This morning, I found myself flicking through a few issues of History Ireland. Very quickly, I became exasperated. The contributors of this periodical have one overwhelming preoccupation: that is, anti-nationalism.
This business of Irish anti-nationalism is fascinating. It seems to me that the Republic of Ireland has now been anti-nationalist for longer than it was ever actually nationalist. It's often said that the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Rising was a spree of triumphalism, although even this doesn't seem to be true.
But let's accept 1966 as a point when the Irish establishment was still officially nationalist. Let's even push it to 1970. Beyond that, nationalism was out of favour. It would be hard, for instance, to find any straightforwardly heroic monuments of Irish nationalist heroes after this time. (The Troubles in the North undoubtedly hastened this.)
That would mean, at a generous rate, the Republic of Ireland has had five decades of nationalism followed by coming on six decades of anti-nationalism.
What's interesting to me is that anti-nationalism seems to require constant vigilance from our elites and culture industries. How often do you come across declarations such as these?
"The idea of a primordial, pure Irishness was a myth..."
"Cultures have never been preserved in aspic but have always borrowed and absorbed elements from outside..."
"Folklore was co-opted by the Gaelic Revival to reflect the ideal of a heroic, earthy peasantry..."
"Silken Thomas's protest became an icon of Irish nationalism, a concept which would almost certainly have baffled him..."
And so on, and so on, and so on.
I have been hearing this kind of thing my entire life, and it long predates my first wails in St. James's Hospital.
Of course, it's not just nationalism. It's many other things, as well; religious orthodoxy, gender norms, an ideal of family life.
What intrigues me is the continual repudiation which these things all seem to require, decades after they have been vanquished. It puts me in mind of a compulsive hand-washer.
It also seems to be counter-productive. People start to wonder: if something is true, why does it have to be asserted constantly, ritually, anxiously? Might it not be true, or perhaps not as true as all that? I think this reaction is happening now.
From England, it seemed that nationalism lasted longer in Ireland than most places! England was long since lost in Britain then the UK; and our Norman ruling class were always anti-English (and pro-French).
ReplyDeleteFor good reason, in that the Irish must surely have been among the most "pure and undiluted" of Western populations over the past 1000 years (since the Vikings at least).
The English/ British presence was very important. e.g. the Anglo Irish were, I think, the greatest group of literary genuises in the history of the world! But they were largely separate and left the Irish intact.
wrt nationalism in general - I regard it as always a short term thing. It was (in many places) what came after theocracy was displaced, and countries came under essentially secular rule; ultimately governed on the (supposed) basis of what made people happiest in this mortal world, rather than what was best for post-mortal life.
As such, I think nationalism naturally turns into mainstream modern politics, whatever you want to call it; which is always oppositional, therapeutic, anti-suffering (again, in theory) rather than having (like nationalism) a positive goal for the nation.
So, as religion disappears from public discourse, I think the oppositional culture will inevitably attack nationalism - or else subvert it into incoherent forms, such as nationalism combined with pro-Europeanism (a sub-set of globalism)- which is always, in actual practice, strongly net-hostile to distinctive national cultures.
And now we have cultural inversion - when it is normal and expected (and indeed insisted upon) that national leaders and laws will explicitly implement mass immigration and favour recent immigrants over the native population!
Under such pressure, Irish (call it) patriotism now seems reduced to a caricature of extreme drunkenness and tourist sentimentality. Since at least the 90s, the Irish Establishment and media seem officially to celebrate their secularization, modernization, assimilation... celebrate becoming like everyone else, just with a more charming accent.
However, there is still the folk music, which is still the best in the world.
(Note: I regard myself "entitled" to comment on this issue on the basis that my Granny was Irish - born in the North before the division, and I would therefore - until recently - have been entitled to an Irish passport! But I am English, and mostly Northumbrian by majority descent.)
Bruce Charlton (PS Blogger won't let me comment with my account)
Thanks so much for that comment, Bruce. Interesting to hear you have an Irish granny but as far as I'm concerned, everybody has a right to an opinion on Ireland-- or anything else!
DeleteI take your point about nationalism turning into mainstream politics, but I don't necessarily think of nationalism as the governing principle of a society. I mean, post-Irish independence I would argue that Catholicism was more influential. I think nationalism can be there in an underlying way even outside of times of crisis and revolution. From an English perspective, look at the legends of Robin Hood, or the frequent observations of historians that this or that monarch or royal consort was disliked for not being English. Even when you read the book of Acts and you come to the Greeks complaining that the Hebrew widows are being favoured...you might call that tribalism, but they don't seem all that different to me!
"Since at least the 90s, the Irish Establishment and media seem officially to celebrate their secularization, modernization, assimilation... celebrate becoming like everyone else, just with a more charming accent." Absolutely true. Interesting that this can be observed even from across the Irish Sea!
Very good both of you!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteReading this post reminded me of when I watched a TG4 documentary on Brian Boru a few years back and the fact that he had employed some mercenaries from Europe at Clontarf allowed the oh-so-progressive talking head to end the programme with the smug declaration that "Brian knew then Ireland's future lay with Europe." Pitiful!
ReplyDeleteI can only say: OMG!
DeleteOr maybe: I can't even!