Customer Reviews

The Truth About the Irish

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

An amusing little encyclopedia of items related to the Emerald Isle by one of the giants of social criticism. Eagleton's relationship to Marxism has gone through many permutations over the years, until the 1970's when he rejected the development of literary theory entirely in favor of a more functional ideal - bringing about social change. He continues to teach literary theory, as well as English and Irish literature to this day, but this book shows the professor more interested in educating and entertaining his readers than in filling their heads with yet another abstruse theory, possibly operating under the principle that knowledge promotes better understanding. This book covers a lot of Irish territory, including standard geographic data, frank discussion about some major figures from Irish history (both political and literary), and the major tourist attractions, but he presents everything in a way that is as succinct and delightful as it is informative. In doing so, he debunks a lot of the common misconceptions about Ireland, while still managing to offend just about everyone. (How many Irish mothers does it take to change a light bulb? None, I'll just sit here in the dark...)

Irony has always been one of Eagleton's preferred tools, and he is most effective when turning it towards the Irish's undeserved international reputation for hard drinking, fighting, and blarney. Eagleton always tries to be even-handed, even when discussing such dangerous topics as The Troubles and Environmentalism; and on the whole, he is successful, coming across as a likable, convivial guide to one of Europe's least understood countries. The encyclopedia format allows readers the convenience of looking up any items of particular interest, while skipping over topics that don't appeal to you. Recommended for those who want to know more about Ireland, and would rather risk being offended for the sake of entertainment than pore over a dry, scholarly treatment of the subject.

Well worth reading if you are going to Ireland! I especially thought he did a good job explaining the political scene and history of Northern Ireland. So many Americans get the one-note US news version of events and believe that's all there is.

Also, perhaps the reviewer from the UK doesn't like the book because it explains fully English/British repression in all of Ireland. Not a proud history there!

The author's cultural observations are very interesting and funny. I laughed out loud many times.

I purchased this book to help me give more insight into the Irish culture. Not only does it do that, but it's one of the funniest things I have ever read. The author obviously knows the subject well. After visiting Ireland twice last year, I readily agree with many of his observations. He eliminates several misconceptions people may have of the Irish in general while at the same time heartily confirming others in this roaring read. However, the only drawbacks are that the book is a bit short, and no particular analysis was given as to why Irish men are considered such drunken louts.

Let me start by saying, politically, i'm what you would call a "hard case." I believe Michael Collins was a great hero and the British government owes the Irish a big fat apology for centuries of bigotry and abuse. That being said, this is a great book in my opinion. The Irish can and DO laugh at themselves. Eagleton is pretty fair in pointing out the pros and cons of both sides (English and Irish). If you're one of those people who wants to believe all the Irish have red hair and run around in green sweaters saying 'top o' the morning!' then you'll find nothing to like about this book. if you want a pretty objective view of the irish (and how we got that way), read this.

I'll be succinct. Don't waste your money buying this book. Don't waste your time reading it. This is a smart-alec's attempt at humor. It betrays his deep-ingrained English bigotry towards the Irish and Catholics.

The Irish culture according to an an Englishman's perspective. Truth? Maybe some of it. Stereotypes? Yes.

Mr. Eagleton does little more than repeat stereotypes. Overall verdict: dull.