Book description
Explores the formation of the Irish racial mind through important political and cultural events from 300 B.C. to the present
Why read it?
1 author picked The Irish as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This fine introduction to both the Irish themselves, and their tortured history, was first published in 1947 by this respected commentator. The only way to really understand Ireland is to dissect the many distinctive population groups -- their peculiarities of religion, social outlook, political ambitions, and allegiances -- and then to see how the mixture of these complex streams determined the country's history, with positive but also calamitous results over many centuries. O'Faolain deals with the indigenous Celts, the interloping Normans, the increasingly acquisitive English, and how the tumultuous interactions between them produced the core of Irish society: its peasantry,…
From James' list on The best history books to help you understand Irish history.
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