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The Story of Ireland
In this groundbreaking history of Ireland, Neil Hegarty presents a fresh perspective on Ireland's past. Comprehensive and engaging, "The Story of Ireland "is an eye-opening account of a nation that has long been shaped by forces beyond its coasts. "The Story of Ireland" re-examines Irish history, challenging the accepted stories and long-held myths associated with Ireland. Transporting readers to the Ireland of the past, beginning with the first settlement in A.D. 433, this is a sweeping and compelling history of one of the world's most dynamic nations. Hegarty examines how world events, including Europe's 16th century religious wars, the French and American revolutions, and Ireland's policy of neutrality during World War II, have shaped the country over the course of its long and fascinating history. With an up-to-date afterword that details the present state of affairs in Ireland, this is an essential text for readers who are fascinated by current events, politics, and history.
Spanning Irish history from its earliest inhabitants to the country's current financial crisis, "The Story of Ireland" is an epic and brilliant re-telling of Ireland's history from a new point of view.
Spanning Irish history from its earliest inhabitants to the country's current financial crisis, "The Story of Ireland" is an epic and brilliant re-telling of Ireland's history from a new point of view.
416 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2011
479 people are currently reading
1188 people want to read
About the author
Neil Hegarty
14 books23 followersNEIL HEGARTY grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, and now lives in Dublin.
Neil has written a range of fiction and non-fiction. His books include:
THE JEWEL, a novel published in October 2019;
INCH LEVELS, a debut novel published in September 2016, and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year award;
FROST: THAT WAS THE LIFE THAT WAS, the definitive and best-selling biography of Sir David Frost;
THE SECRET HISTORY OF OUR STREETS, which accompanies a major BBC season of programming on London;
the best-selling STORY OF IRELAND, written to accompany the BBC-RTE television history of the same name; and
DUBLIN: A VIEW FROM THE GROUND, a cultural history of the Irish capital over a thousand years.
Neil has written a range of fiction and non-fiction. His books include:
THE JEWEL, a novel published in October 2019;
INCH LEVELS, a debut novel published in September 2016, and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year award;
FROST: THAT WAS THE LIFE THAT WAS, the definitive and best-selling biography of Sir David Frost;
THE SECRET HISTORY OF OUR STREETS, which accompanies a major BBC season of programming on London;
the best-selling STORY OF IRELAND, written to accompany the BBC-RTE television history of the same name; and
DUBLIN: A VIEW FROM THE GROUND, a cultural history of the Irish capital over a thousand years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
September 13, 2016
I read this book for three reasons: because I like history, we were on our second mission there, and because I have deep roots there on my dad's side.
Ireland's history is very violent, religious and rich culturally and intillectually at the same time. From the Gaelic to the Norse to the English, the author shows that Ireland was part of a wider history. European upheaval and religious forces, combined with economic factors shaped the Island over the centuries.
And what an amazing story it is. Just think: while most of the world floundered through the dark ages, Irish monks copied the scriptures and preserved accumulated knowledge for generations to come. The book of Kells is a product of their ingenuity and love of knowledge.
But the history is stained with the blood of untold millions. With blame for all sides for so much brutality it stagers the mind as you read. So many were forced to emigrate because of forced starvation etc. that there are more Irish in the Irish diaspora than on the Island.
The book ends the story around 2010 and it would be interesting to have a chapter on the repurcussions of Brexit.
A very worthwhile read.
Ireland's history is very violent, religious and rich culturally and intillectually at the same time. From the Gaelic to the Norse to the English, the author shows that Ireland was part of a wider history. European upheaval and religious forces, combined with economic factors shaped the Island over the centuries.
And what an amazing story it is. Just think: while most of the world floundered through the dark ages, Irish monks copied the scriptures and preserved accumulated knowledge for generations to come. The book of Kells is a product of their ingenuity and love of knowledge.
But the history is stained with the blood of untold millions. With blame for all sides for so much brutality it stagers the mind as you read. So many were forced to emigrate because of forced starvation etc. that there are more Irish in the Irish diaspora than on the Island.
The book ends the story around 2010 and it would be interesting to have a chapter on the repurcussions of Brexit.
A very worthwhile read.
June 17, 2020
Condensed and accessible (if somewhat wooden) story of Ireland, great for expats like me. Hegarty shows why Ireland is as Catholic as it is and also does well at chronicling the development of British involvement in Ireland. The writing is not particularly absorbing nor is there an abundance of insights, but as I say, a good overview.
February 7, 2017
Going into the this read I knew very little of Ireland's history outside of it's context within the Tudor dynasty of Great Britain. I've never traveled anywhere with such little knowledge of a location's history. So, since we are going this summer I have a list of books to enhance my knowledge a bit. This was the perfect book with which to start this journey, covering the time from 5th century AD to present day Ireland in 342 pages in an engaging and readable writing style. Hegarty does an excellent job laying out the timeline for important events and introducing important figures during this time. There is a fantastic timeline at the end of the book. The only point of criticism I have is the author could at times spend too much time on events outside of the country.
On a personal note, I was surprised by how wrong some of my assumptions about aspects of the country's history.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in an introduction to Ireland's history.
