Eyewitness to Irish History Hardcover - 2004 - 1st Edition

From the rear cover

It is easy to see why Ireland has produced so many notable storytellers, poets, and historians. It has a rich oral and written history stretching back over three thousand years. More important, it has what may be the oldest vernacular literature of Europe. The Irish have been writing eloquently in the language spoken by the common people for more than fourteen hundred years-despite concerted efforts by the English, beginning with Henry VIII, to extinguish the Irish language and deny the people any formal education.

A unique documentary history of Irish civilization from ancient times to the present, Eyewitness to Irish History draws upon original source materials to capture the tumultuous events and distinctive texture of Irish history like no other book. Comparing the readings compiled here to snapshots, the renowned Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis offers what, in essence, is a family photo album of Ireland and the Irish people-beginning with Golamh, the legendary leader of the band of Iberian Celts who settled the island more than three thousand years ago, as told in the Lebor Gabala Erenn, or Book of Invasions, and concluding with gripping firsthand accounts by those on both sides of the bloody civil conflict in Northern Ireland.

From the codification of the Irish laws by the poet Ollamh Fodhla in the eighth century b.c.e. to the defeat of the Vikings by High King Brian Boiroihme in 1014 c.e., from the English Tudor conquests of the sixteenthcentury to the Easter Uprising of 1916 and the subsequent establishment of the Irish Free State, virtually every major event is covered here in texts ranging from ancient forsundun (praise songs) and the hero kings to newspaper accounts, public decrees, and even graffiti. At the same time, you'll find vivid portraits of everyday life in Ireland throughout the centuries as chronicled in everything from St. Patrick's confessions to heartrending accounts of the famine of 1848 to the letters, diaries, and memoirs of a vast and multifarious array of authors.

The story of Ireland as told through the words of those who actually lived it, Eyewitness to Irish History offers you an unparalleled opportunity to experience the grand sweep of one of the world's most ancient and vital civilizations.

From the jacket flap

It is easy to see why Ireland has produced so many notable storytellers, poets, and historians. It has a rich oral and written history stretching back over three thousand years. More important, it has what may be the oldest vernacular literature of Europe. The Irish have been writing eloquently in the language spoken by the common people for more than fourteen hundred years-despite concerted efforts by the English, beginning with Henry VIII, to extinguish the Irish language and deny the people any formal education.

A unique documentary history of Irish civilization from ancient times to the present, Eyewitness to Irish History draws upon original source materials to capture the tumultuous events and distinctive texture of Irish history like no other book. Comparing the readings compiled here to snapshots, the renowned Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis offers what, in essence, is a family photo album of Ireland and the Irish people-beginning with Golamh, the legendary leader of the band of Iberian Celts who settled the island more than three thousand years ago, as told in the Lebor Gabala Erenn, or Book of Invasions, and concluding with gripping firsthand accounts by those on both sides of the bloody civil conflict in Northern Ireland.

From the codification of the Irish laws by the poet Ollamh Fodhla in the eighth century b.c.e. to the defeat of the Vikings by High King Brian Boiroihme in 1014 c.e., from the English Tudor conquests of the sixteenthcentury to the Easter Uprising of 1916 and the subsequent establishment of the Irish Free State, virtually every major event is covered here in texts ranging from ancient forsundun (praise songs) and the hero kings to newspaper accounts, public decrees, and even graffiti. At the same time, you'll find vivid portraits of everyday life in Ireland throughout the centuries as chronicled in everything from St. Patrick's confessions to heartrending accounts of the famine of 1848 to the letters, diaries, and memoirs of a vast and multifarious array of authors.

The story of Ireland as told through the words of those who actually lived it, Eyewitness to Irish History offers you an unparalleled opportunity to experience the grand sweep of one of the world's most ancient and vital civilizations.

Media reviews

Citations

• Library Journal, 02/09/2004, Page 0