Hiraeth: The Celtic Moment in 1980s Alternative Rock

Abstract

This chapter examines a moment in which the bands U2, Big Country, and the Alarm, from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, respectively, expressed various forms of nationalistic resistance to the neoliberal order central to the socio-economic agenda of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Different in scope, these nationalisms reflect the fundamental critique found in 1980s Britain and Ireland. As such, this chapter seeks to recontextualize the music of these artists within the Celtic world, highlighting in particular the complex and nuanced expressions of cultural nationalism found in the music of these artists.