What do you think?
Rate this book
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Irish History and Culture
You’re no idiot, of course. You know that St. Patrick’s Day is in March, JFK was our only Irish-Catholic President, and that the IRA isn’t necessarily a tax-deferred account. But when it comes to knowing about the history and culture of Ireland, you feel as Irish as a box of stale Lucky Charms. Don’t give up on the luck of the Irish just yet! The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Irish History and Culture is here to help you learn all about the Emerald Isle, from the Celts to the present day. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get: --Fascinating details on Celtic culture. --Blow-by-blow accounts of Ireland’s struggle for freedom from British rule. --Exciting tales of great Irish heroes, like Brian Boru and Michael Collins. --Rich cultural traditions, from weddings to wakes. --Concise profiles of Irish icons in politics and the arts, from Daniel O’Connell to Oscar Wilde.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
10 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Sonja Massie
16 books14 followersSince publication of her first novel in 1986, Sonja Massie has authored more than 60 published works, including the highly popular and critically acclaimed Savannah Reid Mysteries under the pseudonym G.A. McKevett. Sonja's novels range from Irish historicals to contemporary thrillers She also wrote the best seller Far and Away, a novel based on Ron Howard's movie, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Having lived in Los Angeles, Toronto, and County Kerry, Ireland, she now resides in New York with her husband.
Having lived in Los Angeles, Toronto, and County Kerry, Ireland, she now resides in New York with her husband.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 13, 2016
This was a really fun book. It's the short hand version of all things Irish. It has piqued my curiosity about learning more about the country of my ancestors. It's a must read for anyone that has Irish blood in them!!
March 21, 2016
Although I am generally fond of the Idiot's Guide series [1], I found this book to be somewhat dissatisfying on at least a couple of grounds that are worthy of comment. This book seems to assume that the reader is Catholic Irish, for even though the authors claim that those of us, myself included, who spring from Scot-Irish Protestant ancestry are to consider ourselves Irish, the book ignores some of the surnames that were a part of the Ascendancy and the book ignores any discussion on one of the foremost Irish writers and thinkers of the 20th century, namely C.S. Lewis, whose father was a noted Ulster Protestant barrister and whose mother was one of the more important pioneers in Irish university education for women. When added to this is a tendency of the author to promote blarney about St. Patrick from Catholic sources that downplay his Sabbatarian roots [2], the book itself shows itself to be unreliable because it contains a great deal of strident editorializing against the English and Scot-Irish, as well as against Christian morality in general (namely in moral opposition to divorce, abortion, and gay marriage) while not including key aspects of Irish history and culture that are simply inconvenient to the author's agenda.
That said, for those who do have Irish ancestry and are proud of about it, this book has much to offer in spite of its biases and its omissions. In terms of its contents, the book contains five parts with twenty-five chapters that take up a bit more than 250 pages of material. Part One introduces Ireland as a mystical land of magical people and looks at the way that the Irish celebrate life, death, and marriage with music and dancing. Part two introduces Irish history, beginning with the hazy prehistory of Ireland, including the time when Ireland was only inhabited by animals, before its chapter on Celtic culture full of stereotypes and its chapter on St. Patrick. The next twelve chapters after this contain a long litany of complaints about various invaders and various difficult times in Irish history, starting with the Viking Invasion, the beginning of the Norman invasion, the early period of Anglo-Norman rule in the Pale of Ireland, the battle between the Earls and the English crown over domination of Ireland, the Tudor and Stuart period, the atrocities of Cromwell [3], the oppression of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Great Hunger, Irish emigration abroad, the Irish revolts of the early 1900s, the birth of the Irish Free State, Irish history since independence. The next three chapters give the author's highly selective picture of Erin's hall of fame, with a look at politicians, soldiers, police, and boxers, then a look at Irish bards, and a chapter on Ireland's controversial theatrical history. The last four chapters point out what the author thinks Ireland still has to offer, including the lore of Ireland, tourism, Irish music, sports, and crafts, and a list of a few representative surnames from Ireland's counties to aid Irish-Americans in searching their family roots. Sprinkled throughout the book are various insets that give advice on how the reader can "speak plain Irish," say something that "tisin't so," or give random information with the "gift of gab."
This book, for all of its gab and the obvious love of the author for the subject, is a prime example of what happens when people who have an ax to grind end up spending a great deal of time that could have been spent celebrating the history of the Irish instead participating in a lengthy litany of complaints about others. All throughout Irish prehistory, the division of Ireland's own peoples and their general backwardness have prompted invasion after invasion--one has the Tuatha de Danaan, the Milesians, the beaker folk, the Celts, the Vikings, and then the Norman-English and Scot-Irish over the course of many millennia. A great deal of this book consists of a great deal of whining and complaining, and given the book's major omissions, it clearly is telling a bias and incomplete story. By celebrating crooked politicians, murdering revolutionary "freedom fighters," and decadent peddlers of debauched culture, the author shows herself to be no friend to the moral or ethical well-being of the Irish people, and someone more interested in holding a grudge than in encouraging a genuine appreciation of what is best about Irish culture, like its rule of law and respect for women. All too truly what the author says about the Irish is true of the author as well, in a way that makes this book a lesser achievement than it could have been: "The Irish have been accused of being a melancholy people, and we often are. It has been said we hold a grudge, and we sometimes do. We have a reputation for being pensive at times, for having a black sense of humor, and for embracing the dark side of life; that reputation is well-earned. We are a people who appreciate contrast. We know that good shines brightest when surrounded by the darkness of evil. A spring morning is all the sweeter when it follows a harsh winter. We laugh so heartily because we have wept so bitterly (25)." This book would have been better had it not been filled with so much evil, especially evil praised by the author because it was against Protestant Ulstermen, against the unborn, or against the English.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[2] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[3] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
That said, for those who do have Irish ancestry and are proud of about it, this book has much to offer in spite of its biases and its omissions. In terms of its contents, the book contains five parts with twenty-five chapters that take up a bit more than 250 pages of material. Part One introduces Ireland as a mystical land of magical people and looks at the way that the Irish celebrate life, death, and marriage with music and dancing. Part two introduces Irish history, beginning with the hazy prehistory of Ireland, including the time when Ireland was only inhabited by animals, before its chapter on Celtic culture full of stereotypes and its chapter on St. Patrick. The next twelve chapters after this contain a long litany of complaints about various invaders and various difficult times in Irish history, starting with the Viking Invasion, the beginning of the Norman invasion, the early period of Anglo-Norman rule in the Pale of Ireland, the battle between the Earls and the English crown over domination of Ireland, the Tudor and Stuart period, the atrocities of Cromwell [3], the oppression of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Great Hunger, Irish emigration abroad, the Irish revolts of the early 1900s, the birth of the Irish Free State, Irish history since independence. The next three chapters give the author's highly selective picture of Erin's hall of fame, with a look at politicians, soldiers, police, and boxers, then a look at Irish bards, and a chapter on Ireland's controversial theatrical history. The last four chapters point out what the author thinks Ireland still has to offer, including the lore of Ireland, tourism, Irish music, sports, and crafts, and a list of a few representative surnames from Ireland's counties to aid Irish-Americans in searching their family roots. Sprinkled throughout the book are various insets that give advice on how the reader can "speak plain Irish," say something that "tisin't so," or give random information with the "gift of gab."
