Description:Gerry Smyth reconstitutes the category of "space" as a crucial element within contemporary cultural, literary, and historical studies in Ireland. This book is based on the dual premise of an explosion of interest in the category of space in modern cultural criticism and social enquiry, and the consolidation of Irish studies as a significant field of inquiry across a number of institutional and intellectual contexts. Besides a methodological-theoretical introduction and two case studies, the book includes an auto-critical dimension which extends its interest into the fields of local history and life-writing.