A full and accurate portrait of Ireland from its prehistory right up to the present. The story opens with early Celtic Ireland, through Saint Patrick's mission which began the process of making it 'an island of saints,' to the high King Brian Boru and his struggle with Viking and Irish enemies alike. It moves on through the arrival of the Norman 'Strongbow' in the twelfth century, and the beginnings of the difficult and tragic Anglo-Irish relationship, right through to modern times. The book ends with a description of modern Ireland.