Ireland offers a concise synthesis of globalization's dramatic impact on Ireland. In the past fifteen years, Ireland has transformed from a sleepy and depressed European backwater to the emerald tiger, a country with a booming economy based on knowledge and high tech industries. Not long ago it was one of the poorest and most traditional countries in Europe, yet now it is one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan. Using a number of case studies of Ireland's transition, Tom Inglis explains what this means for traditional Irish culture and society and offers an incisive social portrait of globalizing Ireland. Books in Globalzing Regions series look at how nations and regions across the world are navigating the tumultuous currents of globalization. Concise, descriptive, interdisciplinary, and theoretically informed, they serve as ideal introductions to the peoples and places of our increasingly globalized world.

Some 35 years ago I was somewhat precariously balanced in a drilling derrick aligning a whipstock into a directional hole in North Holland by the Stokenbury method, and no doubt thinking to myself that I was at the very forefront of technology. During the intervening period it has become obvious to many of us that some of the most significant technical advances in the oil business have been made in drilling, and particularly in the fields of offshore and directional drilling. It has also become apparent that the quality of the technical literature describing these advances has not kept pace with that of the advances themselves in many instances. A particular glaring example of this has been in the field of directional drilling where a large literature gap has existed for many years. I am delighted to see this gap now filled with the present volume by my friend Tom Inglis. Indeed it is only after reading his comprehensive book that I realise the extent of my own ignorance of the latest techniques of directional drilling and how desirable it was to have an authoritative text on the subject. I feel sure that this volume will be welcomed by the industry and warmly recommend it to all who are in any way involved and interested in the fascinating world of drilling.

Love is a dominant theme in Western popular culture. It has become central to the meaning of everyday life, propagated through the media and the market. Being in love has become idealised. With the demise of institutional religion in the West, romantic love has become the dominant form of inner-worldly salvation. In Foucault's terms, it has become a key component in the 'arts of existence' and the care of self. In this highly accessible introduction to love of all kinds, Tom Inglis gives a clear, concise picture of how love shapes, and is shaped by, society. How is romantic love linked to capitalism? What is the difference between romantic love and loving? How is love connected to separation, loss and grief? Inglis addresses all these questions, and looks at how today's changing circumstances - globalisation, mobile lives and a new rugged individualism - have changed our perceptions of love and relationships. Love is an engaging, thoughtful introduction to the subject for students, academics and general readers alike.

This book examines the extent and nature of Irish social and cultural difference. It is a collection of twenty-three short essays written in a clear and accessible manner by human scientists who are international experts in their area. The topics covered include the nature of Irish nationalism and capitalism, the Irish political elite, the differences and similarities of the Irish family, the upsurge in immigration, Northern Ireland, the Irish diaspora, the Irish language, sport, music and many other topics. The book will be bought by those who have an academic and personal interest in Irish Studies. It will be attractive to those who are not familiar with the theories and methods of the human sciences and how they can shine a light on the transformations that have taken place in Ireland. Tom Inglis, the editor of the collection, is a sociologist who has written extensively on Irish culture and society. -- .

Global Ireland offers a concise synthesis of globalization's dramatic impact on Ireland. In the past fifteen years, Ireland has transformed from a sleepy and depressed European backwater to the 'emerald tiger', a country with a booming economy based on knowledge and high-tech industries. Not long ago it was one of the poorest and most traditional countries in Europe, yet now it is one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan. Using a number of case studies of Ireland's transition, Tom Inglis explains what this means for traditional Irish culture and society, and offers an incisive social portrait of globalizing Ireland.
Concise, descriptive, interdisciplinary and theoretically informed, this volume is an ideal introduction to Ireland.

Love is a dominant theme in Western popular culture. It has become central to the meaning of everyday life, propagated through the media and the market. Being in love has become idealised. With the demise of institutional religion in the West, romantic love has become the dominant form of inner-worldly salvation. In Foucault's terms, it has become a key component in the 'arts of existence' and the care of self. In this highly accessible introduction to love of all kinds, Tom Inglis gives a clear, concise picture of how love shapes, and is shaped by, society. How is romantic love linked to capitalism? What is the difference between romantic love and loving? How is love connected to separation, loss and grief? Inglis addresses all these questions, and looks at how today's changing circumstances - globalisation, mobile lives and a new rugged individualism - have changed our perceptions of love and relationships. Love is an engaging, thoughtful introduction to the subject for students, academics and general readers alike.

Some 35 years ago I was somewhat precariously balanced in a drilling derrick aligning a whipstock into a directional hole in North Holland by the Stokenbury method, and no doubt thinking to myself that I was at the very forefront of technology. During the intervening period it has become obvious to many of us that some of the most significant technical advances in the oil business have been made in drilling, and particularly in the fields of offshore and directional drilling. It has also become apparent that the quality of the technical literature describing these advances has not kept pace with that of the advances themselves in many instances. A particular glaring example of this has been in the field of directional drilling where a large literature gap has existed for many years. I am delighted to see this gap now filled with the present volume by my friend Tom Inglis. Indeed it is only after reading his comprehensive book that I realise the extent of my own ignorance of the latest techniques of directional drilling and how desirable it was to have an authoritative text on the subject. I feel sure that this volume will be welcomed by the industry and warmly recommend it to all who are in any way involved and interested in the fascinating world of drilling.

