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Crown and Shamrock - Love and Hate between Ireland and the British Monarchy

"Popular Irish interest in the British royal family is huge, but is accompanied by political hostility to the Crown as a symbol of Irish oppression."
Olivia O'Leary and Helen Burke, Mary Robinson - the Authorised Biography

Ever since Irish independence in 1923, interest in royalty has been officially discouraged in the Irish state, and yet, many ordinary Irish people remained fascinated by the Crown, secretly collected memorabilia about coronations and other royal events and often saw no contradiction in having a picture of Michael Collins next to one of the Prince of Wales in their kitchen or parlour. The Irish state still remains aloof from British royalty – the Republic of Ireland is one of the few countries which Queen Elizabeth has never been invited to visit: the last visit by a British monarch to Dublin was George V in 1911.

In her most recent book, Mary Kenny – drawing on research at the Royal Archives in Windsor as well the Irish archives, and personal reminisce by a number of people – examines the complex and contradictory relationship between Ireland and the Crown. Ireland often had the effect of bringing out the essential personality of the English monarchs: Victoria’s reaction was typically volatile – now she loved the Irish, now she detested them: Edward VII, tolerant in religion and lover of the turf, was probably the most popular of all monarchs in Ireland: George V was anguished over Ulster, but painstakingly tried to be fair about Home Rule: and Edward VIII, because of a quirkey constitutional anomaly at the time of the Abdication, was said to have remained legally King of Ireland until his death in 1972 (and Wallis, technically, Queen).

Mary Kenny has found a fresh niche in Anglo-Irish history, that is, through the relationship, political, popular – and personal – which involved the monarchy. It is a story full of narrative, the human touch, and sometimes humour. Crown and Shamrock is published by New Island Books in Dublin on 27 August 2009.

Mary has lectured widely on subjects associated with Irish history and culture, and would be happy to give a talk on the themes and narratives in Crown and Shamrock.

For a review copy of Crown & Shamrock, please contact Gráinne Killeen
at Killeen Communications in Dublin.
Email: grainne@killeencommunications.com

Mary Kenny is an author, journalist and broadcaster. She has a special interest in the relationship between England and Ireland, which she explored in her biography of William Joyce, Lord Haw-Haw, Germany Calling, and more specifically in her play Allegiance, which explored the quixotic relationship between Winston Churchill and Michael Collins: it was premiered at Edinburgh in 2006, starring Mel Smith as Winston Churchill and Michael Fassbender as Michael Collins, and directed by Brian Gilbert - it had worldwide headlines when Mel Smith threatened to smoke the Churchillian.

MK's new book is a study of the relations between Ireland and the British monarchy – “Crown and Shamrock: Love and Hate between Ireland and the British Monarchy” – published at the end of August 2009.