Place and Memory in the New Ireland : Review (original) (raw)
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New Ireland is not an entirely new concept. Paradoxically, the idea of a new Ireland is an historically recurring phenomenon, often propelled by an admixture of politics, economics, ideology, and culture. During the Celtic Revival at the turn of the Twentieth century, a faction of Ireland's cultural movers and shakers famously sought to re-imagine the Irish past. At least since then, re-imagination has long characterised the psychic blueprint for defining a 'new' Ireland against more tangible changes in society. The 1930s saw the valorisation of a pastoral image of Ireland as a reaction to a perceived corruption of nationalistic ideals in the previous decades. In the 1960s 'new Ireland' took shape as a progressive place where industrial developments prompted a turn away from insularism and conservatism. In the 1990s, an influx of foreign investment and political influence heralded a new global identity for Ireland, culminating in 1995-2007 when the Republic of Ireland enjoyed a significant period of economic growth known colloquially as the Celtic Tiger. In Northern Ireland it was arguably the Peace-Process that prompted the urge to realise new political, social and cultural alignments at the turn of the twenty-first century. The peculiar genealogy of the concept 'New Ireland' is, perforce, encrypted in the title Place and Memory in the New Ireland, the second volume in the Irish Studies in Europe series, produced under the aegis of EFACIS: The European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies. Inspired by an interdisciplinary conference of the same title held in Gothenburg in 2005, Place and Memory in the New Ireland is an engaging collection of twelve essays by scholars of Irish studies, tackling such diverse topics as emigration, urban regeneration, film, animation, poetry, prose fiction, and drama. The volume is loosely divided into two parts, but clearly weighted on Irish literature. As if to unabashedly flaunt this bias, the volume also contains two poems by the contemporary Irish poet, Harry Clifton, as well as an excerpt from a novel by the prominent Irish novelist, Deirdre Madden. Britta Olinder's light and informal introduction gives a helpful and concise précis to each chapter of the volume alongside a very brief background to the 2005 conference. While the introduction seems to deliberately avoid mentioning a shared theoretical drive to the volume (perhaps to reflect the comprehensive and plethoric nature of interdisciplinary conferences), the thematic emphasis clearly falls on place and memory and their offshoot concepts belonging and rootedness. The effect of this is that the compelling New Ireland of the title is deployed as a framework for consideration of place and memory and "what they mean today, in the new prosperous conditions of Ireland" (emphasis added). Here, through no fault of the authors, is the would-be flaw that threatens to stalk the volume. In only a few short years-in the time lag between conference, composition and publication-the condition of Ireland as 'new and prosperous' has been thrown
Writing Irish America: Communal Memory and the Narrative of Nation in Diaspora
In this project I trace Irish ethnic identity formation in the United States and the creation of the Irish-American narrative throughout the twentieth century as reflected in Irish-American life-writing-autobiographical or at least semi-autobiographical fiction and memoir-from just after World War II to the early 2000s. All of the works included in this study examine in some way the question of what it means to be Irish in America. The authors in this study collectively show how an Irish identity was given up in America and eventually pieced back together again. Some of the original elements remained, but others were forgotten, misunderstood, or invented. The Irish-American narrative tells of a rise from poverty and oppression to American comfort and respectability. There is pride in this rise, but there is also loss. I argue that ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank Ryan Trimm for his guidance through this project. His suggestions for theoretical readings provide the underpinnings for much of the work I do related to postcolonialism, nation, home, and memory. I am thankful, too, that Naomi Mandel agreed to join my committee. She added the much-needed perspective of ethnic identity formation in the United States, as well as transgenerational trauma. Detailed feedback on my chapters from both Ryan and Naomi has led to a more focused and well-supported argument. To Scott Molloy for his expertise on Edward McSorley's Our Own Kind, and the position of the Irish in America in the twentieth century, I also owe my gratitude. Finally, I could not have started this project without Eve Sterne's reading list on Irish-American history. Thanks as well go to Michelle Caraccia for helping me navigate the dissertation process at URI. My education on Irish Studies has happened outside the bounds of any one university. I am forever grateful to Phil O'Leary, a mentor since my undergraduate days at Boston College, for still responding to my e-mails after all of these years, and for sharing his wisdom, humor, and vast knowledge. I came into this project with an idea on the symbolic nature of Irish-American identity at the end of the twentieth century, and the seemingly contradictory idea that Irish Americans still consider Ireland home. Both of those ideas came from Michael Patrick MacDonald's memoirs of growing up in South Boston, so I am thankful for his writing and correspondence. Those ideas flourished in the presence of my colleagues in the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS), many of whom have become friends. Parts of all of these chapters were previewed and refined at ACIS conferences. Thanks go to Jim Rogers v for his mentorship, and his suggestion that I look at Elizabeth Cullinan's work.