Few European communities are more soaked in their bloody history than the Catholics of Ulster, but the Catholic and Protestant communities' faulty understanding of their past has had ruinous effects on the lives of its inhabitants. Marianne Elliott has written a coherent, credible, and absorbing history of the Ulster Catholics. The whole sorry sweep of the province's history is covered-from its early medieval origins to the tenuous but holding Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and formation of an all-Ulster legislature.

This book investigates the often-fragmented nature of Ulster Nationalist / Republican / Roman Catholic politics, culture and identity. It offers a companion publication to The Contested Identities of Ulster Protestants (2015). Historically the Catholic community of Ulster are regarded as a unified and coherent group, sharing cultural and political aspirations. However, the volume explores communities of many variants and strands, belying the notion of an easy, homogenous bloc in terms of identity, political aspirations, voting preferences and cultural identity. These include historical differences within constitutional nationalism and Republicanism, gender politics, partition, perceptions of this community from The Republic of Ireland, and more. The book will appeal to students and scholars across the fields of Politics, Cultural Studies, Sociology, Irish Studies and Peace Studies.

Catholicism's impact in Northern Ireland--For sale in the U.S., its dependencies, & Canada only.

The struggle between Catholic and Protestant has shaped Irish history since the Reformation, with tragic consequences up to the present day. But how do Catholics and Protestants in Ireland see each other? And how do they view their own communities and what these communities stand for? Tracing the history of religious identities in Ireland over the last three centuries, Marianne Elliott argues that these two questions are inextricably linked and that the identity of both Catholics and Protestants is shaped by the way that each community views the other. Cutting through the layers of myths, lies, and half-truths that make up the vision that Catholics and Protestants have of each other, she looks at how mutual religious stereotypes were developed over the centuries, how they were perpetuated and entrenched, and how they have defined modern identities and shaped Ireland's historical destiny, from the independence struggle and partition to the Troubles of the last four decades.

This book examines the mechanisms of the Irish revolutionary Fenian Brotherhood in the early years of its existence. Drawing on a wide range of material from places as diverse as Rome and Toronto it seeks to set the Fenian struggle within the context of competing church and state influence in mid-nineteenth century Irish society. It is particularly strong on the transatlantic comparative dimensions of church, state and Fenian activity, and demonstrates how the Fenians managed to change, forever, the terms of Irish political and social debate.

The Siege of Derry (1688-9) is the key political myth in Loyalist culture. This study looks at the Siege, reconstructing the ways in which the defence of Derry has been commemorated and interpreted over the last 300 years. Celebrated by historians, artists, poets and preachers, re-enacted in anniversary demonstrations and parades, the Siege provides a unique insight into the mixture of triumphalism and insecurity that lies behind the slogan 'No Surrender!'

Publisher Description

Until surprisingly recently the history of the Irish Catholic Church during the Northern Irish Troubles was written by Irish priests and bishops and was commemorative, rather than analytical. This study uses the Troubles as a case study to evaluate the role of the Catholic Church in mediating conflict. During the Troubles, these priests and bishops often worked behind the scenes, acting as go-betweens for the British government and republican paramilitaries, to bring about a peaceful solution. However, this study also looks more broadly at the actions of the American, Irish and English Catholic Churches, as well as that of the Vatican, to uncover the full impact of the Church on the conflict. This critical analysis of previously neglected state, Irish, and English Catholic Church archival material changes our perspective on the role of a religious institution in a modern conflict.

The Revd Ian Paisley is unique in having founded both a successful church and a successful and hugely influential political party. Steve Bruce traces Paisley's career and his impact on Ulster politics, and in doing so poses vital questions concerning the relationship between politics and society.

"Northern Protestants is based on over sixty in-depth interviews with a wide range of northern Protestants, Susan McKay presents an uncompromising and clear-eyed examination of her own people - the Protestants of Northern Ireland." "For this updated edition Susan McKay has written a new introduction covering events since 2000. Her analysis of the continuing upheavals within the Protestant community and unionist politics is a timely contribution to current debates about the future of Northern Island."--BOOK JACKET.