This is a completely revised and updated edition of Inglis's classic and controversial book of 1987. He provides a clear and cogent explanation of how the Church came to hold such a powerful position in Irish society. The decline in its control of what is said and done has been central to the decline in the Church's monopoly on morality, as the author demonstrates in a new chapter.

This book examines the extent and nature of Irish social and cultural difference. It is a collection of twenty-three short essays written in a clear and accessible manner by human scientists who are international experts in their area. The essays cover topics covered include the nature of Irish nationalism and capitalism, the Irish political elite, the differences and similarities of the Irish family, the upsurge in immigration, Northern Ireland, the Irish diaspora, the Irish language, sport, music and many other topics. The book will be bought by those who have an academic and personal interest in Irish Studies. It will be attractive to those who are not familiar with the theories and methods of the human sciences and how they can shine a light on the transformations that have taken place in Ireland. Tom Inglis, the editor of the collection, is a sociologist who has written extensively on Irish culture and society. -- .

The myth that sex does not exist in Ireland has been shattered. Sex is no longer hidden behind close doors. The Catholic Church's monopoly over sexual morality has been broken. Sex has become part of everyday social life. It is written and talked about and regularly displayed in film and television.

A new programme of Relationships and Sexuality Education has been introduced into Irish schools. The aim is to help young people learn about themselves, their relationships and what it is to be sexual. The programme has become a controversial issue. Is it an unnecessary intrusion into the private life of the family, or is it too little too late? Lessons in Irish Sexuality provides a clear, easily read, analysis of the issues involved in teaching young people about sexuality. It describes the deep divisions that exist in the way Irish people see, understand and relate to sex. At the heart of the problem is an older generation trying to teach a younger generation about issues and problems which they, as adults, are only coming to terms with themselves.

In 1984 the bodies of two infants were discovered in County Kerry. The police were convinced the mother and murderer was Joanne Hayes, a young, unmarried woman who had become pregnant from an affair she had with a married man. The Hayes family and the girl were set upon by the police, two Tribunals of Inquiry, the Catholic Church, and public opinion. Sensational country-wide media coverage galvanized an angrier public response. Did Joanne have twins? Did she kill them, and was her family involved? Did the police force their confessions? The police were exonerated and the family blamed. One of Ireland's leading sociologists provides a fascinating analysis of moder Irish society through the case, and especially the place of the Catholic Church and abortion rights. Tom Inglisn explains that it is important to retell the story because justice might not have been done. But he goes further to explain how the case is an improtant part of understanding how the second half of twentieth century Ireland saw a transition form a traditional, rural, conservative, and Catholic society to the modern, urban, liberal, and secular one that is emerging today. In particular, it represents a watershed for the position of women in Irish society, many of whom were motivated to protest for the first time.

The finding of two dead babies within the space of a fortnight in County Kerry in 1984 is an extraordinary story that rocked Catholic Ireland. The Kerry Babies Case is still unresolved, with many unanswered questions. Did Joanne Hayes have twins? Did the Gardai - the Irish police - intimidate her family into confessing their involvement in the murder of one of the babies? The Tribunal which examined the case largely exonerated the Gardai and blamed the family, yet as a result of the case the Murder Squad was disbanded and a Garda Complaints Board established. Tom Inglis, in his detailed analysis of the case, explains that it is obviously important to retell the story because justice might not have been done. But he goes further to explain how the case is an important part of understanding how the second half of 20th-century Ireland saw a transition from a traditional, rural, conservative and Catholic society to the modern, urban, liberal and secular one which is emerging today. In particular, the case represents a watershed for the position of women in Irish society: many were motivated to protest for the first time.

In nine essays, European academics examine how politics and democracy are affecting religion today. Some of the topics they examine include: change in European religions; the Catholic Church and democracy in modern Europe; religion and media domination in Ireland; Protestants in an Irish Catholic state; the fall and rise of the Greek Catholic religion in Poland; Catholics in Poland; the Church of England in the Thatcher period; and the state of religion in modern Britain.

'A little gem of a book' Brendan O'Connor Tom Inglis and his Wheaten terrier Pepe have lived together for eighteen years: countless days of walks and play and the odd bit of chaos. Now, though, they are both getting old. To Love a Dog tells the story of Tom's life with Pepe, and looks at the ancient connection between humans and dogs. It explores why we take on the hassle of caring for these pet animals who rely on us so completely, who can create mess and upset in our lives, and who will probably die before us, leaving us behind to grieve. This is a book for everyone who has ever loved a dog.

In nine essays, European academics examine how politics and democracy are affecting religion today. Some of the topics they examine include: change in European religions; the Catholic Church and democracy in modern Europe; religion and media domination in Ireland; Protestants in an Irish Catholic state; the fall and rise of the Greek Catholic religion in Poland; Catholics in Poland; the Church of England in the Thatcher period; and the state of religion in modern Britain.