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Wars of the Irish Kings: A Thousand Years of Struggle, from the Age of Myth through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I |  | Author: David W. McCullough
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy Used: $8.60
as of 3/12/2010 10:16 CST details
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Seller: tarlovesjstuff
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 55700
Media: Paperback
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 7.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0609809075
Dewey Decimal Number: 941
EAN: 9780609809075
ASIN: 0609809075
Publication Date: February 26, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For the first thousand years of its history, Ireland was shaped by its wars. Beginning with the legends of ancient battles and warriors, Wars of the Irish Kings moves through a time when history and storytelling were equally prized, into the age when history was as much propaganda as fact. This remarkable book tells of tribal battles, foreign invasions, Viking raids, family feuds, wars between rival Irish kingdoms, and wars of rebellion against the English. While the battles formed the legends of the land, it was the people fighting the battles—Cuchulain, Finn MacCool, Brian Boru, Robert the Bruce, Elizabeth I, and Hugh O’Donnell—who shaped the destiny and identity of the Irish nation.
This is the real story of how Ireland came to be, told through eyewitness accounts from a thousand years of struggle, brought together for the first time in one volume. It’s a surprisingly immediate and stunning portrait of an all-but-forgotten time that forged the Ireland of today.
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| Customer Reviews:
A wonderful resource May 31, 2001
Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
This book contains stories from a thousand years of Irish kings, as drawn from primary sources. The book begins with the legendary stories of the Book of Invasions, and the stories of Cuchulain, Finn MacCool and Mad King Sweeney, all of which are translated in a clear and compelling style. The stories then continue through to Hugh O'Neill and the Nine Years War. Each section begins with an introduction, and each chapter begins with a preface that introduces the author and what the author is writing about. As an added bonus, this book includes a glossary of common Irish words used in place names (e.g. dun, bally, etc.) and a guide to pronunciation.This is a wonderful resource. I have read many books on Irish history, and it is great to be able read about select episodes as written about by people who lived closer to the actual events. The stories are easy to read, and are quite entertaining. I recommend this book.
Irish Enthisiast September 22, 2005
teo (montezuma, CO)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Well written and informative. A good collection of original texts from Ireland. Especially useful after reading a good ancient Irish History book.
The Irish October 28, 2000
5 out of 18 found this review helpful
Interesting portrayal of the different leaders of Ireland. A book that I read because of my growing interest in the Irish heritage...Maybe that is because of my girlfriend...but definetly a book to read if you are either of Irish hertiage or like to find out about royalty.
 A Thousand Years and Hundreds (It Seems) of Kings December 7, 2000
Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
David Willis McCullough has edited and combined many, many original texts of Wars of the Irish Kings (so goes the title) that can be interesting, frustrating, dull or very dull depending on the particular source used. It is a little jarring to go from one of the source writers to another as their styles are often different and the short length of the excerpts does not allow enough time to get used to a particular format or way of expressing ideas before it is time to move on. The flurry of names coming at the reader can be quite daunting, as well. The best and most effective part of the book are the brief introductions before each original source. They are concise, well-written and effectively prepare the reader for what is to come. The book does make me want to read further in Irish history to help fill in some of the gaps left empty by this book.
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