The Parnell Myth and Irish Politics 1891-1956 (American University Studies)

This pathbreaking study confirms for the first time the existence of a real historical entity called the Parnell Myth. It probes deeper than the romantic story of the «lost leader» to find the myth's roots in Parnell's role as representative of Irish nationalist aspirations. It identifies the myth's principal characteristics - including motifs, symbols, and a central theme and central symbol - and explains how they give the myth its unity, coherence, and a significance beyond the story itself. The study demonstrates that dignity and self-respect were fully as vital components of the national question as independence, that the independence at stake was more fundamental than most politicians - or revolutionaries - appreciated, and that the question of independence persisted long after the Irish Free State had been established.