The Revelation of Ireland

THE NUMBER 1 IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER

SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

An Irish Times Book of the Year 2024

The Revelation of Ireland explores the striking transformation of Ireland from the mid-1990s onwards. Dramatic economic, social, and cultural changes, including the Celtic Tiger boom and increasingly secular debates about abortion, the status of women, and same-sex marriage, underline the scale of this transformation. The new diversity of the population, along with literary and musical prowess, reveals a country in rapid alteration.

The path to peace saw the end of war in Northern Ireland and culminated in the first visit to southern Ireland by a reigning British monarch in 100 years, illuminating the new Anglo-Irish dynamic. Explosive revelations about deep betrayals from the past destroyed the credibility of the traditionally powerful Catholic Church. In the wake of the 2008 financial crash, Ireland rebounded and rebuilt to great success but remained plagued by health and housing failures. Economic recovery, the end of civil war politics, closer European involvement, and Anglo-Irish highs were followed by Brexit lows and increasing discussions of Irish unity.

There is much to open people's eyes in this riveting account of contemporary Ireland. As the Republic enters its second century of independence, and the North continues to grapple with the legacy of the Troubles, Diarmaid Ferriter makes historical sense of post-1990s Ireland and delves into what lies in the darkest corners of its archives.