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Ireland: A History
Revised and updated, Robert Kee's book is an introduction to the fascinating history that has made modern Ireland, and a thought-provoking examination of how past facts have bred present myths.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
12 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kee
57 books12 followersRobert Kee, CBE was a broadcaster, journalist and writer, known for his historical works on World War II and Ireland.
He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham, and read history at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a pupil, then a friend, of the historian A.J.P. Taylor.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force as a bomber pilot. His Hampden was shot down by flak one night while on a mine-laying operation off the coast of German-occupied Holland. He was imprisoned and spent three years in a German POW camp. This gave him material for his first book A Crowd Is Not Company. It was first published as a novel in 1947 but was later revealed to be an autobiography. It recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war and his various escapes from the Nazi camp. The Times describes it as "arguably the best POW book ever written."
His career in journalism began immediately after the Second World War. He worked for the Picture Post, then later became a special correspondent for The Sunday Times and The Observer. He was also literary editor of The Spectator.
In 1958 he moved to television. He appeared for many years on both the BBC and ITV as reporter, interviewer and presenter. He presented many current affairs programmes including Panorama, ITN's First Report and Channel 4's Seven Days. He was awarded the BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award in 1976.
Kee wrote and presented the documentary series Ireland – A Television History in 1980. The work was widely shown in the United Kingdom and the United States and received great critical acclaim, winning the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Following its transmission on RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, Kee won a Jacob's Award for his script and presentation.
He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham, and read history at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a pupil, then a friend, of the historian A.J.P. Taylor.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force as a bomber pilot. His Hampden was shot down by flak one night while on a mine-laying operation off the coast of German-occupied Holland. He was imprisoned and spent three years in a German POW camp. This gave him material for his first book A Crowd Is Not Company. It was first published as a novel in 1947 but was later revealed to be an autobiography. It recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war and his various escapes from the Nazi camp. The Times describes it as "arguably the best POW book ever written."
His career in journalism began immediately after the Second World War. He worked for the Picture Post, then later became a special correspondent for The Sunday Times and The Observer. He was also literary editor of The Spectator.
In 1958 he moved to television. He appeared for many years on both the BBC and ITV as reporter, interviewer and presenter. He presented many current affairs programmes including Panorama, ITN's First Report and Channel 4's Seven Days. He was awarded the BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award in 1976.
Kee wrote and presented the documentary series Ireland – A Television History in 1980. The work was widely shown in the United Kingdom and the United States and received great critical acclaim, winning the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Following its transmission on RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, Kee won a Jacob's Award for his script and presentation.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 6, 2012
i am an avid reader of history particularly Irish history and this book is one of the most balanced I have ever read bby a 'Brit'
November 17, 2018
This is a superb history of Ireland. My college major was history and I do not remember a comprehensive history book that was as clear and concise as this.
Ireland's history is very complex and Kee presents the facts as clearly as possible. He does not pull any punches or favor any one faction over another. He includes all the trauma of being subservient to England and the potato famine and traces the effects of these events. He presents the unusual birth of rebellion by naive intellectuals and how their rebellion eventually took hold. He explains how the Catholic church was able to gain control of the population and the deeply divisive effects of religion in this beautiful country.
Pictures are a tremendous help in bringing this history to life and there are many of them.
If you are interested in Irish history, please read this. You will gain an understanding and will enjoy the experience.
Ireland's history is very complex and Kee presents the facts as clearly as possible. He does not pull any punches or favor any one faction over another. He includes all the trauma of being subservient to England and the potato famine and traces the effects of these events. He presents the unusual birth of rebellion by naive intellectuals and how their rebellion eventually took hold. He explains how the Catholic church was able to gain control of the population and the deeply divisive effects of religion in this beautiful country.
Pictures are a tremendous help in bringing this history to life and there are many of them.
If you are interested in Irish history, please read this. You will gain an understanding and will enjoy the experience.
September 6, 2018
Not quite as good as the TV version, I think, because in the book we discover that Kee is just a little too close to his material, and therefore inclined toward an unavoidable bias which, in an academic, is a fatal flaw. That said, it's a tremendously readable work, making accessible an abyss of history you'd spend years tracking down if you tried to follow the threads of history yourself ... not hat you couldn't, but why do it the hard way when Robert Kee has done the hard work.
