric book and then to end on what felt more like a lecture or a thinkpiece than anything else. I don't know if it's just part of the publishing package these days, as I'm seeing more and more of it -- you have to make your politics clear so the Twitter crowd doesn't go feral and accuse you of being racist or something -- but as I mentioned, it was threaded through the rest of the book very clearly and I don't appreciate the assumption that I a) missed that and b) hadn't considered it already.

Aside from that, no complaints. That it ended on an odd note doesn't change the fact that this was a deeply informative read and absolutely full of fascinating insight and analysis. The title is also my favourite I've seen in a while.

[Jack Thackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A road trip book about dark historical sites in Ireland? How could I not love this book?

Essentially a whistle stop tour of museums and memorials to Irelands long dark history, each instalment a review of the location and a good chunk of the history represent or misrepresented there.

I thought it was rather insightful on the ways history is written and rewritten through the ages, often as the state chooses which story it wants to tell.

I couldn’t have asked more from this book. A great holiday read for history buff.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book touring Ireland’s sites and museums. Some sites and museums are now on my list of things to do.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I want to do a tour of Ireland!