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This book presents extensive research into the cinematic representation of the British-identifying Protestant, unionist and loyalist community in Northern Ireland and is the first time such comprehensive analysis has been produced. Gallagher's research traces the history of the community's representation in cinema from the emergence of depictions of both nationalist and unionist communities in social-realist dramas in 1980s British and Irish cinema to today, through periods such as those focused on violent paramilitaries in the 1990s and irreverent comedy after the Northern Ireland peace process. The book addresses the perception that the Irish nationalist community has been depicted more frequently and favourably than unionism in films about the period of conflict known as "The Troubles". Often argued to be the result of an Irish nationalist bias within Hollywood, Gallagher argues that there are other inherent and systemic reasons for this cinematic deficit.
List of contents
Chapter 1: An Emergence of Unionist Representation in British Cinema.- Chapter 2: The Rural and the Repressed: Unionists in December Bride and This is the Sea.- Chapter 3: Paramilitaries Begin to Dominate Representations of Unionists.- Chapter 4: The 'Troubles Comedy' and Unionism.- Chapter 5: Unionist Screws: Prison Officers in H3, Silent Grace, and Hunger.- Chapter 6: The Kids Are Alright: Adolescent Unionism.- Chapter 7: The End of 'Troubles Cinema'?- Chapter 8: Conclusion.
About the author
Richard Gallagher is from Donegal, Ireland, and was awarded a PhD from Queen's University Belfast in 2021. He has published an article in
Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media titled "The Troubles Crime Thriller and the Future of Films about Northern Ireland". A forthcoming article titled "Unionist Screws: Analysing a Primary Approach to Depicting Northern Irish Unionists in British and Irish Cinema" will be published in the
Journal of British Cinema and Television.
