Modern Irish History
and Culture: The Creation of Ireland
This course will allow
you to hone your historical skills through the study of
modern Ireland. Most Irish historians date the beginning of
“modern” Ireland as 1600. We will explore why this is
regarded as the start of “modern” Ireland rather than later
dates such as the Great Famine 1845-1849, or the Easter
Rising in 1916 or the Anglo-Irish War or the subsequent
civil war and the establishment of the Free State and the
“dynamics of conflict in Northern Ireland.” In addition to
questioning the role periodization has played in Irish
history, we will discuss the Irish diaspora and its role in
creating and maintaining Irish identity and nationalism.
How have different groups within Ireland and among Irish
immigrants employed and manipulated nationalism and to what
ends? We will also discuss the role of religion in creating
Irish identity. Ireland has a long literary history that
has also been manipulated for nationalistic purposes. Its
poetry, songs, plays and novels have been informed by and
infused with the nationalist struggle. We will consider
many of these works as primary sources to illuminate our
understanding of Ireland. Finally, no discussion concerning
the “creation of Ireland” can ignore England’s role in
constructing and shaping Irish identity. Is English
imperialism to blame for Ireland’s poverty, economic
stagnation and political woes? If so, what does this say
about the agency of the Irish in the past and today?