He writes well, and clearly, and the book is excellently illustrated. The depth of his research is astounding, and the detail into which he delves can actually sometimes be disconcerting. Warning to gentler souls: some of the material may shock and sicken, and you might not be able to get a couple of nastier bits out of your mind for several weeks. Not saying you shouldn't read this book and know the truth of what went on, but be aware. Not everyone has a strong stomach!
He writes well, and clearly, and the book is excellently illustrated. The depth of his research is astounding, and the detail into which he delves can actually sometimes be disconcerting. Warning to gentler souls: some of the material may shock and sicken, and you might not be able to get a couple of nastier bits out of your mind for several weeks. Not saying you shouldn't read this book and know the truth of what went on, but be aware. Not everyone has a strong stomach!
December 9, 2023
It was strange reading this book which ended in the midst of the troubles to see what was intractable issues being resolved and changes in Ireland and Northern Ireland beyond the sight if this intriguing book
September 1, 2023
sometimes bit convoluted but very informative
tiocfaidh ár lá 🇮🇪
tiocfaidh ár lá 🇮🇪
June 22, 2024
Fair-minded look at Irish history from the first occupants to the 1980s. I read in the late 1980s, and with a daughter in Ireland today picked it up again. Some notable points:
- History of Ireland and Britain differed by the lack of Roman presence into Ireland at all, and the continuation during that period of the various Gael tribes
- The arrival of the Normans, from Wales at first, and the alliance of the Normans with some local Irish tribes (vs. other tribes), eventually led to British crown interest as the Normans were Brit subjects.
- In the north, the Scots started to come over, mostly consisting of Presbyterians, who were being persecuted in Scotland/England - later forces of English Catholic kings were defeated by William of Orange
- As the English supported Protestant rule in Ireland, eventually the people came to view the (outlawed to some degree) Catholic Church as their only representative
- The first effective movement for Irish autonomy was in the 18th century, and actually came from the wealthy Protestants who were ruling the country - they were spurred on by the movement of the colonists in America
- In 1796 this movement led to Wolfe Tone (a Protestant) and others seeking a United Ireland, and trying to coordinate for French help to deliver it (storms limited the landing of the ships) - (note that when the movement next gained steam in the late 1800 it was led by a Protestant landlord, Charles Stewart Parnell - who had an American mother)
- Kee holds Michael Collins out as a the only really effective revolutionary leader - able to organize a national movement, get arms to the right people etc. Collins was willing to take what Ireland could get from the British (including Home Rule but still pledging allegiance to the King), whereas de Valera and others were not (de Valera was elected to the Irish Parliament, but would not take the oath to the King so could not sit in Parliament - he finally signed the book listing those who took the oath, though he didn't physically take the oath). Collins was also willing to sign the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 2021 even though it left the fate of the 6 northern counties ambiguous.
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- History of Ireland and Britain differed by the lack of Roman presence into Ireland at all, and the continuation during that period of the various Gael tribes
- The arrival of the Normans, from Wales at first, and the alliance of the Normans with some local Irish tribes (vs. other tribes), eventually led to British crown interest as the Normans were Brit subjects.
- In the north, the Scots started to come over, mostly consisting of Presbyterians, who were being persecuted in Scotland/England - later forces of English Catholic kings were defeated by William of Orange
- As the English supported Protestant rule in Ireland, eventually the people came to view the (outlawed to some degree) Catholic Church as their only representative
- The first effective movement for Irish autonomy was in the 18th century, and actually came from the wealthy Protestants who were ruling the country - they were spurred on by the movement of the colonists in America
- In 1796 this movement led to Wolfe Tone (a Protestant) and others seeking a United Ireland, and trying to coordinate for French help to deliver it (storms limited the landing of the ships) - (note that when the movement next gained steam in the late 1800 it was led by a Protestant landlord, Charles Stewart Parnell - who had an American mother)
- Kee holds Michael Collins out as a the only really effective revolutionary leader - able to organize a national movement, get arms to the right people etc. Collins was willing to take what Ireland could get from the British (including Home Rule but still pledging allegiance to the King), whereas de Valera and others were not (de Valera was elected to the Irish Parliament, but would not take the oath to the King so could not sit in Parliament - he finally signed the book listing those who took the oath, though he didn't physically take the oath). Collins was also willing to sign the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 2021 even though it left the fate of the 6 northern counties ambiguous.