This book, for all of its gab and the obvious love of the author for the subject, is a prime example of what happens when people who have an ax to grind end up spending a great deal of time that could have been spent celebrating the history of the Irish instead participating in a lengthy litany of complaints about others. All throughout Irish prehistory, the division of Ireland's own peoples and their general backwardness have prompted invasion after invasion--one has the Tuatha de Danaan, the Milesians, the beaker folk, the Celts, the Vikings, and then the Norman-English and Scot-Irish over the course of many millennia. A great deal of this book consists of a great deal of whining and complaining, and given the book's major omissions, it clearly is telling a bias and incomplete story. By celebrating crooked politicians, murdering revolutionary "freedom fighters," and decadent peddlers of debauched culture, the author shows herself to be no friend to the moral or ethical well-being of the Irish people, and someone more interested in holding a grudge than in encouraging a genuine appreciation of what is best about Irish culture, like its rule of law and respect for women. All too truly what the author says about the Irish is true of the author as well, in a way that makes this book a lesser achievement than it could have been: "The Irish have been accused of being a melancholy people, and we often are. It has been said we hold a grudge, and we sometimes do. We have a reputation for being pensive at times, for having a black sense of humor, and for embracing the dark side of life; that reputation is well-earned. We are a people who appreciate contrast. We know that good shines brightest when surrounded by the darkness of evil. A spring morning is all the sweeter when it follows a harsh winter. We laugh so heartily because we have wept so bitterly (25)." This book would have been better had it not been filled with so much evil, especially evil praised by the author because it was against Protestant Ulstermen, against the unborn, or against the English.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[2] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[3] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
December 5, 2020
I have a tendency to find the Idiot's Guide books the weakest of the overall knowledge books out there. In this case, if you are looking for a very general overview of Irish history, great, but I felt that too much of this book was dedicated to Irish culture (and yes, I know that's part of the title). The book just felt rather thin and I probably could've learned as much through a wikipedia search. I also found the book incredibly biased, unable to look at Irish history in an objective way. The books is also incredibly American centric, which always rubs me the wrong way. Overall, there are probably better overviews out there.
May 17, 2018
It was alright. Some compact information about Ireland and the Irish culture, clearly not written by an Irishman. Fun and light reading
September 26, 2016
This book was written by an American woman who suddenly became interested in her Irish ancestry. She herself later made a few trips to Ireland, and at one point lived there for a while. The book was written in 1999, so some things might have changed somewhat since her description of Irish ways and culture. And I'm sure we now have twenty-five more years of history to read about, too. I meant to finish this book on St. Patrick's Day of this year in order to post it that very same day, but I missed my deadline and ended up finishing a day after Spring Equinox.
So on the bad side, the author started out trying to be lyrical and witty, attempting to recreate the Irish sense of poetry, prose, and colorful humor in her narrative, but either I wasn't getting it, or I wasn't in the mood for it at the time, so it felt artificial and silly to me. I understand she was trying to convey the sense of joy (and over-enthusiasm) she found in discovering the Irish side of her family, but I felt she was disconnected from the real sense of what it's like to be good at being an Irish bard...not all the Irish are true bards, even though it might look like it from the outside, since a love for the artistic and the natural seems to permeate the culture.
Oh well, give her an "A" for effort.
I would have put the book down and went on to another book, but I kept reading anyway. I found the rest of it to be far more informative, although there were still threads of that attempt to be a good storyteller, but those became less and less noticeable the further I got into the book.
On the good side, though, was Part 2 and especially Part 3. These two parts make up the main chunk of the book. They take you all the way back to 14,000 years ago and brings you up to what was then the present. It's at Part 3 where the book makes the impression, and it's also where the author's strength lies, in the ability to retell history. Before reading the book at all, I was only acquainted with the Irish Potato Famine, but to drop it into the context of the rest of Ireland's history, what you get as a whole is...very gothic, and not the cool kind either.
As I was reading, I asked myself, as much emphasis as we Americans place on the Jewish Holocaust and slavery in America, why is it that this story, especially the Potato Famine, wasn't given more time than it has...like, at least, equal time? American media place so much emphasis on every little thing that happens with English royalty (aren't we supposed to despise the English?), yet we hardly hear much about any other country unless it's really big news or it's important to the stock market, let alone hearing about Irish history and how much it impacts America....which, from what I'm getting from sources like this book, it's way more than the English impact. (All we got, relatively speaking, is a history of English attempts at retaking the "colonies"....and this lousy language. Any other impacts are indirect. So let's not do anything to upset them.) After reading, I felt that we shouldn't just forget what England did to the Irish (starting with the English Pope Adrian IV!) as if it never happened.
I came away with the impression that Irish history and the American connection to it....has been buried like so many potatoes to rot in the ground in order to keep England an ally...but for what? I'm sure history can answer that question, but that's obviously for another book. (Notice I said England, not Britain. Scotland has its own historical problems with the country, so I found out elsewhere.)
