What is it about?
This article analyses the representation of the relational ethics of alterity in Kevin Curran’s novel Youth (2023) to show how recent Irish fiction addresses the plight of the young Black Irish in contemporary Ireland. The analysis examines Curran’s representation of the young Irish “Other” with two second-generation immigrant teenagers, Angel and Princess, black and born in Ireland of immigrant parents and desperate to belong to society. The analysis shows that Curran’s representation of these youngsters situates ethics within the discourse of relationships within the community characterised by interdependency, support, and acceptance and recognises the alterity of the Black Irish as a factor which characterises their experiences.
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Why is it important?
Kevin Curran's work highlights current social and identitarian issues of second-generation migrants in Ireland, particularly the Black Irish.
Perspectives
I found Curran's work inspiring because it shows how Irish society is in constant change and how this is represented in fiction. His approach to education and transculturality is illuminating.
ASIER ALTUNA GARCIA DE SALAZAR
Universidad de Deusto
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This page is a summary of: The relational ethics of alterity in contemporary Ireland: Kevin Curran’s
Youth, Irish Studies Review, January 2026, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/09670882.2026.2639293.
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