The New Yorker contributor's fascinating account of Irish history
from legendary kings to occupation, independence, and modern political
strife.
The author of The Soong Sisters and China to Me turns her observant
and discerning eye to the oft-troubled land of Ireland. In a magisterial
combination of historical research and keen personal observation on the
scene, Emily Hahn gives us a view of the whole of Ireland and its
history, from the legends of the great kings and the heroes of myth to
the Saint who converted Ireland to Christianity many centuries ago to
modern times. She details the trials and tribulations of a conquered
people as they rebel against their exploiters and fight and die for
independence, eventually achieving their goal but only at the price of a
bitter partition that haunts the country to this day. Hahn's breadth of
vision and acute sense of the telling detail paints the big picture
while also pinpointing the small but important moments. Perhaps the
subtitle manages to encapsulate it all: Ireland, Its Legends, Its
History, Its People from St. Patrick to Bernadette Devlin.