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The Course of Irish History
Agreement and the withdrawal of British troops from regular patrols in Northern Ireland, this new edition of a perennial bestseller narrates and interprets Irish history as a whole. Designed and written to be popular and authoritative, critical and balanced, it has been the core text in both Irish and American universities for three decades. It has also proven to be an extremely popular book for casual readers with an interest in history and Irish affairs and is considered the definitive history among the Irish themselves. Chapters are grouped together by century or by general time period, ranging from prehistoric Ireland to the present, and each has been written by an English or Irish historian specializing in that area. This edition of the book has been revised and enlarged and is illustrated throughout with line drawings, black and white, and color photographs. It is an essential text for anyone interested in the history of Ireland.
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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March 21, 2019
The Course of Irish History compiled by Theodore Moody is a book drawn from a TV series built on lecture/essays by noted academics. As far as books covering 2,000+ years go, this is a solid introduction to an island that has been imaginatively cursed and blessed by waves of intruders, including the Norse, the Normans, the English and to a certain extent the Celts themselves. The chapters overlap a bit but that's not a significant problem. Anatomizing Ireland is no easy task. In some ways the best chapter is the first one, surveying Ireland's geography, which has so much to do with its destiny--an island riven with mountains and bogs, transected by rivers, green with pasture lands, fertile in some places and rocky in others, and wrapped around with a wild coastline that only occasionally yields to useful harbors.
Of all the curses that beset Ireland, one would have to rank the English highest, although even they are bred into its human fabric. Their occupation of the island was partial but persistent, covering centuries, exploiting scarce resources, dominating some parts of the population and setting other parts of it against other parts. They never seem to have thought Ireland was the greatest of prizes, but it was there, and they didn't want the Spanish or French helping themselves to it. In the end, their policy's lasting impact derives from supporting protestant immigration to the north, and so, on top of geographical divisions, we see a political division that remains extremely inconvenient to the English as well as the Irish, given the role the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland plays in Brexit. To use the old phrase, the English can't seem to chew Ireland and can't seem to spit it out.
Membership in the EU, ironically, would appear to be Ireland's greatest blessing--the Republic's greatest blessing, I mean. The EU has provided a powerful counterweight to the U.K.'s asymmetrical domination of the Irish economy. This is a good thing, just as staying in the EU would be a good thing for the U.K.
This book is better on physical culture (ruined castles, monastic artifacts) than on literary or musical culture. It's not very analytic, but mentioning Yeats and Joyce and the other great Irish writers may be enough to convey the point: here is an apex tale-telling, story-spinning culture, one of the world's finest.
The book's final chapters, covering the last five decades of Irish history, are rushed, crammed, and generally dismal. Here you have immense political corruption, financial chicanery, and the sins of the Roman Catholic church. But for the Irish, as the text suggests at one point, there's always a bit of death in everything, a bit of misery...or a lot of misery, better dealt with through another drink sometimes as opposed to historical fact.
Of all the curses that beset Ireland, one would have to rank the English highest, although even they are bred into its human fabric. Their occupation of the island was partial but persistent, covering centuries, exploiting scarce resources, dominating some parts of the population and setting other parts of it against other parts. They never seem to have thought Ireland was the greatest of prizes, but it was there, and they didn't want the Spanish or French helping themselves to it. In the end, their policy's lasting impact derives from supporting protestant immigration to the north, and so, on top of geographical divisions, we see a political division that remains extremely inconvenient to the English as well as the Irish, given the role the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland plays in Brexit. To use the old phrase, the English can't seem to chew Ireland and can't seem to spit it out.
Membership in the EU, ironically, would appear to be Ireland's greatest blessing--the Republic's greatest blessing, I mean. The EU has provided a powerful counterweight to the U.K.'s asymmetrical domination of the Irish economy. This is a good thing, just as staying in the EU would be a good thing for the U.K.
This book is better on physical culture (ruined castles, monastic artifacts) than on literary or musical culture. It's not very analytic, but mentioning Yeats and Joyce and the other great Irish writers may be enough to convey the point: here is an apex tale-telling, story-spinning culture, one of the world's finest.
