This course explores the rich, tragic, and fascinating history of modern Ireland with a particular emphasis on the period commonly known as the Irish Revolution, in which twenty-six counties of Ireland gained a contested form of independence from Britain, and a new six-county region called Northern Ireland was created within the United Kingdom. It offers a unique opportunity to explore long-standing themes and problems, as well as the newest areas of research, in the history of ‘John Bull’s Other Island’. From the devastating consequences of the Great Irish Famine and the revolution in land ownership that followed, to the rise of organised political movements and experience of partition and successive wars, Ireland and the Irish people were transformed in these decades and shaped the world in important ways.
Through lectures and seminar discussions, students will explore a range of historiographical, critical and methodological approaches to thinking about and writing Irish history. By the end of this course, students will have a more critical understanding of the events, people and issues that altered the face of modern Ireland.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- To understand the major events, issues and groups involved in the transformation of Ireland;
- To develop a more critical understanding of these events, issues and groups;
- To think critically about, and engage with, historiographical debates.
Classes
1. The Great Irish Famine
The potato blight, Phytophthora Infestans, which struck Ireland in September 1845, was a turning point in Irish history. By 1851 it had killed one million people and a further two million people had emigrated by 1856. Within the space of ten years, Ireland’s population had declined by almost one quarter. This lecture explores some of the major debates about the origins of the Famine and the question of responsibility.
2. Emigration and the Irish abroad Emigration was a fact of life in modern Ireland. By 1911, there were more Irish-born people living in the USA than there were living in Ireland. Yet emigration resulted in different varieties of ‘Irishness’ that emerged in settler Irish communities within the British Empire, the USA and elsewhere. This lecture explores some of these trends and considers whether studying emigrants and their descendants enhances or confuses our understanding of modern Ireland.
3. Debating Irish Nationalism and Unionism Irish nationalism is one of the most developed fields of inquiry and the framework through which much of modern Irish history has been interpreted, yet there was no single version of ‘nationalism’ within modern Ireland. This lecture will discuss how different conceptions of nationalism competed with each other and invites students to make their own mind up on what exactly was Irish nationalism. It simultaneously considers Unionism, a movement which spanned Southern Ireland, Ulster and parts of Britain most commonly sympathetic to the British Conservative Party.
4. The Political Thought of the Irish Revolution The ‘Irish Revolution’ of 1912-1923/4 transformed the face of the island of Ireland and reconfigured the United Kingdom in ways that endure to the present. This class will dive into primary documents to explore the range of ideas developed by the men and women who made the Irish Revolution, as well as those who opposed it.
5. Ireland and the Great War The First World War was the biggest military commitment ever voluntarily undertaken by Ireland and the biggest military effort in which Irish people across the globe participated, yet its place in the history of Ireland remains contested. This lecture introduces students to the ambivalent place the War has assumed in the historiography of the Revolution, as well as how recent revisionist work has challenged older, orthodox histories.
Required reading
Thomas Bartlett (2010), Ireland: A history, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
or
Paul Bew (2007) Ireland: The Politics of Enmity, 1789-2006, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
| c.8.00am-9.00am |
Breakfast in College (for residents) |
| 9.00am-10.30am |
Am Course |
| 11.15am-12.30pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| 12.30pm-1.45pm |
Lunch |
| 1.45pm-3.15pm |
Pm Course |
| 4.00pm-5.15pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm |
Dinner in College (for residents) |
| c.7.30pm onwards |
Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.
