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A Short History of Ireland, 1500-2000
A brisk, concise, and readable overview of Irish history from the Protestant Reformation to the dawn of the twenty-first century
Five centuries of Irish history are explored in this informative and accessible volume. John Gibney proceeds from the beginning of Ireland’s modern period and continues through to virtually the present day, offering an integrated overview of the island nation’s cultural, political, and socioeconomic history. This succinct, scholarly study covers important historical events, including the Cromwellian conquest and settlement, the Great Famine, and the struggle for Irish independence. Gibney's book explores major themes such as Ireland’s often contentious relationship with Britain, its place within the British Empire, the impact of the Protestant Reformation, the ongoing religious tensions it inspired, and the global reach of the Irish diaspora. This unique, wide-ranging work assimilates the most recent scholarship on a wide range of historical controversies, making it an essential addition to the library of any student of Irish studies.
Five centuries of Irish history are explored in this informative and accessible volume. John Gibney proceeds from the beginning of Ireland’s modern period and continues through to virtually the present day, offering an integrated overview of the island nation’s cultural, political, and socioeconomic history. This succinct, scholarly study covers important historical events, including the Cromwellian conquest and settlement, the Great Famine, and the struggle for Irish independence. Gibney's book explores major themes such as Ireland’s often contentious relationship with Britain, its place within the British Empire, the impact of the Protestant Reformation, the ongoing religious tensions it inspired, and the global reach of the Irish diaspora. This unique, wide-ranging work assimilates the most recent scholarship on a wide range of historical controversies, making it an essential addition to the library of any student of Irish studies.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
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1489 people want to read
About the author
John Gibney
33 books9 followersJohn Gibney is a historian attached to the Royal Irish Academy's Documents on Irish Foreign Policy Project. He is a long-time contributor to History Ireland and is the author of A short history of Ireland, 1500-2000 (Yale University Press, 2018).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
January 2, 2023
“[Ireland] …refuses to accept its real size and weight in the world, and [its] writers and poets and musicians populate our imagination.” ~Christopher Hitchens
Things I learned…
From the beginning, the English viewed indigenous people on both sides of the Atlantic (America and Ireland) as strange and barbarous.
For centuries, England saw Ireland as both a security barrier and a springboard for westward colonization.
Ireland was the only region under 16th century Tudor influence to maintain a predominantly Catholic population. Though undoubtedly conquered both militarily and politically, it was never conquered spiritually.
The Reformation failed to take solid root on Irish soil. Many in England blamed the failure on Irish inferiority. The Irish, they claimed, could not intellectually grasp the complex Protestant theology—they just weren’t smart enough. Irish men and women in general were looked down upon as a primitive people that needed to be controlled and civilized. This is a perception that some believe still underscores English/Irish relations.
Of course there is a a great deal more to the story of Ireland than what I have written here, but it all boils down to this: You can end almost any statement of pertinent Irish history with the words, “…on religious grounds” and you will be correct almost every time.
“Other people have a nationality. The Irish and the Jews have a psychosis.” ~Brendan Behan
Things I learned…
From the beginning, the English viewed indigenous people on both sides of the Atlantic (America and Ireland) as strange and barbarous.
For centuries, England saw Ireland as both a security barrier and a springboard for westward colonization.
Ireland was the only region under 16th century Tudor influence to maintain a predominantly Catholic population. Though undoubtedly conquered both militarily and politically, it was never conquered spiritually.
The Reformation failed to take solid root on Irish soil. Many in England blamed the failure on Irish inferiority. The Irish, they claimed, could not intellectually grasp the complex Protestant theology—they just weren’t smart enough. Irish men and women in general were looked down upon as a primitive people that needed to be controlled and civilized. This is a perception that some believe still underscores English/Irish relations.
Of course there is a a great deal more to the story of Ireland than what I have written here, but it all boils down to this: You can end almost any statement of pertinent Irish history with the words, “…on religious grounds” and you will be correct almost every time.
“Other people have a nationality. The Irish and the Jews have a psychosis.” ~Brendan Behan
September 4, 2021
This was a very accessible, short history although I would gladly have read a few hundred more pages for Gibney to have covered more events, maybe more detail on several of the events he covered. The biggest complaint I have about the book is that Gibney seemed to glide over the issue of genocide. Historians who have focused on the subject extensively frequently include the Plantations as an example of British genocide against the Irish as well as the so-called famine. A famine denotes a lack of food due to the weather, generally. But when food grown in Ireland during the 1840's was exported to England, that suggests genocide- particularly when combined with the views of government officials who commented on how the catastrophe would benefit the country by reducing the population. I could provide many examples. Gibney dealt with it by glibly stating that no "serious" historian considers it to have been genocide without mentioning one example or any explanation. It almost felt like he was afraid of offending the Brits by telling the truth. That said, I would not dismiss Gibney completely. He write very well and synthesizes the amount of time he covers in an informative and interesting way.
