History and Politics
John Ardagh , Ireland and the Irish: Portrait of a Changing Society (Penguin). Comprehensive and lively, this is an excellent anatomy of Irish society and its efforts to come to terms with the modern world. Jonathan Bardon , A History of Ulster (Blackstaff; Dufour). A comprehensive account from early settlements to the current Troubles. Brian Barton , A Pocket History of Ulster (O'Brien, Irish American Book Co.). Accessible account of Northern Irish politics from the years prior to Partition to the present day. J.C. Beckett , The Making of Modern Ireland 1603-1923 (Faber; Trafalgar o/p). Concise and elegant, this is probably the best introduction to the complexities of Irish history. David Beresford , Ten Men Dead (HarperCollins; Atlantic Monthly). Revelatory account of the 1981 hunger strike, using the prison correspondence as its basic material; a powerful refutation of the demonologies of the British press. Angela Bourke , The Burning of Bridget Clearly (Pimlico UK). Impeccably researched account of nefarious goings-on in Tipperary in the 1890s, describing the sensational case of a young woman supposedly taken by the fairies, tortured and murdered, and the subsequent trial of her husband, father, aunt and four cousins. Terence Brown , Ireland: A Social and Cultural History 1922 to the Present (HarperCollins; Cornell University Press). Brillantly perceptive survey of writers' responses to the dog's breakfast made of postrevolutionary Ireland by its leaders. Max Caulfield , The Easter Rebellion (Gill & Macmillan; Roberts Rinehart o/p). Recently revised account of the events of 1916, originally published in 1963, brought to life with interviews with those involved. Michael Collins , In His Own Words (Gill & Macmillan IRE). A collection of extracts from the revolutionary's writings and speeches. S.J. Connolly (ed), The Oxford Companion to Irish History (OUP). A massive introduction to almost every aspect of Irish history. Tim Pat Coogan , The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal 1969-1995 and the Search for Peace (Arrow; Museum of Denver). The former Irish Press editor's popular-history writing has many followers and his The IRA (Fontana; Roberts Rinehart) is a contemporary classic. His earlier books on two icons of modern Ireland, Michael Collins (Arrow; Roberts Rinehart o/p) and De Valera: Long Fellow, Long Shadow (Arrow; Harper o/p), are essential reading. Sean Duffy , The Atlas of Irish History (Gill & Macmillan IRE). A good introduction to Irish history, rich with maps, diagrams and drawings. Peter Berresford Ellis , Hell or Connaught (Blackstaff; Dufour) and The Boyne Water (o/p). Vivid popular histories of Cromwell's rampage and the pivotal Battle of the Boyne. Michael Farrell , Arming the Protestants: The Formation of the Ulster Special Constabulary and the Royal Ulster Constabulary, 1920-1927 (Pluto o/p; Longwood o/p). Farrell is a fine journalist and veteran of Northern Ireland's civil rights campaigns. In Northern Ireland: The Orange State (Pluto UK) he argues, as the title implies, from a Republican standpoint; it's an occasionally tendentious but extremely persuasive political account of the development of Northern Ireland. Garret FitzGerald , All in a Life (Gill & Macmillan UK o/p). The first former Taoiseach to write his memoirs has produced an extraordinary book, characteristically frank, and full of detail on the working of government. David Fitzpatrick , Oceans of Consolation: Personal Accounts of Migration to Australia . (Cork University Press; Cornell University Press). Using over a hundred unedited letters largely written around the 1850s and 1860s, this book brings to life the experiences of loss and longing of Irish emigrants to Australia. R.F. Foster , Modern Ireland 1600-1972 (Penguin). Superb and provocative new book, generally reckoned to be unrivalled in its scholarship and acuity, although it has been criticized for what some feel to be an excessive sympathy towards the Anglo-Irish. Not recommended for beginners. Kathleen Hughes and Ann Hamlin , The Modern Traveller to the Early Irish Church (Four Courts Press IRE). The remains of monastic settlements are found all over Ireland and this revised edition enhances the visitor's appreciation by reconstructing the daily religious and secular life of Ireland in the Early Christian Period; also includes a detailed list of recommended sites. Gemma Hussey , Ireland Today: Anatomy of a Changing State (Penguin o/p). A well-regarded and invaluable source of information on Ireland's changing identity by this ex-government minister. Robert Kee , The Green Flag (Penguin; 3 vols). Scrupulous history of Irish Nationalism from the first plantations to the creation of the Free State. Masterful as narrative and as analysis. Daire Keogh and Nicholas Furlong (eds), The Women of 1798 (Four Courts Press IRE). Women are often "hidden" in Irish history and this collection of essays reasserts the vital role many played in the 1798 Rebellion, from Matilda Tone (wife of Wolfe) who redefined the role of woman as patriot, to the Belfast revolutionary Mary Anne McCracken. Christine Kinealy , This Great Calamity: The Irish Famine (Gill & MacMillan; Roberts Rinehart o/p). Unravels fact from fiction through systematic analysis of primary source material related to the Great Famine. F.S.L. Lyons , Ireland Since the Famine (HarperCollins UK). The most complete overview of recent Irish history; either iconoclastic or revisionist, depending on your point of view. T.W. Moody and F.X. Martin (eds), The Course of Irish History (Mercier; Madison Books). Highly readable collection of essays on many aspects of Irish history. R.J. Scally , The End of the Hidden Ireland: Rebellion, Famine and Emigration (OUP UK). History revealing the strategies deployed by one particular Roscommon peasant community in their struggle to avoid eviction and emigration; this book also details their exploitation by Irish Catholic middlemen. David Sharrock & Mark Prendergast , Man of War, Man of Peace? The Unauthorised Biography of Gerry Adams (MacMillan UK). Lengthy, detailed account of the Sinn Fein leader's rise to prominence. Cecil Woodham Smith , The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-1849 (Penguin). The classic history of the Famine, superseded by recent research, but still a superb and harrowing narrative. A.T.Q. Stewart , The Narrow Ground (Blackstaff Press IRE). A Unionist overview of the history of the North from 1609 to the 1960s, providing an essential background to the current situation. Ruth Taillon , Women of 1916 (Beyond the Pale IRE). Key documentation of the part played by women in the struggle for independence. Peter Taylor , Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein (Bloomsbury), published in USA as Behind the Mask (TV Books). Study of the historical development of the Provisional IRA, including fascinating interviews with IRA members. Kevin Toolis , Rebel Hearts: Journeys within the IRA's Soul (Picador; St Martin's Press). Highly acclaimed and topical account of what makes the IRA tick by this journalist and screen-writer.
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