A History of Modern Ireland

Penguin Press, 1971

This vivid and finely-detailed account of the development of political and national aspirations in Ireland begins with the Act of Union in 1800 and ends with the present discontent in Ulster. Dr. Norman writes with welcome astringency about Irish history and Irish versions of history (not by any means in agreement with each other), explaining the origin and nature of `the Irish Question' in modern British history, and laying bare the similarities between Irish and English experience which the exponents of Irish nationalism have tended to ignore or to disguise, The book also traces the submergence of labour politics in Ireland beneath middle-class nationalism, and analyses the causes and results of the partition of the country. Whether dealing with the complexities of events in 1916, analysing the political role of O'Connell, or questioning the assumptions about Irishmen and Englishmen on which so much misunderstanding has been based, Dr Norman writes succinctly and with pleasant humour providing a thoughtful study which will meet a long-felt need for a balanced and detached account of the period...