The book's clear Irish viewpoint, once recognized, is valuable in understanding the Irish viewpoint. I felt I could come to hate them myself.*)
well, I could see why many of the Irish have hated the English. (And reading the accounts of Britain's conquest and keeping of Ireland - including atrocities of murder, rape, and torture - and the ruthless self-interest with which Great Britain ruled the Irish, and the oppressive laws with which it sought to disenfranchise and degrade an entire people. The later chapters are strong and unequivocal in their anti-British viewpoint. The opening chapters consist greatly of speculation about the historical basis of Irish legends, especially those of the Tuatha De Danann. This is a book of the Irish, by the Irish, and for the Irish.Ī more rigorous book might have been written, as the author acknowledges at the outset. He declares on the first page that the purpose of this rough and ready sketch is to provide a history of Ireland for her people and exiles (and descendants of those exiles - of whom I am one). To his credit, the author makes no pretensions to neutrality. On the first page of this book, the author calls it a "crude compendium" and "a rough and ready sketch." Perhaps so, but at 725 pages and a historical span of nearly three thousand years, it is quite a sketch. I would strongly suggest this read for a beginner newly delving into Irish history, as well as for anyone with an interest into Irish Nationalism sometimes a bit choppy, his info is mostly taken from contemporary sources, with lots of quotes and footnotes throughout, the entire read is absolutely rollicking in "Paddy Fever". McManus sums up Cuchulain, Fionn Macumhail, Irish-Celtic Christianity, the Tuatha de Dannan, Vikings etc in a relatively easy narrative. the sections on pre-Norman Irish civilization are (for lack of a better adjective) 'effin' awesome. it spans the entire scope, from prehistory until 1922. however, while I understand those of the pro-Loyalist persuasion will undoubtedly pan this work as part of a pan-Nationalist conspiracy, it's invaluable in immersing the reader in a passionate, well argued point of view. This is in fact a great resource in understanding where Nationalistic Ireland is coming from to this day. it's not that the information is necessarily false, it's simply that the information is certainly told from an unwaveringly Nationalist point of view.Ī) this was written in the aftermath of the Irish Civil War by a man who served in the resistanceī) the title states "A Popular History of Ireland" particularly the famine period of 1844-48. Of course, it is a bit "propagandist" concerning several subjects. over the years I have read quite a bit of Irish history and keeping coming back to this every once in awhile. I found it engrossing, if at times rather exaggerated. this was the first book I ever read on Irish history. I first read this book in 1984 (I was 14).
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