The Passenger: Ireland

by Various

The best new writing, photography, art, and reportage from and about Ireland—in the series that’s “like a literary vacation” (Publishers Weekly).Ireland is a land full of charm and conflict, a country that in just a few decades has gone from being a poor, semi-theocratic society to a thriving economy free from the influence of the Catholic Church. With the 1998 peace agreements, the conflict between nationalists and unionists seemed, if not resolved, at least dormant. But Brexit—with the ambiguous position it leaves Northern Ireland in—caused old tensions to resurface, with ramifications in politics, society, culture, and sport.Meanwhile, south of the border, epochal transformation has seen a deeply patriarchal, conservative society give space to diversity, the only country in the world to enshrine gay marriage in law through a referendum. And there’s a whole other Ireland abroad, an Irish diaspora that looks to the old country with newfound pride but doesn’t forget the ugliness it fled from.Memory and identity intertwine with the transformations—from globalization to climate change—that are remodeling the Irish landscape, from the coastal communities under threat of disappearing along with the Irish language fishermen use to talk about the sea, inland the peat bogs, until recently important sources of energy and jobs, are being abandoned. Pieces in this collection mass is ended by Catherine Dunne and Caelainn Hogan · The Way Back by Colum McCann · A Trip to Westeros by Mark O’Connell · Plus: life on the margins of two unions and right in the middle of Brexit, making war on each other for thirty years while playing on the same national rugby team, emigrating to the great enemy or transforming the country one referendum at a time, digging peat bogs and building cottages, talking of the sea in Gaelic, and much more . . . “These books are so rich and engrossing that it is rewarding to read them even when one is stuck at home.” —The Times Literary Supplement

Genres: Ireland

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 12, 2022

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

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Reviews

[SusyG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo è un libro che consiglio tantissimo a chi ama l'Irlanda, come me❤️🇮🇪 nel formato di The Passenger, come al solito, ci sono vari articoli e infografiche, questa volta dedicati alla Repubblica d'Irlanda e all'Irlanda del Nord. Vengono affrontati molti temi interessanti: la situazione dei diritti civili, dall'aborto (che fa capire quanto abbiamo in comune con gli irlandesi) ai matrimoni LGBT+ passando per il divorzio; i Troubles e come hanno impattato sulla salute mentale; la Brexit e il suo impatto sui confini; la situazione abitativa e la conservazione del gaelico; i tour di Game of Thrones... Insomma, c'è tantissimo 🥰 come al solito in fondo ci sono consigli di film, serie e una playlist irlandese! Mi è piaciuto tantissimo!

[francesca]

irlanda mia amata

[Hein Matthew Hattie]

Of the 11 essays, a few repeat the same stats and historical anecdotes. This volume is a collection of short essays, so some crossover is unavoidable; nonetheless, The Passenger: Ireland is best enjoyed as an occasional pick-up, rather than a read-straight-through.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating anthology of articles that covers a huge swathe of Irish culture and history. Absorbing and useful.

[Jen]

Bought 12/1/24 at Newark Airport traveling home from London.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series of essays. I read this in preparation for a trip to Ireland. It really helped me understand, especially the North. Thanks to Kim for recommending it!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting emotional about Ireland like it’s my job.

"The marginalisation of the language to the poorest, most exposed and isolated regions should be no surprise to anybody familiar with the fate of minority cultures that are not actively fixated upon maximising the extraction of local resources and the endless expansion of personal wealth. All over the world such people are branded as backward or even barbaric. Anything of value they own is taken from them, and they are pushed to the margins, to wasteland that is of little value to anyone else. This is precisely what has happened to the Irish people."