Product Description

Jonathan Bardon covers all the obvious things: the invasions, battles, development of towns and cities, the Reformation, the Georgian era, the Famine, rebellions and resistance, the difference of Ulster, partition, the twentieth century. What makes his book so valuable, however, are the quirky subjects he chooses to illustrate how history really works: the great winter freeze of 1740 and the famine that followed; crime and duelling; an emigrant voyage; evictions. These episodes get behind the historical headlines to give a glimpse of past realities that might otherwise be lost to view. The author has retained the original episodic structure of the radio programmes. The result is a marvellous mosaic of the Irish past, delivered with clarity and narrative skill.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26308 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09
• Binding: Paperback

About the Author
Jonathan Bardon was born and educated in Dublin, but has spent most of his life as a teacher and lecturer in Belfast. He is, therefore, well acquainted with both parts of Ireland. He has an outstanding reputation as a narrative historian of rare ability.

Customer Reviews

Making history fascinating
Bardon's History of Ireland covers the ground in a different way than any other book addressing the same subject. It is based on episodes (250 of them) and uses material gleaned from painstaking and detailed research, much of it from very local sources. It is highly granular in its approach and the flow of "quotations" provides an understanding and flavor of the people and events of the time. This work struck me as moving from two dimensional history to the perspective given by three dimensions. The characters jump off the page.
The structure of the book - 250 chapters - comes from the fact that it was originally conceived as as BBC Radio series broadcasted daily for a full year. As a result each chapter is standalone which has the benefit that one can pick up this book and read any chapter (less than a 1000 words) in 10 to 15 minutes without having to have read what went before. It is a great book for dipping into.
This is a serious history book and sets a new standard in the way history should be written with its ease of accessibility. This is both a reference book and a bedside table companion. This is factual storytelling at its best.

History for everyone
This is the first history book I have ever read cover to cover. It makes history accessible to anyone. It is small chunks, so you can read a bit at a time, it has opened up a knowledge of Irish history for me. Although I lived through the time of the Irish troubles during the 1960's and onward, the news at the time never explained why. Now I feel I have a better understanding of the current attitudes in Northen Ireland, and an understanding of why my great grandmother left in 1854.

Excellent book
This book is a must have for anyone with an interest in Irish history. It's easy going style, just 2 or 3 pages per chapter means you can read it from cover to cover or just dip in where ever you fancy (I did both). Bardon certainly knows his subject well and writes in a style that will appeal to all ages. I thoroughly reccommend this book.A History of Ireland in 250 Episodes