On a personal note, I was surprised by how wrong some of my assumptions about aspects of the country's history.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in an introduction to Ireland's history.
May 13, 2012
I read this book to learn about my ancestors and to understand the history of Ireland. It took me awhile because I read it carefully and took notes until I understood, but it was well worth it. The author tells the story clearly and well. I felt I understood Ireland better, especially the problems in Northern Ireland.
April 3, 2016
Generally engaging book covering 1500 years of Irish history that had a lot more conflict than I would have guessed. Hegarty does include maps at the end of chapters, so if you, like me, have no sense for Irish geography, that is very helpful for context. The book drags towards the end, but the last century happens to be the most relevant now, so it is worth getting through.
January 17, 2017
This was a great overview of Irish history that helped me understand what life in Ireland was like when my great-grandparents--and many others--decided to come to America,
June 12, 2022
The story of Ireland is utterly compelling, and it’s hard to find major fault with Hegarty’s work. His work was deeply balanced and presents a picture of an Ireland who’s history was not set in stone nor inevitable but the result of dynamic shifting currents, and key moments and figures, seamlessly blending structuralism and intentionalism. What was so refreshing was work that demonstrated a strong understanding of the development and identity of Ulster Presbyterianism/Protestantism, independent of the common view that often amounts to little more than “Brits/English in Ireland”. Perhaps the highlight was a passage that explored the construction of an Irish identity, the process trodden by so many ‘nations’ in the 18th-20th century that settles on the common myth, traditions, and culture.
Lacking perhaps (despite some effort) is changing Irish cultural tradition although there is certainly some commentary on this. I felt the passage on the Famine perhaps was desperate to find more ‘balance’ than there really was, it’s unclear if this is out of fear of being controversial or out of a genuine desire to carve a new space in the centre of the debate over whether the Famine was a British-made disaster vs uncontrollable natural disaster.
The biographical focus on leaders is illuminating and interesting, but interspersed with changing regional and international currents that puts Ireland in its global context, with structural constraints as anywhere has. This extends even to the medieval and viking periods where the economic structures and incentives that drove viking settlement as well as indigenous social structures are explored at length.
A wonderful read of one of humanity’s most dramatic, and unfinished, stories.
Lacking perhaps (despite some effort) is changing Irish cultural tradition although there is certainly some commentary on this. I felt the passage on the Famine perhaps was desperate to find more ‘balance’ than there really was, it’s unclear if this is out of fear of being controversial or out of a genuine desire to carve a new space in the centre of the debate over whether the Famine was a British-made disaster vs uncontrollable natural disaster.
The biographical focus on leaders is illuminating and interesting, but interspersed with changing regional and international currents that puts Ireland in its global context, with structural constraints as anywhere has. This extends even to the medieval and viking periods where the economic structures and incentives that drove viking settlement as well as indigenous social structures are explored at length.
A wonderful read of one of humanity’s most dramatic, and unfinished, stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2025
Solid overview over Irish history with a slight focus on the 17-19 century. It does not add anything new or insightful to the topic. Hegarty's writing is concise but lacks deeper insight apart from the odd clever observation. All in all, a great way to start and/or get an overview over Irish history.
June 26, 2017
I read this short history in connection with my trip to Ireland with Liz for our 20th anniversary celebration. It offered a general overview to the present day, and gave helpful insights for a foreigner like myself.
February 4, 2023
Very informative of a read on Irish history. Boring at times given it’s a history book but moves along well.
October 24, 2016
An episodic history of Ireland, beginning with a brief prologue about pre-Christian Ireland, then covering:
1. The coming of Christianity to Ireland, which was then sent back into mainland Europe as learning was lost with the “Dark Ages” (although interesting, the biography of Columbanus in Europe felt out of place).
2. A little about the Irish kingdoms themselves. Perhaps there is little evidence of these, but other than Dal Riata (Scottish Isles and north Irish kingdom) and what became Ulster, there was too little about this.
3. The coming of the Viking, and how this was similar, but different from in England/Britain.
4. The coming of the Normans/Angevins, including the creation of the Pale, which was interesting as although I knew that this had happened, I did not know any detail.
5. The reformation, Cromwell (“By 1660 famine, fighting and disease had wiped out between a fifth and a quarter of the Irish population”) and protestant settlements, mainly Presbyterians from Scotland. I really had not understood how Ulster’s protestants were separate from English interests. Also the start of emigration, with Catholics emigrating to Europe (the “wild geese”).
6. The Act of Settlement (1652) – “an attempt at social engineering on a vast and revolutionary scale, dispossessing landowners in order to hand their estates over to newcomers; and it was underpinned by the hope that, in the end, the Irish would depart for good. The effect was the creation of the Ascendancy in Ireland: a Protestant class of five thousand-odd families that would control the lion’s share of the land – and this was the great shift that would dominate the country’s affairs for the next 270 years.” But then too little about the Ascendancy.
7. The Battle of the Boyne (1690) – “though it was certainly not the great decisive engagement of Irish myth, has provided one enduring image: that of William on a white charger, his vast force wholly outnumbering, outgunning and outflanking the Jacobites” (Catholics from various countries).