May 16, 2021
A concise introduction to Irish history. Undeniably interesting but it does feel like a sketch rather than anything meaty. Recommended for readers with a cursory interest in history, not for scholars.
July 13, 2018
Five hundred years of tumultuous, controversial history condensed into 270 pages, this book delivers a compelling narrative and provides many details without getting bogged down. I knew nothing about Irish history before I picked up this book, and now I have a much better appreciation for the twists and turns of the story of the Emerald Isle.
Gibney gives consistent nods to different interpretations of events by historians who disagree, thus creating a book that least gives a flavor of some bitter debates without devoting too much attention to the different sides.
This book made an excellent traveling companion in Ireland, as I was consistently seeing and hearing the names of people and places I was reading about as I roamed around Ireland.
Gibney gives consistent nods to different interpretations of events by historians who disagree, thus creating a book that least gives a flavor of some bitter debates without devoting too much attention to the different sides.
This book made an excellent traveling companion in Ireland, as I was consistently seeing and hearing the names of people and places I was reading about as I roamed around Ireland.
October 4, 2020
Available as an enjoyable unabridged 9-hour audio download.
One Goodreads review complains that this book of history is “packed with facts and names and dates”. (How can anyone over 12 write this without shame?)
A neighboring one accuses the same book of being “too thin”. (I guess the reader is already an expert.)
For the rest of us, here's a popular survey history that hits the sweet spot. As a person of Irish heritage, I recommend this to fellow non-resident non-experts who want to learn or remember about the land that drove our ancestors to exile.
It's sometimes a little dense to listen to while driving or making dinner, but that's what the rewind button is for.
The book is divided into centuries. At the end of each century, there's a short chapter named “Where Historians Disagree”. I found these chapters especially worth a second listen.
Very near the end of the book, the writer references a 1967 documentary about Irish politics named “The Rocky Road to Dublin”, which was banned for 30 years in the Republic. If you wish, you may watch it in its entirety for free on YouTube here. I found it a little slow going (OK, actually, I fell asleep). You can watch a trailer for the film here, some clips from the film here, and a short documentary of the unexpected ruckus that the film was involved in at the 1968 Cannes film festival here. Read an interesting Wikipedia entry about the movie here.
One Goodreads review complains that this book of history is “packed with facts and names and dates”. (How can anyone over 12 write this without shame?)
A neighboring one accuses the same book of being “too thin”. (I guess the reader is already an expert.)
For the rest of us, here's a popular survey history that hits the sweet spot. As a person of Irish heritage, I recommend this to fellow non-resident non-experts who want to learn or remember about the land that drove our ancestors to exile.
It's sometimes a little dense to listen to while driving or making dinner, but that's what the rewind button is for.
The book is divided into centuries. At the end of each century, there's a short chapter named “Where Historians Disagree”. I found these chapters especially worth a second listen.
Very near the end of the book, the writer references a 1967 documentary about Irish politics named “The Rocky Road to Dublin”, which was banned for 30 years in the Republic. If you wish, you may watch it in its entirety for free on YouTube here. I found it a little slow going (OK, actually, I fell asleep). You can watch a trailer for the film here, some clips from the film here, and a short documentary of the unexpected ruckus that the film was involved in at the 1968 Cannes film festival here. Read an interesting Wikipedia entry about the movie here.
August 24, 2020
The writing style was very much academic and sometimes complicated, which I did not expect when buying this book. It felt very much like a lecturer writing a book for his students expecting them to qoute his book in their essays, which maybe was the case.
So if you are looking for a simple read about Irish history (as I was) -- it is probably not for you.
But I still finished it and learned more about it, so I guess 3 stars is a perfect evaluation.
So if you are looking for a simple read about Irish history (as I was) -- it is probably not for you.
But I still finished it and learned more about it, so I guess 3 stars is a perfect evaluation.
December 14, 2025
In short: *fuck* the English
December 9, 2022
A short, solid history of Ireland. Amused how half the reviews complain it’s too academic, and half think it wasn’t academic enough. I thought it hit a nice sweet spot.
He did gloss over England’s role in the potato famine though - he gives the English more credit re: genocidal impulses than most modern scholars do.
He did gloss over England’s role in the potato famine though - he gives the English more credit re: genocidal impulses than most modern scholars do.
December 16, 2023
More facts to consume and a balanced view of sectarianism.
January 29, 2021
Really excellent overview from the plantations to the present. Particularly liked the 'where historians disagree' sections which open you up to the various discussions surrounding each period and link you to the appropriate literature. Would recommend to anyone like me who doesn't have a good grasp of even the skeletal structure of my own history. Highly recommend to any other fellow under-educated Protestants
August 3, 2019
The book is packed with facts and names and dates. It gives a precise, chronological accounting of Ireland's history that would be useful to someone intending to study that history in greater depth. To me, it read more like an annotated timeline then the telling of the story of Ireland's passage through the last half of the last millennium.
December 1, 2025
[Audio] I did learn a lot from this book - particularly in relation to:
(a) the long path to Ireland becoming an actual country
(b) how catholics were definitively second class citizens for centuries
(c) the complicated history of land ownership
(d) the far from simple structure to all of this at all points of the history eg. that at various points the crown were quite popular as a potential solution rather than a hindrance
But ultimately the structure, the style and the delivery were all a bit boringly academic with a mostly straight chronology that lacked the energy that would bring this rich history to life.
For instance the type of energy I did get from ‘We Don’t Know Ourselves’ by Fintan O’Toole, and that I’m confident I will get from ‘Land is All That Matters’ by Myles Dungan.
(a) the long path to Ireland becoming an actual country
(b) how catholics were definitively second class citizens for centuries
(c) the complicated history of land ownership
(d) the far from simple structure to all of this at all points of the history eg. that at various points the crown were quite popular as a potential solution rather than a hindrance
But ultimately the structure, the style and the delivery were all a bit boringly academic with a mostly straight chronology that lacked the energy that would bring this rich history to life.
For instance the type of energy I did get from ‘We Don’t Know Ourselves’ by Fintan O’Toole, and that I’m confident I will get from ‘Land is All That Matters’ by Myles Dungan.
June 10, 2022
Engaging, well-written and leaves you wanting more - so much more. The book skips so quickly over everything it covers that for me, it was helpful to put events I have heard of in their general temporal context, but I wouldn't feel confident that I could have an intelligent conversation about anything I didn't already know (which is not a great deal).
Not only could the book have done with a hundred or so more pages, but the limited space is partially wasted with the 'Where Historians Disagree' chapters. If the salient historic points themselves have not been treated in great depth, do you really need a discussion of whether 17th Century Ireland was an 'Ancien Régime' society?
As it is though, it is still a pleasure to read, and at least can serve as a jumping off point for further reading. Disappointing though that with more space, this could have been a fantastic one-volume history of modern Ireland, and that further reading list could have been a lot shorter.
Not only could the book have done with a hundred or so more pages, but the limited space is partially wasted with the 'Where Historians Disagree' chapters. If the salient historic points themselves have not been treated in great depth, do you really need a discussion of whether 17th Century Ireland was an 'Ancien Régime' society?
As it is though, it is still a pleasure to read, and at least can serve as a jumping off point for further reading. Disappointing though that with more space, this could have been a fantastic one-volume history of modern Ireland, and that further reading list could have been a lot shorter.
April 17, 2022
Well, it does what it says, it is a short history of Ireland, and would be a great introduction for anyone coming to this without prior knowledge, hence the four stars. I suspect it would encourage more reading for these readers. Given the long period covered, I still learned some things I did not know.
April 19, 2023
Indeed, it was short.
November 20, 2025
Gelezen (grotendeels) in Dublin. De geschiedenis van Ierland staat bol van de opstanden en rebellie. Het boek geeft een duidelijke geschiedenis van 500 jaar en hoe dat het Ierland van vandaag gevormd heeft. Ik had ook niet door hoe dicht ‘de geschiedenis’ nog op het heden zit.
July 6, 2018
A fairly good, concise telling. Probably better as a review for someone already familiar with Irish history than as an overview for someone like me new to the topic. Parts got muddled.
June 9, 2022
John Gibney's A Short History of Ireland, 1500-2000, provides a cursive, rapid, but insightful and worthwhile account of Ireland, disseminated by century. An essential, quick read for those less aware of Irish history and an easy reference for those more knowledgeable. Easily recommendable.
Historical Notes
Gibney commences with an insight into the landscape of Ireland prior to the 16th century. While unaccounted monoliths point to unearthed civilisations, more is known about the Celtic inhabitation that extended into later centuries. Accounts of Nomadic conquest, failed liberation attempts by Robert the Bruce, and Viking contributions to port developments, especially Dublin, led to a discussion of early subversive attempts to quell and contain 'Celtic degeneracy' - Statutes of Kilkenny (1366).
The commentary on 16th Century Irish history - predominately focused on English interventionism - is best decompartmentalised into directives pronounced by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I independently. Attempts to establish ruling English nobility in the Earls of Kildare culminated in the Kildare Rebellion evoked by Kildare's replacement with Surrey. The reinstation of Kildare in 1526 simmered tensions transiently. The divorce of Catherine of Aragon, precipitating the Reformation, resulted in sweeping royal efforts to command Ireland, motivated by fear of Catholic descent potentially co-optable by Charles V. Such disregard for Celtic autonomy induced the Silken Thomas rebellion, which ended up with a dominant military victory for Henry VIII - greater English control in Ireland and wider distribution of the Reformation. Consequently, the 1541 'Act of Kingly Title' bestows upon Ireland the title of English Kingdom. In part, Celtic Lords were forced to capitulate their titles and land to the Crown, to which the Crown redistributed power according to loyalty and allegiance. A significant part of English-attempted dominion was the expansive use of plantations to distil and distribute English techniques, customs, and thought via importing English workers, ideals, traditions, and lords to Ireland. Thanks to the excommunication of the Crown by Pope Pius V, the transition to Elizabeth I paved the way to targetted anti-catholic action by the English to Ireland.
The most significant threat to English authority in Ireland in the mid-1500s evolved from rising papal condemnation of the Reformation. Combined with the persisting land grabbing by the Crown, the Desmond Rebellion led to an abundance of death. Elizabeth pursued a scorched-earth policy, resulting in famines in Ulster, provoking further Palesman revolts. Regardless, plantation expansion persisted. An attempt in Elizabethian Ireland to place Gaelic nobility through recognising O'Neill as Tyrone Earl ephemerally eased tensions, although O'Neill used his position to dispense with the English. The use of Spanish cavalry by the Tyrone Earl led to the nine-year war, which started promising for the Irish until the monumental defeat at the Battle of Kinsale. Gibney poignantly remarks on the decisiveness of this conflict for Irish-English relations; success for the Irish at the Battle of Kinsale may have fundamentally altered the trajectory of history. The failed Gunpowder plot against James I led to widespread and everlasting anti-catholic sentiment in Ireland. Such sentiments eventually manifested into penal laws restricting catholic ownership and political participation. Immediately, the retaliation against Irish Catholics dramatically ricocheted the Gaelic nobility inducing the Flight of the Earls. The advent of the 17th Century under James I precipitated the foundations of religious conflict in Ireland that persists to this day.
The social engineering of the Tutors continued into the Stuart era through expansive plantations and controlling land ownership. Beyond, the tumultuous times of English strife with Charles and Cromwell permanently reshaped the social landscape of Ireland. An essential cornerstone of Charles I's imprint on Ireland was embodied by Lord Deputy Wentworth's appointment. The brutal, authoritarian rule by Wentworth exacerbating Catholic-Protestant conflict culminated in his impeachment in 1641. Attempts to quell Irish dissent instead were overshadowed by Wentworth's resentment. Such resentment produced the Rebellion of 1641 whereby Wentworth turned his raised Catholic army - originally designed to defend the English against the invading Scots - against Irish Protestants. Protestant backlash, an intersectional coalition of anti-Crown condemnation, combined with successive Cromwellian victories against the Cavaliers, saw the landscape of Ireland once again changed after the fall of the Monarchy. Gibney too shallowly comments on this crucial aspect of Irish history, mainly focusing on mass Catholic land confiscation by Cromwell's lackeys. The alternative see-sawing between pro-Catholic and Protestant land and social domination, fuel by retrospective persecution, swung towards the Catholics during the Restoration.
