Keeping it real

This timely collection of essays considers the nature and direction of Irish film and television, and also explores the contributions of other media including radio and the internet to contemporary Irish culture. It includes topics such as the first Irish-language soap opera, the new Irish gangsters, Irish identity post-11 September, images of Belfast in recent Irish film, female punishment in Irish history and culture, and print and radio coverage of the 'Roy Keane affair' as a proving ground for new Irish masculinity. Keeping it Real: Irish Film and Television reflects a desire to hear new voices on new topics, as well as a current popular and academic desire to extend the notion of Irishness to include not just the inhabitants of the State but also the wider diaspora - particularly of Great Britain and North America, questioning issues of national identity and ethnicity - and is therefore required reading for those interested in Irish film, media and cultural studies.