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101 Things You Didn't Know About Irish History: The People, Places, Culture, and Tradition of the Emerald Isle
Discover the truth behind the myths of the Emerald IsleForget about shamrocks, leprechans, and all that blarney; 101 Things You Didn't Know about Irish History dispels the myths and tells the true story of the Irish.Inside, you'll learn of the ancient Celts before the British invasionsFamous Irish including Michael Collins, Charles Parnell-and Bono!The potato famine and emigration (were there really gangs of New York?)Irish music and danceComplete with an Irish language primer and pronunciation guide, 101 Things You Didn't Know about Irish History is an informative reference for anyone who loves the Irish.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
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401 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
August 23, 2010
A nice little tome that allows you to dip your toes into Irish history without drowning in the sheer amount of literature that abounds. Of course, this shouldn't be your final stop.
September 28, 2011
It was a fine book but not what I was expecting. The title led me to believe that it was going to be more along the lines of intriguing tidbits. Instead it was a sort of survey course in Irish History with each little section being one of the 101 things. It's a fine basic reader, written on about a 6-8th grade level.
I'm giving it 3 stars here, because I'm rounding up. In reality I'd say it's about a 2.5 star book. The .5 star penalty was because the authors were remarkably inconsistent with providing phonetic pronunciation for Gaelic words. For any book introducing folks to Celtic histories of any type, a pronunciation guide is fundamental. In this text the authors would very occasionally offer a parenthetical phonetic guide for a word here and there but left several main terms completely alone. Bad form.
I'm giving it 3 stars here, because I'm rounding up. In reality I'd say it's about a 2.5 star book. The .5 star penalty was because the authors were remarkably inconsistent with providing phonetic pronunciation for Gaelic words. For any book introducing folks to Celtic histories of any type, a pronunciation guide is fundamental. In this text the authors would very occasionally offer a parenthetical phonetic guide for a word here and there but left several main terms completely alone. Bad form.
April 2, 2023
A primer on Irish history. I liked the concise telling of about 500 years of war starting on page 81 with "The Protestant Reformation". Rather brutal to read about the wars between Catholics and protestants (all in the name of a loving God). Then famine and emigration. Not enough here on music and festivals that all have historical significance too. Very simple appendix and short index.
Material got repeated - for example in talking about family life, the history of The Troubles was reviewed again. I understand putting it again here, but I was reading this book more as a BOOK, and not as something you'd just skim one of the 101 sections. You really can't just grab one of the 101 sections anyway, since the pieces before and after it tend to put the whole story together and are quite necessary.
3.5, but it did keep me reading.
Material got repeated - for example in talking about family life, the history of The Troubles was reviewed again. I understand putting it again here, but I was reading this book more as a BOOK, and not as something you'd just skim one of the 101 sections. You really can't just grab one of the 101 sections anyway, since the pieces before and after it tend to put the whole story together and are quite necessary.
3.5, but it did keep me reading.
March 29, 2011
A very simple introduction to Irish history. It's broken down into very short entries but progresses chronologically. While it was informative, the writing style was often amateurish (example: "A man named Bres got to be king instead.") and sometimes difficult to follow. I think the author was going for a style that was easy for the modern mass population to read but it just comes off as being poorly written at times. I grabbed it as a Kindle freebie but it's normally $7.96 (Kindle)/$9.95 (paperback) and I'm not sure it's worth that much.
March 18, 2011
I ended up, by chance, reading this on St Patrick's day, which was a nice coincidence. The book was a good overview of Irish history, although I did know a lot of it already (I think spending a couple of weeks in Ireland helped with that), although it was nice to refresh my memory and also helped recall some of my Irish experiences.
Saying that, this book is just a stepping stone to getting more knowledge on Irish history.
Saying that, this book is just a stepping stone to getting more knowledge on Irish history.
May 29, 2011
This book was an enjoyable read. The language is simple and laid back, and the history given isn't too in-depth. The author gives you just enough to remain interested, and in a straightforward way that makes it easy to follow and understand. What I like about this book is that gives an overview that lets you decide what you are interested in for more in-depth study in other books.
