The Open Secret of Ireland

by Thomas M. Kettle

"The Open Secret of Ireland", published in 1912, consists of articles primarily focused on Home Rule, offering both historical and contemporary analyses. The collection includes three articles focused on Unionism, particularly on Ulster Unionism, and Kettle's description of 'The Hallucination of Ulster' provides a fascinating insight into nationalist ideas about the fragility of the unionist bloc and the unreasonableness of their cause. This revealing and intriguing collection offers many insights into the motivations of the old Home Rule generation, convinced that their day had come and utterly unaware of the radical course Irish politics were to take in the next ten years. This edition includes an original introduction by John Redmond. It contains a new introduction by Senia Paseta.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Thomas Michael Kettle

Reviews

[Debyi Kucera (Book&BuJo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Open Secret of Ireland by T.M. Kettle is a plea to England to bring about a better understanding between England and Ireland, to work out their differences, and find a system that works.

This book is well thought out, though a bit dry and long-winded. It read a bit like a contract or bill being submitted to the government which explains the “dryness” of it. You can tell T.M. Kettle is passionate about Ireland and has a personal interest in the results. Tom Kettle talks about the advantages and disadvantages of Ulster Rule as well as Home Rule, which he is a proponent of.

It was a bit long-winded for me but I am glad I read it as I was able to learn a bit about the culture at the time and a bit of history.