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Previous research on healing in Ireland has primarily been the concern of folklorists. Based on interviews with a variety of healers, this thesis broadens our understanding of healing in Ireland by considering the socio-political context within which healing beliefs and practices occur. Theory from the anthropology of the body and the critical interpretive approach within medical anthropology provide means for exploring how the body is used as a symbol to express anxiety about social change in Ireland and how individual bodies are socialized and regulated within an economy of power. Prevailing views of the correct "Irish body" are shown to be important elements of Irish identity, especially vis-a-vis the outside world. By drawing attention to the significance of key themes of healing within contemporary Irish society, this thesis suggests that "Irishness" is inscribed in the body in healing.