The book's final chapters, covering the last five decades of Irish history, are rushed, crammed, and generally dismal. Here you have immense political corruption, financial chicanery, and the sins of the Roman Catholic church. But for the Irish, as the text suggests at one point, there's always a bit of death in everything, a bit of misery...or a lot of misery, better dealt with through another drink sometimes as opposed to historical fact.
August 9, 2023
I was conflicted on what rating to give this book. I settled on 4 but would really give it a 3.5. while it is well written, it is a survey "course". It basically summarizes Irish history and in roughly 540 pages, that is about all it could do. It would be a good read for someone who knows nothing about the country's history. Even so, I fault the authors when writing of some of the topics that they did not include details and people that were very important. For example, when talking about the failed rising of 1848 there was no mention made of Thomas Francis Meagher who played an important role. Further, when writing about the troubles in the north, they mentioned several of the bombings carried out by the IRA but seemed to overlook the atrocities committed by Unionists. The Dublin and Monahan bombings, the Shankill butchers, and the massacre of the Miami Show Band who had no involvement in the troubles in any form but were killed by Unionists and there is substantial evidence that the British Army was involved.
Overall, if you don't know anything about Irish history but would like to, I recommend the book.
Overall, if you don't know anything about Irish history but would like to, I recommend the book.
July 23, 2018
Parts of this book were really good and I'm glad I read it. Other parts were way too boring or poorly written (IMHO). The problem is that the chapters were written by different people, presumably experts about the subject matter. It was a little annoying I guess to have the style change every chapter. Anyway, many chapters were more academically written than others. There are many Irish history books to read, and I think others are better. It did have an interesting last chapter on the financial meltdown and Irish church scandal. Went to press in 2011 so it's getting dated.
October 23, 2020
One of the interesting aspects of this particular book is that it began life as a television show that featured various episodes on Irish history in a somewhat lengthy "mini-series," and then was reformatted in a way that each episode became its own chapter in a moderately lengthy book that also featured a lot of visuals from the television show, all of which made the book a good deal more interesting even if the fact that there are so many authors means that there is some overlap in subject matter even if the approach is different enough. I found this book to be an appealing and interesting read, and given the fact that Irish history frequently has a lot of tired anti-English tropes to it, the fact that the writers were able to frame Ireland's history in light of its physical geography and the challenges that terrain presents to unification, along with the persistent divisions that have existed in Ireland between Ulster and the rest of Ireland, to say nothing of the remoteness of the West, suggests that the people involved are sensitive about the need to avoid blaming only the English for the problems that Ireland has faced, and that is an improvement over many Irish history books.
This book as a whole is between 350 and 400 pages, a sizable work, and is divided into 23 chapters that discuss varying themes within the overarching focus on Irish history. So it is that we have a preface to the 1967 edition, the revised edition, and a list of illustrations to begin the work. The first essay of the book begins with a discussion of Irish historical geography (1), after which we move to the archaeology of prehistoric Ireland (2), early Irish society (3), and the beginnings (4) and golden age (5) of early Christian Ireland. This is followed by a discussion of the Viking wars (6), Ireland in the 11th and 12th centuries as it attempted to unify itself (7), and the arrival and settlement of the Normans (8), which ended those efforts. This is followed by a look at the medieval English colony (9), the Gaelic resurgence and the Geraldine supremacy (10), the Tudor conquest (11), the colonization of Ulster (12), and the restoration and Jacobite wars (13). After this comes a look at Ireland under the penal laws (14), the Protestant nation (15), the age of Daniel O'Connell (16), the Great Famine (17), and the agitation over home rule and the land war (18). This is followed by a few chapters that deal with more modern history, such as the period from Parnell to the achievement of Irish home rule (19), Northern Ireland (20), the Irish Free State and early Irish Republic (21), and two chapters on Ireland from 1966-1994 (22, 23), after which the book ends with notes, a bibliography, a chronology, and an index.
One of the benefits of having a book with a great many authors is that as long as one is able to get a coherent view of Irish history--as is the case here--along with consistent style, the diversity of interests means that chapters will avoid hitting the same few notes over and over again. This unity in diversity is a winning approach and this book does get the benefits of having solid editing for consistency and coherence while also receiving the good side of having writers who are interested in various aspects of Irish history that allow the reader to appreciate the diverse approach. The fact that the book manages to draw together academics from both Ireland and Northern Ireland, even if Ireland as a whole does not have as many universities as one might expect, means that the writers are interested in speaking to other academics in a way that is going to avoid inflaming a lot of the wounds of the past but rather being fair-minded to other approaches while discussing the high points of Irish history, of which there are a good many, especially if one is a fan of military and political history, as I am.
This book as a whole is between 350 and 400 pages, a sizable work, and is divided into 23 chapters that discuss varying themes within the overarching focus on Irish history. So it is that we have a preface to the 1967 edition, the revised edition, and a list of illustrations to begin the work. The first essay of the book begins with a discussion of Irish historical geography (1), after which we move to the archaeology of prehistoric Ireland (2), early Irish society (3), and the beginnings (4) and golden age (5) of early Christian Ireland. This is followed by a discussion of the Viking wars (6), Ireland in the 11th and 12th centuries as it attempted to unify itself (7), and the arrival and settlement of the Normans (8), which ended those efforts. This is followed by a look at the medieval English colony (9), the Gaelic resurgence and the Geraldine supremacy (10), the Tudor conquest (11), the colonization of Ulster (12), and the restoration and Jacobite wars (13). After this comes a look at Ireland under the penal laws (14), the Protestant nation (15), the age of Daniel O'Connell (16), the Great Famine (17), and the agitation over home rule and the land war (18). This is followed by a few chapters that deal with more modern history, such as the period from Parnell to the achievement of Irish home rule (19), Northern Ireland (20), the Irish Free State and early Irish Republic (21), and two chapters on Ireland from 1966-1994 (22, 23), after which the book ends with notes, a bibliography, a chronology, and an index.
One of the benefits of having a book with a great many authors is that as long as one is able to get a coherent view of Irish history--as is the case here--along with consistent style, the diversity of interests means that chapters will avoid hitting the same few notes over and over again. This unity in diversity is a winning approach and this book does get the benefits of having solid editing for consistency and coherence while also receiving the good side of having writers who are interested in various aspects of Irish history that allow the reader to appreciate the diverse approach. The fact that the book manages to draw together academics from both Ireland and Northern Ireland, even if Ireland as a whole does not have as many universities as one might expect, means that the writers are interested in speaking to other academics in a way that is going to avoid inflaming a lot of the wounds of the past but rather being fair-minded to other approaches while discussing the high points of Irish history, of which there are a good many, especially if one is a fan of military and political history, as I am.
August 8, 2022
Pretty good recap of Irish history, nothing too special
March 24, 2015
A comprehensive text covering the history of Ireland from the B.C. years all the way up to the Good Friday Agreement and the state of affairs on the island of Ireland in 2001. Unlike many other texts written in the same era (1960s), none of the contributing authors exhibit an anti-Anglo bias in their writing, with the exception of the 12th century, when England did misidentify the Irish as pagans and seek to make them submit to Christianity and feudalism. Significant portions of the book are devoted to the role of Irish Protestants in the various nationalistic groups, uprisings, and agitations throughout the latter half of the first Millenium A.D., which, if you have only studied Irish history through a Republican/IRA perspective, you would never have thought possible. All in all a fantastic collection of essays by university-level minds of the history of the Irish. Perhaps most importantly, it is a history of the Irish by the Irish themselves; making it authentic, unbiased, unmatched and unsurpassed by anything written in the field before-or dare I say since.
August 6, 2025
Other than the two by J.H. Whyte, each of this book's 24 chapters is by a different historian. As the title reflects, they describe the "course of Irish history," from prehistory to 2001. The book is both concise and comprehensive, but as academic history it is too shallow and as narrative history it is not compelling. Note also that it addresses almost exclusively political history, with very little attention to cultural or social history.
I found E.R.R. Green's chapter on the Great Famine to be particularly thoughtful and well-written.
The book concludes with an excellent comprehensive bibliography and chronology, albeit now 20 years old.
I found E.R.R. Green's chapter on the Great Famine to be particularly thoughtful and well-written.
The book concludes with an excellent comprehensive bibliography and chronology, albeit now 20 years old.
