DOC Maggie's Way by Bill Stanton in Arts-Photography

Review

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A pleasure to readBy Maud GonneThe Irish Art of Controversy provides a wonderfully vivid look at the intimacies of Irish politics by Lucy McDiarmid. With her usual wit and fastidious scholarship; she explains how public controversy determined what it meant to be Irish in the early 20th century. She evokes an extraordinary series of dramas played out by opposing factions on such issues as religion; sex; class values; the labor movement; censorship and civil rights. Issues that shaped the coming revollution and the nature of Irish government. In contrast to the romantic concept of recovering the poor old womans four green fields; McDiarmid demonstrates how hotly contested was the question of what should be planted in those fields.During the strike of some 25;000 Dublin workers in l9l3; for exxample; a violent tug of war developed between Catholic clergy and labor sympathizers attempting to place starving children temporarily in the homes of English workers. The clergy largely defeated this plan by accusing Irish mothers of endangering the faith of their children by allowing them to be "kidnapped" by English Protestants; socialists and feminists. Archbishop Walsh proclaimed that "the Irish people would rather their children perish by the ditches than that they should be exposed to the risk of being perverted in their religion." Under such pressure; it is not surprising that of some 300 children initially enrolled; only 18 reached England. This episode reveals the unfortunate bigotry of the clergy; but also identifies cultural memories and beliefs (souperism; fairy abduction) that subconsciously; or otherwise; intensified the fears of Catholic parents.An equally fierce and lasting controversy emerged over Roger Casement. On trial for treason in the aftermath of the l9l6 Rising; he was fatally compromised by discovery of the so-called Black Diaries containing graphic descriptions of homoerotic encounters. Both Irish and English opinion turned against him despite his patriotism and the humanitarian work for which he had been knighted. Casement was hanged; and his remains were not returned to Ireland until 1965. Even then; there was consideraable uneasiness about enshrining a gay man in the pantheon of Irish heroes. With the growing secularization of Ireland; however; Casement became a pivotal figure in open debate about sexualities and civil rights. In fact; as McDiarmid demonstrates; it was the transgressive example of Casement that allowed such debate to be made public.In sum; an excellent book. A pleasure to read.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. "The Contention of the Bards;" updated to the early 20cBy John L MurphyA pleasure to read a book that; as with the original disputants who comprise the subjects of the five chapters; addresses the general public in clear; spirited; and engaging fashion. While the contents aimed at an academic reader; the prose flows more smoothly; and the author remains aware of the need for a personal perspective that keeps her in control of the mass of material she sifts through and organizes in support of the often dramatic; if self-consciously so; performers on the stages and streets of Dublin almost a century ago. Rather than (and Prof. McD acknowledges in her preface that she labored not to use "ludic") become embroiled in abstruse jargon and faddish theory; McDiarmid takes on the early debates that characterized cultural nationalist contentions that served as a synecdoche for the larger issues of Irish Ireland.These are covered in five thematic sections about public spats and private correspondence; and these do overlap slightly: Hugh Lanes bequeathed 39 paintings; Shaws "The Shewing of Blanco Posnet" with Lady Gregory GBS for the Abbey Theatre squaring off against Dublin Castle; Fr. OHickeys defense of compulsory Irish; the "Dublin kiddies" vs. the socialists and philanthropists; and the "afterlife" which Roger Casements diaries with their homosexual content represented for later 20c Irish discussion of sexuality and rebellion. Unlike later spectacles that entered the Irish arena; these riled up not only academics and writers; but the common people. Its a telling sign of the retreat from the "agora" in the past century that shows how willing many people are to leave to the intellectuals and literati what once might have been the dispute of many a dinner table-- think of the contention over Parnell in Joyces "Portrait."The details of the book have been previewed on this site and by earlier respondents. Many illustrations; endnotes; and explanations carry along the text in more brisk fashion than one might expect from a professor. I might add that the notes document generously the assistance from many who assisted McDiarmid in her years of research. The book may betray a bit of the assembly from disparate pieces that many collections do when gathered from earlier talks and articles; but the introduction and conclusion tie together the threads efficiently. Theres even a well-chosen Irish-language proverb that begins each chapter cleverly. Such details show the authors own personality in a study that abounds in spirited; strong-willed; and stubborn smart meetings and maulings of the minds.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Importance of Controversies in a Free SocietyBy Douglas L. SaumI enjoyed Lucy McDiarmids The Irish Art of Controversy on many levels. It helps me get into the spirit of several of W B Yeatss poems and; more importantly; reminds us all of the value of understanding our pervasive controversies. It is very educational to see how they operate over time. Shes done us all a wonderful service through her lucid explanations of key controversies present in Irelands successful struggle to achieve a national identity. If you are interested in Yeats; Ireland; or controversy this book is a must.