The end of Irish history?

Critical reflections on the Celtic Tiger

Bibliographic Data

ID23767013
EditorsColin Coulter (0000-0001-5445-4006), Steve Coleman
Year2018
Publication date2018-07-30
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueEnd of Irish History? (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherManchester University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.7765/9781526137715
OpenAlexW4245392528
ISBN9781526137715
LanguageEN
References cited39

The ethnic designation of our amorous hero ensures that a simple advertisement that might otherwise be considered entirely unworthy of comment actually comes to exercise a distinct cultural resonance.That the attractive swain who appears in the promotion should happen -or perhaps even aspire -to be Irish might perhaps be considered as emblematic of a rather broader and more profound change in the meaning(s) of that particular term.In historical terms, the dominant constructions of 'Irishness' have, of course, been distinctly uncomplimentary.Traditionally, the Irish have been regarded -not least in the circles of imperial authority -as feckless, inebriated and violent.Elements of these deeply unflattering representations of Irishness have persisted into the present day.It comes as little surprise when watching The Simpsons -to take a fairly innocuous example -that we discover that the amiably boorish drunk Barney Gumble hails from Irish stock.In recent times, however, the essentially racist stereotypes through which Irish people have conventionally been regarded have been increasingly challenged and even displaced perhaps by a sequence of rather more complimentary perspectives.The specific advertisement sketched earlier might be read as illustrative of this rather wider and more critical shift in cultural meaning.In the single frame of the promotion, the term 'Irish' comes to assume solely positive connotations.To be Irish is to be young, fun, fashionable and, above all perhaps, belligerently sexual.Irishness has, in other words, become shorthand for 'cool'.The brazen tattoo etched across the shoulder blades of one particular male model selected by a single advertising agency might be taken, then, as suggestive of a radical recent transformation of the manner in which Irishness is perceived, signified and imagined.Over the last decade or so, it has become commonplace for cultural commentators to pronounce that it has never been more fashionable to be Irish.There is certainly no shortage of evidence that could be used to bear out this particular estimation.In the last few years, numerous filmmakers, artists, actors and musicians from the Republic of Ireland have secured commercial success and even critical acclaim abroad.The phenomenal popularity of Riverdance has, moreover, encouraged the view that versions of traditional Irish culture -albeit highly hybridised ones -have the potential to reach a global audience.The burgeoning cultural appeal of the Irish Republic has been underlined further by the changing fortunes of the national capital.If we were to go back fifteen years or so, the reputation that Dublin held among foreigners was essentially that of a fairly drab and unsophisticated place.In the course the 1990s, the image of the city would, however, be transformed almost beyond recognition.Consequently, the view that outsiders have of Dublin today is invariably that of a thriving and cosmopolitan place to visit.The decision of the Music Television (MTV) Corporation

End of history · Irish · Linguistics · Political science · History · Irish and British Studies · Philosophy

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