July 13, 2008
Don't be deceived by the 2001 date listed here, this is actually an older volume of essays, reissued with a new cover. Find the old softcover, it will be cheaper. Not every essay is equally good or interesting, but overall this is an excellent intro to Irish history from the earliest record on.
January 24, 2025
For what it is, it is great. A balanced and high level overview of the political history of the island of Ireland.
As far as political histories go, Ireland could have claim to one of the most interesting and complex pasts. Personally, I prefer history with a little bit more color. My favorite part about learning about history is being able to imagine walking in the shoes of previous generations. The experience of reading this book was noticeably light on such moments. There were parts of this that read like a physicians desk reference. I fell asleep reading more than once.
My three star rating is mainly due to personal taste. It is not a critique on the failure or success on the objective of the editors.
As far as political histories go, Ireland could have claim to one of the most interesting and complex pasts. Personally, I prefer history with a little bit more color. My favorite part about learning about history is being able to imagine walking in the shoes of previous generations. The experience of reading this book was noticeably light on such moments. There were parts of this that read like a physicians desk reference. I fell asleep reading more than once.
My three star rating is mainly due to personal taste. It is not a critique on the failure or success on the objective of the editors.
June 25, 2023
A good overview of Irish history. This book translates very well from the original radio broadcasts and are packed with intriguing points of interest. As with a lot of general overview histories there is too much attention given to the modern period and simply not enough about early Irish history. The early chapters also felt quite short too. Definitely a must for a general overview of Irish history, especially if you're wanting a glance at modern history.
December 31, 2019
3.5. Finishing up some books I’ve slowly been reading...this one for more than a year!
September 30, 2025
I wasn’t bored reading this but it didn’t really do it for me. What it mainly did was awaken an interest in parts of Irish history that were glossed over that I don’t know a lot about. But I would have preferred some more depth. The 1916 uprising, the Anglo-Irish War and the Irish Civil War certainly justified more than the paragraph or two they each got.
Currently reading
July 26, 2011I have only read two chapters but so far so good. I really wanted a school type history book so I can remind myself of things I should remember from school.
February 17, 2023
A valuable resource for those looking to grasp the full picture of Irish history.
The book does well to maintain general flow despite being comprised of different authors for every chapter. This naturally provides challenges, as each have different writing styles, some much more digestible than others. Some confusion was caused by different naming conventions being applied to the same historical figures by different authors, i.e. Dermot/Diarmait. For the most part, the book contains engaging historians with compelling narratives.
I felt that the book balanced well the different periods of Irish history, especially with the naturally unbalanced source availability. That is, however, until the end of the book. Far too much attention, in my opinion, is given to the latter half of the 20th century, deviating from the flow of the preceding material, and moving to a strictly political/economic discourse. This is of course highly worthy of discussion, but would be more suited to its own book based on the material and the writing style. This does not include the conflicts between Catholic and Protestant extremists, which I felt was very well summarized and handled; rather, too much time was spent on minute details of related governmental and legislative happenings.
The final chapter (covering 1994-2001) was particularly poor, and was heavily influenced by the author’s bias applied to social and political movements happening at the time, which was disappointing given how well-balanced the approach of previous chapters were towards much more difficult and controversial material.
All in all, I’m very glad to have read it (less so the last quarter of the book) - I was looking to gain a grasp of how Ireland came to be, and feel that I have it.
The book does well to maintain general flow despite being comprised of different authors for every chapter. This naturally provides challenges, as each have different writing styles, some much more digestible than others. Some confusion was caused by different naming conventions being applied to the same historical figures by different authors, i.e. Dermot/Diarmait. For the most part, the book contains engaging historians with compelling narratives.
I felt that the book balanced well the different periods of Irish history, especially with the naturally unbalanced source availability. That is, however, until the end of the book. Far too much attention, in my opinion, is given to the latter half of the 20th century, deviating from the flow of the preceding material, and moving to a strictly political/economic discourse. This is of course highly worthy of discussion, but would be more suited to its own book based on the material and the writing style. This does not include the conflicts between Catholic and Protestant extremists, which I felt was very well summarized and handled; rather, too much time was spent on minute details of related governmental and legislative happenings.
The final chapter (covering 1994-2001) was particularly poor, and was heavily influenced by the author’s bias applied to social and political movements happening at the time, which was disappointing given how well-balanced the approach of previous chapters were towards much more difficult and controversial material.
