ABSTRACT

Irish-Jewish literature provides an interesting case in point for examining issues of postcolonialism.1 Before the foundation of the State of Israel and the creation of an Irish Republic, Irish Jews were doubly affected by colonialism: both Palestine, the Jewish homeland, and Ireland, their place of residence, were under British rule. Zionism and the Irish nationalist movement were eventually successful in creating independent Jewish and Irish states. Yet certain legacies from the colonial period remain: modern Israel and modern Ireland even with its devolved government are threatened by the Middle East conflict and the Northern Ireland conflict, respectively.