Ireland: The People's History of Ireland, Volume 1 (of 2)

The work traces Ireland's story from its physical features and early inhabitants through religious and legal traditions to successive invasions and political changes up to the early seventeenth century. It describes geography, resources, and territorial divisions; explores ancient religion and the missionary activity attributed to St. Patrick; reviews native laws and governance; and recounts Norse incursions, the Norman and English interventions, and key medieval conflicts including the Battle of Clontarf and later statutes restricting Gaelic culture. A second section covers the Reformation era and its consequences, detailing rebellions, plantation policies, notable campaigns led by Irish leaders, and the decline of traditional resistance after Kinsale and related defeats.