All in all, I’m very glad to have read it (less so the last quarter of the book) - I was looking to gain a grasp of how Ireland came to be, and feel that I have it.
July 3, 2025
The Course of Irish History is a well-written overview of the broad swathe of Ireland's history, from the prehistoric era to the present. Relative to its purpose, it is a great work. However, I'm rating it a bit lower because on the one hand, a book of this format must by design ignore many interesting details about each time period (each chapter covers anywhere from a couple decades to a couple centuries). On the other hand, what I found challenging is that the book is written for an Irish audience, and so a lot of the concepts and terminology took me quite a while to understand. If there are other surveys of Irish history written for a more international audience, I might suggest such a book. Finally, the last quarter of the book or so detailing recent decades focuses almost exclusively on political events, which felt like kind of a slog.
All things considered, though, a book like this is intended to give a broad overview and perhaps pique your interest in specific topics that you'd like to investigate further. The Course of Irish History certainly accomplishes that task. I'll be following it up with How the Irish Saved Civilation, and would also like to explore more detailed works about The Troubles.
All things considered, though, a book like this is intended to give a broad overview and perhaps pique your interest in specific topics that you'd like to investigate further. The Course of Irish History certainly accomplishes that task. I'll be following it up with How the Irish Saved Civilation, and would also like to explore more detailed works about The Troubles.
April 24, 2020
I bought this book more-or-less at random, searching for a general outline of Irish history after becoming frustrated with a more specific account of Irish politics in the early 20th century that seemed to take for granted that I already understood the larger context of events. For the most part this work met my needs. However, as one might well imagine with an anthology of essays, the sections are wildly inconsistent. Some make for fascinating reading, while others are little more than recitations of names and dates. Further, almost all the essays appear to have been written for an Irish audience, with often scant explanation of details unfamiliar to foreign readers (or at least this foreign reader). I was also surprised to find that I was far more interested in the ancient stuff than in the modern era that had prompted my interest in the book to begin with. Overall I now feel that I have a better grasp of the subject, but the experience did more to make me want more than it did to satisfy my curiosity on most matters historical concerning my ancestors’ homeland.
June 22, 2019
I read “The Course of Irish History” for a survey in anticipation of a trip to Ireland.
This book consists of a series of chronologically ordered essays covering topics in Irish history from ancient to modern times. Beginning with the geographer’s view it covers Prehistoric Ireland, Early Irish Society, the Beginnings and Golden Age of Early Christianity, the Age of the Viking Wars, The Middle Ages, the Anglo-Norman Invasion, The Tudor Conquest, Colonization of Ulster, Repeal of the Penal Laws, the Age of Daniel O’Connell, the Famine and the struggle for home-rule/independence and partition.
The essays are well written and arranged to flow from one to another. I feel that I gained an understanding of the long and complex history of Ireland that enabled me to understand what I saw on my trip and provides a basis for further reading.
This book consists of a series of chronologically ordered essays covering topics in Irish history from ancient to modern times. Beginning with the geographer’s view it covers Prehistoric Ireland, Early Irish Society, the Beginnings and Golden Age of Early Christianity, the Age of the Viking Wars, The Middle Ages, the Anglo-Norman Invasion, The Tudor Conquest, Colonization of Ulster, Repeal of the Penal Laws, the Age of Daniel O’Connell, the Famine and the struggle for home-rule/independence and partition.
The essays are well written and arranged to flow from one to another. I feel that I gained an understanding of the long and complex history of Ireland that enabled me to understand what I saw on my trip and provides a basis for further reading.
December 15, 2023
My edition of this book only goes as far as 1982 but luckily for me I can consult my parents for information on the gaps between 82 and 94, the year I was born.
This book is an excellent summation of 1000s of years of history, approaching the subject matter in the form of 22 short essays dividing up the history of various eras and then focussing down on their most significant/notable moments.
I like to think of myself as someone with a decent grasp of the history of Ireland North and South but I still learned allot from reading this book and now I feel I can speak about the entire history of my country in a general manner whilst also drawing up that historical knowledge to inform my contemporary perspective of events taking place all across my country.
