A New Ireland, Niall ODowd
A New Ireland, Niall ODowd
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A New Ireland
How Europe's Most Conservative Country Became Its Most Liberal

Author: Niall O'Dowd

Narrator: Roger Clark

Unabridged: 8 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/29/2021

Synopsis

In a May 2019 countrywide referendum, Ireland voted overwhelmingly to make abortion legal; three years earlier, it had done the same with same-sex marriage, becoming the only country in the world to pass such a law by universal suffrage. Pope Francis's visit to the country saw protests and a fraction of the emphatic welcome that Pope John Paul's had seen forty years earlier. There have been two female heads of state since 1990, the first two in Ireland's history. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, an openly gay man of Indian heritage, declared that "a quiet revolution had taken place."

It had. For nearly all of its modern history, Ireland was Europe's most conservative country. The Catholic Church was its most powerful institution and held power over all facets of Irish life. But as scandal eroded the Church's hold on Irish life, a new Ireland has flourished. War in the North has ended. EU membership and an influx of American multinational corporations have helped Ireland weather economic depression and transform into Europe's headquarters for Apple, Facebook, and Google.

With help from prominent Irish and Irish American voices like historian and bestselling author Tim Pat Coogan and the New York Times's Maureen Dowd, A New Ireland tells the story of a modern revolution against all odds.

About Niall O'Dowd

Irish-born Niall O'Dowd is the author of Lincoln and the Irish along with three other books on Irish-American themes. He is the founder of IrishCentral, Irish America magazine, and the Irish Voice newspaper. He is also responsible for publishing IrishCentral.com and the Irish Emigrant newspaper in Boston. Niall was awarded an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin for his work on the Irish peace process, which was a subject of a book, Daring Diplomacy, and a PBS Special, An Irish Voice. He has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, Huffington Post, and the Irish Times. He and his wife, Debbis, and daughter, Alana, live in New York.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kevin on May 20, 2023

Although Niall O’Dowd provides a rather extensive and detailed history of the Catholic Church’s prominent role in Irish history, the “two Irelands” —the old, conservative-religious state and the new, secular-democracy—can arguably be represented by just two influential icons: John McQuaid and Mary R......more

Goodreads review by Brigid on January 09, 2021

Although most of this book can be summarized as "the Irish people finally realized that the leadership of the Catholic church is corrupt and filled with evil people," this book does a great job of mapping out exactly how everything happened.......more

Goodreads review by Ilia on September 25, 2021

An interesting – if slightly weirdly written – account of the social history of Ireland. From the title and the blurb, I was expecting to read a social history of Ireland in the 20th century – how the country gradually became less conservative and opened up and how that led to the changes in the Iri......more

Goodreads review by Patrick on April 02, 2024

I didn’t enjoy the way the book was structured and the constant foreshadowing to a revelation that would change Ireland as a whole- but the history subject is SO interesting. As fascism creeps around the corners, we could learn a lot about Ireland’s fast escape from the clutches of the Catholic Chur......more

Goodreads review by Ben on July 18, 2021

3 stars I think this book does a good job at explaining some of Ireland's political transformation over the last 40 years but completely neglects others. It puts a huge emphasis on the internal scandals in the Catholic Church (like many commentators do) as well as a focus on individuals who pushed mo......more

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