June 18, 2013
Little snippets detailing various historical pieces of Irish culture and history dating from pre-history to late 1980s. Some of them I did know and many of which I knew part of but not all of. Still, nice and concise little chunks of history, seemed to be well researched, and presented in an easy to read format.
July 17, 2011
I've been reading this one for awhile, nibbling a few pages at a time. Reading yes, have this on my Kindle. The 101 things are listed in chronological order from pre-history all the way to modern times. Ends with some good Irish sayings, here's one for my Cubbie friends - "Put silk on a goat and it is still a goat."
February 20, 2015
I travelled to Ireland for Christmas and New Year's and found this book gave me a well-rounded history without feeling like I was in class. It was an enjoyable read and yet a full, well-rounded history.
December 28, 2016
The title should really be "101 short chapters on Irish History". I skimmed the majority of this after discovering it was mostly a history of Ireland, a subject I'm already very familiar with. A dry presentation did not lend to this being an enjoyable read.
June 20, 2010
This was an awesome book for me to read before my trip. I have little to no knowledge of Ireland's past and now I feel much better prepared. Thanks Sue! :)
August 11, 2011
I like my history short and sweet - this book did it for me and I enjoyed it.
January 18, 2013
I think this was a good first look at the history of Ireland. Well written and interesting.
Read
May 25, 2016All studied up and ready for my trip!!
March 18, 2025
Nice, quick read with many decent history lessons of Irish history in chronological order. While I’ve read a few books on Irish history and have been over to Ireland a couple of times, this is not a good of new learning for anyone except those who are reading their first book on Ireland. Yes, I finished this book on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s good to be a non-drinking Irishman.
It was nice that they ended on a positive note with meaningful peace and a process that allows more justice for those Catholics in Northern Ireland. Yet, the book has far more details in the earlier portion of the book than the latter chapters of the book. It ends with some notable contributions by women in leadership positions during the past few decades; that was impressive but did not seem to fit in with the book.
Like other books, the authors spoke about how history was not written at the time but was told through stories then written later. The authors did an inadequate job outlining the various historical books, especially the Book of Kells. They did mention a few interesting facts, some I knew, some I didn’t including:
• The Vikings founded Dublin in around 840. The city comes from the words “Dubh Linn,” meaning “Black Pool.”
• England’s control of the land of Ireland continued to increase and decrease with many other victors along the way. But the early 1500’s, the area under English control was only the area of Dublin and territory around the city.
• Phoenix Park is more than twice the size of NYC’s Central Park. It opened in 1747.
• As other books on Ireland reported, Irish freedom fighters were repeatedly moved by what was happening in other countries, including the American Declaration of Independence, the French Revolution, and, later, the civil rights movement in our country.
• Once again, the Quakers popped up in an astounding way – they opened soup kitchens to feed those dying during those starving during the potato famine in the 1840’s.
• The authors claimed potatoes are extremely nutritious, a surprise from a guy who grew up with potatoes with every meal. The authors claimed that is why poor people in Ireland are healthier than people in other poor countries who live on rice or wheat.
• Again, this book highlighted how much the famine forever changed Ireland. The population was cut from 8.2 million people in 1841 to 6 million in 1851. A million died and others left the island. Between the famine and 1870, another three million people emigrated to America and England along with some other countries. It took until the 1966 census that population increased since the great potato famine.
It was interesting to read about the Celtic five level class system. It is also always so amazing to think that while Catholicism is at the core of Irish DNA, it was not Catholic or even Christian the early 400’s. While Irish history can be confusing, the authors did not make this brief book clearer. A timeline could have been helpful, or overall themes would have been helpful. The changing involvement of the Catholic Church, attacks on priests and other leaders of the church, and attempts to move the Irish population to other faith’s is always amazing to read. Anyone visiting Ireland and listening to even young Irish folks who do not attend church, know that the Catholic faith is still in their DNA.
This book was mislabeled and not the best written but was worth a quick read.
It was nice that they ended on a positive note with meaningful peace and a process that allows more justice for those Catholics in Northern Ireland. Yet, the book has far more details in the earlier portion of the book than the latter chapters of the book. It ends with some notable contributions by women in leadership positions during the past few decades; that was impressive but did not seem to fit in with the book.
