The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature

By: Marc C. Conner, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Marc C. Conner

Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Many political and cultural events sent shock waves through the Irish world in the 19th and early 20th centuries as Ireland gradually shook off the shackles of British rule. Alongside a long and painful political process arose one of the greatest flourishings of literature in modern times - a spirited discourse among those who sought to shape their nation's future, finding the significance of their bloody present intimately entwined with their legendary past. As nationalists including Charles Stewart Parnell, Patrick Pearse, and Michael Collins studied their political situation and sought a road to independence, writers such as W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, J. M. Synge, Lady Gregory, and many others examined the emerging Irish identity and captured the spirit of the nation's ongoing history in their works.

Delve into this remarkable period with The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature. After laying the groundwork of ancient Irish history and centuries of British rule - from the Norman invasion in the 12th century through the brutal Penal Laws and the Great Famine - Professor Conner brings you inside the Irish Renaissance, also called the Irish Revival. Around the turn of the 20th century, a group of writers began taking a keen interest in the uniquely Irish culture, from its language to its art to its mythology. This fascination fed into the growing demand for Irish nationhood, and the arts, culture, and politics of the time are inextricable.

The Irish Renaissance fused and elevated aesthetic and civic ambitions, fueling a cultural climate of masterful artistic creation and resolute political self-determination reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance. Over the course of 36 enthralling lectures, Professor Conner reveals the multifaceted story of the Irish Renaissance through an exploration of its complex history and remarkable literature.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2016 The Great Courses

Before I travel to Ireland

In anticipation and preparation for my journey to Ireland , I selected this course. The lecturer provides a memorable experience of the history and literature of Ireland. My upcoming trip will have so much more meaning. I’ll see this place differently with insights as benefit of this course. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to understand this great people, their struggles and this land, and their literature.

Interesting

Intriguing and easy to follow. The depth of history and literature made wanting to learn more about the Irish and the authors.

Great choice for history and literature of Ireland

If you've been thinking about this, or have done research on Ireland/have ancestors there, do it. This has been in my queue a year but once I started I couldn't stop. Was afraid it would be dry, but the lilt and language and passion make it almost enthralling.

Great lectures

The only issue is his mispronunciations of people’s names. Padraig Pearce is constantly pronounced purse. Many others kinda drove me crazy when all the other info was great that he didn’t learn to pronounce their names

Entertaining and educational... Especially for literature buffs

The narrative of the first few lectures was a little hard to follow, but after that this course was very entertaining, educational and interesting. I gained a strong appreciation for Irish literature and history and their role in shaping the national identity. After having traveled trough the country, this was a very rewarding course.

Great content, bad pronunciation

The content relayed is accurate and historically accurate. However, in what I’m assuming is an attempt to speak clearly, the speaker mispronounced names of most ancient gods and famous tales For example, “Lug” is was pronounced “Luke”, when it should have been pronounced like the name “Lou”.

Excellent!

As with most Great Courses, this one is outstanding! I learned so much and listened to it twice so I could get every grain of knowledge that the professor shared. It makes sense to see the history of Irish identity through the eyes of their literary giants as they are the "chroniclers of the times." This book gave me the background and curiosity to read other books on Irish history.

Decent overview

Fairly balanced, but there were a few annoying instances of the lecturer’s patriarchical viewpoint clouding the presentation of information.

A Masterpiece from Professor Connor

I can't say enough god things about this course. I have been known to be a notoriously tough reviewer but I honestly struggled mightily to identify any kinds of flaws in this masterfully produced course. Perhaps the only minus is the lack of Irish history narrative from 1940's to the present (especially the resolution of the struggles between the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland) even if in summation for completeness sake (the political narrative seemed to end in the 1930’s). But this was not the focus of the Irish Identity/Renaissance of the late 1800's and early 1900's.

I've taken one other course with Professor Connor: "How to Read and Understand Shakespeare". And while I thought that was an excellently produced work, this course was just as brilliant and has elevated the professor in my pantheon of favorite instructors which includes Professors Elizabeth Vandiver, Gary Gallagher, and Jennifer Paxton.

I will admit I am much more interested in history than literature and I had some reservations purchasing this course because I knew it would be difficult for anyone to hold my attention through lectures on literature. But I bought it thinking at least I will retain 10 or so lectures on history and just "get through" the literature lectures as a necessary evil. While he knocked the ball out of the park on providing excellent narration of historical events surrounding Ireland from its first inhabitants in the Stone Age to independence in the 1930’s, I was amazed that his lectures on literature also kept me enraptured. He really knows how to capture the human condition.

This course focuses on the Irish Renaissance (the formation of the Irish identity in the late 19th and early 20th century). Its main theme is how Irish literature is inexorably tied up with politics and the search for independence from their English overloads. The historical narrative included (but was not limited to):
o The first inhabitants
o The Celtic people
o Christian missionaries/monasteries
o The Vikings
o England's dominion of the island/union
o The great famine
o The home rule debate
o The Dublin Lockout
o World War I
o The Easter Rising of 1916
o The War of Independence
o The Civil War

Another theme the professor does a good job of positing is the connection between the poets and the land of Ireland itself as if the history and culture is embedded in the soil itself.

For those of you interested in the breakdown: lectures 1-6, 18-19, 23-24, and 35 have a good mix of historical narrative and literature/poetry. The remaining lectures were strictly literature discussions.

Professor Connor has a great voice for lecturing. He has great command when presenting and communicates in a clear and easy to understand style but provides enough detail and color to draw you in to the narrative. He describes the atmosphere of certain events in such a way that makes you feel like you were there yourself. He superbly painted a picture of the land of Ireland and what the Irish identity truly entails.

Even the music that accompanied the intro and endings of the lectures was pleasant and soothing and seemed to fit the general theme of the course: optimism around the preservation of the Irish identity with a hint of sorrow reflecting the struggles and often heartbreaking history of the Irish under British rule. Does anyone know if there is a longer version for purchase anywhere??

It goes without saying that I would highly recommend this course to anyone with even a flicker of interest in history or literature. In fact even if you don't I would suggest it just so you could listen to how a great professor presents and teaches. Textbook stuff.

Please, please, please sign up Professor Connor for another course (hopefully on Shakespeare). And then a second. And third. And...

This Course is Superb

Where does The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is without a doubt one of the most powerful experiences I've had with audiobooks.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Irish Identity: Independence, History, and Literature?

There were many, but the segment describing James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man had me elevated.

Have you listened to any of Professor Marc C. Conner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this is my first experience with Professor Conner.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sorry, that's a bit above my pay grade.

Any additional comments?

I have already sent a copy of this course to one of my daughters and praised it far and wide.