Philadelphia Irish: Nation, Culture, and the Rise of a Gaelic Public Sphere

The Irish American community in Philadelphia experienced a cultural awakening in the 1890s, inspired by the cultural awakening in native Ireland. This led to the growth of a Gaelic public sphere, characterized by the embrace of Gaelic symbols, language, political nationalism, Celtic paramilitarism, Gaelic sport, and a broad ethnic culture. The Irish constructed a plebian "counter" public of Gaelic meaning through various communication mechanisms, such as the ethnic press, meeting rooms of Irish societies, and the consumption of circulating pamphlets,oratory, songs, ballads, poems, and conversation.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 246 pages
\n Publication date: 16 July 2021
\n Publisher: Rutgers University Press
\n

The Irish American community experienced a remarkable flowering during the 1890s, coinciding with the emergence of a vibrant Gaelic public sphere in Philadelphia. This movement was inspired by the cultural awakening in native Ireland and was transplanted and acted upon in the bustling Irish community of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Irish enthusiastically embraced this export of cultural nationalism, reveled in Gaelic symbols, and endorsed the Gaelic language, political nationalism, Celtic paramilitarism, Gaelic sport, and a broad ethnic culture.

To understand how the Irish constructed a plebian "counter" public of Gaelic meaning, the author employs Jurgen Habermass's concept of a public sphere. Through various mechanisms of communication, such as the ethnic press, meeting rooms of Irish societies, the consumption of circulating pamphlets,oratory, songs, ballads, poems, and conversation, the Irish created a vibrant and culturally engaged network of Irish rebirth in Philadelphia. This public of Gaelic meaning extended beyond the boundaries of individual neighborhoods and resisted the parochialism often associated with local communities.

The Irish in Philadelphia were settled in working-class neighborhoods that were vast in spatial separation, yet they managed to create a vibrant and culturally engaged network. This resilience and determination to maintain their cultural identity is a testament to the strength and vitality of the Irish community in Philadelphia. The 1890s growth of a Gaelic public sphere in Philadelphia was a significant milestone in the history of Irish America, and it paved the way for the continued development and preservation of Irish culture in the United States.

\n Weight: 412g\n
Dimension: 228 x 153 x 32 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781978815452\n \n