Enda Delaney: Making Ireland Modern

We are delighted to be joined by on Thursday 30th October at 7pm as he discusses his provocative and original reinterpretation of modern Irish history, .

Drawing on an extensive range of sources, from poetry and novels to contemporary historical documents, acclaimed historian Enda Delaney here offers a reinterpretation of Ireland's encounter with modernity that corrects these stereotypes. By situating the island's history between 1780 and 1916 within its broader European, global, and colonial contexts, he demonstrates that Ireland's pathway to modernity was not inevitable, belated, or uni-directional: over a complex and centuries-long process it was made modern, and in its own distinctive way. This was related to, but distinct from, Ireland's complicated colonial relationship with Britain, and played out in the broader contexts of globalisation and the rise of capitalism. And at the heart of this history are the Irish people themselves, both those who lived on the island and the millions of those who left during this period and made their lives in Britain, America, Australia, and beyond, who made sense of modernity in a variety of conflicting ways and, in so doing, sought to shape their own destinies and adapt the 'old' ways of doing things in the face of relentless waves of 'progress'. Changes in values, consciousness, and beliefs interacted with broader social, political, and cultural revolutions to create a distinctive experience of becoming modern.

The result is a bold and wide-ranging new history of modern Ireland that restores agency to those who lived and made its history, raising important and timely questions about modernity, globalisation, modern history, and post-colonialism.

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Doors: 6.30pm, event starts: 7pm, please arrive early to secure a good seat.

Tickets are £5 and there is a Ticket & Book option which includes a signed copy of Making Ireland Modern by Enda Delaney.

The bookshop has level access, events are seated and speakers use microphones. If you have any concerns about accessibility, please do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Refunds are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, we are unable to offer a refund after the event.

For more information or if you would like a signed copy because you can't make it to the event, please contact the Blackwell's events team on 0131 622 8222 or [email protected]

Host or Publisher Blackwell's Edinburgh South Bridge