8. More emigration “The eighteenth century witnessed the first mass emigration in Irish history: between 1717 and 1776, a quarter of a million Presbyterians sailed from Belfast, Derry and the smaller ports of Ulster for a new life in North America. Some made for Canada, leaving a lasting imprint on the culture and politics of Ontario in particular; the majority, however, chose to settle in the United States, where they came to be known as the Scots-Irish.”
9. The potato famine (1845-49), a European wide blight, but “It was only in Ireland, however, that such a high proportion of the population was so utterly dependent on a single crop.” And the “Irish Question” – trying (unsuccessfully) to bring the Catholic majority into the administration of Ireland in the 19th century.
10. Moving to the late nineteenth and twentieth century there was useful explanations (to me) of the personalities and significance of Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins and de Valera, the policies of Unionism and Nationalism, the Free State’s brief civil war, the impact of the Irish “diaspora” upon Irish politics and culture, the influence of the Catholic Church from the 1920’s onwards and neutrality during the second world war.
11. There are brief mentions of Irish culture once we reach the late nineteenth century, although the majority of this was produced by Irish emigrants. It was sad/interesting/appalling to read that “at the end of the 1920s, a massive 93 per cent of children were in receipt of no secondary education at all.”
12. With regard to the analysis of late twentieth century and later politics (in the Afterword), it is perhaps difficult to stand back from this with sufficient perspective, as it is still too close in time to be history, rather than memory. However, a brave attempt is made at providing an outline analysis without being partisan. Some of this was familiar to me from news reports from the 1970’s onwards and it was interesting to read about these events as history and from a southern Irish perspective
Perhaps inevitably, there is much about the relationship with England/Britain, as well as with other countries, especially Scotland and France. As noted above, there is too little about the indigenous Irish themselves and more about “immigrants”, especially for early periods.
Overall, despite some weaknesses, especially with pre-Christian Ireland, I have learnt much and the book is a good, readable introduction to Ireland’s history.
1. The coming of Christianity to Ireland, which was then sent back into mainland Europe as learning was lost with the “Dark Ages” (although interesting, the biography of Columbanus in Europe felt out of place).
2. A little about the Irish kingdoms themselves. Perhaps there is little evidence of these, but other than Dal Riata (Scottish Isles and north Irish kingdom) and what became Ulster, there was too little about this.
3. The coming of the Viking, and how this was similar, but different from in England/Britain.
4. The coming of the Normans/Angevins, including the creation of the Pale, which was interesting as although I knew that this had happened, I did not know any detail.
5. The reformation, Cromwell (“By 1660 famine, fighting and disease had wiped out between a fifth and a quarter of the Irish population”) and protestant settlements, mainly Presbyterians from Scotland. I really had not understood how Ulster’s protestants were separate from English interests. Also the start of emigration, with Catholics emigrating to Europe (the “wild geese”).
6. The Act of Settlement (1652) – “an attempt at social engineering on a vast and revolutionary scale, dispossessing landowners in order to hand their estates over to newcomers; and it was underpinned by the hope that, in the end, the Irish would depart for good. The effect was the creation of the Ascendancy in Ireland: a Protestant class of five thousand-odd families that would control the lion’s share of the land – and this was the great shift that would dominate the country’s affairs for the next 270 years.” But then too little about the Ascendancy.
7. The Battle of the Boyne (1690) – “though it was certainly not the great decisive engagement of Irish myth, has provided one enduring image: that of William on a white charger, his vast force wholly outnumbering, outgunning and outflanking the Jacobites” (Catholics from various countries).
8. More emigration “The eighteenth century witnessed the first mass emigration in Irish history: between 1717 and 1776, a quarter of a million Presbyterians sailed from Belfast, Derry and the smaller ports of Ulster for a new life in North America. Some made for Canada, leaving a lasting imprint on the culture and politics of Ontario in particular; the majority, however, chose to settle in the United States, where they came to be known as the Scots-Irish.”
9. The potato famine (1845-49), a European wide blight, but “It was only in Ireland, however, that such a high proportion of the population was so utterly dependent on a single crop.” And the “Irish Question” – trying (unsuccessfully) to bring the Catholic majority into the administration of Ireland in the 19th century.
10. Moving to the late nineteenth and twentieth century there was useful explanations (to me) of the personalities and significance of Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins and de Valera, the policies of Unionism and Nationalism, the Free State’s brief civil war, the impact of the Irish “diaspora” upon Irish politics and culture, the influence of the Catholic Church from the 1920’s onwards and neutrality during the second world war.
11. There are brief mentions of Irish culture once we reach the late nineteenth century, although the majority of this was produced by Irish emigrants. It was sad/interesting/appalling to read that “at the end of the 1920s, a massive 93 per cent of children were in receipt of no secondary education at all.”
12. With regard to the analysis of late twentieth century and later politics (in the Afterword), it is perhaps difficult to stand back from this with sufficient perspective, as it is still too close in time to be history, rather than memory. However, a brave attempt is made at providing an outline analysis without being partisan. Some of this was familiar to me from news reports from the 1970’s onwards and it was interesting to read about these events as history and from a southern Irish perspective
Perhaps inevitably, there is much about the relationship with England/Britain, as well as with other countries, especially Scotland and France. As noted above, there is too little about the indigenous Irish themselves and more about “immigrants”, especially for early periods.
Overall, despite some weaknesses, especially with pre-Christian Ireland, I have learnt much and the book is a good, readable introduction to Ireland’s history.
August 30, 2018
Underpinning any history of Ireland there is always a subtle conceit – that Ireland, uniquely amongst nations, has been forced to live under the shadow of a more powerful neighbour whose influence has shaped her history. A simple glance across the European map proves this to be less than uncommon, but Ireland is at least unusual in that it has allowed this relationship to dominate her thinking and cast a shadow over her politics. Keane and Hegarty in their history try to do something different by looking at Ireland’s relationships on a larger stage, but whether by virtue of a limited knowledge of world history or his own biases, in this they are only partially successful.
Some of Ireland’s history is, of course, almost mythological. To cast Cromwell as anything other than a black-hearted villain, for example, would be like telling an Englishman that King Arthur was French. Whilst not willing to overturn this particular orthodoxy – even treating an example of Cromwellian clemency as some kind of lapse – at least in some places, the authors are prepared to question myths. Their handling of the potato famine is particularly even-handed in this regard.
It is as we reach more recent times that this attempt to be balanced seems to falter and the internationalist view becomes patchier. During his earlier talk of emigration, the authors do mention the manner in which the number of Irish moving to the United States influenced the attitudes of that country to the Anglo-Irish relationship – they even go so far as to show how conflict between the USA and Canada was shaped by the migration – but by the time the narrative reaches the 1970s, that relationship has been forgotten, not so much glossing as totally ignoring the manner in which American funding prolonged the conflict with the IRA, whilst stressing the American involvement in attempting subsequently to broker peace. The view of the beginning of the Troubles – where the reason for Unionist violence is left unclear, whilst it is described as “understandable” that some Nationalists would support the IRA – seems particularly unbalanced. And this is a view from someone who, with an English perspective, feels that Unionist violence is often downplayed at home.
History, of course, requires distance and it may be that recent events are simply too difficult for people who lived through them to view entirely impartially. Equally, it may be that the authors don’t feel that Irish-American relations would be helped (or American sales of the book encouraged) by suggesting in a post 9/11 world that US citizens might have been responsible for funding terrorism.
Ultimately, the greatest weakness of the book is that, having established its intentions, it fails thoroughly to deliver on them. Touching on world events does make for a more interesting read, but it is only a touch. For the English, a continual fear that Ireland was a back door for invaders often coloured our politics with regard to that nation, and the effect of the various European conflicts of the early modern era on the Irish question is worthy of more thorough examination. The policy of partition, a seeming novelty in the early twentieth century, could also have been examined in more depth – particularly since the strife of the later part of the century has its roots in that decision.
Finally, it is striking that in the closing chapters of the book there is an examination of Ireland’s recent financial woes without significant reference to the international angle. By the time the book was published, the situation in Southern Europe was already acute and some commentators were laying blame at the door of the Euro, but the authors appear content to ignore this, simply accepting as reality that small nations have little control of their finances in the modern world. Whilst this may be reflective of a largely pro-EU Irish populace, for a historian to use such a weak justification for not examining the facts seems amateur to say the least.
Some of Ireland’s history is, of course, almost mythological. To cast Cromwell as anything other than a black-hearted villain, for example, would be like telling an Englishman that King Arthur was French. Whilst not willing to overturn this particular orthodoxy – even treating an example of Cromwellian clemency as some kind of lapse – at least in some places, the authors are prepared to question myths. Their handling of the potato famine is particularly even-handed in this regard.
It is as we reach more recent times that this attempt to be balanced seems to falter and the internationalist view becomes patchier. During his earlier talk of emigration, the authors do mention the manner in which the number of Irish moving to the United States influenced the attitudes of that country to the Anglo-Irish relationship – they even go so far as to show how conflict between the USA and Canada was shaped by the migration – but by the time the narrative reaches the 1970s, that relationship has been forgotten, not so much glossing as totally ignoring the manner in which American funding prolonged the conflict with the IRA, whilst stressing the American involvement in attempting subsequently to broker peace. The view of the beginning of the Troubles – where the reason for Unionist violence is left unclear, whilst it is described as “understandable” that some Nationalists would support the IRA – seems particularly unbalanced. And this is a view from someone who, with an English perspective, feels that Unionist violence is often downplayed at home.
History, of course, requires distance and it may be that recent events are simply too difficult for people who lived through them to view entirely impartially. Equally, it may be that the authors don’t feel that Irish-American relations would be helped (or American sales of the book encouraged) by suggesting in a post 9/11 world that US citizens might have been responsible for funding terrorism.
Ultimately, the greatest weakness of the book is that, having established its intentions, it fails thoroughly to deliver on them. Touching on world events does make for a more interesting read, but it is only a touch. For the English, a continual fear that Ireland was a back door for invaders often coloured our politics with regard to that nation, and the effect of the various European conflicts of the early modern era on the Irish question is worthy of more thorough examination. The policy of partition, a seeming novelty in the early twentieth century, could also have been examined in more depth – particularly since the strife of the later part of the century has its roots in that decision.
Finally, it is striking that in the closing chapters of the book there is an examination of Ireland’s recent financial woes without significant reference to the international angle. By the time the book was published, the situation in Southern Europe was already acute and some commentators were laying blame at the door of the Euro, but the authors appear content to ignore this, simply accepting as reality that small nations have little control of their finances in the modern world. Whilst this may be reflective of a largely pro-EU Irish populace, for a historian to use such a weak justification for not examining the facts seems amateur to say the least.
January 20, 2013
Apparently this book is a companion to a TV series by the same name. I would really like to see that series, if it's half as descriptive as this book it should be pretty good. But this book was well done, considering the amount of history that was crammed into a little over three hundred pages.
The Story of Ireland takes the reader through Ireland's history back to when the Christian religion first came into the country (and the story of St. Patrick) to modern times detailing the bombings and civil strife that accompanied Irish politics for many years. In between it covers the rule of Ireland by England, and it's many tries at having home rule. It details the tension between the Catholic church and that of the Protestants, a strife that has encompassed many United Kingdom countries throughout their history. And it also says a little bit on the famines that hurt the population of Ireland.
The majority of the people talked about in this book are those that had some political standing or rule over Ireland. The average person in Ireland is not referred to much unless discussing the famines. So because this book features the people active in religion and politics, the storyline does much the same. The result is that despite the title saying this is a History of the Irish People, it's more a book of the history of politics that effected the Irish people. I'm not saying this to criticize the book, but more that I expected to learn about daily lives of people to a greater extent than I did with this book.
There's a huge period of history that's covered here and it's done quite well. For having to put all that detail into a small place, Hegarty is able to do it in a way that is readable, yet still interesting. I learned much more about the history of Ireland than I ever knew before. Especially the turmoil that has taken place in the last century that I never would have suspected. I also enjoyed reading about the real St. Patrick and will try to remember the facts about him while drinking green beer this March. When going deep into politics it is hard to remember who's who as so many names are mentioned, but that would be my only complaint with the writing. There is a nice timeline section in the back as well as a notes section.
A very nice, concise look at the history of Ireland. If you've ever been interested in Irish politics or the way religion has impacted the country, this would be a good read. While not quite textbook detailed, it still provides a lot of information for the standard reader.
The Story of Ireland
Copyright 2011
343 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
The Story of Ireland takes the reader through Ireland's history back to when the Christian religion first came into the country (and the story of St. Patrick) to modern times detailing the bombings and civil strife that accompanied Irish politics for many years. In between it covers the rule of Ireland by England, and it's many tries at having home rule. It details the tension between the Catholic church and that of the Protestants, a strife that has encompassed many United Kingdom countries throughout their history. And it also says a little bit on the famines that hurt the population of Ireland.
The majority of the people talked about in this book are those that had some political standing or rule over Ireland. The average person in Ireland is not referred to much unless discussing the famines. So because this book features the people active in religion and politics, the storyline does much the same. The result is that despite the title saying this is a History of the Irish People, it's more a book of the history of politics that effected the Irish people. I'm not saying this to criticize the book, but more that I expected to learn about daily lives of people to a greater extent than I did with this book.
There's a huge period of history that's covered here and it's done quite well. For having to put all that detail into a small place, Hegarty is able to do it in a way that is readable, yet still interesting. I learned much more about the history of Ireland than I ever knew before. Especially the turmoil that has taken place in the last century that I never would have suspected. I also enjoyed reading about the real St. Patrick and will try to remember the facts about him while drinking green beer this March. When going deep into politics it is hard to remember who's who as so many names are mentioned, but that would be my only complaint with the writing. There is a nice timeline section in the back as well as a notes section.
A very nice, concise look at the history of Ireland. If you've ever been interested in Irish politics or the way religion has impacted the country, this would be a good read. While not quite textbook detailed, it still provides a lot of information for the standard reader.
The Story of Ireland
Copyright 2011
343 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
May 17, 2017
For a long time I'd wanted to read a thorough history of Ireland so was determined to complete the book. Unfortunately much of it was heavy going and felt like walking through treacle. The problem perhaps, is that by trying to encompass such a wide period, it's hard to bring the central characters to life and take sufficient interest in their actions. This is less apparent in the well-worn developments of the past century or so but even then events are covered at breakneck speed.
December 21, 2015
I did not know anything about Ireland before plunging to read this book. Well, it made for a perfect beginners book, if interested in Irish history and the reason for years of bloodshed. Well advanced history buffs probably may find the book quite elementary. A wonderful read however for me- fast moving and captivating.
August 16, 2016
Not only is a very well written book that takes you through all the milestones of Ireland's history but it also includes amazing appendices such as a Timeline - which I found very useful while reading - and recommended bibliography.
June 26, 2013
Excellent overview of Irish history. Highly readable and exciting. Definitely a good introduction to the subject.
