I found the book enlightening and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the north of Ireland, particularly if you fall under the umbrella of Northern Protestant. This is a fantastic piece of writing, part sociological study, I was totally immersed in the views and opinions of those the author interviewed. Her interviews engage voices from across the socioeconomic spectrum and they often speak with striking clarity. But as many Ulster Protestants will denounce this book as an indictment of their people,I found myself warming to many of the people in the book and found their perspective refreshing. Seamlessly weaves together personal stories and political events with deep emotional intelligence … Vital reading in all senses of the word.

At present, it would seem, unionists are fighting mainly with themselves, the DUP’s leadership debacle a symptom of a deeper existential crisis within unionism caused by a conjunction of forces, some predictable, some unforeseen, which have rendered Northern Ireland’s future as part of the United Kingdom increasingly uncertain. Based on over sixty in-depth interviews with a wide range of northern Protestants, Susan McKay presents an uncompromising and clear-eyed examination of her own people – the Protestants of Northern Ireland. If you want to get a true understanding of the northern protestant psyche then I recommend reading this book. People (mainly Protestants) experience explosive events where they believe life will never be the same.

We want normal politics,” says Kenny McFarland, who happens to be chair of the Londonderry Bands Forum. This book will go down in history as one of the best, expertly written authorities on this population and community. His plea is echoed in various degrees of plaintiveness throughout the book, suggesting a profound frustration, particularly among the young, with the combative politics of unionism versus nationalism. Poots’s reign as leader lasted just 21 days before he, too, was toppled in a rebellion within his own party. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves.

It follows the same format, of using extensive interviews to weave together an evocative impression of the tensions and hopes that lie below the surface of the still-dominant (at least in some respects) community in Northern Ireland.

It displays a very rare honesty in revelling the truths of modern protestant unionist loyalist identity. It also offers a wide range of views, from ordinary unionists from a variety of backgrounds on how they feel let down by the political representation they received over the years from the various unionist parties.

And yet so often the conversation with the interview subjects is mired in the endlessly self-referential debate about identity. There's constant, unsettling chatter about a poll for a united Ireland, for the first time in years.First published in 2000, ‘Northern Protestants – An Unsettled People’ was an instant success and is widely recognised as a ground-breaking book. Every year we publish a selection of books and pamphlets that address the key issues facing activists and trade unionists. Interviewees include: Eileen Weir, Dee Stitt, Dawn Purvis, Chrissie Quinn, Clare Sugden, Toni Ogle, Kyle Black, Sammy Wilson and others. With so many progressive people featured, why can't we create a fairer and more equitable society, with one education system, one health system and one progressive, forward thinking, properly green Ireland?