Death and Dying in Ireland, Britain, and Europe: Historical Perspectives

Death and Dying in Ireland, Britain, and Europe provides a unique new perspective on Irish history and is a truly multi-disciplinary and dynamic approach to an emerging style called the ‘new social history.’ It is a pioneering book that presents a history of death and dying in Ireland and Europe, from pre-history to the 20th century, focusing on virtually every era and from a diverse and broad range of perspectives. Martyrdom is examined through the phenomenon of the hunger strike and its impact on Irish life, and in particular, the Cork and Brixton hunger strikes of 1920. The history of suicide is discussed through the self-inflicted death of Theobald Wolfe Tone, probably the most famous case of suicide in Irish history. The book also presents new research into varieties of death during the famines of 1740-41 and 1845-49. Additionally, it looks at the problematic nature of accounting death during the War of Independence. Other topics covered range from obituary notices in provincial newspapers and burials in medieval Ireland, to the attitude to death of the French revolutionaries.