Short History Of Ireland, A 2nd Ed.

Description:
This is an updated edition (to 1998) of John O'Beirne Ranelagh's standard introductory account of the history of Ireland, reissued in a revised and extended second edition in 1995. While worldwide interest in Ireland has increased greatly in recent years, attention has focused on violence. with the result that discussion has been dominated by the troubles in Northern Ireland. This book covers the full sweep of Irish history from the earliest times up to President Clinton's second visit to Ireland in 1998, in the wake of the Omagh bomb and the surrounding peace initiatives. Throughout, the author's aim is to cast light on the people and the events which have contributed to present-day Irish society, in both North and South.

Review:
'A book which compresses the Irish story from pre-history to post-Sunningdale with notable dexterity and justice of scale, [the author] attains a remarkably dispassionate detachment of tone.' The Times Higher Education Supplement '... clear and objective - and free from recrimination. His final reflection on Irish history is that whatever may happen in the North, the fortunes of Ireland and Britain will remain necessarily interdependent ... A useful contribution to Irish history - both readable and reliable.' Albion

Table of Contents:
Preface to the updated edition (1998); Preface to the second edition (1994); Preface (1983); 1. Prehistory and legends; 2. Invaders; 3. From the Tudors to Cromwell; 4. Penal times; 5. Union and emancipation; 6. Famine and Fenians; 7. Home rule?; 8. Dissent; 9. The fight for freedom; 10. Southern Ireland; 11. Northern Ireland; 12. Peace?