Irish culture gained worldwide popularity in the 1990s, during the country’s economic heyday, dubbed the “Celtic Tiger.” It was during this period that there was an international growth of interest in Irish culture. The term “hibernisation” came into academic usage, denoting the spread of Irish influence in various cultural areas. It was during this period that the “calling cards” of Irish culture appeared – the Riverdance show and the St. Patrick’s Day festivals. To understand the reasons for the growing popularity of Irish culture it is necessary to analyze the main stages of the country’s development and the reasons for the transformation of Irish national identity in the twentieth century.
The Construction of Irish National Identity
Since the formation of the Irish Free State in the early 1920s, the Irish have sought to define their identity in terms of their opposition to the British, leading to the identification and further cultivation of distinctive features such as Gaelic nationalism and Catholicism. The constitution of 1937 made Catholicism the state religion, granting the Church unlimited powers in the fields of culture and education, transforming Ireland into a patriarchal society with a strong emphasis on religious Christian values.
Cultural and media censorship, prompted by the belief that foreign ideals were detrimental to the moral state of Irish society, resulted in Ireland’s cultural and informational isolation from the rest of the world. It follows that Irish society was in a state of cultural stagnation until the middle of the twentieth century. The formation of a positive Irish identity both in Ireland itself and within the Diaspora was burdened by the presence of national inferiority and insecurity complexes associated with such tragic moments of Irish history as prolonged colonization, loss of the Irish language, the Great Famine of 1845-1849, military occupation, the Civil War, etc. Underestimation of national self-esteem was exacerbated by well-established negative perceptions of the Irish in various countries.
The Weakening Power of the Catholic Church
The gradual weakening of the Catholic Church’s power inevitably led to significant changes in the field of culture. Whereas in the 1970s Irish culture was tightly controlled by the Church and was not able to develop along with the gradually growing economy, since the early 1980s there has been a significant convergence between the economic and cultural spheres. Economic growth, in turn, weakened the influence of the Catholic Church, introducing new social values based on individualism and materialism. Traditional Catholic values, which had dominated society and hindered its cultural and economic development, receded for the first time in Irish history.
The weakening of the Catholic Church in the 1990s was also caused by a series of high-profile scandals in which Catholic clergy were accused of pedophilia and other sex crimes. As a result, the reputation of the Catholic Church was irrevocably damaged. Ordinary believers had the impression that many crimes had been hidden from them for decades. The Catholic Church has not experienced such a crisis of confidence in the history of Ireland.
It is precisely because of growing public alienation and disillusionment with the institution of the church itself that participation in religious life has declined significantly. The Catholic Church has lost a significant portion of its power and authority. Today’s Irish prefer to rely on the constitution, the law, and their own common sense. However, the collapse of the institution of the Catholic Church in Ireland is coupled with piety, the cult of revered saints and the Virgin Mary. This is evidence of the fact that religious faith and personal spirituality are still important and strong in Irish society.
The Causes of the Identity Crisis and its Resolution
The gradual urbanization, industrialization, modernization and secularization of Ireland that began in the 1950s led to a blurring of the basic differences between Ireland and Great Britain, which became particularly evident precisely during the period of the “Celtic Tiger. As a result, the construction of an identity in opposition to Britain was no longer possible. Despite a number of positive changes, as a result of which the Irish were finally able to call themselves “prosperous Europeans,” overcome historical trauma and partially regain their lost sense of national pride, the continued inability to build their identity “from the other side,” as well as the loss of previous values led to an identity crisis, the need to seek answers to the questions “Who are we?”, “How are we different not only from the British, but also from other European peoples?
It can be argued that during the years of the “Celtic Tiger” there was an awareness of the need to preserve and disseminate Irish culture as an essential component of national identity. The understanding of the fact that it is the traditional culture that contains the fundamental values of the Irish people, untouched by modernization, that can save the country from national depersonalization, contributes to the growth of public attention to its cultural heritage. The desire to preserve and disseminate Irish culture can be seen at the government level. In addition to government programs to support and raise the profile of the Irish language, there has been an increase in the number of Irish cultural festivals in the country.
The growth of interest in Ireland
A positive aspect of the country’s economic transformation has been the fact that the growth of interest in Ireland by other nations has automatically spread to the field of culture. It can be argued that the initial wave of interest in Irish culture, especially in the fields of literature, drama, cinema, music, dance, has had a positive effect on the personal self-esteem of Irish artists as well as on the self-image of society as a whole, and has also helped to resolve the identity crisis by helping to answer the question “How are we different from the rest of Europe?
“Ireland is an island of poets and storytellers,” “Ulysses is the national emblem of Ireland,” “Riverdance is an Irish cultural extravaganza,” “St. Patrick’s Day is the calling card of Ireland,” “Irish and Celtic motifs are an international musical language. These slogans are an important component of the national brand of Ireland as well as the image of the Irish diaspora at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. They position Ireland as a country of rich cultural traditions, raising the national self-esteem and strengthening the sense of pride in one’s country. We can conclude that for Ireland in the 1990s the cultural component of the national identity came to the fore.
The Influence of Irish Emigration on Irish Culture
It cannot be claimed that Irish culture was completely isolated until the disappearance of the Green Curtain. Thanks to the constant emigration movement, it spread to countries with an Irish diaspora. Largely due to the large number of negative stereotypes about the Irish that created an alienating attitude toward them by members of other nations, Irish culture did not attract much interest outside Irish communities. Still, it was in a state of constant development and partial synthesis with other cultures, while at the same time being an important component of the identity of the Irish Diaspora.
Within the Irish communities abroad, the intensification in the dissemination of Irish culture was caused by the destruction of negative stereotypes, a change from a suspicious attitude towards the Irish to a friendly one, the acquisition of pride in their ancestral country, which at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries turned from a backward isolated state into a “prize country”, a “winning country”.
The strengthening of relations with the Irish diaspora during the years of Mary Robinson, the first president of the “Celtic Tiger” period, led to the realization that Irishness has no territorial limits and is pluralistic. Accordingly, this is also true of Irish culture. The historically conditioned diversity, openness and adaptability of Irish culture allowed it to find its place and develop in the mainstream of English-language mass culture, which is especially clear in the areas of music, dance, drama. Thus, the Irishization of popular culture would not have been possible without the active participation of the international Irish community. During the Celtic Tiger years, the diaspora helped to satisfy international interest in Irish culture outside Ireland itself.
The rise in popularity of Irish dancing
It is noteworthy that the first Riverdance number and the new name of Ireland’s period of economic growth, “Celtic Tiger”, were born in the same 1994. The question of how the seven-minute Riverdance number, performed out of competition at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Dublin, managed to attract so much attention is still of interest to many critics and researchers, most of whom agree that the Irish dancers were in the right place at the right time. “Eurovision” gave previously little-known Irish dance something it never had: a stage, a set, light, and most importantly, an audience. The emergence of Riverdance is a watershed moment in the history of Irish dance. The success of Riverdance at the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as the realization of the need to further focus international attention on Irish culture, an important element of which is the national dance, led to the decision to produce a two-hour show, called “Riverdance – The Show. Riverdance – The Show” has influenced Irish dance culture, revolutionizing the history of Irish national dance and reawakening popular interest in it. This dance show is a direct testament to the modernization of Irish culture, reflecting a change in national consciousness: “The directors of Riverdance took Irish dance, which seemed to be part of the faded world of Irish cultural nationalism, renewed it and, at the same time, returned it to its original form. They returned to dance the missing element of sexuality and sensuality that had been completely destroyed by a mixture of nationalist puritanism and Catholic piety.
The large number of diverse Irish dance shows created since their ancestor is a testament to the popularity of Irish dance. These include the show of the first Riverdance soloist Michael Flatley Lord of the Dance, as well as performances of Spirit of the Dance, Dancing on Dangerous Ground, Magic of the Dance, Gaelforce Dance, Rhythm of the Dance, Ragus, Dance Invasion, Dancing Thru the Ages, Celtic Feet, To Dance on the Moon, etc.
St. Patrick’s Day
The gradual spread of St. Patrick’s Day abroad began in the early 1990s. Already in the early 1990s the Irish were open to the dialogue of cultures, partially got rid of old national complexes and realized the importance of the cultural component of Irish identity. The declaration of March 1991 as Irish-American Heritage Month in the United States was extremely positive for Irish self-esteem. This event allowed the Irish to realize the great potential of their national holiday.
However, the further large-scale spread of St. Patrick’s Day became possible only after its complete transformation in Ireland itself. It can be argued that it was the growth of national consciousness that led to the further spread of the holiday, first in Ireland and then beyond its borders.
The transformation of a religious festival into a noisy secular celebration, which nevertheless begins with Irish attendance at Mass, reflected the national identity of modern Ireland, where the loss of Catholic values and the authority of the church is combined with personal spirituality and religiosity. The St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin was aimed at strengthening the motivation to participate in cultural events primarily by Irish citizens. The organization of large-scale celebrations had a positive effect on the patriotic feelings of Irish people, helped resolve the “identity crisis” and brought the generations closer together, involving both children and teenagers and senior citizens in the celebration. The holiday also served as an occasion to draw international attention to the country, to build and consolidate the positive image of Ireland, which combines modernity and tradition.
The appeal of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland and abroad is also due to the fact that people of different nationalities are encouraged to be not only observers, but also active participants in the festivities. They are given the opportunity to take part in parades, dance parties, street theater, and various contests. Thanks to this feature, St. Patrick’s Day acquires its specific features in different countries and adheres to different national cultural calendars. This leads to the mutual enrichment of cultures, to the establishment of friendly relations, and has a positive effect on the image of Ireland, positioning the Irish as a friendly, open, good-natured, active and merry people. The active work of the Irish overseas community in spreading St. Patrick’s Day abroad, supported by the Irish government, reflects the diversity of the modern Irish identity and emphasizes the impossibility of its territorial limitation. The participation of Irish government dignitaries in international celebrations gives the holiday a particularly important status, enhancing the interest of citizens of various countries in Ireland and its cultural traditions.