New Perspectives on the Irish Abroad
The Silent People?
Mícheál Ó hAodha editor Máirtín Ó Catháin editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Lexington Books
Published:25th Mar '14
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The relationship between Ireland and the diversity of its diasporas has always been complex and multi-layered, but it is not until recently that this reality has really been acknowledged in the public sphere and indeed, amongst the scholarly community generally. This reality is partly a consequence of both “push-and-pull” factors and the relatively late arrival of globalization trends to the island of Ireland itself, situated as it is on the Atlantic seaboard between Europe and the US. Ireland is changing however, some would say at an unprecedented speed as compared with many of its neighbours, and the sense of Irish identity and connection to the home country is changing too. What is the relationship of Ireland and the Irish with its diaspora communities and how is this articulated? The voices who speak in New Perspectives on the Irish Abroad: The Silent People?, edited by Mícheál Ó hAodha and Máirtín Ó Catháin, “talk back” to Ireland and Ireland talks to them, and it is in telling that we see a new story, an emerging discourse—the narratives of the “hidden” Irish, the migrant Irish, the diaspora whose voices and refrains were hitherto neglected or subject to silence.
Methodologically, this book demonstrates the value of oral history scholarship and archival analysis in unveiling migrant subjectivities and memories. The two editors successfully draw together nine very different but equally engaging chapters that provide stimulating, accessible and varied snapshots into the experiences, emotions and identities of the diasporic Irish.... The rich diversity of the Irish diasporic experience and the fluidity of their ethnic and cultural identities brought about by this book is truly amazing and inspirational to anyone who is interested in the study of migration and globalization. As a whole, it provides the reader with a kaleidoscope of voices, images and stories of people coming from various walks of life....This excellent volume is of great interest to specialists working on Irish diaspora, and will be a useful reference book for postgraduate and undergraduate students studying Irish history and transnational migration in general. It opens up many exciting avenues for future research. * Irish Migration Studies in Latin America *
Emigration is one of the most obvious facts of life since humans left Africa all those years ago, and the Irish have wandered more than most. Despite this we often perceive history as discrete chunks of separate peoples. This fine book of perceptive essays gives us a new view of the Irish emigrant experience, how they merged or failed to integrate in their host societies, how they wrestled with or simply abandoned their former identities, but more than that it gives us their stories, as every person who left the country behind has an all too human past to relate. Their stories are often tragic, generally courageous and sometimes amusing. The essays visit some unexpected places and light up corners of the Irish diaspora that have been hitherto neglected. The research is new, the tone sympathetic and the insights are revealing. -- Alan Titley, University College Cork
Máirtín Ó Catháin and Mícheál Ó hAodha are to be commended for presenting this fresh and often vivid overview of Ireland's complicated migration history. Anyone interested in the stories of Irish emigration, tragic, heroic, stoic, and varied, will welcome this volume. -- Ruan O'Donnell, University of Limerick
ISBN: 9780739183717
Dimensions: 236mm x 161mm x 17mm
Weight: 390g
190 pages