§03§ §16§Once a country of emigration and diaspora, in the 1990s Ireland began to attract immigration from other parts of the world: a new citizenry. By the first decade of the twenty-first century, the ratio between GDP and population placed Ireland among the wealthiest nations in the world. The Peace Agreements of the mid-1990s and the advent of power-sharing in Northern Ireland have enabled Ireland's story to change still further. No longer locked into troubles from the past, the Celtic Tiger can now leap in new directions. These shifts in culture have given Irish literature the opportunity to look afresh at its own past and, thereby, new perspectives have also opened for Irish Studies. The contributors to this volume explore these new openings; the essays examine writings from both now and the past in the new frames afforded by new times. §02§The Editors: Paddy Lyons is convenor for Irish literature at the University of Glasgow; he also holds a personal professorship at the University of Warsaw. He has published extensively on the literature of the Restoration, as well as in Irish Studies. Alison O'Malley-Younger is Senior Lecturer in English and Drama at the University of Sunderland. She is founder of the annual Irish Studies conferences at the University of Sunderland and Director of the North East Irish Culture Network. She has published widely on Irish theatre. §02§The Editors: Paddy Lyons is convenor for Irish literature at the University of Glasgow; he also holds a personal professorship at the University of Warsaw. He has published extensively on the literature of the Restoration, as well as in Irish Studies.§ Alison O'Malley-Younger is Senior Lecturer in English and Drama at the University of Sunderland. She is founder of the annual Irish Studies conferences at the University of Sunderland and Director of the North East Irish Culture Network. She has published widely on Irish theatre.