An excellent read that I would recommend to anyone, Irish or otherwise(though try to find the most recent edition).
This book is an excellent summation of 1000s of years of history, approaching the subject matter in the form of 22 short essays dividing up the history of various eras and then focussing down on their most significant/notable moments.
I like to think of myself as someone with a decent grasp of the history of Ireland North and South but I still learned allot from reading this book and now I feel I can speak about the entire history of my country in a general manner whilst also drawing up that historical knowledge to inform my contemporary perspective of events taking place all across my country.
An excellent read that I would recommend to anyone, Irish or otherwise(though try to find the most recent edition).
April 5, 2020
If you choose to read this book to learn Irish history, then it is not the best choice!
History is taught in a relatively fast and concise pace, giving for granted some important sections or parts. This implies that if the reader is not already knowledgeable, won't get the chance to actually have a complete picture of Ireland from an historical point of view.
Moreover, I find the chapters unbalanced: 1/4 of the book deals with prehistorical Ireland, this preventing from having a good insight into English rule, Irish process for independence and the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
This is most probably due to the chapters being written by different authors; consequently it is impossible to find a unique thread along the pages.
History is taught in a relatively fast and concise pace, giving for granted some important sections or parts. This implies that if the reader is not already knowledgeable, won't get the chance to actually have a complete picture of Ireland from an historical point of view.
Moreover, I find the chapters unbalanced: 1/4 of the book deals with prehistorical Ireland, this preventing from having a good insight into English rule, Irish process for independence and the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
This is most probably due to the chapters being written by different authors; consequently it is impossible to find a unique thread along the pages.
April 11, 2020
What a fantastic collection depicting the whole of Irish History. This was the book my Professor choose for our Irish History course and it was a fantastic read. From Celtic mythology to the Troubles of Northern Ireland, this gives a fantastic overview of the history of the island all the way to 2010.
I do wish the authors placed a little more emphasis on the dealings on Northern Ireland as opposed to all the scandal which racked the Republic in the 21th century, I think that would’ve captivated me a little more. Otherwise, it was such a quality read. The chapters were short, yet detailed making a dense subject matter easy to digest. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in Irish society, history, and politics!
I do wish the authors placed a little more emphasis on the dealings on Northern Ireland as opposed to all the scandal which racked the Republic in the 21th century, I think that would’ve captivated me a little more. Otherwise, it was such a quality read. The chapters were short, yet detailed making a dense subject matter easy to digest. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in Irish society, history, and politics!
October 4, 2021
I dove into family genealogy recently and needed to figured out why my ancestors came from Scotland and had a several generation stopgap in Ireland before coming to America in the mid-1700s. I knew it had something to do with Presbyterians but I wanted facts. :)
I mostly read Chapter 11 about the Tudor Conquest (1534-1603) by G.A. Hayes-McCoy, Chapter 12 The Colonization of Ulster and the Rebellion of 1641 (1603-1660 by Aidan Clarke, and Chapter 13 The Restoration and the Jacobite War (1660-1691) by J.G. Simms.
Every chapter is written a different person so some were dry and others flowed quite well. This is an older edition (I found out that there are at least two newer ones), so I want to see what has changed in the new editions.
I mostly read Chapter 11 about the Tudor Conquest (1534-1603) by G.A. Hayes-McCoy, Chapter 12 The Colonization of Ulster and the Rebellion of 1641 (1603-1660 by Aidan Clarke, and Chapter 13 The Restoration and the Jacobite War (1660-1691) by J.G. Simms.
Every chapter is written a different person so some were dry and others flowed quite well. This is an older edition (I found out that there are at least two newer ones), so I want to see what has changed in the new editions.
January 29, 2022
So good I almost read the whole thing.
Rather interesting as a historic document itself, as the preface explains, having grown out of a1960s tv series, in the early days of Irish broadcasting, and with each chapter written by a different historian (as was each episode of the show). It's a bit tricky for the ignorant among us (hello) as it's written for the Irish and assumes some knowledge of geography and historical basics that I sometimes lacked -- but ok, there's Google. And now I know some basics -- when before I'd probably learned more about Irish history through English classes ("Easter, 1916" etc.) than history classes, though a little bit about Parnell and how the Irish question had undone Gladstone (the UK Prime Minister being the important thing as we learned it) had stuck.
