In Search of Ancient Ireland: The Origins of the Irish from Neolithic Times to the Coming of the English

This engaging book traces the history, archaeology, and legends of ancient Ireland from Neolithic times to the coming of England. Companion to the PBS documentary series. Marvelous. --Terry Golway, New York Observer Lawrence J. McCafferey

Well-written...informative...new and fascinating material challenging many myths. (Lawrence J. McCafferey, Emeritus Professor Of History, Loyola University Of Chicago) More Reviews and Recommendations Editorial Reviews - In Search of Ancient Ireland From the Publisher

This engaging book traces the history, archaeology, and legends of ancient Ireland from 9000 B.C., when nomadic hunter-gatherers appeared in Ireland at the end of the last Ice Age-to 1167 A.D., when an Anglo-Norman invasion brought the country under control of the English crown for the first time. So much of what people today accept as ancient Irish history-Celtic invaders from Europe turning Ireland into a Celtic nation; St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland and converting its people to Christianity-is myth and legend with little basis in reality.

The truth is more interesting. The Irish, as the authors show, are not even Celtic in an archaeological sense. And there were plenty of bishops in Ireland before a British missionary called Patrick arrived. But In Search of Ancient Ireland is not simply the story of events from long ago. Across Ireland today are ancient sites and folk customs that provide tangible links to events thousands of years past. The authors visit and describe many of these places, talking to a wide variety of historians, archeologists and language scholars, in the very settings where history happened. Thus the book is also a journey on the ground to uncover ten thousand years of Irish identity. It is all here, from the Celtic culture to the rise of the uniquely Irish Christian spirituality to the final chapter which deals with the complex events that lead to the English invasion of the island.

In Search of Ancient Ireland is the official companion to the PBS series of the same name. Lawrence J. McCafferey

Well-written...informative...new and fascinating material challenging many myths. (Lawrence J. McCafferey, Emeritus Professor Of History, Loyola University Of Chicago) New York Observer - Terry Golway

Your search for the roots of Irish history and culture begins here, with this marvelous book. Irish Connections