Anyway...if you can stand the bad start of this book and can plow your way to the good stuff, it might be worth your time. After that, the rest of it is so-so but, overall, it's probably a book I can go to if I need to go back and get a reference for the sake of a conversation...or debate or argument, whatever the case may be.
So on the bad side, the author started out trying to be lyrical and witty, attempting to recreate the Irish sense of poetry, prose, and colorful humor in her narrative, but either I wasn't getting it, or I wasn't in the mood for it at the time, so it felt artificial and silly to me. I understand she was trying to convey the sense of joy (and over-enthusiasm) she found in discovering the Irish side of her family, but I felt she was disconnected from the real sense of what it's like to be good at being an Irish bard...not all the Irish are true bards, even though it might look like it from the outside, since a love for the artistic and the natural seems to permeate the culture.
Oh well, give her an "A" for effort.
I would have put the book down and went on to another book, but I kept reading anyway. I found the rest of it to be far more informative, although there were still threads of that attempt to be a good storyteller, but those became less and less noticeable the further I got into the book.
On the good side, though, was Part 2 and especially Part 3. These two parts make up the main chunk of the book. They take you all the way back to 14,000 years ago and brings you up to what was then the present. It's at Part 3 where the book makes the impression, and it's also where the author's strength lies, in the ability to retell history. Before reading the book at all, I was only acquainted with the Irish Potato Famine, but to drop it into the context of the rest of Ireland's history, what you get as a whole is...very gothic, and not the cool kind either.
As I was reading, I asked myself, as much emphasis as we Americans place on the Jewish Holocaust and slavery in America, why is it that this story, especially the Potato Famine, wasn't given more time than it has...like, at least, equal time? American media place so much emphasis on every little thing that happens with English royalty (aren't we supposed to despise the English?), yet we hardly hear much about any other country unless it's really big news or it's important to the stock market, let alone hearing about Irish history and how much it impacts America....which, from what I'm getting from sources like this book, it's way more than the English impact. (All we got, relatively speaking, is a history of English attempts at retaking the "colonies"....and this lousy language. Any other impacts are indirect. So let's not do anything to upset them.) After reading, I felt that we shouldn't just forget what England did to the Irish (starting with the English Pope Adrian IV!) as if it never happened.
I came away with the impression that Irish history and the American connection to it....has been buried like so many potatoes to rot in the ground in order to keep England an ally...but for what? I'm sure history can answer that question, but that's obviously for another book. (Notice I said England, not Britain. Scotland has its own historical problems with the country, so I found out elsewhere.)
Anyway...if you can stand the bad start of this book and can plow your way to the good stuff, it might be worth your time. After that, the rest of it is so-so but, overall, it's probably a book I can go to if I need to go back and get a reference for the sake of a conversation...or debate or argument, whatever the case may be.
May 25, 2008
This was one of the books that really got me excited about going to see Ireland. It's full of great information, but it's not dry or overwhelming. If you plan on ever going to visit the Emerald Isle, go buy this book!
April 27, 2009
Not the most interesting or humorous Idiot's guide I've read. After much of the reading I've done I find this book simplistic in its views and statements.
As an introduction I guess it's not bad, but it lacks the interesting and amusing commentary I expect from this line of books.
As an introduction I guess it's not bad, but it lacks the interesting and amusing commentary I expect from this line of books.
December 31, 2013
I read most of it. Seems a bit biased toward a liberal mindset and Roman Catholicism at points. The chapter on St. Patrick relies heavily on Roman Catholic legend rather than historical evidence. It is implied that King James I was a homosexual. No mention of Irish slaves in America.
Read
June 26, 2010The Complete Idiot's Guide to Irish History and Culture by Sonja Massie (1999)
November 5, 2012
A humorous but fact filled guide to the Emerald Isle. I enjoyed the book and it whets my appetite to find the sod where the ancestors trod and persevered in spite of tremendous challenges.
July 2, 2014
A friend gave me this book for my birthday, which turned out to be the perfect preparation for my trip to Ireland because it provided the highlights of Irish history.
January 28, 2016
A great book to start you learning about Ireland, it's history, her people, and religions. This book puts everything into an easily understood time line. Recommended
March 14, 2016
Not bad. Not great. But it is a decent primer on the topic.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews