Learning about Ireland - where should I start?

crfcaio

Hello everyone, I have been accessing boards for a while, mostly reading and posting threads on AH. I have a love for Ireland and, as I head off to college in the fall, I've been thinking about learning more about the country than I already do. My problem is that I don't know where to start - should I begin reading about its history from its beginning 'til modern days? What about its society? I just wanna learn as much as I can because I wanna better explain to others why I like it so much!

Cheers everyone!

Pride Fighter

crfcaio wrote: »

Hello everyone, I have been accessing boards for a while, mostly reading and posting threads on AH. I have a love for Ireland and, as I head off to college in the fall, I've been thinking about learning more about the country than I already do. My problem is that I don't know where to start - should I begin reading about its history from its beginning 'til modern days? What about its society? I just wanna learn as much as I can because I wanna better explain to others why I like it so much!

Cheers everyone!

Ireland is such a broad subject it is hard to know where to start. If you want to know about our culture, read some Irish mythology, we have a very rich mythological heritage, great stories like Finn and the Fianna, the children of Lir and the salmon of knowledge and that is not even scratching the surface of it.

In terms of modern Ireland, I'd recommend you watch some Irish films, I'd recommend the Commitments, the Snapper, the Van and a TV series called Father Ted. If you get most of those, you'll get Irish humour. Also in terms of music I'd look up Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly and the Dubliners. Ronnie and Luke where in the Dubliners but did their own thing too.

In terms of history, it is a tricky subject. I have a degree in history and find most Irish history books very boring or from a certain slant. There is a good neutral series by Gill and McMillan though will link you the books

http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/history/history/new-gill-history-of-ireland-medieval-ireland?highlight=18th%20century%20Ireland
http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/history/history/new-gill-history-of-ireland-seventeenth-century-ireland
http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/history/history/new-gill-history-of-ireland-eighteenth-century-ireland?highlight=18th%20century%20Ireland
http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/history/history/new-gill-history-of-ireland-twentieth-century-ireland?highlight=18th%20century%20Ireland

Anyway, hope this is of use to you, and good luck.

crfcaio

Thank you, I appreciate your help!

I actually sort of know the salmon of knowledge story. Isn't the one which Finn McCoil (I'm sorry if I misspelled it) takes a very small bite of a salmon with his wisdom tooth, and that's why it's called wisdom tooth? I remember reading about it in Ireland, by Frank Delaney.

thecommietommy

crfcaio wrote: »

Hello everyone, I have been accessing boards for a while, mostly reading and posting threads on AH. I have a love for Ireland and, as I head off to college in the fall, I've been thinking about learning more about the country than I already do. My problem is that I don't know where to start - should I begin reading about its history from its beginning 'til modern days? What about its society? I just wanna learn as much as I can because I wanna better explain to others why I like it so much!

Cheers everyone!

Well I wouldn't take too much value into what you'd read on the AH forum !!!! There are many, many books on modern Irish history and society, but if I had to recommend one it would be Ireland Since the Famine which covers social and economic factors as well as political events i.e. land and tennant reform, the survival and hardening of nationalism, armed uprising 1916 - 1921, partition, the influence of Irish America on events at home, neutrality in WW2 etc First published in 1963, it remains one of the great works on Irish history.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2090997.Ireland_Since_The_Famine

Fenian Army

Ireland her own, TA Jackson. V.Good outline history.

If you want to understand the north, Michael Farrels Northern Ireland: The Orange State is your best bet