Like other books, the authors spoke about how history was not written at the time but was told through stories then written later. The authors did an inadequate job outlining the various historical books, especially the Book of Kells. They did mention a few interesting facts, some I knew, some I didn’t including:
• The Vikings founded Dublin in around 840. The city comes from the words “Dubh Linn,” meaning “Black Pool.”
• England’s control of the land of Ireland continued to increase and decrease with many other victors along the way. But the early 1500’s, the area under English control was only the area of Dublin and territory around the city.
• Phoenix Park is more than twice the size of NYC’s Central Park. It opened in 1747.
• As other books on Ireland reported, Irish freedom fighters were repeatedly moved by what was happening in other countries, including the American Declaration of Independence, the French Revolution, and, later, the civil rights movement in our country.
• Once again, the Quakers popped up in an astounding way – they opened soup kitchens to feed those dying during those starving during the potato famine in the 1840’s.
• The authors claimed potatoes are extremely nutritious, a surprise from a guy who grew up with potatoes with every meal. The authors claimed that is why poor people in Ireland are healthier than people in other poor countries who live on rice or wheat.
• Again, this book highlighted how much the famine forever changed Ireland. The population was cut from 8.2 million people in 1841 to 6 million in 1851. A million died and others left the island. Between the famine and 1870, another three million people emigrated to America and England along with some other countries. It took until the 1966 census that population increased since the great potato famine.
It was interesting to read about the Celtic five level class system. It is also always so amazing to think that while Catholicism is at the core of Irish DNA, it was not Catholic or even Christian the early 400’s. While Irish history can be confusing, the authors did not make this brief book clearer. A timeline could have been helpful, or overall themes would have been helpful. The changing involvement of the Catholic Church, attacks on priests and other leaders of the church, and attempts to move the Irish population to other faith’s is always amazing to read. Anyone visiting Ireland and listening to even young Irish folks who do not attend church, know that the Catholic faith is still in their DNA.
This book was mislabeled and not the best written but was worth a quick read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2021
I think it might be more accurate to called 'Condensed Irish History for Dummies'. All entries were made in chronological order and gave a good 'spark notes' account of various key events in Irish history from prehistoric to present times.
The reason I gave it 2 stars is because that isn't what I was expecting or looking for. I was expecting to find weird, little know, or little known to non-Irish, facts of the sort that immediately make you go to the internet in order to double check the veracity. For example; In viking age society, a woman could divorce her husband for being bad at sex; Nipple piercings were popular among Victorian era women; Angel's Glow as a phenomena in the civil war where a soldier's wound would glow blue, these wounded were more likely to survive, because of the bio-luminescent, antibiotic producing bacteria on the wound; or that most of us owe our survival to a moldy cantaloupe from an Illinois farmer's market back in 1943, which was found to have the best strain of penicillin for mass production.
That is what I wanted, and that is what I did not get. But not a completely disappointment over all.
The reason I gave it 2 stars is because that isn't what I was expecting or looking for. I was expecting to find weird, little know, or little known to non-Irish, facts of the sort that immediately make you go to the internet in order to double check the veracity. For example; In viking age society, a woman could divorce her husband for being bad at sex; Nipple piercings were popular among Victorian era women; Angel's Glow as a phenomena in the civil war where a soldier's wound would glow blue, these wounded were more likely to survive, because of the bio-luminescent, antibiotic producing bacteria on the wound; or that most of us owe our survival to a moldy cantaloupe from an Illinois farmer's market back in 1943, which was found to have the best strain of penicillin for mass production.
That is what I wanted, and that is what I did not get. But not a completely disappointment over all.
March 16, 2021
This is good for a basic start and knowledge of Irish history. I read it along with the Encyclopedia of Ireland (edited by Brian Lalor)so I could cross reference, read more about, and go into greater depth people/terms/places I had more interest in. My interest all started when as an adult I was told my grandfather was 49% Irish and 37% Scots. I had never before done research or reading about Ireland and it’s peoples history. This was a good start for me as a novice. I have other books that cover history and Irish American books to read as well. This was easy to read, concise and repetitive for the new learner!
December 1, 2022
This is a very good book about Irish history. It starts off with its prehistory and mythology, goes on through the settling of the country, the religious problems of the country, various wars the country was involved in and what the state of Ireland is at the present.
