Publisher Description

Modern Irish history was determined by the rise, expansion, and decline of the British Empire. And British imperial history, from the age of Atlantic expansion to the age of decolonization, was moulded in part by Irish experience. But the nature of Ireland's position in the Empire has always been a matter of contentious dispute. Was Ireland a sister kingdom and equal partner in a larger British state? Or was it, because of its proximity and strategic importance, theEmpire's most subjugated colony? Contemporaries disagreed strongly on these questions, and historians continue to do so. Questions of this sort can only be answered historically: Ireland'srelationship with Britain and the Empire developed and changed over time, as did the Empire itself. This book offers the first comprehensive history of the subject from the early modern era through the contemporary period. The contributors seek to specify the nature of Ireland's entanglement with empire over time: from the conquest and colonization of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, through the consolidation of Ascendancy rule in the eighteenth, the Act of Union in the period1801-1921, the emergence of an Irish Free State and Republic, and eventual withdrawal from the British Commonwealth in 1948. They also consider the participation of Irish people in the Empire overseas, assoldiers, administrators, merchants, migrants, and missionaries; the influence of Irish social, administrative, and constitutional precedents in other colonies; and the impact of Irish nationalism and independence on the Empire at large. The result is a new interpretation of Irish history in its wider imperial context which is also filled with insights on the origins, expansion, and decline of the British Empire.This book offers the first comprehensive history of Irelandand the British Empire from the early modern era through the contemporary period. The contributors examine each phase of Ireland's entanglement with the Empire, from conquest and colonisation toindependence, along with the extensive participation of Irish people in the Empire overseas, and the impact of Irish politics and nationalism on other British colonies. The result is a new interpretation of Irish history in its wider imperial context which is also filled with insights on the origins, expansion, and decline of the British Empire.SERIES DESCRIPTIONThe purpose of the five volumes of the Oxford History of the British Empire was to provide acomprehensive study of the Empire from its beginning to end, the meaning of British imperialism for the ruled as well as the rulers, and the significance of the British Empire as a theme in world history. Thevolumes in the Companion Series carry forward this purpose by exploring themes that were not possible to cover adequately in the main series, and to provide fresh interpretations of significant topics.

Author Biography

Professor Wm Roger LouisEditor-in-ChiefKerr Professor of English History and Culture, University of Texas, Austin

Table of Contents

Kevin Kenny: Introduction: Ireland and the British Empire1: Jane Ohlmeyer: A Laboratory for Empire?: Early Modern Ireland and English Imperialism2: Thomas Bartlett: 'This famous island set in a Virginian sea': Ireland in the British Empire, 1690-18013: Kevin Kenny: The Irish in the Empire4: Vera Kreilkamp: Empire and Fiction: The Irish Novel5: Alvin Jackson: Ireland, the Union, and the Empire6: Deirdre McMahon: Ireland, the Empire, and the Commonwealth7: Stephen Howe: Historiography8: Joe Cleary: Postcolonial IrelandIndex

Review

reland and the British Empire [...] includes learned writing on an important subject Irish Literary Supplement

Promotional

New in paperback--our leading historian examines how empire shaped Ireland over several centuries

Long Description

Modern Irish history was determined by the rise, expansion, and decline of the British Empire. And British imperial history, from the age of Atlantic expansion to the age of decolonization, was moulded in part by Irish experience. But the nature of Ireland's position in the Empire has always been a matter of contentious dispute. Was Ireland a sister kingdom and equal partner in a larger British state? Or was it, because of its proximity and strategic importance, the
Empire's most subjugated colony? Contemporaries disagreed strongly on these questions, and historians continue to do so. Questions of this sort can only be answered historically: Ireland's relationship with Britain and the Empire developed and changed over time, as did the Empire itself. This book
offers the first comprehensive history of the subject from the early modern era through the contemporary period. The contributors seek to specify the nature of Ireland's entanglement with empire over time: from the conquest and colonization of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, through the consolidation of Ascendancy rule in the eighteenth, the Act of Union in the period 1801-1921, the emergence of an Irish Free State and Republic, and eventual withdrawal from the British Commonwealth in
1948. They also consider the participation of Irish people in the Empire overseas, as soldiers, administrators, merchants, migrants, and missionaries; the influence of Irish social, administrative, and constitutional precedents in other colonies; and the impact of Irish nationalism and independence
on the Empire at large. The result is a new interpretation of Irish history in its wider imperial context which is also filled with insights on the origins, expansion, and decline of the British Empire.This book offers the first comprehensive history of Ireland and the British Empire from the early modern era through the contemporary period. The contributors examine each phase of Ireland's entanglement with the Empire, from conquest and colonisation to independence, along
with the extensive participation of Irish people in the Empire overseas, and the impact of Irish politics and nationalism on other British colonies. The result is a new interpretation of Irish history in its wider imperial context which is also filled with insights on the origins, expansion, and
decline of the British Empire.SERIES DESCRIPTIONThe purpose of the five volumes of the Oxford History of the British Empire was to provide a comprehensive study of the Empire from its beginning to end, the meaning of British imperialism for the ruled as well as the rulers, and the significance of the British Empire as a theme in world history. The volumes in the Companion Series carry forward this purpose by exploring themes that were not possible to cover
adequately in the main series, and to provide fresh interpretations of significant topics.

Review Quote

reland and the British Empire [...] includes learned writing on an important subject

Promotional "Headline"

Kevin Kenny: Introduction: Ireland and the British Empire 1. Jane Ohlmeyer: A Laboratory for Empire?: Early Modern Ireland and English Imperialism 2. Thomas Bartlett: 'This famous island set in a Virginian sea': Ireland in the British Empire, 1690-1801 3. Kevin Kenny: The Irish in the Empire 4. Vera Kreilkamp: Empire and Fiction: The Irish Novel 5. Alvin Jackson: Ireland, the Union, and the Empire 6. Deirdre McMahon: Ireland, the Empire, and the Commonwealth 7. Stephen Howe: Historiography 8. Joe Cleary: Postcolonial Ireland Index

Feature

Part of the companion series to the Oxford History of the British Empire
The first book to cover Ireland and the British Empire during the full period from the early modern era to the present
Contributors include leading historians of Ireland
Extensive coverage of literary and cultural history as well as social, economic, political, and constitutional history
Examines the participation and influence of Irish people in the Empire as merchants, migrants, soldiers, civil servants and missionaries

Details