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Irish History: People, places and events that built Ireland
From mesolithic Ireland to the peace process, this little book covers all of the main historical and cultural events, places and figures in Irish history. A must for all lovers of Ireland and the Irish. An excellent, concise guide to how Ireland has come to be what it is today. Some key events, people, topics and places A helpful index is found at the back of the book. Beautifully produced, Collins Little Book of Irish History is a treasure in itself and makes a perfect gift for any Ireland enthusiast.
224 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2020
18 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Neil Hegarty
14 books24 followersNEIL HEGARTY grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, and now lives in Dublin.
Neil has written a range of fiction and non-fiction. His books include:
THE JEWEL, a novel published in October 2019;
INCH LEVELS, a debut novel published in September 2016, and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year award;
FROST: THAT WAS THE LIFE THAT WAS, the definitive and best-selling biography of Sir David Frost;
THE SECRET HISTORY OF OUR STREETS, which accompanies a major BBC season of programming on London;
the best-selling STORY OF IRELAND, written to accompany the BBC-RTE television history of the same name; and
DUBLIN: A VIEW FROM THE GROUND, a cultural history of the Irish capital over a thousand years.
Neil has written a range of fiction and non-fiction. His books include:
THE JEWEL, a novel published in October 2019;
INCH LEVELS, a debut novel published in September 2016, and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year award;
FROST: THAT WAS THE LIFE THAT WAS, the definitive and best-selling biography of Sir David Frost;
THE SECRET HISTORY OF OUR STREETS, which accompanies a major BBC season of programming on London;
the best-selling STORY OF IRELAND, written to accompany the BBC-RTE television history of the same name; and
DUBLIN: A VIEW FROM THE GROUND, a cultural history of the Irish capital over a thousand years.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 15, 2021
If you know little to nothing of Irish history, this book is for you. It is very easy to read. The short chapters offer brief highlights and introductory knowledge on topics of Irish history.
If you are already familiar with Irish history or are looking to go in depth into the intricacies and nuances of Irish history, politics, people, places, and events, then this book is NOT for you. It is brief, only touching on subjects. It seems to focus more heavily on politics, with non-political people, places, and events only occasionally popping up.
If you are already familiar with Irish history or are looking to go in depth into the intricacies and nuances of Irish history, politics, people, places, and events, then this book is NOT for you. It is brief, only touching on subjects. It seems to focus more heavily on politics, with non-political people, places, and events only occasionally popping up.
July 14, 2021
I enjoyed it!
The Irish education system did a good job at looking at all of these periods but some naturally got a bigger spotlight like the 1798 Revolution and 1916 Rising. The areas I did not know about prior to reading were certainly the Vikings and Northern Ireland. I found both to be super interesting!
The main flaw of the book is that if you know the information before reading, you'll lose a lot of the charm of the book because you know what was simplified and left out. However, if you basically know bits and pieces left over from the Irish education system or just general knowledge, you'll find this book to be intriguing and great. It also has pictures on every page which is always nice to see. More maps would've been great though!
The Irish education system did a good job at looking at all of these periods but some naturally got a bigger spotlight like the 1798 Revolution and 1916 Rising. The areas I did not know about prior to reading were certainly the Vikings and Northern Ireland. I found both to be super interesting!
The main flaw of the book is that if you know the information before reading, you'll lose a lot of the charm of the book because you know what was simplified and left out. However, if you basically know bits and pieces left over from the Irish education system or just general knowledge, you'll find this book to be intriguing and great. It also has pictures on every page which is always nice to see. More maps would've been great though!
October 24, 2023
In terms of accessibility and brevity, this was AWESOME. Short (under 200 pages), with 50% of them being illustrations, this is a fun “learn Irish history in under 2 hours” kinda read.
That being said, I was a little astonished at the things they did and did not decide to include. With an embarrassingly little emphasis on the Troubles in Northern Ireland (yet so much geared towards 21st century politics), it was certainly an interesting choice.
All in all, great crash course for those who are about to visit Ireland for the first time and want to know more about its history!
That being said, I was a little astonished at the things they did and did not decide to include. With an embarrassingly little emphasis on the Troubles in Northern Ireland (yet so much geared towards 21st century politics), it was certainly an interesting choice.
All in all, great crash course for those who are about to visit Ireland for the first time and want to know more about its history!
September 1, 2022
A great little book giving a timeline of events in Ireland over the years. Not convinced of the accuracy of some events and there were some key events missed or just skimmed over. Nevertheless, it was a good read.
April 9, 2022
A great little pocket book. If you want an easy Irish history read then this is perfect.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews