Ireland's History: Prehistory to the Present

by Kenneth L. Campbell

Overview

Ireland's History provides an introduction to Irish history that blends a scholarly approach to the subject, based on recent research and current historiographical perspectives, with a clear and accessible writing style. All the major themes in Irish history are covered, from prehistoric times right through to present day, from the emergence of Celtic Christianity after the fall of the Roman Empire, to Ireland and the European Union, secularism and rapprochement with the United Kingdom. By avoiding adopting a purely nationalistic perspective, Kenneth Campbell offers a balanced approach, covering not only social and economic history, but also political, cultural, and religious history, and exploring the interconnections among these various approaches. This text will encourage students to think critically about the past and to examine how a study of Irish history might inform and influence their understanding of history in general.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441103789
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/30/2014
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kenneth L. Campbell is Professor of History at Monmouth University, USA.

Table of Contents

1. Irish History - Introduction and Overview
2. Prehistoric Ireland
3. Celtic Christianity and Early Medieval Ireland
4. The Impact of the Vikings and the Norman Conquest
5. Ireland in the High and Late Middle Ages
6. Ireland and the Reformation
7. Seventeenth-Century Ireland
8. Eighteenth-Century Ireland
9. The Rebellion of 1798 and the Impact of the French Revolution
10. Union, the Famine, and the Rise of Irish Nationalism
11. The Land War, Parnell, and the Rise of Sinn Fein
12. The Easter Uprising and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922; Ireland between the Wars
13. The Two Irelands in the Post-war Period
14. The Troubles: Northern Ireland, 1969-2000
15. The Republic of Ireland and the European Union 1972-2000
16. Conclusion - Ireland in the Twenty-First Century
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

At last, a book that treats the whole of Irish history comprehensively and concisely. Every important topic, from ancient megaliths to the Celtic Tiger, is thoroughly covered with reference to the latest scholarship. Ireland's History will be the core text of my Irish history classes from now on.

Campbell has produced a masterly synthesis of recent scholarship to present a balanced history of Ireland from pre-history to the present. His clear and vibrant writing style and nuanced interpretation of the past makes Ireland's History both a 'good read' and essential to an understanding of Ireland today.

This is a general, introductory book geared to the college level and general reader. The book's strengths include a comparative element, taking account, as it does, of areas like literature, popular culture, and sport; a synthesis of the writing on Irish history in the last decade; and giving due allowance to the early period of Irish history, which not all survey works of this kind typically do. The book has an accessible style that will nevertheless appeal to those coming to the subject matter for the first time. Summing Up: Recommended. General, public, undergraduate collections.

From the Publisher