The Ghost Limb: Alternative Protestants and the Spirit of 1798 by Claire Mitchell

Description

In The Ghost Limb a group of northern Protestants retrace the steps of the United Irishmen, who worked for the unity of Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter over two hundred years ago. In a quest to reconnect with this lost heritage, they walk and talk their way through the landscapes of County Down and Antrim. They go to political meetings, take Irish language classes, visit graveyards, pubs, churches and protests. They commune with radical ghosts and personal ancestors. And they chalk messages on walls.

As they search for the spirit of 1798, they bring a new politics alive in the present. They begin to imagine a different future.

The book pulls together history, politics and personal stories, with a little magical thinking, to bring alternative Protestant identities back into the light.