Read
August 14, 2019The book "The Story of Ireland:A history of the Irish People" by Neil Hegarty is a non-fiction booked based almost the entire history of the small island. The book starts off with the tales of how people came to find the new land cultivate it instantly into a farming territory. The author then establishes the story of Christianity made its way through the new land. The story goes that a man named Patrick made it his duty to spread the religion, so he went end to end of the country to tell the people about God and a man named Jesus. This is how religion would first settle in Ireland but things would change eventually, but that is to be talked about later. The next tale to be spoke about would be the vikings coming in to this fresh new land and setting destruction to everything possible. These vikings came from Norway and different lands, but they all had one goal, and that was to conquer everything they could no matter how much bloodshed took place. The next major event to take place would be the crowns role throughout a majority of Ireland's past. The crown is England and King Henry the Eighth is the one who set the Crown of Ireland Act. This was done so that England would have more power over the people of Ireland. It was also done to help improve England's power throughout the world. This act lead to the spread of Catholicism throughout Ireland. This lead to even more and more bloodshed throughout the country. Eventually the power of the crown won control and with that the Catholics took control of Ireland. Anyone who didn't agree with it the new rule was stripped of their land they were moved to France. Many years later the English War starts which cause the country of Ireland to once again become the home of even more violence. There is a clear pattern of what really made Ireland what it is today. Oliver Cromwell took charge of the people of Ireland and some Englishmen in an attempt to fight back against the change in England. Yet at the end of the day Charles the First would lead the parliament to victory and had Cromwell's head cut off and shown off to the people. Now lets skip a couple of 100 years where the people of Ireland were constantly fighting for their independence. The American Declaration of independence inspired the people to fight for what they believed in. Eventually more fighting would take place and the Irish would have seemed to lose. Yet, with the help of the British, the Irish would become victorious. People like John Redmond would become a hero in Irish history for helping lead the country. Sinn Fein would win a vote by a landslide to become the leader of the new independent country. This party is still in control till this day. Those are the important details that made Ireland the great country hat it is today. Something that is culturally different is the amount of time it took for the people for Ireland to become independent. Another thing is the reason for going to the new land. People came to Ireland to start farming cities while the people who founded America came to escape religion and start life all over again. The authors purpose of writing this novel is to inform the people on the full history of Ireland. To inform them on what lead to Ireland becoming such a beautiful country. Evidence I would have to support this would be like using specific times and dates, also using the real name of people. The theme of the novel could be facing darkness's. The reason for this because time and time again a darkness would pop up and the people of Ireland would attempt to fight back no matter how long it took. An example would be when the vikings came in and destroyed the land of the Irish. The people did not give up, instead they fought back, they sadly just were not as strong and not has advanced as the vikings. I would suggest this book to anyone is interested in learning about the history of the Irish people. If you do not really care about it then the book would be a waste of your time. Yet, again if you are interested in learning about a new country then I would suggest the book because the author does a great job of going into detail with the events that took place.
June 26, 2017
The Story of Ireland: A History of the Irish People a book written by Neil Hegarty, was published in 2012. Neil Hegarty was born in Derry Ireland, he has a PHD from Trinity College in Dublin, on English literature. Hegarty writes an interesting and enlightening book all on Irish History, through Irish eyes. The Story of Ireland: A History of the Irish People is a great introduction to Ireland’s story, by using vivid language, the author creates a mental image for readers, but spends much time focusing heavily on events after the introduction of Christianity, as well as gliding over anything after 1930 creating a choppy historical timeline
Hegarty continually uses vivid language, in a successful attempt to provide readers with a mental image of Ireland’s history. Using language to help intrigue and create this visualization such as on pages 80 through 82 in which the author discusses the conflicts between Columbanus and the monk within Ireland. Hegarty provides such beautifully crafted words you can almost see the fight unfolding before you, in which the monks and Columbanus are fighting through written means you can imagine him sitting and writing on old parchment paper in the Latin tongue to achieve his goal, much like Hegarty does in his description of the events. This visualization occurs throughout the book's entirety.
Although hegarty creates a great mental image of Ireland, he does not spend much on particular parts of Irish history creating a bits and pieces style timeline of the history. Chapter one starting on pages 49-50 entirely focuses on once Christianity has taken hold in Ireland, although a vital role in the development of the country people had existed on the Ireland long before this occurrence. The movie the History of Ireland presented by the BBC network, highlighted the events before Christianity in the first portion of the showings. This shows that there is information on Pre christian Irish history, but Hegarty briefly skims over this section. This is again seen in the later portion book's later portion in which Hegarty gleans over the 70s and 80s in Irish culture jumping right into the 00s. This helps to create divides in Irish history, as well in the culture between the book and the reader.
Overall the book was a great introduction into Irish history. I rated the book four out of five stars as I found it to be very interesting and a bigger portion of great things, then bad.
Hegarty continually uses vivid language, in a successful attempt to provide readers with a mental image of Ireland’s history. Using language to help intrigue and create this visualization such as on pages 80 through 82 in which the author discusses the conflicts between Columbanus and the monk within Ireland. Hegarty provides such beautifully crafted words you can almost see the fight unfolding before you, in which the monks and Columbanus are fighting through written means you can imagine him sitting and writing on old parchment paper in the Latin tongue to achieve his goal, much like Hegarty does in his description of the events. This visualization occurs throughout the book's entirety.