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April 21, 2019
A rather brilliant journey through the tormented history of Ireland , the Irish , religion and the British
As has been said elsewhere in reviews Robert Kee seems to strike a very neutral tone in his assessment of the Irish story. What he brings out very well is the multi faceted nature of the issues over time - there is a great deal of madness in the tale as well as great suffering . Amongst many appalling stories the mismanagement of Trevelayan in his response to the Famine of 1846-9 strikes me as the most egregious. Hell bent on political economy his lack of generosity ensured that as many as a million died and more emigrated to the USA during this terrible period .
Having read Churchill’s war memoirs I was furious that the Irish refused to allow us to use their ports during WW2 ; but on reading this Irish history De Valeras actions in maintaining strict neutrality are entirely understandable getting great approval at home , and mine also as I sat reading of this period .
One thing I didn’t understand was why , after WW1 . The home rule act didn’t automatically come into force and there was a number of bitter years and many deaths before Michale Collins obtained the Irish Treaty creating the Irish Free state in 1921. Again I had no idea that this led to a bloody civil war with many more deaths .
A thoroughly recommended insight into Ireland and the Irish and amazing that today apparently many Irish love the Brits !!!
As has been said elsewhere in reviews Robert Kee seems to strike a very neutral tone in his assessment of the Irish story. What he brings out very well is the multi faceted nature of the issues over time - there is a great deal of madness in the tale as well as great suffering . Amongst many appalling stories the mismanagement of Trevelayan in his response to the Famine of 1846-9 strikes me as the most egregious. Hell bent on political economy his lack of generosity ensured that as many as a million died and more emigrated to the USA during this terrible period .
Having read Churchill’s war memoirs I was furious that the Irish refused to allow us to use their ports during WW2 ; but on reading this Irish history De Valeras actions in maintaining strict neutrality are entirely understandable getting great approval at home , and mine also as I sat reading of this period .
One thing I didn’t understand was why , after WW1 . The home rule act didn’t automatically come into force and there was a number of bitter years and many deaths before Michale Collins obtained the Irish Treaty creating the Irish Free state in 1921. Again I had no idea that this led to a bloody civil war with many more deaths .
A thoroughly recommended insight into Ireland and the Irish and amazing that today apparently many Irish love the Brits !!!
January 6, 2024
I first read this at school in the early 80s, when I was studying A level history.
Didn't see the TV series, probably because I lived in the Netherlands at the time and we didn't have a television.
This is probably the first history book that I found engaging, and kept me turning the pages.
I enjoyed it so much that it was the obvious choice for the prize I was awarded in the summer of '83. It's sat on my bookshelves since them. It took me 40 years to read it a second time.
Still a great book. This time I was particularly interested in the history up to and including Georgian Ireland. Had to keep going through to Charles Stewart Parnell, because he really caught my imagination in the 80s.
Didn't see the TV series, probably because I lived in the Netherlands at the time and we didn't have a television.
This is probably the first history book that I found engaging, and kept me turning the pages.
I enjoyed it so much that it was the obvious choice for the prize I was awarded in the summer of '83. It's sat on my bookshelves since them. It took me 40 years to read it a second time.
Still a great book. This time I was particularly interested in the history up to and including Georgian Ireland. Had to keep going through to Charles Stewart Parnell, because he really caught my imagination in the 80s.
March 8, 2025
This a concise, balanced history of Ireland. This book would serve as a good starting point for someone interested in Irish history, or simply a good book for someone who wants a refresher. I appreciate the fair and balanced approach the author took to this book.
June 5, 2021
Only read about 40 %, but learned what I needed to know.
August 29, 2021
Concise and relatively balanced. Nice one
March 3, 2017
It's on my re-read lead. Comprehensive, the edition I have is chock full of drawings and photographs. Quite readable.
September 26, 2016
“Ireland: A History” is an informative, readable narrative of the political history that led Ireland to the turmoil it was experiencing at the time of the writing in 1980. From the landing of Strongbow and his Norman colleagues, who began English involvement in Irish affairs, it follows through William III and James II, who are still heroes to the Protestant and Catholic communities in Ulster, Nineteenth Century political activists Daniel O’Connell and Charles Stewart Parnell to Michael Collins, Padrig Pearce and Eamon de Valera who made Ireland A Nation Once Again as well as the line of their British antagonists.
