The Rising of the Moon puts the radical changes in current political dialogue in Ireland into the context of the whole of the 20th century. Exploring the dynamics of power and language, Ella O'Dwyer compares the literature of Beckett, Conrad and Chinua Achebe, amongst others, to accounts of real events in Ireland's political history. She also examines accounts of particular events in Irish history that include Rex Taylor's biography of Michael Collins, Gerry Adams's biography and even messages from hunger-striker Bobby Sands that were smuggled out of prison.

In a country where people have been subjected to incarceration and victimisation, and where the political discourse is characterised by slogans, repetition, agreement and treaty, the implications for the national language and identity are immense. Ella O'Dwyer shows how oppression has obstructed and fractured the nature of Irish national discourse, and that this fragmented voice is a feature of all postcolonial narrative.