Although hegarty creates a great mental image of Ireland, he does not spend much on particular parts of Irish history creating a bits and pieces style timeline of the history. Chapter one starting on pages 49-50 entirely focuses on once Christianity has taken hold in Ireland, although a vital role in the development of the country people had existed on the Ireland long before this occurrence. The movie the History of Ireland presented by the BBC network, highlighted the events before Christianity in the first portion of the showings. This shows that there is information on Pre christian Irish history, but Hegarty briefly skims over this section. This is again seen in the later portion book's later portion in which Hegarty gleans over the 70s and 80s in Irish culture jumping right into the 00s. This helps to create divides in Irish history, as well in the culture between the book and the reader.
Overall the book was a great introduction into Irish history. I rated the book four out of five stars as I found it to be very interesting and a bigger portion of great things, then bad.
July 21, 2022
Writing the history of a country, from the oldest to the present times, is not easy, as no one is an expert on all these historical periods. Unfortunately, this is quite evident in this book. Basically, it gets better and better as it approaches the present time, and the bits about the 20th century were really quite good. I found especially interesting the account of the times after the dust had settled on the war of independence and the civil war, when the new state was being shaped - a less dramatic and thus often neglected period, compared to what went before.
Unfortunately for me, the period I was especially interested to learn more about, was the middle ages and the 16th century up to the flight of the earls and the end of the Gaelic chieftains. I wanted to know more about Gaelic society and the Gaelic chieftains that existed in symbiosis with the gaelicized Anglo-Irish in the large parts of Ireland "beyond the pale". But this book has hardly anything to say about this. After the arrival of the English in the late 12th century, the books perspective on Ireland is firmly an English one. The 4-500 years from Strongbow to Cromwell are very briefly covered anyway, but what little there is, is pretty much exclusively about the English in Dublin and the surrounding area. After reading this book, I still no hardly anything about Gaelic Ireland in this period. Very disappointing.
And a minor (actually quite major) irritant: The author has a horrible habit of including quotes in the text, without writing who or what he is quoting. Yes, he includes endnotes, but this is simply not good enough - when a quote about Irish society appears in the text, I don't want to have to go to the endnotes to find that this was a quote by Winston Churchill, to take one specific example.
Unfortunately for me, the period I was especially interested to learn more about, was the middle ages and the 16th century up to the flight of the earls and the end of the Gaelic chieftains. I wanted to know more about Gaelic society and the Gaelic chieftains that existed in symbiosis with the gaelicized Anglo-Irish in the large parts of Ireland "beyond the pale". But this book has hardly anything to say about this. After the arrival of the English in the late 12th century, the books perspective on Ireland is firmly an English one. The 4-500 years from Strongbow to Cromwell are very briefly covered anyway, but what little there is, is pretty much exclusively about the English in Dublin and the surrounding area. After reading this book, I still no hardly anything about Gaelic Ireland in this period. Very disappointing.
And a minor (actually quite major) irritant: The author has a horrible habit of including quotes in the text, without writing who or what he is quoting. Yes, he includes endnotes, but this is simply not good enough - when a quote about Irish society appears in the text, I don't want to have to go to the endnotes to find that this was a quote by Winston Churchill, to take one specific example.
January 25, 2023
Read in preparation for an upcoming trip to Ireland, this book provided a great overview of Irish history—provided you are ready to frequently reference both a map and Wikipedia, to research items you'd like more than a cursory understanding of. This is completely understandable, given the book is a scant 340 pages.
Hegarty covers the main economic and political events of the island, from the first evidence of humanity's settlement in 8,000 BC all the way through the early 2010s. The book does a good job informing without exhausting. The narrative moves at a quick clip, yet still manages to spend enough time fleshing out key characters in Ireland's history so as to give you a sense of who they were in addition to what they did—for the most part.
"For the most part" because the last 150 pages or so—the 1800s on—read like they're written by a different author altogether. The explosion in political complexity of these times does not seem to lend itself well to the style of writing used in the first part of the book. There is a maddening lack of details about the people and organizations referenced. Many facts are referenced as if they've already been discussed earlier—e.g. who is Keir Hardie and why does it matter he'd represented local miners in Scotland? We may never know, without looking to Wikipedia. Run-on sentences abound, and they switch topics two or even three times between unrelated topics.
I'd read this book again, but I'd stop sometime in the mid-1800s and find another book that only covers that period through modernity.
Hegarty covers the main economic and political events of the island, from the first evidence of humanity's settlement in 8,000 BC all the way through the early 2010s. The book does a good job informing without exhausting. The narrative moves at a quick clip, yet still manages to spend enough time fleshing out key characters in Ireland's history so as to give you a sense of who they were in addition to what they did—for the most part.
"For the most part" because the last 150 pages or so—the 1800s on—read like they're written by a different author altogether. The explosion in political complexity of these times does not seem to lend itself well to the style of writing used in the first part of the book. There is a maddening lack of details about the people and organizations referenced. Many facts are referenced as if they've already been discussed earlier—e.g. who is Keir Hardie and why does it matter he'd represented local miners in Scotland? We may never know, without looking to Wikipedia. Run-on sentences abound, and they switch topics two or even three times between unrelated topics.
I'd read this book again, but I'd stop sometime in the mid-1800s and find another book that only covers that period through modernity.
