A Short History of Ireland

This is an updated edition 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 world-wide 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 Irish society, in both North and South.

• An even-handed, accessible history of Ireland from earliest times to the present
• New edition incorporates the latest historical and genetic research as well as recent political and economic developments
• Deals with Ireland as an entity politically and culturally, placing people and issues of significance in context and relating them to the wider world