ISLANDNESS, NATIONS AND ‘PEERIE PLACES’: SHETLAND AND IRELAND AS ARCHIPELAGIC NEIGHBOURS

Abstract

 This article considers Shetland and Ireland with their different relationships to nationhood, in terms of ‘islandness’ and as archipelagic neighbours. The islands relate through shared labour networks and migratory routes: in the 20th century, coastal workers post-'herring boom' and Irish labourers during Shetland's 'oil boom' intersected. In 1981, amid Ireland's divided status and Shetland's rapid change, an IRA bombing attempt targeted the Sullom Voe oil terminal, symbolising a collision of historical events. 'Islandness' as discussed in this article, challenges the idea of nationality as natural or simple, and offers a new perspective on mobility and interrelationship between Britain and Ireland.