His 4815 - History of Ireland and the Irish

History of Ireland and the Irish, 1600 to the Present

EIU His 4815, Spring 2012, Newton Key
TR 9:30-10:45 am, Coleman 2691
Syllabus as pdf (brief version)

His 4815, Modern Irish History (#34273), examines the development of nationalism in Ireland since the end of the 17th century; pays special attention to the connection between social change and the rise of revolutionary movements; includes consideration of the Northern Ireland troubles. Course focuses on 20th-century issues and events in Ireland but roots these in the Anglo-Scot settlements of the 17th century, the romantic nationalism of the late-18th century, and the rural conflict and famine of the 19th. It also examines the Irish diaspora outside the isle, as well as modern Northern Ireland.

week 1. The Weight Jan. 10. Introduction Quick Outline of Irish History When Was Ireland? Jan. 12. Hamilton, Speckled People, chs. 1-2; Colm Tóibín, "Looking at Ireland, I don't know whether to laugh or cry" (The Guardian, 20 Nov. 2010) "September 1913" (W.B. Yeats)
week 2. 17th Century: Rebellion, Religion, War, Religion, War Jan. 17. Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, preface & ch. 1 (pp. 3-13) Submission of Ulster Chiefs, 1541 State of Ireland…during the Rebellion, 1599 Flight of the Earls, 1607 Journey of the Earls through Switzerland (video) Irish Uprising, 1641 Cromwell in Ireland, 1649-50 Cromwell's letter on Drogheda, 1649 Battle of the Boyne, 1690 Jan. 19. Hamilton, Speckled People, chs. 3-10
week 3. 18th Century: the Ascendancy Jan. 24. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 1; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 1 (pp. 13-27) Penal Laws Orange Order Jan. 26. Mapping Ireland Exercise Ireland maps
week 4. Union and Emancipation Jan. 31. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 2; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 2 1798 Act of Union Virtual Library Daniel O'Connell ODNB Multitext Project in Irish History Feb. 2. Mapping Ireland Exercise Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 3
week 5. The Famine Feb. 7. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 3; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 4 Enniscorthy Cathedral, Country Wexford (opened 1846) Feb. 9. Presentation Preparation (Presentation Signup Sheet) Booth Library 19th Century UK Periodicals Digital Archive: New Readerships Collection (on campus only) British Periodicals (on campus only) Times of London (on campus only) Irish Famine sites (An Gorta Mór; from Victorian Web; from The History Place; from Vassar)
week 6. The Diaspora Feb. 14. Famine, Migration/Diaspora Presentation Preparation Famine Presentation Examples Feb. 16. Famine, Migration/Diaspora Presentations; Bourke, Bridget Cleary, ch. 1 Irish Famine Memorials (Boston, Buffalo, Sydney, Australia, Philadelphia, Toronto, Dublin and others in UK, Eire, Canada, USA, Australia) Irish Diaspora Reading Room
week 7. Irish-American Nationalism Feb. 21, 23. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 4; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 5; Famine, Migration/Diaspora Presentations Graphs, Maps, and Tables of 19th-Century Rural Economy
week 8. Urban and Rural Poverty Feb. 28. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 4; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 5; Presentations Write-Up Due Caricatures of the Irish March 1. The micro-history of the rural poor: Bourke, Bridget Cleary, chs. 1-5 Burning Bridget Cleary (the group & song) Burning of Bridget Cleary (a documentary?) Gladstone & the Irish Problem (political cartoon) Land War and Outrages Land War and Land League
week 9. Land and Culture March 6. MID-TERM EXAM I another reading quide map quiz review March 8. Micro-history of the poor: Doyle, A Star Called Henry, part 1; Bourke, Bridget Cleary, chs. 6-8; Man of Aran (1934) Star Called Henry, Reading Guide
week 10. Home Rule and Unionism March 20. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 5; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 6 March 22. Doyle, A Star Called Henry, part 2 (ch. 6); Poverty Paper due
week 11. Revolution: Ourselves Alone? March 27. Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, chs. 7-8; Michael Collins, dir. Neil Jordan (1996) 1916: Personalities and Perspectives (National Library of Ireland) March 29. Michael Collins, dir. Neil Jordan (1996); Doyle, A Star Called Henry, part 2 (ch. 6) Easter, 1916 (William Butler Yeats) Easter, 1916 (read aloud) Christy Moore, "James Connolly Was There"
week 12. Civil War to IFS vs. IRA April 3. Michael Collins, dir. Neil Jordan (1996) British Security Policy in Ireland, 1920-1921 The Black & Tans and Auxiliaries in Ireland, 1920-1921 Chronology of Irish History 1919-1923 April 5. Doyle, A Star Called Henry, part 3; Paper 2 Pre-assignment due Michael Collins Oxford DNB biography (Eastern Illinois only) biography (sympathetic website) screenplay (transcript)
week 13. Eire and Nationalism April 10. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 6; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, chs. 9-10 Dáil Éireann Debate on Treaty: 3 Jan., 7 Jan. 1922 Election of President, 10 Jan. 1922 Eamon De Valera (Oxford DNB biography; Eastern Illinois only) April 12. Doyle, A Star Called Henry, part 4; Wind that Shakes the Barley, dir. Ken Loach (2006) Michael Collins Neil Jordan’s Michael Collins Study Guide The Wind That Shakes the Barley Interview with Ken Loach Introduction to the screenplay A Star Called Henry Reading Guide Review: Irish Myth-Making and Myth-Breaking
week 14. New Ireland, Northern Ireland April 17. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 7; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, ch. 12 April 19. Bloody Sunday Inquiry Provisional IRA April 22. Paper 2 due (WebCT)
week 15. Ireland(s): “All Kinds of Everything”? April 24. Pašeta, Modern Ireland, ch. 8; Hachey and McCaffrey, The Irish Experience, chs. 11 & 13 (part) The Good Friday Agreement April 26. Conclusion Proposals by the British and Irish Governments for a Comprehensive Agreement Irish president is inaugurated Final Exam Review April 30. Mon., 10:15 am-12:15 pm, Final Exam

Texts:

Angela Bourke, The Burning of Bridget Cleary: a True Story (New York: Penguin, 1999) [TRS 12.715]
Roddy Doyle, A Star Called Henry (New York: Viking, 1999) [13.332]
Thomas E. Hachey and Lawrence J. McCaffrey, The Irish Experience Since 1800: A Concise History, 3rd ed. (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2010) [15.420]
Hugo Hamilton, The Speckled People: A Memoir of a Half-Irish Childhood (New York: Fourth Estate, 2003) [17.102]
Senia Pašeta, Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) [13.334]

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History of Ireland and the Irish, 1600 to the Present

last modified on April 17, 2012