THE TROUBLE WITH THE IRISH

by Leonard Wibberley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 1956

A serious history of Ireland and her people, by an Anglo-Irish author, follows the long period of ""splendid isolation"" when the country was given over to local brannigans, reveals the sad results of the Norman conquest and the peculiar troubles brought about by how the Irish wore their hair. It shows how Henry VIII gave them unity over the split between the Protestants and Catholics; it highlights the revolts over land confiscation and the plantation system and Cromwell's complete subjugation by the sword. The Penal Code that made vassals of the people, further exploitation, and the uprisings under Fitzgerald and Tone, the Act of Union and the devastation caused by the potato famine contribute to the years of attempted land reforms and the efforts of O'Connell and Parnell. Civil War averted by World War I, the Irish question came to life with the revolts over home rule, De Valera's work for freedom and the eventual establishment of the Irish Free State. Wibberley has an eye to the ""chronic shortcomings"" and ""talented imbecility"" of the Irish and a sympathy for their long history of oppression and tells his story with color and vigorous concern.

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION