Through sources ranging from ancient forsundun (praise songs) and the hero kings to newspaper accounts, public decrees, and even graffiti, this book offers vivid portraits of major events and everyday life in Ireland through the centuries—beginning with Golamh, the legendary leader of the band of Iberian Celts who settled the island more than three thousand years ago, and concluding with gripping accounts by those on both sides of the bloody civil conflict in Northern Ireland.
"What an invaluable collection! Here are documents and voices from the distant and recent past, brought to life by Peter Berresford Ellis. He gently guides readers through the centuries, but allows the eyewitnesses to tell their own stories. And they are riveting." -- Terry Golway, author of
So Others Might Live: A History of New York's Bravest and
For the Cause of Liberty: A Thousand Years of Ireland's Heroes "It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the extraordinary breadth of research undertaken by Peter Beresford Ellis that he has now produced a powerful, expansive and compelling compendium of the eyewitness in Irish history. Ellis is understandably highly regarded for his skill in locating obscure yet important documents which chart Irish civilization and its many challenges over the centuries. This volume does full justice to his reputation as a prodigious researcher and judicial commentator on the great sweep of Irish history." --Dr. Ruan O'Donnell, History Department, University of Limerick
"This is a well-crafted, intellectually stimulating narrative of Irish culture and history from ancient times to the present struggle in Northeast Ireland. It is a good read for both the scholar and layman and an antidote to both revisionist and post-revisionist biases in academia." --Seamus Metress, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, The University of Toledo
