Review
From Yeats to The Quiet Man, this book provides a satisfying taste from an eclectic Irish menu, says Clive Price.
- Irelands of the Mind: Memory and Identity in Modern Culture
- Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Irelands of the Mind: Memory and Identity in Modern Culture
Thanks to the Celtic Tiger and the Peace Process, popular media has been awash with a tide of interest in the new Ireland. Part of that is a fresh stream of writing on how Irishness is expressed and celebrated in the 21st century.
Amid that literary current comes the grandly titled Irelands Of The Mind: Memory And Identity In Modern Irish Culture. Here is a generous pool of 12 essays, edited by Richard C Allen and Stephen Regan – launched, of course, on St Patrick’s Day – with a reasonable amount of media coverage.
The editors are to be congratulated in mixing such a powerful brew. This one collection focuses on a wide range of Irish themes – from tourism to talk radio, film to faith, and from pop to poetry. It is quite an achievement – both logistically and editorially – to produce a one-stop shop of ideas.
In one reading, visit the west coast of the 19th century, reflect on the classic rom-com The Quiet Man, analyse the Celtic consciousness of Van Morrison, explore the creative confusion of Sinead O’Connor, look at links between Yeats and Burns – and celebrate a new Ireland with Seamus Heaney.
It’s an intriguing journey. There’s a bumpy start, as some of the heavier texts are in the first half. Then the vista opens up, and the ride is easier. Just before the end, the going gets sluggish again until Seamus Heaney’s hopeful vision.
The book confirmed my own love of both the romance and the realism of Ireland – you can’t have one without the other. There are lots of interesting angles on well-worn paths – how the promotion of the west as a place of escape and adventure has been going on for a long time – and how the radical press of Britain supported Ireland’s cultural nationalism in the 19th century.
New views are offered on old subjects. Did you realise how film-makers have found a deep well of soundtrack material in Van Morrison’s work; or of how many references to Irish culture and politics John Ford crammed into The Quiet Man; or where Yeats really got his Connemara cloth from?
There are some revelations, too, like the thought-provoking discussion on the idea of ‘home’ in Race, Place And Nation In Brian Friel’s The Home Place. ‘Home is not merely a house,’ says the author Alison O’Malley-Younger, ‘…but a powerful cultural signifier.’
There is more than one application for this book. If you are planning a course on Irish Studies, this could be a good primer. Certain chapters would be useful for students of Media and Popular Music. Others can read it just for the value of exploring the Irish imagination.
Like any hearty meal, there are low and high points. The starter is heavy. The main course is a delight. The pudding is satisfying. Taste it and see.
Clive Price is a freelance writer, editor and publicist, based in southern England but a frequent visitor to Northern Ireland.
