An evening with Diarmaid Ferriter

The Transformation of Ireland by Diarmaid Ferriter, published in 2004, was the first survey history of twentieth century Ireland in many years. Now, 20 years later, comes the sequel, The Revelation of Ireland: 1995-2020.

Published in September 2024 (Profile Books), we are delighted to welcome one of Ireland's best-known historians and Broadcasters to The Crescent for a fascinating discussion followed by a Q&A. 

A masterful history of a country transformed over 25 years, from Ireland's most distinguished historian, Ireland is a strikingly different country now to the one it was in the mid-1990s.

Dramatic economic, social and cultural changes, including the Celtic Tiger boom and increasingly secular debate about abortion, the status of women and same-sex marriage underlined the scale of the transformation.

The new diversity of the population and literary and musical prowess also revealed a country experiencing rapid alteration. The road to peace - that saw an end to war in Northern Ireland and culminated in the first visit to southern Ireland of a reigning British monarch in 100 years - illuminated the new Anglo-Irish dynamic.

Explosive revelations about deep betrayals from the past destroyed the credibility of the traditionally powerful Catholic Church. And in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, Ireland rebounded and rebuilt to great success, but remained plagued by health and housing failures. Economic recovery, the end of civil war politics, ever closer European involvement and Anglo-Irish highs were followed by Brexit lows and increasing talk of Irish unity. There is much to open people's eyes in this riveting account of contemporary Ireland.

As the Republic enters its second century of independence, and the North continues to grapple with the legacy of the Troubles, Diarmaid Ferriter makes historical sense of post-1990s Ireland, and what lies in the darkest corners of its archives.

Diarmaid Ferriter is one of Ireland's best-known historians and is Professor of Modern Irish History at UCD. His books include The Transformation of Ireland 1900- 2000 (2004), Judging Dev: A Reassessment of the life and legacy of Eamon de Valera (2007), Occasions of Sin: Sex and Society in Modern Ireland (2009), Ambiguous Republic: Ireland in the 1970s (2012) and A Nation and not a Rabble: The Irish Revolution 1913- 23 (2015). His most recent book is The Border: The Legacy of a Century of Anglo-Irish Politics.

He is a regular broadcaster on television and radio and a weekly columnist with the Irish Times. In 2010 he presented a three-part history of twentieth century Ireland, The Limits of Liberty, on RTE television.