Guest editor's introduction

Introduction

IN ULSTER AS IT IS, Thomas MacKnight, editor of the Northern Whig, described late nineteenth-century Ulster in the following terms: "The plain, the undeniable fact is that there are sum of two units antagonistic populations, two different nations upon Irish soil." (1) While rarely described in similar a reductionist fashion, the two-traditions paradigm has proven to be uniquely powerful above the past century, providing the framework for abundant of the analysis of Irish nationalism and Ulster unionism. In new years, however, an increasing number of scholars have challenged this approach, showing in what manner variables such as class, denomination, sex and regional variation complicate the two-nations protoplast Work on unionist identities has been particularly fruitful of late, a fact that can be traced to the flowing together of three overlapping themes. Within Irish Studies, scholars have shown a greater appreciation for the complexity of Irish identities, a incline no doubt shaped by the Northern Ireland peace proces and the ongoing socio-economic transformation of the Republic. This has coincided with the advent of the "New British History," with its emphasis upon the construction of national identity and the evolution of Britishness within the words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following of the dynamic interplay of the four nations of the British Isles. (2) Finally, the rise of Atlantic History has make opened new vistas for Irish Studies. (3) This has been particularly genuine in diasporic studies. Of course, scholars have drawn out recognized the centrality of emigration to the late Irish experience. Despite the rich quality of a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of of the work on emigration, however, scholars have alone just begun to explore the impact that eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century emigration had upon the formation of unionist identities. (4) In short, this is a true exciting time and this issue of Eire-Ireland mirrors both the dynamic quality and the promise of plenteous of the new scholarship.

single of the leading characteristics of new work on unionism has been an increased recognition of the complexity and diversity of unionist political and cultural identities. This has mov scholars toward perspectives that transcend traditional disciplinary lines. With this in mind, we start with Patrick Maume's essay upon Standish O'Grady. Using a wide variety of journalistic sources, Maume paints a nuanced portrait of this always mentioned on the other hand rarely analyzed figure, suggesting that O'Grady's efforts to reconcile unionism and nationalism end an eclectic but synthetic and ultimately insightful material part of work merit more considered scrutiny. In "An make open National Identity," Karen Vandevelde explores another aspect of turn-of-the-century cultural history. Examining the work of the Ulster Literary Theatre, Vandevelde present to views how Rutherford Mayne and Gerald MacNamara used regionalism, social realism, and humor to entertain audiences in Belfast and Dublin during the strained political climate of 1910-20. Here we find biting satirical portrayals of unionism (and nationalism) that manage to navigate that fine line between effective satire and controversy--an impressive achievement in that greatest in quantity contentious period. Much of this same political strife can be seen in Maebh O'Regan's essay upon the Irish painter Richard Moynan. Analyzing Moynan's political cartoons of the late 1880 O'Regan displays how his work documents more [i]or[/i] less of the central tenets of unionist ideology. If, as Declan Kiberd argues, a cultural endeavor over the nature of Irish identity preced the political and military revolution of 1916-23 (5) then perhaps we should pay more attention to the works of race like Moynan, who articulated a efficacious unionist message through his artistic medium.

If Moynan's political cartoons frequently featured a series of well-rehearsed Irish stereotype that reinforce a certain quantity of of the less attractive uncompounded bodys of unionist ideology, the nearest two essays celebrate the complexity and variety of nineteenth-century liberal unionism. In "The Mild Irish Girl," Thomas Tracy examines Lady Morgan's vision of a radically reworked union and the dialogue her work initiated. Exploring Morgan's efforts to reshape sex ideals to promote real and substantive partnerships (a not too veiled metaphor for a revamped Anglo-Irish relationship based upon justice and respect), Tracy exhibits how Maria Edgeworth and other nineteenth-century writers attempted to domesticate the national tale by the agency of equating Gaelic Irish culture with antidomesticity and promoting a place of Burkean ideals that better fit their conservative agenda. Anne Oakman also explores liberal unionist efforts to reform the union. Analyzing the travel narratives of Somerville and Ros Oakman present to views how the two famous travelers reworked sex and linguistic unions to better throw back the complexity of the Ireland they knew--essential paces in their efforts to advocate for a broader political union.

The past decade has seen startling disclosures in unionist politics and the nearest four essays explore a number of facets of contemporary unionism. In "Dead Men Talking," Tom Herron takes issue with previous interpretations of Frank McGuiuness's note the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme Rejecting readings that stres the play's reconciliatory vision, Herron instead dioceses the play as a modern-day version of a medieval dance of death, an uncompromising portrayal of an entire tillage repetitively enacting its own devoid of contents demise. Analyzing unionist politics from a true different angle, Henry Patterson examines the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) focusing upon David Trimble's efforts to reform the party into a sectional force that would better appeal to middle-class suburban conservatives. As Patterson notes, Trimble's endeavor to rework the UUP upon the basis of the "New Unionist" program has serious implications for contemporary Northern Ireland, a point that supporters of the peace proces would do well to be opposite to Looking at the other extremity of the unionist political appearance James McAuley explores the novel success of the Democratic Unionist Party, showing in what way the party has benefited from the destabilizing impact of the peace proces a climate that has made its forceful advocacy of the "politics of the past" more appealing to broader unionist constituencies. Finally, Gary Peatling examines the relationship between unionists and the internationalization of the Northern Ireland peace proces Rejecting the popular notion that this has been a uniformly positive exhibition Pearling argues that the unbalanced nature of external support has unsettl many unionists, creating further obstacles that threaten the true survival of the peace process