Rather interesting as a historic document itself, as the preface explains, having grown out of a1960s tv series, in the early days of Irish broadcasting, and with each chapter written by a different historian (as was each episode of the show). It's a bit tricky for the ignorant among us (hello) as it's written for the Irish and assumes some knowledge of geography and historical basics that I sometimes lacked -- but ok, there's Google. And now I know some basics -- when before I'd probably learned more about Irish history through English classes ("Easter, 1916" etc.) than history classes, though a little bit about Parnell and how the Irish question had undone Gladstone (the UK Prime Minister being the important thing as we learned it) had stuck.
February 27, 2017
This book is a good start if you want a general overview of Irish history before delving deeper into specific topics. Any book that covers 2000ish years of history in about 400 pages is going to be simply an overview. The downside for a non Irish reader is that it is written for an Irish audience, so they take for granted that you know certain things and people (as another reviewer mentioned a glossary for the non Irish might be helpful in the next edition). The early history is a good basis but the modern era chapters were written in a very apolitical fashion and ends up being a rather dry listing of who held what role in government when without a lot of the relevant context.
November 18, 2024
I read the edition published in the 90s.
I'm very glad this book exists. It is really useful to have in order to paint a picture of irish history through the ages. As someone who is new to Irish history, some areas could have been expanded more but I presume it left out detail on some well known parts as it presumed readers would not need too much context around that e.g. 1916 rising
Some of the chapters were less easy to ready with long unwieldy sentences, and mixing unfamiliar (to me) names and places - so at times it was confusing. But other chapters were well written.
I'm very glad this book exists. It is really useful to have in order to paint a picture of irish history through the ages. As someone who is new to Irish history, some areas could have been expanded more but I presume it left out detail on some well known parts as it presumed readers would not need too much context around that e.g. 1916 rising
Some of the chapters were less easy to ready with long unwieldy sentences, and mixing unfamiliar (to me) names and places - so at times it was confusing. But other chapters were well written.
February 23, 2025
My grandparents lived here decades ago. They bounced around to different places over the years but this was the final home where my grandpa lived. I have very fond memories of the little dirt road with the bridge over the creek there. Baking pies with grandma with the cherry trees in the yard and cleaning fish with my uncle by the barn and tossing bits to the little cats who loved me. There is another creek nearby that I think is named for my grandma's family. This book is the only place I can find a photo of a house now long gone. I will always love this book.
June 23, 2017
A very good book if you want a broad view of Irish history, not so much if you want details on events. It's written like a textbook, very formal and devoid of opinion. I was especially upset on how it glossed over huge events in modern Irish history like the Potato famine, the Easter Rebellion, and the eventual Treaty that gave Ireland independence. I would recommend reading a Modern History that goes from 1500 onwards and gives more detail on big events
September 30, 2018
(Review is for 1995 edition.) Very good overview of all of Irish history, with each chapter written by an expert in that era. However, it loses a star for what it chooses to omit. While a single volume covering all of history will obviously have to edit out a lot, it was still a bizarre choice to reduce the 1916 Rising, War of Independence, and Civil War to a paragraph each. They're well covered in other books, but I bought *this* book.
February 13, 2019
A good overview of Irish history, though it was written for an Irish audience so as the book gets more recent, they take it for granted that you know a lot of terms. I'm a complete newbie to Irish history, recent and otherwise, so I did not know what somethings were a reference too that I'm guessing the average Irish person would and that made some of the reading difficult to understand.
Apart from that, a good place to start.
Apart from that, a good place to start.
May 16, 2023
For an overview of Irish history up through the mid-20th century this book is pretty good. However, I did not like the writing format, different essays for each period. Because of this it did not flow like a narrative history. I knew the book was written that way going in so that is not a criticism of the editors, since I bought it anyway. The last couple of chapters/essays are where it turned disappointing as it just became a social justice warrior screed.
June 10, 2025
3.5 stars. Interesting history of Ireland from pre-history thru to modern times (2001). Chapter are written by different authors - this is both a positive and a negative. On the plus side, each chapter is written by an “expert” of that point in history. The negative is that the tone and level of detail change with each chapter.
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