Customer Reviews

Luck and the Irish: A Brief History of Change from 1970

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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 basic 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.

R.F. Foster has produced another engaging account of Irish History. This intelligent and witty history of contemporary Ireland covers the economic miracle, cultural energy, decline of the Catholic Church, Northern Ireland, and Politics in the late 20th century. I highly recommend this account to anyone who is interested in the current Irish state of affairs.