Luck and the Irish

A Brief History of Change, 1970-2000

From 1970, things were changing in Ireland – the Celtic Tiger had finally woken, and the rules for everything from gender roles and religion to international relations were being entirely rewritten.

Luck and the Irish examines how the country has weathered these last thirty years of change, and what these changes may mean in the long run. R. F. Foster also looks at how characters as diverse as Gerry Adams, Mary Robinson, Charles Haughey and Bob Geldof have contributed to Ireland’s altered psyche, and uncovers some of the scandals, corruption and marketing masterminds that have transformed Ireland – and its luck.

The brilliance of the writing places him as a historian in a league of his own ... A balanced work offering his own distinctive, original and elegant insights

Diarmaid Ferriter, Times Literary Supplement

About R F Foster

R. F. Foster was the Carroll Professor of Irish History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford. His books include Modern Ireland 1600–1972, Paddy and Mr Punch, The Irish Story, W. B. Yeats: A Life, Volume I: The Apprentice Mage, W. B. Yeats, Volume II: The Arch-Poet and Luck and the Irish. Foster was awarded an Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award in Arts, Culture & Sport in 2021, and received the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2023.
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Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9780141017655
  • Length: 240 pages
  • Dimensions: 197mm x 13mm x 130mm
  • Weight: 186g
  • Price: £12.99
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