Conor Heffernan's The History of Physical Culture in Ireland explores the rise of physical culture in the Emerald Isle in the late nineteenth century and traces its uniquely nuanced and, at times, fractured development over the following four decades, as the small island nation transitioned from a single state to one partitioned. In doing so, the author unpacks how the wider global phenomenon of physical culture manifested itself in the Irish context by looking at how physical culture reflected and influenced Irish social, cultural, and political realities and through examining the intersection between local and global physical culture practices in the areas of military, policing, education, and recreation.
Drawing on extensive local and international sources, including monographs, articles, book chapters, print media, radio, and film, Heffernan presents eight chapters giving respective and sequenced attention to the rise of physical culture in military, educational, and recreational settings. Beginning with a broad...
