Ireland is evolving and the Irish Sociological Chronicles seek to capture that change by placing contemporary happenings, evens and processes in an engaging sociological context. Ireland Unbound - A Turn of the Century Chronicle is the third volume in this series and considers 1999 and 2000. The significance of these two years relates to the coming of the new millennium, but also to the fact that they represented a peak in Irish economic growth and an apex in its newly found confidence.
Many of the changes Ireland is experiencing relate to the boundaries according to which it is constructed and organized. Ireland Unbound - A Turn of the Century Chronicle reflects on how these boundaries are being crossed, dismantled and redefined. Some dissolve easily. Some resist change. Some are replaced by an uneasy interface. All point to deeper forces and processes that are fundamentally altering the structure and dynamic of Irish society. Topics considered include organic food, attitudes towards pleasure and self-indulgence, urban policy, suicide, Irish celebrity, sexuality, multimedia, childbirth, sport, tax evasion, the commodification of culture and offshore fishing.