But did the heroes of 1916 really make a nation once again? Author Robert Kee explores the nature of Irish nationhood through the centuries. He examines the shifting relationships among Protestant gentry, who considered themselves to be truly Irish, the identification Irish nationality acquired with Catholicism and the question of who represented the true Ireland in 1916, the rebels in GPO or the regiments along the Western Front?
This book is a balanced view of an entrancing history, at least for those of us interested in the Irish lore. It introduces the reader to an Ireland that may not have been a nation before the Twentieth Century and an island that may have shared more with England than its sons, particularly those removed from its daily reality by an ocean, would care to admit. If forces us to face the fact that the Ireland of 1916 was not a simmering cauldron of insurrection awaiting a spark but a land whose sons had answered the call of the Great War and leaves us marveling at the shift in public opinion during the years following the Easter Uprising that imposed the halo of glory on the failed insurrectionists. British officials are called to account for their exercise of responsibilities, particularly the response to the Great Hunger of the 1840s, the extent of which Kee shows to have been exacerbated by the policies of Lord John Russell, Sir Charles Trevelyan and others whose names many will recognize only from songs. The prose holds the readers’ interest and is supplemented by many pictures.
This book is well written primer of Irish political history to 1980. I enjoyed reading it, learned a lot and developed an appetite for more Irish history.
But did the heroes of 1916 really make a nation once again? Author Robert Kee explores the nature of Irish nationhood through the centuries. He examines the shifting relationships among Protestant gentry, who considered themselves to be truly Irish, the identification Irish nationality acquired with Catholicism and the question of who represented the true Ireland in 1916, the rebels in GPO or the regiments along the Western Front?
This book is a balanced view of an entrancing history, at least for those of us interested in the Irish lore. It introduces the reader to an Ireland that may not have been a nation before the Twentieth Century and an island that may have shared more with England than its sons, particularly those removed from its daily reality by an ocean, would care to admit. If forces us to face the fact that the Ireland of 1916 was not a simmering cauldron of insurrection awaiting a spark but a land whose sons had answered the call of the Great War and leaves us marveling at the shift in public opinion during the years following the Easter Uprising that imposed the halo of glory on the failed insurrectionists. British officials are called to account for their exercise of responsibilities, particularly the response to the Great Hunger of the 1840s, the extent of which Kee shows to have been exacerbated by the policies of Lord John Russell, Sir Charles Trevelyan and others whose names many will recognize only from songs. The prose holds the readers’ interest and is supplemented by many pictures.
This book is well written primer of Irish political history to 1980. I enjoyed reading it, learned a lot and developed an appetite for more Irish history.
January 31, 2011
Questo libro è la trasposizione su carta di una serie di trasmissioni televisive della BBC. Di positivo c'è che ha mantenuto la semplicità e le caratteristiche di chiarezza proprie di un documentario televisivo e per questo si è meritato il mio giudizio. Il giornalista che ha curato l'opera ha seguito l'ordine cronologico degli avvenimenti e questo mi ha consentito finalmente di avere un quadro della situazione attuale dell'Irlanda e del percorso che ha portato fino ai giorni nostri. Il mio consiglio a coloro i quali volessero approfondire questo argomento e farsi una buona idea della questione irlandese, è quello di vedere un paio di film: "Michael Collins" e "Il vento che accarezza l'erba" e poi leggere prima "Una stella di nome Henry" di Roddy Doyle e per ultimo proprio questo libro di Robert Kee che permette di collegare tutto quanto visto e letto prima.
July 4, 2012
A clear case of history being written by the (mostly) victorious side. The author is defensive and far from even-handed in his treatment of this complex subject. Nationalism
and racist remarks color the narrative, which at its base is yet informative, as are the historical images and documents that illustrate the text.
and racist remarks color the narrative, which at its base is yet informative, as are the historical images and documents that illustrate the text.
May 31, 2015
I'm in no position to say whether this is a balanced account or not. However, within the limitations of a 300 page book, it seems to be an earnest effort. I found it exceptionally informative.
Of course, by taking us only as far as the early 1990s, it omits a chapter of politics and a modicum of history.
Of course, by taking us only as far as the early 1990s, it omits a chapter of politics and a modicum of history.
May 13, 2021
An excellent overview of the island's history. I have just finished reading this book for the second time. Robert Kee writes well and, together with the excellent photographs, it's easy to visualise the times he describes. Highly recommended.
April 10, 2016
Required reading for an in-pat...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews