An Illustrated History of Ireland: from AD 400 to 1800

by Mary Francis Cusack, Henry E. Doyle (Illustrator)

PREFACE - TO THE SECOND EDITION A demand for a Second Edition of the "Illustrated History of Ireland," within three months from the date of the publication of the First, consisting of 2,000 copies, is a matter of no little gratification to the writer, both personally and relatively. It is a triumphant proof that Irishmen are not indifferent to Irish history?a fault of which they have been too frequently accused; and as many of the clergy have been most earnest and generous in their efforts to promote the circulation of the work, it is gratifying to be able to adduce this fact also in reply to the imputations, even lately cast upon the ecclesiastics of Ireland, of deficiency in cultivated tastes, and of utter neglect of literature.Nor, as a Catholic and a religious, can I fail to express my respectful gratitude and thankfulness for the warm approbation which the work has received from so many distinguished prelates. A few of these approbations will be found at the commencement of the volume?it was impossible to find space for all. It may be, however, well to observe, that several of the English Catholic bishops have not been less kind and earnest in their commendations, though I have not asked their permission to publish their communications. Some extracts are given from the reviews, which also are necessarily condensed and limited; and, as the Most Rev. Dr. Derry has observed, the press has been most favorable in its criticisms. Even those who differed from the present writer toto coelo, both in religion and politics, have not been less commendatory, and, in some instances, have shown the writer more than ordinary courtesy. Nor should I omit to acknowledge the encouragement which so many gentlemen, both English and Irish, have given to the work, and the assistance they have afforded in promoting its circulation. In a circular, quite recently published in London, and addressed to the members of a society for the republication of English medi?val literature, gentlemen are called on by the secretary, even at the risk, as he himself admits, of "boring them, by asking them to canvass for orders, like a bookseller's traveller," to assist in obtaining additional subscribers to the series, and he requests every subscriber "to get another at once." I am happy to say that, without such solicitation on our part, many Irish gentlemen have done us this kindness, and have obtained not one, but many orders from their friends. I confidently hope that many more will exert themselves in a similar manner, for the still wider dissemination of the Second Edition. It is a time, beyond all others, when Irish history should be thoroughly known and carefully studied. It is a disgrace to Irishmen not to know their history perfectly, and this with no mere outline view, but completely and in detail. It is very much to be regretted that Irish history is not made a distinct study in schools and colleges, both in England and Ireland. What should be thought of a school where English history was not taught? and is Irish history of less importance? I have had very serious letters complaining of this deficiency from the heads of several colleges, where our history has been introduced as a class-book.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, Reference, Historical

688 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1868

About the author

Margaret Anna Cusack wrote under her religious name Mary Francis Cusack (sometimes Mary Frances Cusack).

Reviews

[Stephen McQuiggan]

The depressing tale of the hard fist of colonial imperialism as told by a nun. Mein Kampf for the rosary brigade.
This is one of the most sanctimonious pieces of pious propaganda it has been my misfortune to read. There are some great anecdotes here, and jaw dropping incidents of savagery - take a bow, Cromwell - and it is packed with treachery, plagues, famines, and unlikely heroes. Problem is, they are all drowned in a vat of naive, religious bullshit. The veneration of the priesthood, at this remove, seems laughable now, but to portray the Irish as godlike creatures easily swayed from their divinity by the machinations of satanic invaders is just crass. Surely any history should be built on the foundation of fact, not merely a platform for speculation and thinly veiled calls for vengeful retaliation. Confusing and irritating in equal measure, and written in the same tear filled drone throughout - if this is an accurate depiction of my fellow countrymen, I fear not even Christ himself can help us.

[JoyReaderGirl1]

“An Illustrated History of Ireland from 400 AD to 1800” is well documented; erudite; footnoted-research; immensely readable; packed with fascinating facts about Irish ancient history; as well as the origins of its peoples’ massive emigration to other countries in the last centuries. It also includes excerpts and references from velum texts of the earliest known genealogies, myths and stories of the antediluvian settlers of the isle now known as Ireland.

THIS IS A MUST READ for all Irish and Scot-Irish decedents. I can hardly put the book down. Ms. Cusack is a brilliant writer. To me, she is a genius Irish woman scholar of the 19th Century—a contemporary of Southern belles’ flirting sweetly over their conversation fans to adoring beau—and I’m from Georgia!

When Mary wrote this book, she included as her Prologue, an address challenging Parliament about the importance of teaching Irish history in schools. Her argument being that Ireland, still a nation under conquest, could benefit and learn from its past, which included literature, poetry and the arts. Apparently, the government feared that a country with a such a violent history of defending itself against invaders would only create tensions and angst among the students.

What a well-educated woman, so very ahead of her time! After a little research, I discovered that Mary wrote 35 books and numerous pamphlets during her lifetime. She was brilliant and fearless. It turns out that Mary, Margaret Anna Cusack, by birth, was a radical nun born in Dublin in 1829.

As a child, her parents separated. Afterwards she, her mother and siblings moved to England where Margaret attended boarding school. It was in England, after the unexpected death in 1859 of her fiancée, that Margaret took orders to become a nun—Sister Mary.

Some years later, after returning to Ireland and joining another convent, Sister Mary enjoyed a prolific writing career. There she also became widely known as a “rabble rouser.” As a result, she spent many years on the run from angry Irish landholders (typicality with ancestral British origins), Anglicans and other British loyalists.

Sister Mary even received death-threats. Her enemies were furious because she was stirring-up tensions among poor, famine-starved sharecrop tenants—many who were immigrating from Ireland by the thousands annually.

Sister Mary Francis Cusack—was quite a unique woman of Irish history. She is just one author that I happened upon when I found this golden needle in a haystack. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this fantastic historical treasure as well as I.

NOTE: If you are a Kindle reader, or like me, use the Kindle App on your iPad, you can find this incredible book, among many other rare and fascinating tomes, under the Amazon Books Search tool enter the following: CLASSIC LITERATURE FREE (Kindle Edition).

[gwen graves]

Boring

This is not my type of book dry and full of facts that were not presented in a interesting way.

[Courtney]

I originally bought this book because it covered the time period I was most interested in with Ireland- Pre British rule. I was a bit hesitant because it was originally published in the 1800's.. I was hoping maybe there would've been updated material.

The book itself wasn't too bad. It was a thorough history and covered a few different possibilities about the first populations of Ireland.

I DNF'ed it when I realized I could get more accurate information by spending a hour or two on wikipedia. If the internet didn't exist, I probably would've read this one through. I wasn't a big fan of the inclusion of christian mythology involved in the settling of Ireland. I know the author was from the 1800's and this was deemed acceptable in that time period. However, if the book was published in this millennium I would've dropped it faster than a hot potato. My line of reasoning is: what else is the author presenting as fact when it has never been proven?

[Reedy]

Objection! Misleading.

This books is not as reference-y as it might seem. I was expecting something else, I guess. The way it was written, the author keeps interjecting herself into the story (first person plural, really?) and it detracts from the tone. I for one, was disappointed.