The question of whether we are now "post-Ireland" is especially relevant in the wake of debates sparked by a recent Times of London article decrying "Ireland's tenuous claim to nationhood".
Editors Jefferson Holdridge and Brian Ó Conchubhair explain that their collection is in dialogue with contributor Declan Kiberd's concept of "after Ireland", first used in a 2009 Irish Times article.
Out with the old
They remark that the book’s title “acknowledges the question of the disappearance of a certain version of Ireland, that the old definitions may no longer apply, and implies with a question mark that perhaps Ireland can never be left behind” because of its history “as a colonial entity”.
Given these claims, it would have been beneficial to also engage with Colin Graham's 2001 study Deconstructing Ireland, which considers the concept of "Ireland" within the contexts of postcolonialism and postnationalism.
Post-Ireland investigates the place of Irish poetry within the contemporary cultural matrix. The volume pays refreshingly close attention to gender balance, as well as to Ireland North and South. It also places new and underexplored poets alongside canonical names, and covers several Irish language poets. This timely collection assesses how Irish poetry negotiates current constructs of "Ireland" and navigates its ever-broadening horizons.
