What does it mean to be Irish? In his search for the answer to this question and, with it, the key to the Irish psyche, Sean Moncrieff roams far and wide - from the pub to the dole queue, the laboratory to the pulpit. Whether calling upon cutting-edge genetic research to question our parochialism or the twin disciplines of group psychology and sociology to account for our deep-rooted suspicion of outsiders, The Irish Paradox is an invigorating demystification of the flattering myths, prejudices and logical blindspots that bind us together. Packed with offbeat personal anecdotes and intriguing detours into the murkier recesses of Irish history, science and politics, The Irish Paradox offers a roadmap to those struggling to make sense of a country defined as much by its contradictions as its sense of community. Broken into five chapters, each corresponding to a separate aspect of the nation's personality, this an utterly unique and provocative take on a country in bad faith, at once in denial about its past and uncertain of its future.-- |