The Story of Ireland By Neil Hegarty
Very informative of a read on Irish history. Boring at times given it’s a history book but moves along well. English The story of Ireland is utterly compelling, and it’s hard to find major fault with Hegarty’s work. His work was deeply balanced and presents a picture of an Ireland who’s history was not set in stone nor inevitable but the result of dynamic shifting currents, and key moments and figures, seamlessly blending structuralism and intentionalism. What was so refreshing was work that demonstrated a strong understanding of the development and identity of Ulster Presbyterianism/Protestantism, independent of the common view that often amounts to little more than “Brits/English in Ireland”. Perhaps the highlight was a passage that explored the construction of an Irish identity, the process trodden by so many ‘nations’ in the 18th-20th century that settles on the common myth, traditions, and culture.
Lacking perhaps (despite some effort) is changing Irish cultural tradition although there is certainly some commentary on this. I felt the passage on the Famine perhaps was desperate to find more ‘balance’ than there really was, it’s unclear if this is out of fear of being controversial or out of a genuine desire to carve a new space in the centre of the debate over whether the Famine was a British-made disaster vs uncontrollable natural disaster.
The biographical focus on leaders is illuminating and interesting, but interspersed with changing regional and international currents that puts Ireland in its global context, with structural constraints as anywhere has. This extends even to the medieval and viking periods where the economic structures and incentives that drove viking settlement as well as indigenous social structures are explored at length.
A wonderful read of one of humanity’s most dramatic, and unfinished, stories. English I read this short history in connection with my trip to Ireland with Liz for our 20th anniversary celebration. It offered a general overview to the present day, and gave helpful insights for a foreigner like myself. English Underpinning any history of Ireland there is always a subtle conceit – that Ireland, uniquely amongst nations, has been forced to live under the shadow of a more powerful neighbour whose influence has shaped her history. A simple glance across the European map proves this to be less than uncommon, but Ireland is at least unusual in that it has allowed this relationship to dominate her thinking and cast a shadow over her politics. Keane and Hegarty in their history try to do something different by looking at Ireland’s relationships on a larger stage, but whether by virtue of a limited knowledge of world history or his own biases, in this they are only partially successful.
Some of Ireland’s history is, of course, almost mythological. To cast Cromwell as anything other than a black-hearted villain, for example, would be like telling an Englishman that King Arthur was French. Whilst not willing to overturn this particular orthodoxy – even treating an example of Cromwellian clemency as some kind of lapse – at least in some places, the authors are prepared to question myths. Their handling of the potato famine is particularly even-handed in this regard.
It is as we reach more recent times that this attempt to be balanced seems to falter and the internationalist view becomes patchier. During his earlier talk of emigration, the authors do mention the manner in which the number of Irish moving to the United States influenced the attitudes of that country to the Anglo-Irish relationship – they even go so far as to show how conflict between the USA and Canada was shaped by the migration – but by the time the narrative reaches the 1970s, that relationship has been forgotten, not so much glossing as totally ignoring the manner in which American funding prolonged the conflict with the IRA, whilst stressing the American involvement in attempting subsequently to broker peace. The view of the beginning of the Troubles – where the reason for Unionist violence is left unclear, whilst it is described as “understandable” that some Nationalists would support the IRA – seems particularly unbalanced. And this is a view from someone who, with an English perspective, feels that Unionist violence is often downplayed at home.
History, of course, requires distance and it may be that recent events are simply too difficult for people who lived through them to view entirely impartially. Equally, it may be that the authors don’t feel that Irish-American relations would be helped (or American sales of the book encouraged) by suggesting in a post 9/11 world that US citizens might have been responsible for funding terrorism.
Ultimately, the greatest weakness of the book is that, having established its intentions, it fails thoroughly to deliver on them. Touching on world events does make for a more interesting read, but it is only a touch. For the English, a continual fear that Ireland was a back door for invaders often coloured our politics with regard to that nation, and the effect of the various European conflicts of the early modern era on the Irish question is worthy of more thorough examination. The policy of partition, a seeming novelty in the early twentieth century, could also have been examined in more depth – particularly since the strife of the later part of the century has its roots in that decision.
Finally, it is striking that in the closing chapters of the book there is an examination of Ireland’s recent financial woes without significant reference to the international angle. By the time the book was published, the situation in Southern Europe was already acute and some commentators were laying blame at the door of the Euro, but the authors appear content to ignore this, simply accepting as reality that small nations have little control of their finances in the modern world. Whilst this may be reflective of a largely pro-EU Irish populace, for a historian to use such a weak justification for not examining the facts seems amateur to say the least.
English An episodic history of Ireland, beginning with a brief prologue about pre-Christian Ireland, then covering:
1. The coming of Christianity to Ireland, which was then sent back into mainland Europe as learning was lost with the “Dark Ages” (although interesting, the biography of Columbanus in Europe felt out of place).
2. A little about the Irish kingdoms themselves. Perhaps there is little evidence of these, but other than Dal Riata (Scottish Isles and north Irish kingdom) and what became Ulster, there was too little about this.
3. The coming of the Viking, and how this was similar, but different from in England/Britain.
4. The coming of the Normans/Angevins, including the creation of the Pale, which was interesting as although I knew that this had happened, I did not know any detail.
5. The reformation, Cromwell (“By 1660 famine, fighting and disease had wiped out between a fifth and a quarter of the Irish population”) and protestant settlements, mainly Presbyterians from Scotland. I really had not understood how Ulster’s protestants were separate from English interests. Also the start of emigration, with Catholics emigrating to Europe (the “wild geese”).
6. The Act of Settlement (1652) – “an attempt at social engineering on a vast and revolutionary scale, dispossessing landowners in order to hand their estates over to newcomers; and it was underpinned by the hope that, in the end, the Irish would depart for good. The effect was the creation of the Ascendancy in Ireland: a Protestant class of five thousand-odd families that would control the lion’s share of the land – and this was the great shift that would dominate the country’s affairs for the next 270 years.” But then too little about the Ascendancy.
7. The Battle of the Boyne (1690) – “though it was certainly not the great decisive engagement of Irish myth, has provided one enduring image: that of William on a white charger, his vast force wholly outnumbering, outgunning and outflanking the Jacobites” (Catholics from various countries).
8. More emigration “The eighteenth century witnessed the first mass emigration in Irish history: between 1717 and 1776, a quarter of a million Presbyterians sailed from Belfast, Derry and the smaller ports of Ulster for a new life in North America. Some made for Canada, leaving a lasting imprint on the culture and politics of Ontario in particular; the majority, however, chose to settle in the United States, where they came to be known as the Scots-Irish.”
9. The potato famine (1845-49), a European wide blight, but “It was only in Ireland, however, that such a high proportion of the population was so utterly dependent on a single crop.” And the “Irish Question” – trying (unsuccessfully) to bring the Catholic majority into the administration of Ireland in the 19th century.
10. Moving to the late nineteenth and twentieth century there was useful explanations (to me) of the personalities and significance of Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins and de Valera, the policies of Unionism and Nationalism, the Free State’s brief civil war, the impact of the Irish “diaspora” upon Irish politics and culture, the influence of the Catholic Church from the 1920’s onwards and neutrality during the second world war.
11. There are brief mentions of Irish culture once we reach the late nineteenth century, although the majority of this was produced by Irish emigrants. It was sad/interesting/appalling to read that “at the end of the 1920s, a massive 93 per cent of children were in receipt of no secondary education at all.”
12. With regard to the analysis of late twentieth century and later politics (in the Afterword), it is perhaps difficult to stand back from this with sufficient perspective, as it is still too close in time to be history, rather than memory. However, a brave attempt is made at providing an outline analysis without being partisan. Some of this was familiar to me from news reports from the 1970’s onwards and it was interesting to read about these events as history and from a southern Irish perspective
Perhaps inevitably, there is much about the relationship with England/Britain, as well as with other countries, especially Scotland and France. As noted above, there is too little about the indigenous Irish themselves and more about “immigrants”, especially for early periods.
Overall, despite some weaknesses, especially with pre-Christian Ireland, I have learnt much and the book is a good, readable introduction to Ireland’s history. English
In this groundbreaking history of Ireland, Neil Hegarty presents a fresh perspective on Ireland's past. Comprehensive and engaging, The Story of Ireland is an eye-opening account of a nation that has long been shaped by forces beyond its coasts. The Story of Ireland re-examines Irish history, challenging the accepted stories and long-held myths associated with Ireland. Transporting readers to the Ireland of the past, beginning with the first settlement in A.D. 433, this is a sweeping and compelling history of one of the world's most dynamic nations. Hegarty examines how world events, including Europe's 16th century religious wars, the French and American revolutions, and Ireland's policy of neutrality during World War II, have shaped the country over the course of its long and fascinating history. With an up-to-date afterword that details the present state of affairs in Ireland, this is an essential text for readers who are fascinated by current events, politics, and history.
Spanning Irish history from its earliest inhabitants to the country's current financial crisis, The Story of Ireland is an epic and brilliant re-telling of Ireland's history from a new point of view. The Story of Ireland
Going into the this read I knew very little of Ireland's history outside of it's context within the Tudor dynasty of Great Britain. I've never traveled anywhere with such little knowledge of a location's history. So, since we are going this summer I have a list of books to enhance my knowledge a bit. This was the perfect book with which to start this journey, covering the time from 5th century AD to present day Ireland in 342 pages in an engaging and readable writing style. Hegarty does an excellent job laying out the timeline for important events and introducing important figures during this time. There is a fantastic timeline at the end of the book. The only point of criticism I have is the author could at times spend too much time on events outside of the country.
On a personal note, I was surprised by how wrong some of my assumptions about aspects of the country's history.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in an introduction to Ireland's history. English I read this book for three reasons: because I like history, we were on our second mission there, and because I have deep roots there on my dad's side.
Ireland's history is very violent, religious and rich culturally and intillectually at the same time. From the Gaelic to the Norse to the English, the author shows that Ireland was part of a wider history. European upheaval and religious forces, combined with economic factors shaped the Island over the centuries.
And what an amazing story it is. Just think: while most of the world floundered through the dark ages, Irish monks copied the scriptures and preserved accumulated knowledge for generations to come. The book of Kells is a product of their ingenuity and love of knowledge.
But the history is stained with the blood of untold millions. With blame for all sides for so much brutality it stagers the mind as you read. So many were forced to emigrate because of forced starvation etc. that there are more Irish in the Irish diaspora than on the Island.
The book ends the story around 2010 and it would be interesting to have a chapter on the repurcussions of Brexit.
A very worthwhile read. English Condensed and accessible (if somewhat wooden) story of Ireland, great for expats like me. Hegarty shows why Ireland is as Catholic as it is and also does well at chronicling the development of British involvement in Ireland. The writing is not particularly absorbing nor is there an abundance of insights, but as I say, a good overview. English This was a great overview of Irish history that helped me understand what life in Ireland was like when my great-grandparents--and many others--decided to come to America, English Generally engaging book covering 1500 years of Irish history that had a lot more conflict than I would have guessed. Hegarty does include maps at the end of chapters, so if you, like me, have no sense for Irish geography, that is very helpful for context. The book drags towards the end, but the last century happens to be the most relevant now, so it is worth getting through. English