It goes into megalithic tombs and why we know so little about the actual Celtic takeover. It covers Druids, creation myths, famous people, the arrival of Christianity, various saints, the Book of Kells, various uprisings, the Tithe War, the terrible potato famine, emigration from Ireland, Bloody Sunday and various efforts to get the country united and why it isn't that way.
Very well done and interesting throughout.
It goes into megalithic tombs and why we know so little about the actual Celtic takeover. It covers Druids, creation myths, famous people, the arrival of Christianity, various saints, the Book of Kells, various uprisings, the Tithe War, the terrible potato famine, emigration from Ireland, Bloody Sunday and various efforts to get the country united and why it isn't that way.
Very well done and interesting throughout.
March 28, 2019
While I did learn some interesting facts that lead me to do further research, I disliked the writing style. It was very confusing to read a blurb about an Irish political leader’s death, then launch into a detailed explanation about his life. I definitely didn’t like the way the information was presented.
April 3, 2021
A History of Ireland
This book was written with much detail to times and places. It also strikes an emotional tone due to the great suffering of the
Irish through the years. The book summarizes the island by
pointing out new industry and cultural changes that have brought
about the Ireland of today. There is still hope for a totally United
Ireland. A good book, well written
.
This book was written with much detail to times and places. It also strikes an emotional tone due to the great suffering of the
Irish through the years. The book summarizes the island by
pointing out new industry and cultural changes that have brought
about the Ireland of today. There is still hope for a totally United
Ireland. A good book, well written
.
February 23, 2025
This is a very readable non-fiction book about Ireland's history, culture, and traditions. I found it to be a nice summary of Irish history without getting bogged down with excessive details. Additionally, I found the sections on the importance of pubs, alcohol, food, and surnames to be quite fascinating.
July 3, 2017
Really liked the book. Learned a lot of interesting things about Ireland and wanted to go visit the country.
November 3, 2017
Great quick intro into the complicated history of Ireland, but is there an updated version? A lot has happened in the last 10 years!
May 24, 2018
Great book
Great read. Interesting facts. Tons of accurate information. Wide and varied subject matter. Would definitely read again. Easy to follow and organized.
Great read. Interesting facts. Tons of accurate information. Wide and varied subject matter. Would definitely read again. Easy to follow and organized.
May 28, 2019
Good history
October 15, 2019
Good light, quick overview of Irish history.
March 1, 2020
Interesting and concise summary of Irish history up until the book was published. I recommend this as a starting point for choosing topics to learn in more detail.
Want to read
October 20, 202210-20-2022 recommended ebook to overdrive
January 11, 2025
The writing is pretty bad but it does have lots of interesting and informative tidbits on Irish history - from Neolithic to modern times.
March 6, 2016
This is a really good read for people (like me) who have zero background in Irish history and are interested in getting a framework for it.
But. The lack of sources and appearance of names and places that can't be corroborated via a quick Google search make me hesitant to accept details in certain sections, particularly in those concerning pre-Christian Ireland; additionally, some sentences are in the completely incorrect section, words in Irish are only sometimes provided with phonetic pronunciations, and the language guide at the back of the book is fragmented at best, making this a helpful but somewhat untrustworthy volume. The fact that it was written by three Americans made me wary whenever the US's relationship with Ireland was mentioned (it's so easy to write with a bias, especially for a bite-sized list book like this).
Still, good to know the Irish drink plenty of strong tea and pubs are required to provide it. I'll need something fortifying after following Dad over and around the Aran islands all day long.
But. The lack of sources and appearance of names and places that can't be corroborated via a quick Google search make me hesitant to accept details in certain sections, particularly in those concerning pre-Christian Ireland; additionally, some sentences are in the completely incorrect section, words in Irish are only sometimes provided with phonetic pronunciations, and the language guide at the back of the book is fragmented at best, making this a helpful but somewhat untrustworthy volume. The fact that it was written by three Americans made me wary whenever the US's relationship with Ireland was mentioned (it's so easy to write with a bias, especially for a bite-sized list book like this).
Still, good to know the Irish drink plenty of strong tea and pubs are required to provide it. I'll need something fortifying after following Dad over and around the Aran islands all day long.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews