Just finished this book. Agree it was well-written, personally & professionally informed & illusion-shattering & found it fascinating to read about the "double-think" & "compartmentalization" that existed for decades. Which I experienced 1st hand in a 1993 visit, in which a rural pub would close at 11 sharp to comply with the law, cops would knock on the door & everyone would stay quiet til they left after which drinking etc would resume. It would be harder to write such a book about Canada, as Ireland - at least as depicted here - seems like a much smaller, insular country with a particularly cozy establishment. But a book could be written about Canada about our own hypocrisies - i.e. that we're allegedly more virtuous than the US, that we matter as much internationally, or are as liberal & tolerant as we like to think we are. And our "establishment" may not be as cozy, but there is still an insularity & groupthink among our own elites
Just finished this book. Agree it was well-written, personally & professionally informed & illusion-shattering & found it fascinating to read about the "double-think" & "compartmentalization" that existed for decades. Which I experienced 1st hand in a 1993 visit, in which a rural pub would close at 11 sharp to comply with the law, cops would knock on the door & everyone would stay quiet til they left after which drinking etc would resume. It would be harder to write such a book about Canada, as Ireland - at least as depicted here - seems like a much smaller, insular country with a particularly cozy establishment. But a book could be written about Canada about our own hypocrisies - i.e. that we're allegedly more virtuous than the US, that we matter as much internationally, or are as liberal & tolerant as we like to think we are. And our "establishment" may not be as cozy, but there is still an insularity & groupthink among our own elites