Family stories.pdf (80.23 kB)
Family stories, public silence: Irish identity construction amongst the second-generation Irish in England
journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 13:28 authored by Bronwen Walter, Sarah Morgan, Mary J. Hickman, Joseph M. BradleyFormal narratives of history, especially that of colonial oppression, have been central to the construction of national identities in Ireland. But the Irish diasporic community in Britain has been cut off from the reproduction of these narratives, most notably by their absence from the curriculum of Catholic schools, as result of the unofficial 'denationalisation' pact agreed by the Church in the 19th century (Hickman, 1995). The reproduction of Irish identities is largely a private matter, carried out within the home through family accounts of local connections, often reinforced by extended visits to parent/s 'home' areas. Recapturing a public dimension has often become a personal quest in adulthood, 'filling in the gaps'. This paper explores constructions of narratives of nation by a key diasporic population, those with one or two Irish-born parents. It places particular emphasis on varying regional/national contexts within which such constructions take place, drawing on focus group discussions and interviews for the ESRC-funded Irish 2 Project in five locations — London, Glasgow, Manchester, Coventry and Banbury.
History
Refereed
- Yes
Volume
118Issue number
3Page range
201-217Publication title
Scottish Geographical JournalISSN
1751-665XExternal DOI
Publisher
Taylor & FrancisFile version
- Accepted version
Language
- eng