The Oxford History of the British Empire, Volume I: The Origins of Empire

"Historians of Ireland have been very reluctant to engage with this wider dialogue of Ireland and the British Empire. That began to change in 1998 with the publication of The Oxford History of the British Empire , which was edited by Nicholas Canny. Nicholas Canny is best known for the work he has done on Ireland in the Atlantic world, but it’s always a story of Irish migration rather than a story of empire. This volume firmly locates Ireland as part of an imperial process. A number of essays focus specifically on Ireland in relationship to the English Empire, as it was in its early incarnation, and then, the British Empire from the late 18th century. It’s pioneering in that sense. One reason why historians of Ireland have been reluctant to engage is that the Troubles in Northern Ireland have complicated our ability to discuss colonialism. It became so politicised, particularly by right-wing nationalists associated with the IRA using a colonial narrative to justify what was going on. Remember, their targets were anyone associated with empire, starting with Mountbatten and moving on, so we need to separate that out. It’s only really from the late 1990s that historians of Ireland have engaged. For me, it’s not about propaganda and it’s not about polemics. It’s about looking at the process of empire. Canny’s book was a very important milestone in that discussion."