The Truth About the Irish [Hardcover]

Terry Eagleton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2000

If you're looking for a field guide to leprechauns, The Truth About the Irish is not the book for you. But if you can handle a frank and funny look into the minds and hearts of Irish people, you've been touched by that fabled Irish luck. Covering all things Irish from Blarney to Yeats, renowned literary and cultural critic Terry Eagleton separates the myths from the reality with his priceless blend of sidesplitting humor, caustic commentary, and the honest lowdown on the beloved and bewildering country of Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eagleton's very cheeky look at the Irish tickles as it informs. Relating the A to Zs of Irish life and culture in brief essays arranged by subject, the Oxford literature professor (Heathcliffe and the Great Hunger; Literary Theory; etc.) employs a mix of statistics and playful humor to point out that, among other things, the Irish are not the biggest drinkers in the world (except for Greece and Italy, they have the lowest per-capita consumption in the E.U.). Avowed revolutionaries, they harbor a tendency, says Eagleton, toward ineptitude: in the 1916 Easter Rebellion "the rebels themselves were mostly poets and intellectuals, rarely the most promising material for a military scrap." Yet they have a fine tradition of strong, independent women, from the pirate Grace O'Malley of the 16th century to revolutionary Maud Gonne and presidents Robinson and MacAleese in the 20th century. Fond of having a good time, the Irish tend to be very religious--when they aren't in one of their anti-clerical moods. The common expletive "fugghan" is the closest most of the population comes to using Gaelic (a Welsh word meaning "wild, untamed"). Eagleton emphasizes that the Irish are proud of their new economic firepower, dubbing themselves the "Celtic Tiger" and making an industry out of James Joyce, who fled Ireland to get away from them. With wry affection, he traces the roots of many customs in Ireland's history as an impoverished colony, and observes that its people may be changing with the country's recent prosperity. The Ancient Order of Hibernians may despise Eagleton's candor, but most Irish will greet it with a smile and a wink. (Mar.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-Who was Maud Gonne? What is a bodhr n? What is the explanation for the phrase "Celtic tiger?" Eagleton offers his views on these and other things Irish in this very readable, sometimes irreverent book. Using an encyclopedic format, he covers the entire alphabet in this slim volume. He starts, naturally, with alcohol. "The image of the Irish as heavy drinkers," he insists, "was often based on Irish immigrants abroad rather than those at home. And immigrants have sorrows they need to drown." Along the way to the letter Z, he discusses such matters as "hedge schools," where Catholic children received their education, usually outdoors, in the era of British rule; "Kells, Book of," regarded by some as decadent because of its obsessive attention to art; "Patrick," Ireland's patron saint, about whom very little is actually known; and other interesting and amusing sidelights to Irish society and culture. The articles are short, ranging from one paragraph to five pages, and are interspersed with humorous line drawings. The size of the book, the length and style of the articles, and the very engaging boy on the cover will appeal to YAs with any interest at all in the Emerald Isle.-Pamela B. Rearden, Centreville Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (March 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312254881
• ISBN-13: 978-0312254889
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, iconoclastic and irreverent, March 11, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Truth About the Irish (Paperback)

Terry Eagleton has long been known in academic circles as a maverick iconoclast willing to say what others were either unable to articulate and unwilling to say for fear of standing out. Truth be told, he was never a favorite of mine. However this book, changed my mind.

As the reviewers above show, the begrudgers and naysayers in Ireland (and Irish-America) are as plentiful as ever.

It is a sad commentary that people writing about Ireland still have to overcome stereotypes and establish their bona fides as "really" Irish. When one reads a book about France by an American author, no one demands to know what his family's relationship to France was or what his parents' religion was. With Ireland, however, it is another story.

Yes, Eagleton was born and raised and lives in Englan. But, he is the child of Irish Catholic immigrants and he undoubtedly has more knowledge of Ireland than those whose main connection is created by St Patrick's parades, Guinness at the local Shannon (or Shamrock or Shillelagh) Pub and singing "Ooh, aah, up the 'RA!"

Eagleton's take certainly tweaks some noses, but it does so in the good natured way that friends tease one another. There definitely is nothing "anti-Irish" in it. Any one who would take offense at this sort of thing would be akin to Joyce's caricature of Michael Cusack (AKA, The Citizen) in Ulysses.

In other words, people should lighten up and take this warmly affectionate slagging in the spirit it would be taken by most Irish people I know.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introductory text to Irish culture., July 3, 2000

By 

J. Sexton (Joplin, Mo USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Truth About the Irish (Hardcover)

I was about a month away from my vacation to Ireland, when I realized I didn't really know anything about the Irish culture. This book did the trick. To be completely honest, this book is written for ignorant Americans (like me) who only have a stereotypical understanding of the culture. I thought it was a beautiful land of people named O'Malley who wore only green and ate only potatos while drinking at the pub and singing an ancient celtic song. Then he would climb on his donkey and ride to his thatch roof hut to sleep it off before a morning of cutting peat in the rain. You get the idea. The book pretty much destroys 85% of your preconceptions. It is set up like a condensed encyclopedia of Ireland. It explains every thing from important dates and events in Ireland's political history, to the Irish literary giants, to slang that you will probably hear on the street. It is also very humerous to read. Just remember that the author is anticipating 100% ignorance and stereotypes from the reader, so don't get offended when he hurts your feelings.

Once you have a basic understanding of the culture, I suggest the "Eyewitness Travel Guide: Ireland" for completing your basic understanding of the island. By then, you should be ready for a trip!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sympathetic and witty portrait., February 23, 2001

By 

Brian Cronin (Shiki, Saitama Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Truth About the Irish (Paperback)

Browsing in a bookstore in Tokyo I found one of the most honest, sympathetic, and up to date guides on today`s Ireland. Eagleton is clearly a writer who has more than a passing familiarity with the country and the people. It`s a slim volume, however it is both hilarious and insightful. Essentially, the writer walks you through some of the main aspects of Irish culture at the beginning of the 21st century. He uses an A - Z format, each letter representing a particular area he chooses for examination. In this way, he manages to look at issues as diverse as the potato famine, craic, politics, R.T.E. and Dublin 4. He`s not afraid of any of the sacred cows, e.g. the Irish language, the famine, the Celtic tiger e.t.c. Equally, he doesn`t shirk the some of the minefields, the main one being the north of Ireland. And, in dealing with these issues he`s able to present the two or more sides of the story that there are, and he does so briefly and intelligently. As a result, I can recommend this book highly, especially to those who are unversed in the subject. I have a few gripes however. I think that he was a bit wide of the mark when he claims that the British tourist has abandoned Ireland to the French and the German tourist, due to what he characterises as British indifference. My experience and the tourist agency figures don`t support this. In any case, I mention this only to illustrate what I feel to be a loosely articulated anti-English bias throughout the book. A bias, which as he knows, would be out of place these days in Ireland. This is a little disappointing, however it`s not a blazing theme on his part and does not, therefore, ruin what is an excellent introduction to Ireland and the Irish.