A History of Ireland

Rating:
Summary: A names and dates history
Review: This is a useful addition to a bookshelf as well as a quick read over the complex history of Ireland. If you want to quickly place the "Wild Geese" or Wolf Tone or Cromwell in a historical context it will prove an invaluable tool. Furthermore, the prose is readable and not bogged down with a mass of professional notes. I think that's the key, information is presented in the style and detail of the professional historian but without all the scholarly apparatus. The scholar ,seeking proper reference or in depth character and motivation, must look elsewhere. Be advised that there is weighting toward the nineteenth and twentieth century. There is some discussion of the famine and emigration, but only as part of the historical progression. For that and diaspora study The Great Shame is a better bet. Would I buy this book again? Yes. Why? it is a valuable reference tool. Does it captivate me as some histories do? No. Best advice I can give: decide why you might want it.

Rating:
Summary: short, to the point...a great introduction
Review: This is a wonderful introduction to Irish history. Don't expect lots of details on any particular subject as this is a fairly short book considering the scope of the topic (only about 250 pages). The author states in the preface that the goal is to introduce newcomers to Irish history, and in that it does a wonderful job. The focus is primarily on political history and stretches from prehistoric Ireland to the present day. There's a "Further Reading" section at the end of the book recommending a broad range of other books for those wanting more detail on specific aspects of Irish history.

Rating:
Summary: short, to the point...a great introduction
Review: This is a wonderful introduction to Irish history. Don't expect lots of details on any particular subject as this is a fairly short book considering the scope of the topic (only about 250 pages). The author states in the preface that the goal is to introduce newcomers to Irish history, and in that it does a wonderful job. The focus is primarily on political history and stretches from prehistoric Ireland to the present day. There's a "Further Reading" section at the end of the book recommending a broad range of other books for those wanting more detail on specific aspects of Irish history.