Wars of the Irish Kings: A Thousand Years of Struggle, from the Age of Myth Through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I

by David Willis McCullough

Book Overview

The riveting true story of how Ireland came to be, told through eyewitness accounts from a thousand years of struggle

"A fascinating mixture of mythology and actual historical events. . . . Lovers of Irish and medieval literature will relish this book."--Booklist

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609809075
• ISBN13: 9780609809075
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Irish Enthisiast

Well written and informative. A good collection of original texts from Ireland. Especially useful after reading a good ancient Irish History book.

A wonderful resource

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.

The Irish

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.