The Restoration of Charles II to the Crown saw the excessive redistribution of land from Protestants to Catholics to insulate against foreign Catholic, French influence under Louis XIV. The landscape of Europe manifested the contestation of Christianity that stands, and stood, as centre-stage of Irish life due to contested Royal claims. The succession of James II - a Catholic - led the Irish protestants, fearing further retributive penalisation, to bestow allegiance to William of Orange. The military domination of William scuppered the Jacobites causing James II to flee to France. Gibney scantly comments on the role of limp French support of Jacobites. Thus, earlier distribution once again favours the previously disaffected party, the Protestants, once more.
The highly damaging, problematic tensions between English dominion and allegiance, heuristically sectioned by religion, continued to dominate the 19th century. The Williamite war in Ireland ended with the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. Still, fears of future Jacobite uprisings, aided by stringent anti-Catholic penal laws, led to the 'Catholic Question': if, when, and how would Catholics be integrated into Ireland's political and social stage? Meanwhile, Catholic politics in Ireland evolved into Irish patriotism coinciding with the American revolution. Burgeoning movements like the Volunteers successfully lobbied for reductions in anti-Catholic penal laws related to land ownership consolidation and voting rights. Early renditions of the Volunteers placed the English-American conflict centre-stage in domestic Irish politics, unsurprising considering Irish trade with the colonies. Under the banner of 'speedy revolution or free trade', successive pro-Irish movements successfully achieved legislative independence for Ireland in 1782. More radical elements of the Volunteers began to emerge, with Gibney lacking much-needed causative characterisation - alas, expectable from a 'short history'-style book. Unlike the Volunteers, such groups like 'United Irishmen' boasted greater cross-sectional diversity between religions, classes, and nationalities. Some English lords gradually identified more with Galiec identity than historical ties. These more radical elements, emboldened by the legislative reform, called for complete Irish independence, looking once more to France for aid. Despite their revolutionary mindset, the French retained limp backing of previously catholic, pro-independence Irish movements. While some military conflict, like the 1798 Rebellion, was French-backed, their brutal suppression crippled the Irish independence movement, albeit not permanently. The English retaliated by dissolving the Irish parliament and subsuming Ireland as one dependent part of the United Kingdom.
Acceptably, Gibney's conservation of recent Irish history focuses on paramilitary conflicts. The attempts at catholic emancipation in the 19th Century by Pit the Younger and Irish liberal politicals like Henry Gratton - to the displeasure of George III - enable Catholic representation. The 1st Irish Catholic MP, O'Connell, acted as a parliamentarian figurehead of the early ideological dawn of Home Rule. However, the end of the Napoleonic Wars produced significant economic inequality across Ireland, with those agrarian, typically pro-independence, significantly worse off than that industrialist, typically pro-unionist, citizens. With the decline in O'Connell's popularity due to promoting pro-Catholic education reforms and failing to gain concessions from the failed Liberal coalition in the 1830s, the rhetoric of patriotism found in the United Irelanders gave way to Irish Nationalism by Young Ireland, styled from Guiseppe Mazzini. Unlike previous militant groups, Young Ireland embraced cross-sectional symbology, tapping into the economic disparity as a galvanising factor for the masses. Similarly, Young Ireland did not reject political violence. Provoked by famine, Young Ireland failed to rebel in 1848. The brunt of the Potato Blight in the 1840s produced four significant, lasting changes to Ireland: emigration, Fenians, Home Rule, Land War.
Deprivation of essential staples of the Irish diet, combined with lacklustre, potentially malicious anti-interventionism by Britain, induced mass exodus of the Irish across the Atlantic. The cross-Atlantic presence of the Irish Republicanism Brotherhood led to further rebellion movements in 1867 - the Fenians - culminating in terrorist attempts in Manchester. Extremism was not the sole product of the disastrous famine, with Butt and Parnell advocating Home Rule - devolved, not independent, government.
The 20th century whilst seeming most familial, was the most rushed commentary by A Short History of Ireland . Nonetheless, for novices of Irish history or those desiring a refresh, a suitable book.
Historical Notes
Gibney commences with an insight into the landscape of Ireland prior to the 16th century. While unaccounted monoliths point to unearthed civilisations, more is known about the Celtic inhabitation that extended into later centuries. Accounts of Nomadic conquest, failed liberation attempts by Robert the Bruce, and Viking contributions to port developments, especially Dublin, led to a discussion of early subversive attempts to quell and contain 'Celtic degeneracy' - Statutes of Kilkenny (1366).
The commentary on 16th Century Irish history - predominately focused on English interventionism - is best decompartmentalised into directives pronounced by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I independently. Attempts to establish ruling English nobility in the Earls of Kildare culminated in the Kildare Rebellion evoked by Kildare's replacement with Surrey. The reinstation of Kildare in 1526 simmered tensions transiently. The divorce of Catherine of Aragon, precipitating the Reformation, resulted in sweeping royal efforts to command Ireland, motivated by fear of Catholic descent potentially co-optable by Charles V. Such disregard for Celtic autonomy induced the Silken Thomas rebellion, which ended up with a dominant military victory for Henry VIII - greater English control in Ireland and wider distribution of the Reformation. Consequently, the 1541 'Act of Kingly Title' bestows upon Ireland the title of English Kingdom. In part, Celtic Lords were forced to capitulate their titles and land to the Crown, to which the Crown redistributed power according to loyalty and allegiance. A significant part of English-attempted dominion was the expansive use of plantations to distil and distribute English techniques, customs, and thought via importing English workers, ideals, traditions, and lords to Ireland. Thanks to the excommunication of the Crown by Pope Pius V, the transition to Elizabeth I paved the way to targetted anti-catholic action by the English to Ireland.
The most significant threat to English authority in Ireland in the mid-1500s evolved from rising papal condemnation of the Reformation. Combined with the persisting land grabbing by the Crown, the Desmond Rebellion led to an abundance of death. Elizabeth pursued a scorched-earth policy, resulting in famines in Ulster, provoking further Palesman revolts. Regardless, plantation expansion persisted. An attempt in Elizabethian Ireland to place Gaelic nobility through recognising O'Neill as Tyrone Earl ephemerally eased tensions, although O'Neill used his position to dispense with the English. The use of Spanish cavalry by the Tyrone Earl led to the nine-year war, which started promising for the Irish until the monumental defeat at the Battle of Kinsale. Gibney poignantly remarks on the decisiveness of this conflict for Irish-English relations; success for the Irish at the Battle of Kinsale may have fundamentally altered the trajectory of history. The failed Gunpowder plot against James I led to widespread and everlasting anti-catholic sentiment in Ireland. Such sentiments eventually manifested into penal laws restricting catholic ownership and political participation. Immediately, the retaliation against Irish Catholics dramatically ricocheted the Gaelic nobility inducing the Flight of the Earls. The advent of the 17th Century under James I precipitated the foundations of religious conflict in Ireland that persists to this day.
The social engineering of the Tutors continued into the Stuart era through expansive plantations and controlling land ownership. Beyond, the tumultuous times of English strife with Charles and Cromwell permanently reshaped the social landscape of Ireland. An essential cornerstone of Charles I's imprint on Ireland was embodied by Lord Deputy Wentworth's appointment. The brutal, authoritarian rule by Wentworth exacerbating Catholic-Protestant conflict culminated in his impeachment in 1641. Attempts to quell Irish dissent instead were overshadowed by Wentworth's resentment. Such resentment produced the Rebellion of 1641 whereby Wentworth turned his raised Catholic army - originally designed to defend the English against the invading Scots - against Irish Protestants. Protestant backlash, an intersectional coalition of anti-Crown condemnation, combined with successive Cromwellian victories against the Cavaliers, saw the landscape of Ireland once again changed after the fall of the Monarchy. Gibney too shallowly comments on this crucial aspect of Irish history, mainly focusing on mass Catholic land confiscation by Cromwell's lackeys. The alternative see-sawing between pro-Catholic and Protestant land and social domination, fuel by retrospective persecution, swung towards the Catholics during the Restoration.
The Restoration of Charles II to the Crown saw the excessive redistribution of land from Protestants to Catholics to insulate against foreign Catholic, French influence under Louis XIV. The landscape of Europe manifested the contestation of Christianity that stands, and stood, as centre-stage of Irish life due to contested Royal claims. The succession of James II - a Catholic - led the Irish protestants, fearing further retributive penalisation, to bestow allegiance to William of Orange. The military domination of William scuppered the Jacobites causing James II to flee to France. Gibney scantly comments on the role of limp French support of Jacobites. Thus, earlier distribution once again favours the previously disaffected party, the Protestants, once more.
The highly damaging, problematic tensions between English dominion and allegiance, heuristically sectioned by religion, continued to dominate the 19th century. The Williamite war in Ireland ended with the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. Still, fears of future Jacobite uprisings, aided by stringent anti-Catholic penal laws, led to the 'Catholic Question': if, when, and how would Catholics be integrated into Ireland's political and social stage? Meanwhile, Catholic politics in Ireland evolved into Irish patriotism coinciding with the American revolution. Burgeoning movements like the Volunteers successfully lobbied for reductions in anti-Catholic penal laws related to land ownership consolidation and voting rights. Early renditions of the Volunteers placed the English-American conflict centre-stage in domestic Irish politics, unsurprising considering Irish trade with the colonies. Under the banner of 'speedy revolution or free trade', successive pro-Irish movements successfully achieved legislative independence for Ireland in 1782. More radical elements of the Volunteers began to emerge, with Gibney lacking much-needed causative characterisation - alas, expectable from a 'short history'-style book. Unlike the Volunteers, such groups like 'United Irishmen' boasted greater cross-sectional diversity between religions, classes, and nationalities. Some English lords gradually identified more with Galiec identity than historical ties. These more radical elements, emboldened by the legislative reform, called for complete Irish independence, looking once more to France for aid. Despite their revolutionary mindset, the French retained limp backing of previously catholic, pro-independence Irish movements. While some military conflict, like the 1798 Rebellion, was French-backed, their brutal suppression crippled the Irish independence movement, albeit not permanently. The English retaliated by dissolving the Irish parliament and subsuming Ireland as one dependent part of the United Kingdom.
Acceptably, Gibney's conservation of recent Irish history focuses on paramilitary conflicts. The attempts at catholic emancipation in the 19th Century by Pit the Younger and Irish liberal politicals like Henry Gratton - to the displeasure of George III - enable Catholic representation. The 1st Irish Catholic MP, O'Connell, acted as a parliamentarian figurehead of the early ideological dawn of Home Rule. However, the end of the Napoleonic Wars produced significant economic inequality across Ireland, with those agrarian, typically pro-independence, significantly worse off than that industrialist, typically pro-unionist, citizens. With the decline in O'Connell's popularity due to promoting pro-Catholic education reforms and failing to gain concessions from the failed Liberal coalition in the 1830s, the rhetoric of patriotism found in the United Irelanders gave way to Irish Nationalism by Young Ireland, styled from Guiseppe Mazzini. Unlike previous militant groups, Young Ireland embraced cross-sectional symbology, tapping into the economic disparity as a galvanising factor for the masses. Similarly, Young Ireland did not reject political violence. Provoked by famine, Young Ireland failed to rebel in 1848. The brunt of the Potato Blight in the 1840s produced four significant, lasting changes to Ireland: emigration, Fenians, Home Rule, Land War.
Deprivation of essential staples of the Irish diet, combined with lacklustre, potentially malicious anti-interventionism by Britain, induced mass exodus of the Irish across the Atlantic. The cross-Atlantic presence of the Irish Republicanism Brotherhood led to further rebellion movements in 1867 - the Fenians - culminating in terrorist attempts in Manchester. Extremism was not the sole product of the disastrous famine, with Butt and Parnell advocating Home Rule - devolved, not independent, government.
The 20th century whilst seeming most familial, was the most rushed commentary by A Short History of Ireland . Nonetheless, for novices of Irish history or those desiring a refresh, a suitable book.
July 15, 2023
A sobering and sad history of Ireland... The author is, at times, one-sided in his account, favouring the Irish and Catholics over the British and Protestants. However, there is no question that rampant ethnic discrimination, self-interest, and indifference on the part of the English contributed to much of the tragedy and lost opportunities for Ireland over tye last 500 years. Gibney is careful to avoid hasty and inflamatory labels of colonization, cultural genocide, and systemic racism. Nevertheless, there is a sad and overwhelming case for applying aspects of all of these labels. My area of interest is actually the first 1500 years of Irish history, and he gives an excellent summation to set the stage for the last 500 years to the present (approx. 2000). The book provides a well-supported and clearly explained overview of what, how, and why things unfolded as they did during the last half millennium. The book piqued my interest in a few area that I would like to delve deeper, such as Cromwell in Ireland, the 1840s famine and mass emigration (of which my ancestors were a part in 1847), and the Irish War for Independence (1919-1921).
January 1, 2022
Een goede introductie dat ons veel leerde en duidelijk maakte over ons nieuwe thuisland. We bleven op sommige vlakken wat op onze honger zitten, omdat het meer ging over de elite dan over de massa en dat het in sommige stukken voelde alsof het boek ook goedgekeurd moest kunnen worden door de Britten. Ierland mocht dus vooral geen kolonie genoemd worden, al was er wel een moment waarop een bevrijde slaaf de leefomstandigheden erger vond voor Ieren hier dan voor slaven in Amerika en er wordt erg licht gegaan over de ontbossing op enorme schaal die ervoor zorgde dat het eiland van meest bosrijke land van Europa veranderde in een land met amper nog bos, over hoe het opzetten van plantages hier een try out was voor de plantages in Amerika en andere Britse kolonies en dat er veel discussie is of The Great Famine wel of geen bewuste genocide genoemd mag worden aangezien er tijdens die hongersnood wel nog eten uitgevoerd werd naar Engeland, maar het bleef heel erg de moeite. Het doet me vooral zin krijgen om nog meer over Ierland bij te leren.
January 17, 2026
I really enjoyed getting a broad look at Irish history. I know a fair bit of post-famine Irish history from school, and I loved studying that, but my knowledge of Irish history from before that was pretty poor. Reading this definitely scratched an itch and gave me a lot to chew on.
There was so much detail in a pretty short book, so I struggle to remember details, but I'm inspired to read books with more details about specific topics or times.
The problem with reading history is that historians try to be fair and accurate. That's probably good, but it does mean there's not as much room for the author's voice to come through. Saying "Ian Paisley was a prick" would have had a bit more life than accounts of his prick-ness. I suppose I can't fault the author for his professionalism, though.
There was so much detail in a pretty short book, so I struggle to remember details, but I'm inspired to read books with more details about specific topics or times.
The problem with reading history is that historians try to be fair and accurate. That's probably good, but it does mean there's not as much room for the author's voice to come through. Saying "Ian Paisley was a prick" would have had a bit more life than accounts of his prick-ness. I suppose I can't fault the author for his professionalism, though.
July 10, 2021
This book does exactly what it tells you it does: provide a clear, structured overview of Ireland's history. It does not go into too many details, but leaves you with a good understanding of the country's history - if this piqued your interest there are always more extensive works out there!
I am also happy I bought it after stumbling upon it in the store, as my knowledge about both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland was quite limited. This book really helped me to gain a better understanding of and change my view on the many difficulties in the country/countries over the last centuries.
I am also happy I bought it after stumbling upon it in the store, as my knowledge about both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland was quite limited. This book really helped me to gain a better understanding of and change my view on the many difficulties in the country/countries over the last centuries.
March 14, 2023
Very broad - frustratingly so at times. But a good general guide to key events. Interesting shirt chapters on ‘where historians disagree’ which explain key areas of differences in interpretation. Some social history included but too brief really for any clear discussion of the lives of the ‘ordinary’ man and woman.
May 9, 2020
Got this while we were in Dublin (remember holidays??) and it’s a good superficial summary of history I didn’t know enough about.
May 7, 2023
Akici degil
August 4, 2023
3,5 stars; Concise and accessible overview of Ireland’s history; bit too matter-of-factly and intensely politically centered; the narrative would benefit from occasionally connecting Irish events to the grander scheme of European and world history.
April 30, 2024
John Gibney provides thorough and accessible explanation of Ireland’s 500-year journey from colonial and plantation roots to republican beginnings.
November 25, 2025
does exactly what it says on the tin. i sought this out after finishing ‘the little ice age’ after finding the sections about the irish famine the most interesting parts. it was really pointed out to me how shoddy my knowledge of ireland was and this little history did a great job at filling some of the gaps for me.
concise, accessible, brief.
concise, accessible, brief.
January 11, 2026
possibly pro english
January 11, 2026
A Balanced Perspective, though a Dense Read.
This "short" history took me quite a while to digest—over a year of dipping in and out. While I thought I had a strong interest in the subject, I found the early history largely covered my school-day knowledge.
The real value for me lay in the 20th and 21st-century sections. However, I’m not entirely sure enough time has passed for any historian to be truly "forensic" about such recent events. I’m giving this three stars primarily for Gibney’s ability to present a balanced, non-sectarian view—a feat that is often difficult to achieve given the island's complex history.
This "short" history took me quite a while to digest—over a year of dipping in and out. While I thought I had a strong interest in the subject, I found the early history largely covered my school-day knowledge.
The real value for me lay in the 20th and 21st-century sections. However, I’m not entirely sure enough time has passed for any historian to be truly "forensic" about such recent events. I’m giving this three stars primarily for Gibney’s ability to present a balanced, non-sectarian view—a feat that is often difficult to achieve given the island's complex history.
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