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Luck and the Irish: A Brief History of Change from 1970
Roy Foster is one of Ireland's leading historians, the author of the much acclaimed two-volume biography of Yeats as well as the definitive history Modern Ireland, which has been hailed as "dazzling" (New York Times Book Review) and "elegant, erudite, wise, witty" (Irish Times). Now, this brilliant writer offers a "short and combative" account of Ireland's astonishing transformation over the last three decades.
Has there really been an "economic miracle"? Where does the explosion of cultural energy in music, literature, and theater come from? Has the power of the Catholic Church really crumbled? Focusing largely on contemporary events, living people, current controversies, and popular culture, Luck and the Irish explores these questions and raises other provocative questions of its own. Foster looks at the astonishing volte-face undertaken by Sinn Fein, eventually taking office in a state they had once fought to destroy. He describes how Catholicism, once the bedrock of Irish identity, has been decisively compromised, as evidenced by the exploitation and abuse scandals and the drastic decline in devotions. At the same time, the position of women in Irish society has been transformed, with the growth of feminism, a revolution in sexual attitudes, far more women in the work force, the ascendancy of President Mary Robinson, and the movement of women to front-rank Cabinet posts--all of which have put the position of Irish women ahead of that in many European nations.
Many old molds have been broken in Irish society over the last 30 years, and the immediate results have been breath-taking. But are these developments really as permanent or even as beneficial as they appear? Everyone curious about the recent past, the burgeoning present, and the unclear future of Ireland will want to read this superbly written and deeply thoughtful book.
Has there really been an "economic miracle"? Where does the explosion of cultural energy in music, literature, and theater come from? Has the power of the Catholic Church really crumbled? Focusing largely on contemporary events, living people, current controversies, and popular culture, Luck and the Irish explores these questions and raises other provocative questions of its own. Foster looks at the astonishing volte-face undertaken by Sinn Fein, eventually taking office in a state they had once fought to destroy. He describes how Catholicism, once the bedrock of Irish identity, has been decisively compromised, as evidenced by the exploitation and abuse scandals and the drastic decline in devotions. At the same time, the position of women in Irish society has been transformed, with the growth of feminism, a revolution in sexual attitudes, far more women in the work force, the ascendancy of President Mary Robinson, and the movement of women to front-rank Cabinet posts--all of which have put the position of Irish women ahead of that in many European nations.
Many old molds have been broken in Irish society over the last 30 years, and the immediate results have been breath-taking. But are these developments really as permanent or even as beneficial as they appear? Everyone curious about the recent past, the burgeoning present, and the unclear future of Ireland will want to read this superbly written and deeply thoughtful book.
227 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 19, 2009
In trying to provide a coherent analysis of the huge changes that Ireland has undergone in the last 35 years, R.F. Foster has set himself an impossible task. It's not surprising, therefore, that he doesn't entirely succeed. But he does acquit himself very well in the attempt.
The book is short (~200 pages) and divided into five, densely argued, chapters:
1. The Miracle of Loaves and Fishes
2. How the Catholics became Protestants
3. The Party Fight and Funeral
4. 'Big Mad Children': the South and the North
5. How the Short Stories became Novels
These are concerned with, respectively
* the 'Celtic Tiger', that is, the extraordinary economic boom that Ireland experienced, beginning in 1987 (and which was still underway when this book was written, though it hasn't escaped the recent havoc)
* social changes, including changes in women's roles, the complete erosion of influence of the Catholic hierarchy, and liberalization of laws pertaining to contraception, divorce, and homosexuality
* the role of Fianna Fail in Irish politics in the late 20th Century
* the evolution of attitudes in the Republic towards the North that helped pave the way to the Good Friday agreement of 1998
* the flourishing of the most recent generation of Irish writers and musicians
For me, chapters 1, 2, and 5 were the most successful, though this may reflect the aspects of recent Irish history that interest me the most. Foster's analyses of the economic and social changes, the beginnings of which he traces back to the 1970s, seem particularly insightful. The writing is generally pretty clear, though it can become a little dense on occasion. In general, he does presuppose a general familiarity with Irish history and politics, so this is not a book for someone looking for a basic primer.
It is, however, a fascinating and thought-provoking analysis of recent developments in Irish history.
The book is short (~200 pages) and divided into five, densely argued, chapters:
1. The Miracle of Loaves and Fishes
2. How the Catholics became Protestants
3. The Party Fight and Funeral
4. 'Big Mad Children': the South and the North
5. How the Short Stories became Novels
These are concerned with, respectively
* the 'Celtic Tiger', that is, the extraordinary economic boom that Ireland experienced, beginning in 1987 (and which was still underway when this book was written, though it hasn't escaped the recent havoc)
* social changes, including changes in women's roles, the complete erosion of influence of the Catholic hierarchy, and liberalization of laws pertaining to contraception, divorce, and homosexuality
* the role of Fianna Fail in Irish politics in the late 20th Century
* the evolution of attitudes in the Republic towards the North that helped pave the way to the Good Friday agreement of 1998
* the flourishing of the most recent generation of Irish writers and musicians
For me, chapters 1, 2, and 5 were the most successful, though this may reflect the aspects of recent Irish history that interest me the most. Foster's analyses of the economic and social changes, the beginnings of which he traces back to the 1970s, seem particularly insightful. The writing is generally pretty clear, though it can become a little dense on occasion. In general, he does presuppose a general familiarity with Irish history and politics, so this is not a book for someone looking for a basic primer.
It is, however, a fascinating and thought-provoking analysis of recent developments in Irish history.
