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History Ireland

Ulster's Men

Protestant Unionist Masculinities and Militarization in the North of Ireland, 1912-1923

by (author) Jane G.V. McGaughey

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
Mar 2012
Category
Ireland
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780773539723
    Publish Date
    Mar 2012
    List Price
    $125.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780773587403
    Publish Date
    Mar 2012
    List Price
    $95.00

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Description

From violence in the trenches, to the struggle for independence and the eventual partition of the country, Ireland's cultural history is indelibly marked by the shadow of the Great War. As the war raged on, the nine-county province of Ulster - refashioned in 1921 as the six counties of Northern Ireland - was flooded with images of masculine military heroism. Soldiers, veterans, and paramilitaries became the most visible and potent incarnation of manhood on the streets of Belfast and Derry.

In Ulster's Men, Jane McGaughey provides an historical glimpse into the unionist ideals of manliness in Northern Ireland, delving into the power dynamics of political propaganda, military service, fraternal societies, and paramilitary violence. Drawing upon depictions of men found in war diaries, police reports, government documents, and the popular press, McGaughey presents unionist masculinities as far more than the monolithic stereotype of dour austerity and misplaced loyalty.

An exploration of the history of gender representation through the mirror of Northern Ireland's tortuous past, Ulster's Men weaves together images of Edwardian heroism, imperial patriotism, the fellowship of men in uniform, and the chaotic hostilities of war.

About the author

Jane G. V. McGaughey is assistant professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada.

Jane G.V. McGaughey's profile page