Product Description

Ireland entered the twentieth century savaged by poverty and memories of the famine but inspired by the Celtic Dawn, a remarkable cultural renaissance led by Yeats, Synge and Lady Gregory. She left it in the era of the Celtic Tiger, with unparalleled prosperity and a new, confident, outward-looking view of herself and the world - although this prosperity and self-confidence is now giving way to uncertainty. In the intervening hundred years, Ireland has experienced more 'history' than almost any other country: beginning under the British crown, she was racked by revolution, the Anglo-Irish war, partition and civil conflict. Led by towering figures such as Michael Collins and De Valera, she has suffered terrible hardships and disputes but has nevertheless provided brilliant cultural and literary examples and is now a country of importance in the wider international community, providing leadership in a variety of moral and development issues. In this readable and authoritative study, Ireland's bestselling popular historian tells the extraordinary story of how contemporary Ireland came into existence. Covering both South and North and dealing with social and cultural history as well as political, this will surely become a definitive single-volume account of the making of modern Ireland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #206374 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 880 pages

About the Author
Tim Pat Coogan, former editor of the Irish Press, is well known on both sides of the Atlantic for his journalism and especially for his books, which include Wherever Green is Worn, The Troubles, Michael Collins and De Valera.

Customer Reviews

An illuminating account of 20th century Ireland
Tim Pat Coogan has produced an amazingly comprehensive overview of Ireland's political, social, economic and cultural development during the twentieth century. His unique perspective is clearly derived from both extensive personal experience and a passion for the subject. Reading this book cover to cover is a significant undertaking, however Coogan's methodical and logical approach allow the reader to digest self contained chapters dealing with major issues in the progression of Irish society over the last hundred or so years. This is a major work that deserves attention from anyone interested in the history of contemporary Ireland.

Fantastic
I thought I knew a fair bit about Irish history beforehand. Ol' TPC is experienced at writing and it shows in his writing. Despite this book being crammed full of facts quotes and other highlighting material (e.g. messages between Churchill and De Valera during WWII) it isn't a messy jumble, "Ireland in the 20th Century" is clear and follows a coherent structure which a beginner to Irish history will benefit from.

TPC is not blatently Nationalistic or Republican as some have claimed and is even handed especially in dealing with the IRA and De Valera. The book examines the economics of Ireland during the century (especially with the establishment of the Irish Free State) as well as the social conditions of Women, Catholics, Protestants and the position of the Church.

The only criticism of this book is that it is fairly hefty. One won't finish this in a hurry, but with such an even-handed and fact-crammed book, neither will you want to put it down. Where other books separate the easter rising, war of independence, civil war, Irish position during WW2 and troubles, this book links them together seamlessly with plenty of attention and balance given to everything. A book for both the casual and academic reader and a real bargain.

Rating by proxy
I gave this book as a present to someone recently, and I've heard that it was good. I have few details, but I'd remark that the book is big - it's not a light read, but a proper historical review of Ireland throughout the 20th cent.