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We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland
We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland | Fintan O'Toole
10 posts | 5 read | 1 reading | 6 to read
Fintan O'Toole was born in the year the revolution began. It was 1958, and the Irish government?in despair, because all the young people were leaving?opened the country to foreign investment and popular culture. So began a decades-long, ongoing experiment with Irish national identity. In We Don't Know Ourselves, O'Toole, one of the Anglophone world's most consummate stylists, weaves his own experiences into Irish social, cultural, and economic change, showing how Ireland, in just one lifetime, has gone from a reactionary "backwater" to an almost totally open society--perhaps the most astonishing national transformation in modern history.Born to a working-class family in the Dublin suburbs, O'Toole served as an altar boy and attended a Christian Brothers school, much as his forebears did. He was enthralled by American Westerns suddenly appearing on Irish television, which were not that far from his own experience, given that Ireland's main export was beef and it was still not unknown for herds of cattle to clatter down Dublin's streets. Yet the Westerns were a sign of what was to come. O'Toole narrates the once unthinkable collapse of the all-powerful Catholic Church, brought down by scandal and by the activism of ordinary Irish, women in particular. He relates the horrific violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which led most Irish to reject violent nationalism. In O'Toole's telling, America became a lodestar, from John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit, when the soon-to-be martyred American president was welcomed as a native son, to the emergence of the Irish technology sector in the late 1990s, driven by American corporations, which set Ireland on the path toward particular disaster during the 2008 financial crisis.A remarkably compassionate yet exacting observer, O'Toole in coruscating prose captures the peculiar Irish habit of "deliberate unknowing," which allowed myths of national greatness to persist even as the foundations were crumbling. Forty years in the making, We Don't Know Ourselves is a landmark work, a memoir and a national history that ultimately reveals how the two modes are entwined for all of us.
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notreallyelaine
Pickpick

…the recognition by most of the faithful that they were in fact much holier than their preachers, that they had a clearer sense of right and wrong, a more honest and intimate sense of love and compassion and decency.

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SamAnne
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Traveling Ireland. Appreciating tagged history. Chatted a long time w/ fellow book lover Glen (in the middle) over Irish whiskey at the Hole in The Wall in Kilkenny. We talked about our love of Steinbeck, Kesey, tagged book and Richard Powers‘ The Overstory. He forgave me for not liking Kerouac. An Irish forester who‘d lived in Montana, we talked long on forest conservation. And why Americans voted for a fascist like Trump. #bookscanuniteus

JenniferEgnor So many of us have tried to fight back against him. The fascist crowd seems to be growing. I am terrified of what is happening in this country. For my friends, my family, for me. 1y
SamAnne @JenniferEgnor me too. Glen had not heard about the extent of the book bans occurring. I am very afraid of where we are headed. We need a major course correction. 1y
kspenmoll @SamAnne @JenniferEgnor I feel the sane as both of you. I am terrified of the anti-democratic throngs in our country & hate the legacy we are leaving for the next generation. 1y
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Leftcoastzen I was in Dublin during George Bush (shrub) era . Hanging in a pub, a man asked, George Bush! Can‘t you do something about that? Another said ,Me Mam won‘t let me go to the states, you all carry guns over there! I loved my conversations in pubs & tried my best to convince folks we are not all right wing nut bags. 1y
SamAnne @Leftcoastzen of course guns came up to. Yes, we have the same approach. My partner is super gregarious and we‘ve been meeting so many interesting people. 1y
Tamra There is a faction of the American public that loves a circus and that‘s what Trump offers - the cost doesn‘t matter. 1y
dabbe And where do you think you and I would be if we had three (probably soon to be four) indictments against us? At our cozy estate or in jail? And his numbers keep going UP the more trouble he gets in. I will never understand it. 1y
Ruthiella I forgive Glen for liking Kerouac! 😂 1y
SamAnne @Ruthiella 😂😂 I forgave him too. 1y
SamAnne @dabbe Exactly. I know a few people who have served a few years for very small crimes. They were poor. And decent people. 1y
SamAnne @Tamra yes that. And he‘s such a demagogue. We have some of the same trends in our country as Germany in the 1930s. Esp. Economic disparity. And the effects of social media. My partner is registered Republican (usually votes Democrat with the occasional libertarian vote. We can type in the same search on Google and get entirely different results. We get different feeds on Facebook. It is disturbing. 1y
AnnCrystal LOL, actually Hillary Clinton won the Popular Vote by a landslide. The Electoral College went against the Popular Vote.

I've actually been doing some research on forest conservation, have you read about the Menominee tribe and how they've sustainably logged their forest in Wisconsin for 160 years. Fascinating.
(edited) 1y
SamAnne @AnnCrystal I haven‘t read about that tribe. All my work has been in the Northwest. 1y
AnnCrystal @SamAnne 🙂👍 1y
SamAnne @marleed and no surprise—everyone we chat with in a pub knows where Butte, America is! 🥰🥰🥰 1y
marleed @SamAnne isn‘t that a hoot - most Irish town in America! I‘m here now! 1y
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review
Yahui07
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Pickpick

Really cannot recommend this book enough 🥰🥰
Definitely worth reading
It provides the real life events happened in Ireland for 60 years, including dark and bright, pleasant and disturbing events. Sometimes, I laughed sometimes I shed tears. More often I needed to pause a bit to let the unsettled feeling to be settled then continued.
Like a person, Ireland also has different faces beyond the Troubles because this was real life they lived in.

jlhammar I agree, this was fantastic! 1y
SamAnne Started this one and agree it‘s good! 1y
5 likes2 comments
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SamAnne
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Spending 2 weeks in Ireland in August. Dublin, Cork region mostly. Looking for advice/suggestions on bookish places—Trinity Library!—as well as good history books. Curing up the Tana French and Claire Keegan backlists…have read Say Nothing.

arlenefinnigan Definitely worth reading 2y
arlenefinnigan The Dublin Literary Pub crawl is really good fun https://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/ 2y
CarolynM I agree with @arlenefinnigan - the Barrytown Trilogy is great. I especially love the third book 2y
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SamAnne @arlenefinnegan @CarolynM thank you for the suggestions! The pub crawl is definitely on the list now… 2y
SamAnne @arlenefinnegan @carolynm oh right! The Commitments! Definitely stacking. 2y
Jeg Lucky you. I‘ve always wanted to go where you are going. Like many people my ancestors are from there. Family name Collins. 2y
SamAnne @Jeg spending time in Cork area and Dublin. Figuring out the rest. Doctors said I should get a chemo port. I decided to travel instead or at least first. Life is precious and too damn short!!! 2y
52 likes7 comments
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jlhammar
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O‘Toole time! I‘ve been reading a chapter or two of this brilliant book each day this month. Only midway, but likely to be among my top reads of the year.

Cheers! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend 🍻

SamAnne I‘m reading this right now—not far in—and loving it. Headed to Ireland in August and it‘s one of my prep reads! (edited) 2y
jlhammar @SamAnne Wow, that is something to look forward to! I‘d love to travel there someday. Glad to hear you‘re also enjoying this one. 2y
70 likes2 comments
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SamAnne
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I‘m doing all the readathons this month! My goals are to make a dent in the tagged group-planning a visit to Ireland this summer. I want to finish my IRL book club reads of Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub and start Trust by Herman Diaz. On audio listening to The Authority Gap for #SheSaid. Thanks for hosting @Andrew65 !

Andrew65 Great to have you with us, good luck with all the readathons 😍 2y
39 likes1 comment
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mjtwo
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Pickpick

10-23 Feb 22 (audiobook)
Well-written and read, this is a history of Ireland during the period of the author‘s life. Whilst some of the events are personal, it goes well beyond focusing on the author and provides an insight into the social, political and cultural changes Ireland has undergone since the late 1959s. Some information is astounding (so few toilets in the 1960s); some heartbreaking; and some infuriating. A must read for me.

Chelsea.Poole Great review! 2y
Cuilin Sounds interesting. I‘ll have to check it out. 2y
jlhammar Planning to tackle this one in March. Can‘t wait! 2y
11 likes3 comments
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Suet624
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Pickpick

It took me ages & several downloads to finish this, but wow. It was impressive. The author gives a history lesson of Ireland from the late 1950‘s to 2018. The brutality of the Catholic Church to women & children is unrelenting, greedy politicians, emigration, hunger strikes, violence…it‘s all here. I‘m going to be thinking about this book for a long time. This is the country one side of my family comes from & I feel I know the country more now.

Tamra Terrible. 💔 2y
SamAnne Putting this on my TBR. Planning a visit to Ireland this summer. Also where my ancestors came from. Have been to England several times and Wales, but have yet to make it to Ireland. Hoping to read some more history, and some fiction, before the trip. 2y
Suet624 @SamAnne I‘m going for my third visit this May. This is a sobering book and doesn‘t mention the delight and humor of the Irish people. So be forewarned. 🤪 I love Ireland and I bet you will too. It‘s a gorgeous place with wonderful folks. 2y
Megabooks Wow. Sounds like a heavy, important read. 2y
Suet624 @Megabooks yes! That‘s why I kept going with it. It was fascinating and disgusting and revealing and it‘s quite the history! There are no faeries and leprechauns, that‘s for sure. (Although whenever I‘m there I could swear I feel their presence.) (edited) 2y
52 likes5 comments
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Vansa
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#WondrousWednesday @Eggs
1.Ireland!Fintan o'Toole's blistering and deeply personal account of 6 decades from 1958 on,when he was born.The personal is always political,exemplified by this book.
2.Brother of the more famous Jack.Witty,romantic, heartbreaking.Full review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4779189530
3.Cannot wait to read this,first in a planned trilogy on Suleyman the Magnificent.

Eggs Well done! 2y
12 likes1 comment
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Vansa
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Pickpick

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs
🦋5 🌟so far,nuanced,complex and deeply personal account of the authors growing up in Ireland during the Troubles.
🦋Michael Ignatieff's On consolation,Richard Cohen's Making History and Abi Morgan's This is not a pity memoir.Links to my reviews in comments!
🦋We have an appointment FINALLY for our vaccine booster this Saturday,very relieved!

Vansa Excellent work on the writers of history, not restricted only to the Western European historical tradition and how in many instances, how they viewed things affect how we talk about the past. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4662023414 2y
Vansa This is a beautiful, thoughtful book on how human beings have responded to sorrow and trouble over the years, and how the means in which we seek solace have evolved. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4589339589 2y
Vansa THis book was a devastating, moving account of Morgan's husband, Jacob Krichefski's severe reaction to the withdrawal of a test drug, that affected his MS, the effect on the family, with Abi's memories of their meet-cute and life to that point, interspersed between.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4742098340 2y
Eggs Thanks for joining in 💜🦋💙 2y
kspenmoll Thanks for your post. Stacked! 2y
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