A Short History of Ireland

Ireland is often in the news; since the IRA ceasefire in the autumn of 1994, whe has become the focus of worldwide attention. Only now can one sense an international recognition of the complexity of Irish problems and the beginnings of understanding. The answer to Ireland's difficulties lies in the future, but that future cannot be understood without reference to the past when the seeds of trouble were sown. This concise account gives the history of Ireland since the earliest times. The heroes and villains are there, the former perhaps not so heroic, the others less evil than tradition has painted them. Based upon up-to-date research, the book covers everything: fights and famines, country and town, Protestants and Catholics, Rome Rule and Home Rule, Church and state, and brings the account right up to the autumn of 1995 and the end of the first year of peace in Northern Ireland. Sean McMahon is the author of "The Best from the Bell", "A Book of Irish Quotations", "Rich and Rare" and "The Homes of Donegal".