ENG 150: National Identity in Modern Irish Literature- Student Curated Display

Review by Caroline Duggan

“The Limits of Cultural Nationalism” Chapter Review

In Irish Adventures in Nation-Building, the nationalism that Ireland developed since 2004 is actively demonstrated. The chapter I decided to focus on is “The limit of cultural nationalism.” This chapter opens with an article from Studies about Adolf Hilter. Daniel Bincy published this article about Adolf Hilter around the same time when Ireland was in the midst of what he called “Church and State in Fascist Italy'' (Fanning, 77). Hitler used brutal anti-semitism and believed race did not exist. The Irish rarely took this idea Hitler presented about race seriously, most were more focused on the idea of Gaelic culture. In the symposium from Studies written by Michael Tierny on King of the Beggars he explains the intellectual politics. He focused on O’Connell’s legacy, and the freedom in politics Ireland faced after the Enlightenment. Both cultural nationalist and Catholic conservatives disagreed on foreign ideas. After the death of O’Connell the politics of cultural nationalism developed into Gaelic revival as a cultural restoration. Some called this restoration fake, saying that merits and costs were too much. Tierny’s thesis stated that the Irish revolution was politicized, saying “democracy is no substitute for culture”(Fanning, 78) .The aim of this article is to challenge the beliefs of “racial, national and cultural purity”(Fanning, 81). Tierny ended this chapter saying that “fake traditions were useful fictions” (Fanning,81).

Review by Imani Rather

"The future of Irish identity" Chapter Review

The book that I have chosen to review is Irish adventures in nation-building by Byran Fanning. The specific chapter I chose from the book was chapter 18 titled “Future of Irish Identity''. The topic that my group and I have chosen to research is Irish identity and nationalism post-2004. The chapter discusses the idea of “What is a Nation and the Question of Irish Nationalism”. Within this chapter, I decided to do a deeper analysis of Catholicism and its impact on Irish identity and nationalism. Laws and new practices are starting to be accepted by Catholics. For example, Ireland has legalized abortion and also gay marriage: “European Social Surveys conducted between 2002 and 2009 found that more than 55 per cent of Irish Catholics either agreed or strongly agreed that gays and lesbians should be free to live life as they wished” (Fanning 180). As stated previously more and more people are being able to live their life freely and with more support. Religion has a huge impact on many lives and for people to feel shunned or turned away for their sexual orientation it created a divide among the Irish people. “According to the 2011 census 3.86 million people, or 84 percent of the population of the Republic of Ireland, defined themselves as Catholic and just 270,000 defined themselves as being of no religion….. Catholicism, for most of Ireland’s population, is still part of the fabric of Irish identity and is likely to remain significantly so into the future” (Fanning 180). A large percentage of the Republic of Ireland practice or follow Catholicism. It seems that even though times are changing and people have different views they still practice and have faith.

Review by Mia Andrilla

“Citizenship and Integration: Problems of Integration in Ireland Today.” Chapter Review

The chapter that I focused on from this book is titled “Citizenship and Immigration: Problems of Integration in Ireland Today”, which focuses on the boom of immigrants after the time of the Celtic Tiger and the challenges that came with these new members of Ireland trying to integrate into the culture and put down roots in their new home. The chapter opens with a story about Allen Shatter, a former minister of justice, and his experiences with the conferring of citizenship rights and how he made moves towards making the event a more dignified and memorable experience for those receiving citizenship. He made it so that these people would feel celebrated for what they had received, possibly making them more optimistic about integrating into their new society. The chapter talks a lot about integration and what that means for different people as they immerse themselves into Irish culture. By the United Nations definition, “integration requires a preparedness to adapt to the lifestyle of the host society without having to lose one’s own cultural identity”. Both the immigrant and the host society need to work together towards achieving integration. There are many things that both aid and hinder a smooth transition into a new society, such as status, language, work, and accommodation. All of these things are an important part of assimilation and integration, as you must be prepared in all aspects so that you hit as few bumps in the road as possible. It highlights how in Ireland, new citizens are asked to declare their loyalty to the country they now reside in which brings in a whole new wave of people who will soon experience love of country and a feeling of national pride along with those who have been there for years. The addition of so many new people from so many different places around the world into Ireland changes the idea of what Irish identity and nationalism is, as these people all bring culture from their homelands and make it a part of their identity in their new home. The author of this chapter sees immigration as a very big problem, not just in Ireland, but around the world. People leave their old lives behind and come to new countries in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and their families and everything that can be done to help in the right way, should be done.