Bryan Fanning's Migration and the making of Ireland is an important contribution to the field of Irish studies, and to this specific tradition of writing about Ireland and its self-narration, in that it foregrounds the ways in which the fabric of Irish society and culture have been shaped by migrants and by emigration. It is vast in scope, ranging from the invasions charted in the Leabhar Gabhála Éireann to the direct provision system operating in 2019. For scholars of the prehistoric and early medieval period in Ireland, the fact that this long and complex period is covered in twelve pages (pp 7–18) might initially seem surprising. However, Fanning uses these early summary chapters, which touch on language, religious identities and material culture as well as the movement of people, in order to construct a valuable base for the book as a whole. This base, which includes overview chapters on early modern plantations and on Irish seventeenth-century emigration through military and ecclesiastical routes, do not necessarily add new material to the established historiography of these periods, but positions existing scholarship within an overarching frame of migration, movement, and the flows of people to and from Ireland.
The specific episodes and periods highlighted, however, do add an important perspective in terms of a sense of relative Irish privilege abroad, the networks that Irish émigrés were able to draw on, and points to Irish complicity in imperial power networks. This is particularly evident in his treatment of the Irish in Barbados, and the chapter on the Palatines in Ireland also foregrounds links to continental Europe beyond the more familiar military and ecclesiastical Roman Catholic networks established from the seventeenth century.
Chapters on the Quakers and on emigration from Ireland by different groups to England, America and Australia bring the construction of stereotypes into focus, and their impact on both the movement of people, but also the subsequent historical analysis of their experience, as evidenced by the inclusion of quotations from contemporary social commentary on Irish emigrants. This is continued in a chapter on expatriate experience following the establishment of the Irish Free State up to the recent post-Celtic Tiger economy, and the perception of, and narratives about, Irish people living outside Ireland. Chapters on the Jewish community in Ireland reflect Fanning's deep knowledge of the relevant historiography and sources, and his account reflects the interconnection between the religious freedom of Jewish people in Ireland with that of other communities, as well as the deep and important familial networks between Jewish Ireland and elsewhere. Migration to Ireland from Africa is framed in the context of Irish missionary activity, a central part of Irish engagement with the world.
The records of racist violence in Ireland in the earlier chapters are continued here, with Fanning including individual cases and stories of exclusion and abuse in public space as well as in institutional settings. The establishment of reception centres and the poor standards of living that many African families have to contend with are covered in some detail, including the health repercussions suffered as a result. The 2004 citizenship referendum is also dealt with as a key and illustrative point in relation to Ireland's engagement with migration, despite the often positive rhetoric about diversity and integration. Again, Fanning traces the physical geographies of migration, in particular the churches and faith centres established by communities from Africa in Ireland, which form an important part of our contemporary devotional infrastructure.
Further immigrations from eastern Europe, the Philippines, China, Brazil, India and Poland are discussed in the context the employment opportunities available in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger period. As in his discussion of other groups, the performance of religious identity in public space, the development of cultural spaces and festivals, as well as the conditions of labour, are explored by Fanning. The integration of Polish as a Leaving Certificate subject in 2013, and the development of Polish weekend schools are also explored, and Fanning highlights migrant political participation in Ireland throughout his treatment of migration in the twenty-first century. The experiences of Muslims in Ireland are the subject of the penultimate chapter, reflecting the importance of specific professional networks, and, as elsewhere, the importance of the development of physical, political and symbolic infrastructure through spaces of commerce, socialisation and worship.
In the introduction, Fanning outlines his rationale for using the term ‘migrant’ as a way to describe the movement of people to and from Ireland in vastly different circumstances, from slavery to colonial expansion, in order to create a shared frame of reference, one which enables the reader to compare the treatment of different groups at different times. This is particularly valuable in the context of the decision to interweave the histories of Irish emigration and immigration to Ireland, facilitating often stark contrasts in terms of treatment and opportunities. Given that Migration and the making of Ireland covers such a vast period of time, and traces the lives of millions of people, there is an emphasis on broad narratives, quantitative information and statistics in order to communicate key points quickly in the early chapters, with greater detail available to readers through the sources listed in the endnotes.
However, there is a far greater emphasis on tracing individual lives and experiences in the second half of the book, reflecting the more contemporary history, and the greater levels of testimony available. In this way, the book can be considered as a source guide as well as an overarching narrative of migration in an Irish context. It is an immensely valuable book, and will be of use to students and researchers, and of interest to general readers who will find a map to further discovery in its bibliography.