August 13, 2017
It was a great book to read - dense with information. But as a complete outsider to Ireland, I found it difficult to keep up with the multitude of characters and references of the book. I started reading the Cambridge Social History of Modern Ireland at the same time. Though the book is quite long compared to this one, it took its time to examine history in smaller and more manageable chunks. Better for some one with little knowledge of Ireland compared to RF Foster
May 9, 2024
I find Foster a bit hard to read due to the ornate prose and long sentences. But I loved this book’s length and subject matter
August 14, 2008
A masterly little book from the Professor of Irish History at Oxford whose last work was the definitive biography of Yeats. He documents the changes from Dev's Ireland to the presentday covering all sections of Irish life and the relation with the North. To give an idea one chapter heading is 'How the Catholics Became Protestants'.
November 8, 2019
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3281169.html
This is a book based on five lectures given by Roy Foster in Belfast in 2004, published in 2007. It is sobering to realise just how different the world (and Ireland) looked before the crash of 2008. Brexit, of course, is the latest twist in the post-crash settling of world affairs as it affects Ireland (the Trump Presidency is more significant on a global scale, but affects Ireland less). In 2004 (or 2007) it was possible to write a book or set of lectures about the recent past, finish the final paragraph and think, job done. I don't think any historian could confidently do that in 2019.
And in fairness to Foster, he sort-of sees it coming - one of his warnings, particularly in the third chapter which concentrates on Fianna Fail, is that the relationship between property investors and politicians was far too close. The story of Charles Haughey's rampant and blatant corruption is always worth telling again, but this was enabled by a political system that saw no problem with linking property development and executive power. He doesn't completely see it coming, of course; in 2003, 2004 and 2005, Ireland's GNI per capita rose by 20%, 26% and 18%, and it was impossible at that point to envisage that the figures for 2009-12 would be -8% followed by three consecutive years of 4% decline. But historians are supposed to tell us about the past, not the future.
Foster's aim is to explain how Ireland modernised between 1970 and 2000. I don't think he quite manages to convey a grasp of the very big picture (he basically puts it down to luck and accident), but each of the chapters is a good scrutiny of important elements of the story. Chapter two is on the change in status of the Catholic Church; chapter three on Fianna Fail; chapter four on the Republic's attitude to Northern Ireland (where I think he is completely right to say that the South accepted Partition in 1926 and is still not seriously contemplating any other arrangement); and chapter five on the arts and literature. It's tremendously well written, and although some might feel that the critique of Charles Haughey is a bit over the top, the fact is that Haughey himself was well over the top. (Younger readers may need reminding that in the summer of 1982, during Haughey's first government, a nationwide hunt for a man who had killed two people in broad daylight with no apparent motive ended with the murderer's arrest in an apartment belonging to the Attorney-General; not Haughey's own fault, of course, but somehow symbolic of the times.)
Even though the book was out of date within a year of publication, it's a good encapsulation of the era.
This is a book based on five lectures given by Roy Foster in Belfast in 2004, published in 2007. It is sobering to realise just how different the world (and Ireland) looked before the crash of 2008. Brexit, of course, is the latest twist in the post-crash settling of world affairs as it affects Ireland (the Trump Presidency is more significant on a global scale, but affects Ireland less). In 2004 (or 2007) it was possible to write a book or set of lectures about the recent past, finish the final paragraph and think, job done. I don't think any historian could confidently do that in 2019.
And in fairness to Foster, he sort-of sees it coming - one of his warnings, particularly in the third chapter which concentrates on Fianna Fail, is that the relationship between property investors and politicians was far too close. The story of Charles Haughey's rampant and blatant corruption is always worth telling again, but this was enabled by a political system that saw no problem with linking property development and executive power. He doesn't completely see it coming, of course; in 2003, 2004 and 2005, Ireland's GNI per capita rose by 20%, 26% and 18%, and it was impossible at that point to envisage that the figures for 2009-12 would be -8% followed by three consecutive years of 4% decline. But historians are supposed to tell us about the past, not the future.
Foster's aim is to explain how Ireland modernised between 1970 and 2000. I don't think he quite manages to convey a grasp of the very big picture (he basically puts it down to luck and accident), but each of the chapters is a good scrutiny of important elements of the story. Chapter two is on the change in status of the Catholic Church; chapter three on Fianna Fail; chapter four on the Republic's attitude to Northern Ireland (where I think he is completely right to say that the South accepted Partition in 1926 and is still not seriously contemplating any other arrangement); and chapter five on the arts and literature. It's tremendously well written, and although some might feel that the critique of Charles Haughey is a bit over the top, the fact is that Haughey himself was well over the top. (Younger readers may need reminding that in the summer of 1982, during Haughey's first government, a nationwide hunt for a man who had killed two people in broad daylight with no apparent motive ended with the murderer's arrest in an apartment belonging to the Attorney-General; not Haughey's own fault, of course, but somehow symbolic of the times.)
Even though the book was out of date within a year of publication, it's a good encapsulation of the era.
November 10, 2022
Overwhelms with detail without making novel connections. The one exception to this is the last chapter, in which historian becomes cultural critic and gives air to all manner of dubious theories about what can be inferred about Irish society from its artistic output.
Foster’s heavily laden prose is a chore to read. Sentence after sentence is needlessly burnished, repeatedly leaving the reader to ponder ambiguities.
There must be better books than this on the period.
Foster’s heavily laden prose is a chore to read. Sentence after sentence is needlessly burnished, repeatedly leaving the reader to ponder ambiguities.
There must be better books than this on the period.
June 11, 2013
It's a fascinating and entertaining book. Foster writes perceptively and wittily about modern Ireland. From my point of view the best chapter is about changing attitudes in the Republic to Northern Ireland, and the effects this has had on cross-border relations and the peace process in the North.
October 26, 2008
A short, but dense, book on modern Irish history. In a couple of hundred pages, it covers the transformation that has occurred in the Republic.
October 20, 2014
Not the most captivating of history texts but alright
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews