Eds. Kevin Barry, Tom Dunne, Richard Kearney and Edna Longley

CONTENTS

Tom Garvin, ‘The Politics of Denial and of Cultural Defence: the referenda of 1983 and 1986 in context’, pp.1-7. Discusses Irish societie’s inability to accept change, either political or social; characterises Ireland’s poltical inheritance as a ‘goldfish-bowl condition’ where constant scrutiny has created a self-conscious and defensive society which resists progress, ignores the realities of abortion and divorce and blindly embraces tradition; refers to the church’s boycott of the ‘Godless Colleges’ from 1850-1908, Archbishop Croke of Cashel’s fear of English influences and quotes C. S. Andrew’s remarks on the young republicans in the 1920s.

Liam O’Dowd, ‘Neglecting the Material Dimension’: Irish Intellectuals and the problem of identity’, pp.8-17. Considers the roles played by intellectuals in debating Irish communal and national identity and investigates why material circumstances have been ignored in cultural studies world wide; applies Michael Foucault’s definitions of traditional and specific intellectuals when examining intellectual criticism of Irish society, North and South, while comparing the focus on abstract traditional debates to the marginalisation of socialist or radical alternatives; refers to theories put forth by Benedict Anderson, Ernest Gellner and Maurice Goldring.

T. J. Barrington, ‘The Situation of Irish Government’, pp.18-25. Postulates on the positive aspects of proper democratic leadership in Ireland where ‘to govern seriously is to choose’ and the choice is to instigate leadership with a diffusion of responsibility and enterprise; outlines the effects of ‘unrealistic expectations’ of the general public and corporate groups, in terms of tax and welfare payments, while underlining the necessity for consensus and faith in the ordinary people if democratic government is to exist.

Brian Maguire, Patrick Hall, Timothy Hawkesworth, Patrick Graham and Seamus Heaney, ‘On Irish Expressionist Painting’, pp.26-39. Briefly outlines his appraoch to art and the images he wishes to portray while admiring Brecht’s interweaving of art and politics; includes a poem by Brecht, In Dark Times 1937, [B.M.]; expresses his distaste for the art market and condemns what he sees as the dull artistic sense of the consumer, [P.H.]; believes painting is a stronger power in society than the modernist approach suggests and proffers that the plane of artistic imagination is a challenge to both social and political aspects of humanity, [T.H.]; credits the ‘humanity of the artist’ as making the difference between great art and fashion, and states his awareness of the human need for emotional stimulation through art, [P.G.]; replies with his belief that art is a religious endeavour and an artist is like any person struggling to grow and learn; also believes that ‘art must earn its keep by keeping itself allied to conscience and reality; includes a poem by the polish poet, Allen Ginsburg, entitled A Knocker, [S.H.].

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Gearóid Denvir, ‘Continuing the Link: an aspect of contemporary Irish poetry’, pp.40-54. Trces the course of Irish traditional poetry from Muireadhach Albanach O Dálaigh, 1180-1250, up to contemporary works; contrasts Celtic literature with post-Renaissance literature, outlining differences while also indicating adaptations of folk themes, narratives, rhythms and reflactions over the ages; makes specific reference to the poetry of Joe Steve O Neachtain, Nuala Rua Ní Dhomhnaill and Cathal O Searcaigh.

John MacNamara, ‘Race and Intelligence’, pp.55-60. Discusses the controversial IQ test which has designated the Irish and the North American Blacks as intellectually inferior to their white oppressors; views this test as one of the ‘great vulgarities of our age’ and condemns Hans Eysenck’s book, Race, intellegence and education, for the objectional and fundamentally rude conclusions; alludes to Alfred Binet, the inventor of the IQ test and also to articles published by Arthur Jenson in the Harvard Educational Review.

Richard Kearney, ‘Le Brocquy and Post-Modernism’, pp.61-66. Looks closely at the paintings of Le Brocquy noticing a post-modernist perspective and relating them broadly to cultural history; admires his art of blending old and new and expresses his appreciation of the ambiguous representations of Joyce, Yeats, Beckett and Lorca.

Martin Mooney, ‘"A Native Mode": language and regionalism in the poetry of John Hewitt’, pp.67-74. Discusses Hewitt’s concern for the contradictory and self-conscious nature of language, its ability to control, to liberate, to be familiar and alien at the same time; also investigates his work on behalf of the Ulster Regionalist Movement and his launch of the review magazine, Lagan, with John Boyd and John Montague; includes a quote from E. Estyn Evans on regionalism and also refers to the works of Tom Paulin and Paul Muldoon.

John Wilson Foster, ‘A Future for Irish Studies’, pp.75-88. Charts the lifespan of Irish Studies in Northern Ireland where a single reading of social, economic, political or literary history is impossible; examines the duality of revisionist study where revisionist historians are Protestants querying Catholic nationalist historical views and revisionist critics are Catholics questioning Protestant nationalist ethics; Foster is disheartened by the increasing disharmony in this area and the continuing segregated study of North and South; invokes theories contributed by Anthony Gallagher, Terence Brown, Seamus Deane and Betty Friedan.

T. H. O’Donnell, ‘The Sun Also Rises’ (ded. Peter R. Connolly), pp.89-90 [poem].

Ian Duhig, Two Poems: ‘Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen’; ‘The Lady who Loved Insects’, pp.91-92.

Sean Lysaght, ‘Noah’s Irish Ark’, pp.93-95 [poem].

Derek Mahon, trans., ‘From L’Effraie’ [Philippe Jacottet]: ‘Les Eaux et les Forêts/Streams and Forests’, , pp.96-98. [poem]..

Seamus Deane, ‘Vanishings’, extract from a novel (Penguin 1988), pp.99-107. [‘The disappearance of Ed. Chambers astonished me …].

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Michael Allen, ‘Holding Course’, review of Seamus Heaney, The Haw Lantern (London and Boston: Faber), pp.108-18. Pays tribute to Heaney’s ‘self-evaluative’ poetry and commends his natural ability to communicate the human emotions of a community in arcane terms with skilful literary contrivance; places him with Milton, Vaughan and Wordsworth for future reference and study.

Fergus O’Ferrall, ‘The "Country of the Mind": Irish Local History Reviewed’, review of W. Nolan ed. and T. G. McGrath assoc. ed., Tipperary: History and Society - Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County, (Geography Publications: Dublin 1985); P. O’Sullivan ed., W. Nolan and K. Whelan consult. eds., Newcastle Lyons - A Parish of the Pale, (Geography Publications: Dublin 1986); M. Silverman and P. H. Gulliver, In the Valley of the Nore: A Social History of Thomastown, County Kilkenny 1840-1983, (Geography Publications: Dublin 1986); G. Moran, The Mayo Evictions of 1860: Patrick Lavelle and the ‘War in Partry’ , (Foilseacháin Náisuinta Teoranta: Westport 1986); R. G. Gillespie and G. Moran eds., ‘A Various Country’: Essays in Mayo History 1500-1900, (Foilseacháin Náisuinta Teoranta: Westport 1987), pp.118-25. Commends Nolan and McGrath on this quality production which provides the history of Tipperary from pre-historic times to modern day and outlines the three stages involved in the new approach to local historiography; Nolan and Whelan relate the relevance of this new approach at both a professional and personal level; Silverman and Gulliver follow the development of Thomastown up to 1983 providing local people with a possible means of understanding pre-existing forces however, O’Ferrall critises the selective treatment of the subject; Moran postulates on focusing on key local activities and takes a traditional stand when discussing the variations between local communities; Gillespie and Moran set out the new techniques for dealing with Irish historiography which requires one’s understanding of the interweaving communities.

D. E. S. Maxwell, ‘The Play of Language’, review of Masaru Sekine ed., Irish Writers and the Theatre, (Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe; New Jersey: Barnes and Noble Books), pp.125-27. Pays particular attention to the works of Yeats and Synge when appraising Sekine’s book which deals with the ‘merits of non-verbal statement’ in theatre; appreciates her admiration for mime and dance but reaffirms his own preference for the theatre of words.

Mary Robinson, ‘Rhetoric and Reality’, review of Clare O’Halloran, Partition and the Limits of Irish Nationalism, (Gill and Macmillan 1987), pp.127-29. Praises both O’Halloran’s topicality, which scrutinises political ‘hot-air’ on National issues, and her focus on governmental policies and the Free State government while highlighting the absence of political/ intellectual debate.

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Tom Clyde, ‘Genre Pieces’, review of Sam Hanna Bell, Across the Narrow Sea, (Belfast: Blackstaff Press); John Morrow, Sects and Other Stories, (London: Black Swan Books), pp. 129-30. Applauds Bell’s representation of the formation of the Ulster Presbyterians over 300 years and acclaims his portrayal of the Belfast Psyche, dialect and character although his characterisation of women is weak; finds Morrow’s dealing with similar situations more harsh and cruel, and containing sexist and racist undertones.

Ciaran Brady, ‘Growing Up’, review of Art Cosgrove ed., A New History of Ireland: ii, Medieval Ireland, (Oxford: 1987), pp.130-32. Approves of the significant development of this present volumn where original research has been carried out in areas of pastoral economy and international trading while placing emphasis on regional variations.

Angela Wilcox, ‘Private Histories’, review of Anne Devlin, Ourselves Alone, with A Woman Calling and The Long March, (London: Faber); Anne Devlin, The Way Paver, (London: Faber), pp.132-34. Laudates Devlin’s literary abilities in these short stories and plays, commending her juxtaposition of life and imagination, of political history and literature while maintaining the female experiences as her pivot point.

Bernadette Cunningham, ‘The Gaelic World’, review of Katherine Simms, From Kings to warlords: the changing political structure of Gaelic Ireland in the later middle ages’, (Woodbridge: Boydell Press), pp.134-36. Describes this as a ‘pioneering book’ and compliments Simm’s thematic approach to Gaelic society from the twelfth to the sixteenth century, which researchs the evolving political structure and community organisation.

Marion Treacy, ‘Irish Women: images and voices’, review of Pat Murphy and Nell McCafferty, Women in Focus: Contemporary Irish Women’s Lives, (Attic Press 1982); Evelyn Conlon, My Head is Opening, (Attic Press 1987); Leland Bardwell, Different Kinds of Love, (Attic Press 1987), pp.136-37. Classes Murphy and McCafferty’s book as ‘clumsy propaganda’ resulting from what Treacy believes to be a prejudiced account and misleading photographic material; praises Bardwell’s depiction of women’s position when faced with continual violence, and her sensitive portrayal of human endurance; finds Conlon’s representations of the alienation of women outside the accepted norm as realistically daunting; declares all three books as lacking in narrative control and displaying perhaps too much personal anger.

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Pauric Travers, ‘Failures of Conciliation’, review of Paul Bew, Conflict and Conciliation in Ireland 1890-1910; Parnellites and radical aggrarians, (Clarendon Press: Oxford 1987); Andrew Gailey, Ireland and the Death of Kindness: the experience of constructive unionism 1890-1905, (Studies in Irish History: Cork Univ. Press 1987), pp.138-41. Gailey deals with the unionist viewpoint and Bew traces the evolution of the Constitutional nation; compliments both author’s splendid debates on this period in Irish history which takes in attitudes towards, and aspects of, Home Rule, Act of Union, Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Féin and the Death of Parnell.

Basil Chubb, ‘Political Industry’, review of Paul Arthur and Michael Laver eds., Irish Political Studies, (Yearbook of the Political Studies Association of Ireland: Galway), pp.141-42. Describes this yearbook’s study of political topics, book reviews and election campaigns as ‘admirably comprehensive’ and includes various research such as Clifford Smith on the relationship between the Free Presbyterian Church and the D.U.P., Bob Purdie on the anti-partition league and Martin Morrissey on economic policy making.

Douglas Carson, ‘Crying for ELysium’, review of Frank Ormsby ed., Northern Windows: an anthology of Ulster autobiography, (Belfast: Blackstaff Press); Robert Harbinson, No Surrender: an Ulster childhood, (Belfast: Blackstaff Press); Michael J. Murphy, Mountain Year, (Belfast and Wolfeboro: Blackstaff Press 1987); Ronnie Munch and Bill Rolsten, with Gerry Moore, Belfast in the Thirties: an oral History, (Belfast: Blackstaff Press), pp.142-44. Ormsby concerns himself with the time of unionist and romantic nationalism and Carson finds his novel captivating; acclaims Murphy’s powerful text which records the secluded and enchanting world of Slieve Gullion and says it contains the most musical prose he has ever encountered; Harbinson vividly depicts the lives of working class people in the thirties; commends Munch and Rolston’s compilation of interviews relating to socialism and sectarianism in the thirties though accuses them of undue gravity.

William Scammell, ‘Mid-air Street?’, review of Paul Muldoon, Meeting the British, (London: Faber), pp.144-46. Admires the poet but admonishes his latest book for the lack of ‘argumentative mortar’; faults Muldoon for evasiveness and underdevelopment; includes title poem (‘Meeting the British’).

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