The Making of Ireland: From Ancient Times to the Present

Description

This volume provides an accessible history of Ireland from the earliest times. The author, James Lydon recounts the waves of settlers, missionaries and invaders who have come to Ireland since pre-history and offers a long perspective on Irish history right up to the late 20th century. This survey includes discussion of the arrival of St. Patrick in the 5th century and Henry II in the 12th, as well as that of numerous soldiers, traders and craftsmen through the ages. The author explores how these settlers have shaped the political and cultural climate of Ireland today. He charts the changing racial mix of Ireland through the ages which shaped the Irish nation. The author also follows Ireland's long and troubled entanglement with England from its beginning many centuries ago. Through a predominantly political narrative, James Lydon provides an introduction to this complex history.

..."for material up to 1603 it is a fine piece of writing, and for the period from roughly 1200 to 1600 it is splendid, a distillation of a lifetime's work in one of the most difficult periods of Irish history."-"The Globe and Mail, Oct 17, 1998 "Mr Lydon has written a comprehensive history of Ireland from ancient times to the present...a joy to read."-Gordon Beadle, SUNY, Cortland "The author has produced a first rate general survey of Irish history which should take its place among the best works of its kind. Lydon offers us a new standard for a single volume history of Ireland in a book which is graceful, suggestive, and distinctive. I recommend it highly and think it will have particular appeal as a text in American classics of Irish studies."-Sean Farrell Moran, Oakland University, Michigan