Story of Ireland: In Search of a New National Memory

Story of Ireland: In Search of a New National Memory

by Fergal Keane (Introduction), NeilHegarty (Author)

Synopsis

The history of Ireland has traditionally focused on the localized struggles of religious conflict, territoriality and the fight for Home Rule. But from the early Catholic missions into Europe to the embrace of the euro, the real story of Ireland has played out on the larger international stage. Story of Ireland presents this new take on Irish history, challenging the narrative that has been told for generations and drawing fresh conclusions about the way the Irish have lived. Revisiting the major turning points in Irish history, Neil Hegarty re-examines the accepted stories, challenging long-held myths and looking not only at the dynamics of what happened in Ireland, but also at the role of events abroad. How did Europe's 16th century religious wars inform the incredible violence inflicted on the Irish by the Elizabethans? What was the impact of the French and American revolutions on the Irish nationalist movement? What were the consequences of Ireland's policy of neutrality during the Second World War? Story of Ireland sets out to answer these questions and more, rejecting the introspection that has often characterized Irish history. Accompanying a landmark series coproduced by the BBC and RTE, and with an introduction by series presenter, Fergal Keane, Story of Ireland is an epic account of Ireland's history for an entire new generation.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: BBC Books
Published: 28 Apr 2011

ISBN 10: 1846079683
ISBN 13: 9781846079689
Book Overview: An ambitious new one-volume history of Ireland, published to coincide with a landmark series on the BBC presented by Fergal Keane

Media Reviews
Praise for The Story of Ireland A prime starter kit. Author Neil Hegarty artfully encapsulates this land of saints and scholars from 433 BC to 2010. -- Boston Globe A fresh recasting of Irish history...A finely researched and timely celebration of Ireland's turbulent history and conservative people. -- Publishers Weekly A balanced overview of the history of Ireland...Hegarty highlights the complexities underlying Ireland's ongoing conflicts...Recommended for general readers seeking a thourough, nonpartisan guide to...the history of this...country. -- Booklist A most impressive sweep through the preceding centuries ...An engrossing and highly readable account of the sweep of Irish history. -- The Irish Sunday Independent A new view of history...Everyone should read this. -- Evening Herald (UK) An engaging, entertaining, and accessible history...Captures the complex state of a nation. -- RTEGuide (UK) Hegarty's book is an admirably even-handed one, and though ... it may be generations before a 'new national memory' replaces the ingrained chronicle of repression and reprisal, we should be grateful for such an intelligent attempt to hasten it. -- Tablet (UK)
Author Bio
Neil Hegarty was born in Derry in 1970. He is the author of Dublin: A View from the Ground, a cultural history of the Irish capital from its foundations to the present day. His short fiction and essays have been published widely and his journalism has appeared in the Irish Times and Daily Telegraph. His radio play, The Story of Peggy Mountain, was shortlisted for RTE's P J O'Connor Award; and he has written radio documentaries on the Irish diaspora in Newfoundland and Argentina. He holds a PhD in English literature from Trinity College Dublin. Fergal Keane OBE was born in London and educated in Ireland. He is one of the BBC's most distinguished correspondents, having worked for the corporation in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Asia and the Balkans. He has been awarded a BAFTA and has been named reporter of the year on television and radio. His books include All of the These People: A Memoir, Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey, and Letters to Daniel.