This attractive one-volume survey tells the story of Ireland from earliest times to the present. The text is complemented by 200 illustrations, including maps, photographs and diagrams. Seán Duffy, the general editor of the bestselling Atlas of Irish History, has written a text of exceptional clarity.

Duffy stresses the enduring themes of his story: the long cultural continuity; the central importance of Ireland’s relationships with Britain and mainland Europe; and the intractability of the ethnic and national divisions in modern Ulster. As a specialist in medieval Irish history, he gives the earlier period its due treatment - unlike most such surveys - thus introducing these recurring themes at an early stage.