Ireland: A History

by Thomas Bartlett

Ireland has rarely been out of the news during the past thirty years. Whether as a war zone in which Catholic nationalists and Protestant Unionists struggled for supremacy, a case study in conflict resolution or an economy that for a time promised to make the Irish among the wealthiest people on the planet, the two Irelands have truly captured the world's imagination. Yet single volume histories of Ireland are rare. Here, Thomas Bartlett, one of the country’s leading historians, sets out a fascinating new history that ranges from prehistory to the present. Integrating politics, society and culture, he offers an authoritative historical road map that shows exactly how and why Ireland, north and south, arrived at where it is today. This is an indispensable guide to both the legacies of the past for Ireland's present and to the problems confronting north and south in the contemporary world.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, Irish Literature, Historical, European History, Reference

641 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2010

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best narrative histories I ever read, this massive book begins in the 5th century with St Patrick and ends in 2007 with the Chuckle Brothers (Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness in their extraordinary power-sharing executive). Thomas Bartlett drives his book through all its 580 large pages with a wonderfully assured style that never falls into professional historian-speak (so very ghastly) and makes as complex and, it has to be admitted, at times repetitive story as this one as clear as a mountain stream in County Kerry. He even finds space to give a mention to Van Morrison!

Readers who want a less exhausting version of Irish history are advised to try elsewhere, this is the full-sail galleon cruise through 15 centuries. It will take its time and there will be magnificent sights. I might also mention that the final section dealing with the Troubles (as sinister a euphemism as you could wish for) is just not long enough (they probably said “no it can’t be 900 pages long”) so you would be better skipping that and reading something like Making Sense of the Troubles by David McKittrick – that one was excellent, I’m sure there are other good ones too.

One note on the strange world of comparative death statistics : I found out that in the Irish Civil War (1919-23) there were less than half the number people killed than in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre. Or to put it another way, the total number of deaths in that four year civil war had happened every day for five months during the Battle of the Somme in 1914. It’s useless information but there it is.

[Mathieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished. I have read this book, on and off, for the last six months. I have read, stopped reading, begun again, taken hundreds of pages of notes. Bartlett's history of Ireland is a very personal one. It is the work of a historian who is, I felt, angry against the misconceptions and even lies that are used by politicians, nationalists, unionists and even foreigners about Ireland's past. In some passages, there is a barely contained sense of anger. In other, he uses a ferocious irony against the myths that have shaped both nationalist and unionist Irish identities. This makes Ireland. A History a very pleasurable read, both for its acuity and for its style.

My regrets are that the apparel of critical notes is too thin. For many events or quotes or considerations, references are not given and the reader who would have liked to know more is encouraged to peruse the books Bartlett used to write this history.

Finally, even if I understand the fact that each successive chapter is longer than the one before it, because Bartlett wanted to explain how things today have been brought to us, I would have liked to see the chapters on the 16th and 17th centuries more developed, because the more I know of Irish history, the more I understand this was the crucial moment when its main dynamics have been shaped, ones that the Irish people are still living in today and which aftermath is still felt.

A book for anyone interested in Ireland and Irish history.

[Golden · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the histories of Ireland I’ve been able to find are disappointing; they focus almost exclusively on the English point of view/perspective, and do t really tell me anything about what life was like foe the average Irish person - they’re all focused on who's doing the ruling. Any suggestions?

[Bernard O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable achievement, this. It pulls all the disparate threads of Irish history into a highly readable and coherent narrative, roughly starting with Strongbow and roughly ending with the Good Friday Agreement. He even manages to get a couple of decent jokes in, along with some devastating observations such as how Sunningdale failed because "there had not yet been enough killing".

[Albert Steeg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a good book, but I only give it 4 stars for a few reasons.
While I learned a lot about the Irish independence war, the civil war, the Troubles, the Plantation, the reasons why Ireland was for so long a colony of England I did not like a few things.

The writer often tells us the same thing twice, three times or even more. This happens on the same page or on following pages. Words can be altered, but it still will be the same.
While I feel for the Irish and almost feel angry about what I read the writer has a lot of understanding for the English. I was a bit amazed by that, because the writer is being born in Northern Ireland.
I also feel he could have included more about musicians like Phil Lynott and others who played in North and South during the Troubles.
When people speak to each other I can understand that people mention Holland when in fact they mean The Netherlands. It is less of a mouthful. For a scholar writing an important historical book I think I can not forgive to do the same thing. There is no country with the name Holland. North and South Holland are provinces of the country The Netherlands.
Last thing bothering me is the feeling that the writer imagines what politicians and common people think and selling this as factual information. I don't think that is right.

All in all I learned a lot about the history of Ireland reading this book and I can recommend it if you would like to learn more about Ireland and it's history.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times a little dry and full of endless parades of political figures you instantly forget (there is a chapter called "Ireland's Long Eighteenth Century" and it definitely lives up to that title), but this is a fascinating account of the island of Ireland that developed my understanding considerably. The final portion on the 20th Century, the Troubles and the peace process, perhaps feels skimmed over a bit compared to other sections of the book, but in fairness there are numerous other excellent books out there on that particular subject (one of which was my inspiration for learning more about Irish history in the first place).

[Marks54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am about to travel to Ireland for a vacation and wanted to find a good one volume history so I could do some homework. Bartlett's book more than fills the bill. I found it a thoroughly readable - although very long -- history of Ireland from late Roman times to the present. The reader gets a firehose blast of interesting information and discussion that begins with a discussion of the superior marketing skills of the followers of St. Patrick and ends with the financial crisis of 2008 running into the Celtic Tiger era, the winding down of the Northern Ireland troubles, and the transformation of Irish society after WWII. Bartlett is very smart, appears to have read everything, and even comes across as balanced in his judgement - and there are lots of story lines where balance is needed. While it is unfair to attempt a summary, readers will not be surprised to learn that the history since the arrival of the English (in the mid 1100s) is one of nearly continual political turmoil, violence, oppression, and bloodshed. I had at least thought there would be some breaks in the action, but even those areas of apparent calm (early 1700s for example) are short in length and less calm than first seems evident.

The book is long. It is hard to see how it would not be long. The text is readable - just allow some time. There are occasional typos but those serve to keep the reader awake more than anything else. Towards the end, the book turns more towards speculation and projection and moves away from history, but that is unavoidable for recent controversial events. I feel well prepared for the trip.

[Emily Philbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great resource for the history of Ireland. Very lucidly written and understood by someone who isn't always jazzed about reading historical texts. I found this resource so helpful I returned the heavy ass copy to the library and bought my own paperback version which is now riddled in highlighter and notes, etc. I'm sure there are other even more in depth resources, but in terms of helping me with the context of the literature I am studying right now I truly enjoyed this read and know I will be referring to it often in the next year of my studying Irish Writing.

[Olivia Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid summary of Irish history for those starting out. My only issue is that it ended so abruptly without tying things together into a conclusion of some sort.

[Jimmy Dawson]

While "Ireland: A History" is entertaining to a degree, I'm really not in the mood for concentrated history at the moment. Even a history as interesting and rich as Ireland's. I didn't get too far into this before I started feeling like it was required reading for school. Maybe it's the shape of it, like a textbook. Or maybe it's because I'm in the mood for fiction. It would be worth coming back to, though, when I'm up for it.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for saving my uni student life Bartlett

[Amy C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dense book that I read over a couple of years. It's almost like a text book, so easy to pick up and put down. I learned a tremendous amount about Irish history.

[Richard Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was searching for a broad history of Ireland and this was the most commonly recommended book. It is well written and thorough, although some periods, such as "the troubles" are given the minimum of coverage. As a person of Irish descent, I have been at times confused and baffled by the various players and stakeholders and Bartlett does his best to make sense of what is a very messy history. The English are constantly lurking and interfering and generally making a mess of things (as Empires are wont to do) and the author gives them about as balanced a take as they deserve (the scale not tipping in their favour). The sectarian conflicts drag on over the centuries with occasional lulls but as good as Bartlett is as keeping things in perspective, the reader must pay close attention as the number of influential figures grows exponentially, and they may be unionists or nationalists or republicans, landowners or tenants, factory workers or farmers, Protestant or Catholic or Presbyterian, and often various combinations of all of the these. Slights and grievances are cultivated across generations. However, slights and grievances don't begin to describe the pain, suffering, starvation and death inflicted on the Irish people over the years. It is no wonder so many emigrated. It was that or die. An achingly sad history only relieved by a the years of the Celtic Tiger and faint sense of hope at the end of the book that the sectarian strife may finally be easing. Is partition the future? What the future holds will definitely be interesting.

[Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very detailed yet succinct dive into Irish history, spanning from 400 AD to 2010. As someone who came into the book knowing next to nothing about Irish history, it definitely did a great job of summarizing the main events and beats, even if a lot of it did go over my head due to the level of detail and the enormous number of names that get dropped.

My main issue was primarily with roughly the first third of the book, dealing with the history up until about the 18th century; one of the aspects I was very excited to read about was the culture of Irish people in their early history. However, the portion of the book that covered this period is almost entirely written from the point of view of the British. It got to the point where I sometimes forgot I was reading about Irish history, because I was reading paragraphs upon paragraphs diving deep into British politics during this time. A point that particularly annoyed me in this portion of the book was when the author brings up how the British mocked and were disgusted by Irish fashion and customs; up until this point, no mention of the daily lives of Irish people was ever brought up (nor is it ever really brought up again). I would have loved to read more about these customs and fashion trends, and it was aggravating that it was only ever mentioned at all to make the point that the British hated it.

Overall, this was a great introduction to Irish history that has helped guide me towards certain periods and events that I will definitely be reading about more deeply.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history of Ireland from its earliest days through 2010, with more recent history receiving more extensive treatment. The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s, one of the most determinative events of Irish history, stands as the midpoint of the book. I found the period from the mid-seventeenth century to the end of the eighteenth century particularly interesting: this was the time of extensive Protestant-Catholic conflict, with Catholicism tied up with Jacobitism as a seditious movement (Jacobitism supporting the restoration of the Stuarts to the British throne, starting with James II). Understanding Ireland's fitful place within Great Britain also helps me better understand the nature of the British Empire and to better contextualize the American Revolution within the British Empire. The book ends by covering modern Ireland and northern Ireland, including the end of the Troubles and the peace agreements. It's a long book, and covers very little cultural history, but an impressive primer of Ireland's political history.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a total labor of love. It certainly falls in the category of “a tome” and certainly isn’t for a casual reader. That being said, I don’t consider myself any sort of expert in Irish history and I found that the easy (almost comical) writing style along with the author’s obvious commitment to cutting through all the unnecessary details and sticking to an overall goal of weaving the story of Irish history together in a readable and cohesive manner made this book really enjoyable. I feel as though I have a handle on how Ireland of today came to be, and I also have an empathy for how complicated it must be to be Irish. I am grateful for the time commitment it was to read this book, and I appreciate the ways the author worked to write an accessible and comprehensive book of history.

[LINDSAY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging and witty prose that captures the air of Ireland as well as important historical points. Providing the context of events allows a more balanced view of what are otherwise taken as 'historical' turning points by opposing parties. I was particularly impressed with the treatment of the potato blight and famine in which Bartlett provides a context that illustrates this as a final straw rather than a specific event. I laughed to myself at some of the turns of phrase, which I seldom do when reading works of history.

[T P Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favourite one volume Irish history. The scope is impressive and he does bring insights to certain eras. As against that, much of this has a very person perspective on what's discussed. The viewpoint is negative and at time quite angry. I prefer my history told with a little more objectivity and just a flavour of personality. This volume won't be finding a place on my shelves. I'll be holding on to my Foster and Lee volumes for a while yet.

[spike marlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good narrative history of Ireland from St. Patrick(he didn’t force all the snakes out of Ireland) to the St. Andrew’s Accord that resulted in power sharing between the DUC under Ian Paisley and Sien Fien, the political wing of the IRA. The book is very thematic in its reciting of Irish history. A good read.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a BEAST, a nonfiction behemoth charting over a thousand years of Irish history. I learned a ton, and there were certainly parts where the author’s dry wit and commentary were much appreciated, but it was a slog to get through the whole thing. Took me half a year but I did it!

[Stevejs298 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very, very thorough history of Ireland. Much more on the 18th Century on than I was interested in reading. So, lots of skimming on part.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive history of Ireland. Easy narrative to digest, and good accounts of the divergent (and/or often parallel historical paths) of both the Republic and Norther Ireland from 1922 onwards.

[Dan Magz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disjointed and rambles a lot

[Mark Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting overview of a fascinating country. I stalled out around page 200 and set the book aside for about six months, but then I restarted at the beginning. I must not have been in the right mood the first attempt. The author writes clearly, thoroughly, and often humorously. Knowing little to begin with, I had some trouble keeping all of the players straight at times, but I feel that I came away with an adequate understanding.

[Josh Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't give up on books very often, but I gave up on this. I can tell the underlying history is interesting but the writing in this book made it boring. There was little common thread established - things just ran from event to event in a one-size-fits-all kind of prose that didn't distinguish important from unimportant. With 1500 years of history, that's deadly.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

I kind of feel bad about quitting this one, but the area of my interest was over pretty quickly - much like what happens whenever I try to read a history of England and after Elizabeth I dies and I muddle through James VI/I's reign, I just don't care.

The research and writing seem solid, from what I did read, it just wasn't for me.

[Barryhudek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bartlett's history is what it is: a broad-stroke presentation of Irish history in a single volume. While informative, accurate and well-written, its hard to get over-joyed about such a project--hence my three star rating. I did "like it", but didnt "really like it."

[Thomas Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Pat Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read and opened up a window on the real history of Ireland. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Irish history up to the present.

[Heather Pentland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I read the book as I had an interest in learning about Irish history. Although the writing style made it easier you need patience it is slow reading.