We Don't Know Ourselves cover art

We Don't Know Ourselves

A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

We Don't Know Ourselves

By: Fintan O'Toole
Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £22.72

Buy Now for £22.72

LIMITED TIME OFFER

£0.99/mo for 3 months - terms apply. Offer ends 24 August 2026.
Fintan O'Toole Ireland's leading public intellectual and author of Heroic Failure tells a history of Ireland in his own time a brilliant interweaving of memoir and historical narrative.

Fintan O'Toole was born in 1958, and so his life covers Ireland's journey out of underdevelopment and domination by the Church and the country's transformation into the relatively prosperous and tolerant society that it is today. But along the way there was a sectarian civil war in the North, which cast a dark shadow over the whole island, and bitter struggles for intellectual, civil and sexual freedoms. The Church fought a long rearguard action to defend its entrenched positions in education, healthcare and childcare. The truth about child abuse and institutional cruelty emerged only slowly, and women still had to die to make possible the liberalisation of Irish laws on contraception and divorce.

This is a very personal history by a writer who is considered by many to be the country's leading public intellectual. He was a participant in many of the controversies and and arguments of the past 35 years, and knew the leading literary, musical and political figures of those decades.

2021 Head of Zeus©2021 Fintan O'Toole (P)2021 Head of Zeus Europe Inspiring Thought-Provoking War Law Socialism
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
I am an admirer of Fintan o Toole, and was looking forward to this book. It exceeded my expectations. I thought I knew a bit about Ireland but it turns out that I really did not know as much as I thought. I knew a little about the corruption, but the scale and enormity was shocking, the monstrous behaviour of the Catholic Church in Ireland utterly horrific. And as usual, the story is told clearly and forensically and the analysis is acute.

Enlightening and fascinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
one of the best books I've ever read. A history of modern Ireland, very relatable, well researched. I have recommended this book to all of my friends, quoted from it.....love it and an going to read it again.Thank you Fintan OToole

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great book, excellent performance. Brilliant insight. Get it now, you will not regret it.

It's Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Razor sharp account of the emergence of modern Ireland, humane, amusing and deeply literate...and above all, compelling and highly enjoyable.

Outstanding work

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It’s a difficult story to tell because of the culture of doublethink and denial that allowed the Catholic Church and politicians to deflect and confuse. It’s a brilliant piece of writing that illuminates a big picture with local detail and precise observations. Passionate, and at times disturbing truth telling.

Writing of passion and subtlety

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews