Product Description

New York Times best-selling author Malachy McCourt offers an authoritative and engrossing one-volume chronicle of Ireland from pre-Christian times to the present, told with Irish flair by the gifted storyteller. The pages are populated with figures from myth, history, and the present, from Saint Patrick to Oliver Cromwell, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Charles Parnell, to Sinead O'Connor and Bono. Some beloved, some controversial--each influenced the course of Irish and world history. While McCourt vividly describes Ireland's turbulent history, he also offers a cultural survey with fresh insights to the folklore, literature, art, music, and cuisine of Ireland, producing an irresistible tour through the Emerald Isle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #280498 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780762431816
• BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Reviews

Engagingly Irish...a warm overview of the Emerald Isle
To tell the history of Ireland, one needs to not only capture the truth of Ireland, but also the spirit of Ireland. What a tragedy it would be to tell Irish history in a boring or dry fashion. Fortunately for readers, McCourt not only captures fascinating historical details, but he is able to convey the story in an entertaining and rollicking fashion...as befitting the subject matter. The cast of characters here is huge and varied, ranging from St. Patrick to Yeats to Bono, and the book feels a bit like a friendly night at the pub with a nice fire, some songs, and a pint or two. McCourt takes an epic history, filled with triumph and tragedy, and brings it down to a personal level. This is a must-read for all who are Irish and all who are Irish at heart.

not what i was looking for
as one with virtually no knowledge of irish history, i bought this book with hopes of learning more about the interesting past of ireland, and especially about the complicated politics of 20th century ireland. this book was not one that fulfilled those hopes.

i'm not sure who mccourt's audience is - if you know a lot about ireland and its past, it seems like this book would offer you nothing new save prhaps a few interesting anecdotes. if, like me, you are looking for a starting point into irish history, i don't think this is a great book for you either. mccourt expects his readers to have a basic understanding of many events and political factions that are relevant to the past hundred years of ireland - if you don't have this knowledge, you may find yourself feeling you're missing large parts of the big picture.

mccourt's history is focused on important irish individuals, which helps his story-telling style by giving him the chance to bring these people to life with his descriptive tales. but it hurts the book as a history, because he ends up bringing up events from a person's life before he gets to explaining them as part of another person's life. this was somewhat confusing.

this isn't a terrible book - it paints interesting pictures of various figures from irish history. but if you want to gain an understanding of the whole of irish history, and especially if you're hoping to understand the forces at play in ireland's 20th century struggles for independence and unity, this is definitely not the book to read.

The little island to the west of England has brought more to the world than the world knows.
The little island to the west of England has brought more to the world than the world knows. Malachy McCourt's "History of Ireland" covers the nation's complete history, touching on subjects in its history as diverse as Viking invasions to Ireland's contributions to the fine arts. Nothing is left out- real history and mythology alike are covered in full. "History of Ireland" is comprehensive, well written and composed by best-selling author Malachy McCourt. It's a top pick for community library history collections, and for anyone who wants to learn more about this oft-forgotten major piece of world history.