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Contents

Dedication
Epigraph
List of Tables, Figures, Maps
Acknowledgements
Glossary

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1. A Walk of Life: Entering Catholic West Belfast

Chapter 2. Framing the Research: Analytical Approach and Methodology

  • The Analytical Framework for the Study of Ethnic Identity (and the Irish Language)
  • On Methodology

PART I: THE IRISH LANGUAGE IN CATHOLIC WEST BELFAST

Chapter 3. Fáilte isteach – Welcome In
Chapter 4. Becoming a Gaeilgeoir

  • Roibeárd, age 63
  • Rónán, age 61
  • Mairéad, age 58
  • Micheál, age 55
  • Dónal, age 49
  • Fíona, age 47
  • Pól, age 47
  • Pádraigín, age 40
  • Sinéad, age 33
  • Caoimhín, age 17
  • Preliminary observations

Chapter 5. On Prophets, Godfathers, Rebels and Prostitutes:a Contemporary History of the Irish language in Catholic West Belfast

  • Emerging structural contexts for the Irish language in the 1950s: a prehistory
  • Prophets on the moral ‘High Meadow’: the Cumann Ċluain Árd
  • From a hedge(d) school to Irish language industries: godfathers of the Irish language
  • Rebels with/out a political cause: the Jailtacht and beyond
  • Prostitutes of the Irish language?
  • Conclusions

Chapter 6. ‘Our own native language’: Local Representations and Practices of the Irish language

  • Between purism and pragmatism: the micro-dynamics of Irish language usage
  • The political hijacking of the Irish language revival: the meso-dynamics of supply and demand
  • ‘Our own native language?’ The macro-dynamics of rights activism, ethnicism and nationalism
  • Conclusions

PART II: IRISH IDENTITY IN CATHOLIC WEST BELFAST

Chapter 7. ‘It’s part of what we are’ – Identifying Identity
Chapter 8. Becoming (Aware of) Who You Are: Irish

  • Roibeárd, age 63
  • Rónán, age 61
  • Mairéad, age 58
  • Micheál, age 55
  • Dónal, age 49
  • Fíona, age 47
  • Pól, age 47
  • Pádraigín, age 40
  • Sinéad, age 33
  • Caoimhín, age 17
  • Preliminary observations

Chapter 9. Casting Nets of Identity: a Contemporary History of Irishness in Catholic West Belfast

  • ‘A constant counter-narrative to the dominant narrative of the society’: emerging structural contexts for/eclosing Irishness in Northern Ireland
  • No games, just sports? Gaelic games and the playground of Catholic West Belfast
  • ‘If you feel like singing, do sing an Irish song’: Irish music in Catholic West Belfast
  • Knowing how to do your sevens: dancing to the tune of Irishness in Catholic West Belfast
  • Conclusions

Chapter 10. ‘Something inside so strong’: Local Representations and Practices of Irishness

  • What it takes to be Irish
  • The Irishness of Protestants and the politics of a classificatory anomaly
  • Autochthony as the causal logic behind ethnicity
  • Conclusions

EPILOGUE

Chapter 11. ‘Trying to make sense of it all’: Identity Matters in Catholic West Belfast

POST SCRIPTUM

Bibliography
Index

Irish/ness Is All Around Us

Language Revivalism and the Culture of Ethnic Identity in Northern Ireland

Olaf Zenker

320 pages, 7 figures & tables, 2 maps, bibliog., index

ISBN  978-0-85745-913-8 Hb Published (April 2013)

eISBN 978-1-80758-710-9 eBook