Ancestral Resonance: The Irish Other and the Irish Otherworld

Abstract

Globally, seventy million people identify as Irish. This dissertation examines the global phenomenon of Irish identity in the Irish and Irish diaspora. The theoretical research applies an interdisciplinary approach including, mythological studies, depth psychology, phenomenology, somatic studies, geography, thanatology, history, and sociocultural structures to explore give voice to the experience of Irish identity. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, in the breadth and depth of its scope, provides unique insight into the influence of Irish ancestors on their currently living descendants and those of future generations.

Irish geography, physical and psychological, is discussed as the landscape for Irish identity. Six key historical themes that have been repeated throughout Irish history are also engaged to enrich the historical dimension to the topographical foundation of Irish identity. Using depth psychologist C. G. Jung’s theories, the research probes into the conscious and unconscious psychological dynamics underlying personal and cultural identity. Additionally, examining the ways the ancestors communicate with the living illuminates further deeply ingrained sociocultural and mythological structures both integral and formative to Irish identity. Further exploration into the importance of the body and the senses expands our understanding of how unconscious ancestral material is activated and processed.

Through Ireland’s tumultuous and often traumatic history, the Irish sense of identity has not diminished, which clearly indicates the tenacity of the Irish people and culture. However, the research suggests that a repeated collective trauma has given rise to an Irish cultural complex. The research identifies and describes the implicit and explicit intergenerational effects on those living in Ireland now as well as the Irish diaspora. Trauma begets silence and shame, both central characteristics of the Irish. Using cultural complex theory, this research suggests that many facets of Irish history lie buried in the unconscious waiting to be remembered, witnessed and healed.