Family rhythms is the first textbook of its kind to offer a comprehensive introduction to family studies through an explicit focus on the Irish experience. It draws on original in-depth interviews with more than two hundred Irish people of different ages to illustrate contemporary theoretical ideas and empirical scholarship on family life. Ireland provides an interesting case study given the speed at which Irish family patterns have converged with those of other European and North American countries while maintaining many distinctive characteristics. The book situates Irish families in...