February 12, 2019
The Story of Ireland: A History of the Irish People, by Neil Hegarty, gives a comprehensive view of how the Irish identity, culture, and politics on the island have been influenced by international events and players for thousands of years. The most salient point for me was that the answer to the question of what it means to be Irish, has been influenced by various international people’s, cultures, languages, religious, etc.
Hegarty does well to take an objective line on this difficult topic, and takes care to treat all sides of this story fairly. His background in academia emerges in his writing, which is at times reminiscent of anthropological studies that account for the diverse factors that contribute to social, cultural, and identity formation.
Also critical to the importance of this book is how well Hegarty develops the historical background of the Troubles, including not only the religious and geographic differences present, but also connecting the violence and political differences to the historical violence and politics of Ireland.
Hegarty does well to take an objective line on this difficult topic, and takes care to treat all sides of this story fairly. His background in academia emerges in his writing, which is at times reminiscent of anthropological studies that account for the diverse factors that contribute to social, cultural, and identity formation.
Also critical to the importance of this book is how well Hegarty develops the historical background of the Troubles, including not only the religious and geographic differences present, but also connecting the violence and political differences to the historical violence and politics of Ireland.
November 24, 2021
This is a great introduction to Irish history as a whole. While it cannot be considered the definitive history of Northern Ireland, Hegarty does spend a good amount of time discussing Northern Ireland, especially in the final chapter where the Troubles is given significant attention, albeit at the cost of a more detailed post-WW2 Republic of Ireland.
I very much enjoyed the early Irish history such as the Vikings since I wasn't taught too much about it in school. However, only the first hundred pages are pre-1600s history. Meaning the next 200+ pages discuss only 400 years of history. Of course it makes sense, there is a lot more 'relevant' information to give about Charles Stuart Parnell or the 1916 Rising than the 1500s.
As a result, this book is great as a general primer to Irish history with a focus on more early modern to modern history. This does not mean the pre-1600s content is lacking, it's very good and I learned a lot.
I very much enjoyed the early Irish history such as the Vikings since I wasn't taught too much about it in school. However, only the first hundred pages are pre-1600s history. Meaning the next 200+ pages discuss only 400 years of history. Of course it makes sense, there is a lot more 'relevant' information to give about Charles Stuart Parnell or the 1916 Rising than the 1500s.
As a result, this book is great as a general primer to Irish history with a focus on more early modern to modern history. This does not mean the pre-1600s content is lacking, it's very good and I learned a lot.
March 20, 2021
I've learned bits and pieces of Irish history over the years, but was never able to put it all together. This book took on the heroic task of starting from prehistoric times and bringing us to the near present. I am enriched for the experience and understand better the domination of the British, the influence of the Catholic Church as it intertwined with politics and the sources of conflict during the Troubles. Ireland has not had an easy time of it, but they've maintained a strong sense of identity as they move into the modern era. It will be interesting to see how things go now that Britain has exited the EU and Northern Ireland is to remain within the EU so it is more united with the Irish Republic.
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June 8, 2021I wanted a readable but not over-simplistic one-volume history of Ireland and this did the job nicely. It only rarely assumed a foundation of knowledge that I (an American with a decent/good knowledge of British history and a poor knowledge of Irish history) didn’t have and it was really good at explaining the complexities of conflicts in each period. I wish the maps were better integrated (they tend to come after the relevant text, not before, and even then aren’t as nuanced as the text), but overall I have no major complaints and a much better grasp on Ireland.
December 6, 2022
A decent overview drawn in broad strokes, but as the author approached more recent times, I found the details thinner and the pace of the narrative a bit rushed. Despite this, it was a worthwhile read and did help to unravel what is often a complicated and sometimes baffling history. It certainly was a good primer for my next read on the subject, Barlett's 'Ireland: A History' which I expect to bring far greater context.
May 27, 2025
I’m traveling to Ireland in four months and want to understand all the divisions and history that seem to have plagued that island. I found this book to treat the various periods of history from a people’s standpoint. It was understandable and readable, not just a textbook. The Irish history is more complicated than I thought. I’m glad I studied up before traveling and only getting cliff-notes briefings by tour guides.
July 16, 2025
The Story of Ireland re-examines Irish history, from the first settlement in A.D. 433 to the present, looking at how world events, from religious changes in the 16th c. to Ireland's policy of neutrality during World War II to the EU, have shaped the country. Challenging accepted stories and myths, this is a balanced look at a the country's turbulent history and should be required reading for anyone travelling to Ireland to help them understand the country's long and complex history.
November 21, 2022
This is an incredibly engaging and informative journey through the very unusual and interesting history of Ireland. I read a lot of historical fiction, but this is only the second actual “history book” that I’ve ever completed (the other being The Winter King). I’m looking forward to returning to Ireland with a dramatically better understanding of its people and places!
March 26, 2024
I chose this book over Rineharts' for most of Irish history. This was particularly riveting about the time period up to about 1900. Something frustrating me in both the recent books on Ireland I have read, though, is that not enough criticism is given of the role of the Catholic Church in Ireland. I suppose it's out of loyalty?? Anyway, I guess I will have to look elsewhere for an expose of that.
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