Sixties Ireland
Reshaping the Economy, State and Society, 1957–1973

A radical new perspective revealing the truth behind the making of modern Ireland from economic rebirth to entering the EEC.

Mary E. Daly (Author)

9781316509319, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 March 2016

442 pages
23.1 x 15.3 x 2.4 cm, 0.63 kg

'Working through the key themes of economic development, emigration, women's lives and feminism, and finally on to political change and the upheavals caused by violence in Northern Ireland, [Daly] provides a detailed exploration of the decade which goes beyond any previous book in both its scope and detail. … This book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to make sense of the pivotal, transformational decade. Moreover, it also shines a light on just how much more there is to understand with regard to this period, and as such should provide a fruitful starting point for future research.' Erika Hanna, Twentieth Century British History

This provocative new history of Ireland during the long 1960s exposes the myths of Ireland's modernisation. Mary E. Daly questions traditional interpretations which see these years as a time of prosperity when Irish society – led by a handful of key modernisers – abandoned many of its traditional values in its search for economic growth. Setting developments in Ireland in a wider European context, Daly shows instead that claims for the economic transformation of Ireland are hugely questionable: Ireland remained one of the poorest countries in western Europe until the end of the twentieth century. Contentious debates in later years over contraception, divorce, and national identity demonstrated continuities with the past that long survived the 1960s. Spanning the period from Ireland's economic rebirth in the 1950s to its entry into the EEC in 1973, this is a comprehensive reinterpretation of a critical period in Irish history with clear parallels for Ireland today.

Introduction
Part I. The Economy: 1. 'Bringing up the rear of the pack' in Europe's golden age of economic growth
2. Transforming the economy: whose plan?
3. Coping with change 1: industry and trade unions
4. Coping with change 2: agriculture and rural Ireland
5. Coping with change 3: regional and physical planning
Part II. Society: 6. The optimism of a rising tide
7. Farewell to 'the vanishing Irish'
8. Women, children and families
9. Second-wave feminism and the Irish family
10. The churches
11. Education, health and welfare
Part III. Politics and International Relations: 12. Party politics: the revolution that never happened
13. International relations
14. Northern Ireland
Conclusion: abandoning the past?
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000 [HBLW3], British & Irish history [HBJD1]