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.
The enormous success of How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Great Shame, and Angela's Ashes proves that the 40 million descendants of Ireland living in the United States are a proven book-buying crowd. Here is the first book that pulls together the story of Ireland in the voices of the people who were actually there.
For the first thousand years of its history, Ireland was shaped by its wars. Just as Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation Speaks enhanced and built on the story of The Greatest Generation by presenting firsthand accounts of those who brought victory in World War II, Wars of the Irish Kings provides a comprehensive collection of diaries, journals, and other accounts of the making of Ireland from the people who made it happen, presenting the rich tapestry of Ireland's fight for its identity.
“A fascinating mixture of mythology and actual historical events. . . . Lovers of Irish and medieval literature will relish this book.”—
Booklist
