The Concise History of Ireland

by Seán Duffy

This attractive one-volume survey tells the story of Ireland from earliest times to the present. The text is complemented by 200 illustrations, including maps, photographs and diagrams. Sean Duffy, the general editor of the bestselling Atlas of Irish History, has written a text of exceptional clarity. Duffy stresses the enduring themes of his story: the long cultural continuity; the central importance of Ireland's relationships with Britain and mainland Europe; and the intractability of the ethnic and national divisions in modern Ulster. As a specialist in medieval Irish history, he gives the earlier period its due treatment - unlike most such surveys - thus introducing these recurring themes at an early stage.

Genres: History, Irish Literature

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2000

Reviews

[Adam Marischuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book to read while driving the Wild Atlantic Way because it appeared a) light (it says concise right in the title) b) scholarly (Professor Duffy, Medieval History, Trinity College Dublin) c) contained plenty of maps, graphs and images (to help someone with only a passing knowledge of Irish, particularly ancient Irish, geography).

The inside cover states: "A specialist in medieval Irish history, he gives the earlier period its due treatment" Truer words were never spoken. It takes fifty pages to get to the Vikings and a hundred to get to English plantations. Unfortunately, too much ink is spilt on the etymology of names and regions. The Irish monks/missionaries are quickly passed over and the discussion of the Viking arrivals is limited to the founding of a few towns.

Irish history should be exceedingly entertaining reading. However, this book has large sections drier than a mormon funeral. Honestly, the six pages dedicated to the chronology of events at the end of the book were more stimulating than large sections. Professor Duffy attempts balance and scholarship but unfortunately is too successful and drains much of the colour from the history.

The book is also written in 2000 and not updated so it finishes with the Good Friday Accord, making the book rather dated. 2 stars for the writing, +1 for the excellent maps, graphs and images.

[Shane Kiely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really achieves what it sets out to & provides a general but still extremely informative history of the island of Ireland from the arrival of the first humans (about 10,000 years ago) to just after the Good Friday Agreement (1998). Obviously it’s lacking post 2000 information but this is obviously justifiable for something published in 2005. For something that encompasses such a span of time, there’s a good level of detail provided for each period. I’d recommend it for any outsider looking for a good understanding of where the country came from and for anyone who’s already somewhat familiar but might discover things they hadn’t known previously.

[David Collins]

Valuable reference for the lay-person.

[Laurence · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is intended for secondary school education, so I only skimmed it to fill in dlsome broad strokes of Irish history was missing. I'm not the intended audience.

[c_r_i_ss_y · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5 stars

Good, easy introduction to Irish history.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overreaching effort to capture the entirety of Irish history. Plenty of useful maps. A very good overview of thousands of years worth of history.

[PhattandyPDX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, informative, interesting and lots of great illustrations.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sean Duffy, an Irish historian, is true to the word in his title, a "concise" history of Ireland. The book is an over sized one, 240 pages of text and illustrations which summarizes Ireland's history from pre-historic times to 2000, at the end of the 90's when Ireland's economy was booming and it was known as the "Celtic Tiger".
But prosperity was the rare exception for this island country throughout most of its history, at least for most of its inhabitants. It's always been a case of the "have-nots" trying to take land, Ireland's main resource from its beginnings, from the "haves".
The Viking raiders began the plundering of the island at the end of the 8th century. Gradually, some of them became integrated into the Irish population, but these "haves" were over a period of centuries embroiled in battles, usually losing ones, with more "raiders", in later times associated with the British kings who doled out grants of Irish lands to their favorites, or launched military campaigns (Oliver Cromwell's was the most famous)to seize land.
Over centuries it was always a question of whether the "haves" were going to fight for power or whether they would try to accommodate themselves to the new "invaders" (who ironically didn't see themselves as that - Ireland was considedred a part of Britain).
Bloody insurrections marked the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century as the battle shifted from gaining more legislative power within the British electoral system to an outright declaration of Ireland independence. The tragedy of Ireland in the 20th century was the result of the separation of the six counties of northern Ireland from the rest of the country, and the allegiance of its mostly Protestant inhabitants to Britain. What was ignored were the rights of a large Catholic minority (Catholicism, oddly, became hopelessly politicized and was a mark of Irish identity). This time bomb of, again, "have-nots" exploded din the l960's and killed thousands before a tentative power-sharing agreement was reached at the end of the 90's.
Ireland's future? Who knows? At some point, I'd guess that there will be a reunification. Economically, it has benefited enormously from being a part of the European Uion and from its tax incentives which have lured foreign corporations into the country. But these may be temporary fixes for what has always been a small agricultural-based, usually poor, country.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a colorful, textbook-like history of Ireland to help me understand the country pending a move abroad, and this one fit the bill perfectly. The Concise History of Ireland does what it says on the tin, with plenty of maps, charts, and images to help you picture important events. It really is concise, so I sometimes wished for more information (or any at all) on certain key historical events and figures, and a few of the charts seemed more showy than helpful, but on the whole, this is a great resource for dipping your toes in Ireland's complex history. Extra points to Duffy for staying (well, as seemed to me anyway) fairly neutral on touchy subjects like England's involvement in Ireland and the influence of the Catholic Church on Ireland.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a good idea of what Ireland has gone through in its history. Interesting reading that made me understand that Irish history did not happen in the last 100 years only, but in about two thousand years. Plus of course some history that was there before Irish language speaking people.