Wedded to the land? Representations of rural ageing masculinities in Irish culture and society

This article explores the interactions between social constructions and cultural representations of rural ageing masculinities in Ireland. Constructions of Irish masculinities have historically been linked to rural, farming identities emphasising physicality, self-reliance, patrilineal inheritance and traditional (Catholic) family values. Central to such constructions in many classic works of Irish literature, drama and film has been the powerful role of the father and the imperative of the land. While there is a burgeoning literature on masculinities in Irish literary, cultural and sociological studies, there are however few studies on the intersection of age and masculinities, or across disciplines. This article seeks to address this critical gap in relation to rural masculinities through close readings of significant texts from Irish literature and film, as well as through focus group discussions of men aged 65+ living in Ireland about their views on such images. Taking an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach, it thus offers an overview of cultural constructions of ageing rural masculinities and explores how such representations inform models of ageing in contemporary Ireland.