The Oxford History of Ireland

by Foster, R. F.

• ISBN13: 9780192852717
• ISBN10: 019285271X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1992-08-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Few countries can boast as compelling and stirring a history as Ireland. This volume captures all the varied legacies of the Emerald Isle, from the earliest prehistoric communities and the first Christian settlements, through the centuries of turbulent change and creativity, right up to the present day. Written by a team of scholars--all of whom are native to Ireland--this book offers the most authoritative account of Irish history yet published for the general reader. Now available in a smaller, more convenient format, the widely praised and astonishingly in-depth Oxford History of Ireland offers readers the definitive companion to Irish lore, and one that will easily fit in an Aer Lingus traveling bag. Emphasizing the paradoxes and ambiguities of Irish history, this book presents a more realistic picture than other histories. It explores, for example, the reasons behind the intense regional variations in agriculture, prosperity, and political affiliation in so small a land, and shows why Victorian norms prevail in certain areas of twentieth-century life. It also examines more familiar themes--such as the recurrent religious strife and the shaping of new political entities--and offers a special section on the interaction between Irish history and its rich literary tradition. Wide-ranging and highly readable, this vivid view of Ireland will entertain and inform anyone interested in this fascinating and colorful island nation.

Author Biography

About the Editor:
R.F. Foster is Reader in History at Birbeck College, University of London. He is the author of a number of books, including Lord Randolph Churchill: A Political Life, and the forthcoming authorized biography of W.B. Yeats.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	xi
Prehistoric and Early Christian Ireland	1	(43)
Donnchadh o Corrain
The Norman Invasion and the Gaelic Recovery	44	(44)
Katharine Simms
Early Modern Ireland, c. 1500-1700	88	(46)
Nicholas Canny
Ascendancy and Union	134	(40)
R. F. Foster
Ireland Since 1870	174	(56)
David Fitzpatrick
Irish Literature and Irish History	230	(52)
Declan Kiberd
Further Reading	282	(21)
Chronology	303	(22)
Index	325