In Search of Ireland's Heroes: The Story of the Irish from the English Invasion to the Present Day [Paperback]

Carmel McCaffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2007

In In Search of Ancient Ireland, published by Ivan R. Dee in 2002, Carmel McCaffrey traced the history, archaeology, and legends of ancient Ireland from 9000 B.C. to the Norman invasion. Now, in an engaging sequel, Ms. McCaffrey tells the story of the struggle between English and Irish aspirations in the centuries since the first English incursions into Ireland in the twelfth century. This is a narrative history filled with powerful personalities and families who fought in battle and through constitutional means to free Ireland from English control. With an extensive use of original sources—letters, personal accounts, and parliamentary documents—Ms. McCaffrey brings these individuals to life and tells their story. We meet the intrepid O’Neills, the colorful O’Donnells, the wily Fitzgeralds, and many others whose passion for freedom and for Ireland could not be conquered. The Irish, as the book recounts, struggled over many generations to hold on to ancient lands only to lose their fight in the Elizabethan wars. In the early 1600s the ancient Irish Brehon laws were extinguished, and it seemed as if the Gaelic past had been washed from memory. Yet the story of Irish determination did not end there. Other generations took up the effort to establish an Irish parliament free of English control that would answer the needs of all citizens. To this stirring history Ms. McCaffrey brings the same adroitness that prompted Terry Golway of the New York Observer to call her first book "marvelous...fine storytelling and analysis." With 25 black-and-white photographs and a map.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McCaffrey (In Search of Ancient Ireland) has penned a "quick," partisan (from the Catholic viewpoint) version of Irish history. The arrival of the English in the 12th century is duly noted and the long melancholy march to the modern age is marked by jumps from King Dermot MacMurrough to Oliver Cromwell, the potato famine and the political turbulence of the late 19th century. Of particular interest is McCaffrey's excellent portrait of Charles Stewart Parnell and his policies in the 1870s and '80s, such as his involvement in the Land Leagues, his quest for Home Rule, his affair with Kitty O'Shea and subsequent abandonment by both church and state. McCaffrey also views the role of the Catholic Church in Ireland and comes to some interesting conclusions about orthodoxy and traditional Irish resistance to it. The political ferment of the early 20th century is explored by painting portraits of all the familiar names, from Patrick Pearse to Eamon De Valera and Michael Collins. The modern troubles in the North are examined and the Celtic Tiger is praised (somehow without mentioning its father, 1960s' prime minister Sean Lemass). A breezy, somewhat superficial work, this will best appeal to the Irish history neophyte. (Oct. 6)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Written with verve and passion...In Search of Ireland's Heroes is a welcome challenge to conservative interpretations of Ireland's history. (Kerby Miller )

There've been plenty of books on Irish history but none quite so vivid and accessible asIn Search of Ireland's Heroes... [which stands] solidly both as a companion volume and as an innovative history by itself. (California Bookwatch )

"McCaffrey has succeeded in compiling a history of Ireland which is completely accessible without losing credibility." (Irish Emigrant )

The hero stories engage, the scene-setting shines as both scholarly and readable, and the character descriptions run deep....Magnificent collection. (Michael Phelps Examiner )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee; Pbk. Ed edition (October 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566637562
• ISBN-13: 978-1566637565
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History from the inside sources, November 21, 2006

By 

Patrick Finucan - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Search of Ireland's Heroes: The Story of the Irish from the English Invasion to the Present Day (Hardcover)

Don't be deceived by this book. In Search of Ireland's Heroes is not a "popular history," but it is an intensely intimate history. The author, Carmel McCaffrey, has fashioned a unique and intimate historical look at her native Ireland. What emerges in this second volume of her two volume series (the first, In Search of Ancient Ireland), is history from the inside out. This is not history written by the conquerors, but history as seen through the eyes, the reflections, and documents of those who participated in the events.

In fact, a distinctive feature of this book - the story of Ireland from the Anglo-Norman invasion up to the late 20th century - is its dependence on original sources. It cites the words of Geraldus Cambrensis, a 12th century Norman scribe. It makes the reader feel the cutting edge of the Penal Laws as they restrict the "superstition of Popery" by declaring that pilgrimages to St. Patrick's Purgatory were considered to be "riots and unlawful assemblies."

The organizing structure of the book includes military, political, and social history, but the book - true to its title - organizes the story around an extraordinary line of heroic figures; women and men who emerged at critical moments and who symbolize the struggle for Irish identity and independence. "Heroic figures" may be a little misleading, for these figures are not distant or exaggerated personalities, but an instantly accessible gallery of characters who gave voice to Irish ideals and often gave their lives and fortunes rather than submit to an oppressive alien rule. There are family tribal leaders (the Fitzgeralds, the O'Neills), 18th century Protestant nationalists (Grattan, Tone, and Lord Edward Fitzgerald); and the usual 20th century suspects like Eamon DeValera and Michael Collins. But there are also less known but fascinating characters like Robert Briscoe, arms runner and later Lord Mayor of Dublin.

One of the journalistic oversimplifications when reporting Irish events and history is the tendency to view them in terms of the struggle between Protestant and Catholic factions in the country. The point McCaffrey makes over and over again is that religion is indeed a theme in Ireland but that the issue is much more complex and nuanced than the Catholic/Protestant dichotomy. She notes that Irish Catholicism has had a long-term dispute with Roman Catholicism over its unique communal and ritual expressions. Some of the most articulate voices of Irish nationalism were Protestant. Even the term "Protestant" is not univocal with the Church of Ireland and the northern Presbyterians having a strained relationship. And McCaffrey reminds the reader that the early Irish Republic in its constitution recognizes the Jewish presence and the contribution of that community to Irish life. An untold part of the long-term Irish story is about religious tolerance not religious conflict.

Perhaps the most engaging feature of this comprehensive history is the rhythm and style of the author's prose. It is hard to define an "authentic voice." But you know it when you hear it. Read some random passages of this book out loud and you will hear vivid detail, subtle irony and humor, a gripping feel for time and place, and, yes, deep sadness over the loss of life, land, and language.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The focus on heroes makes for a lively documentation indeed, February 8, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Search of Ireland's Heroes: The Story of the Irish from the English Invasion to the Present Day (Hardcover)

There've been plenty of books on Irish history but none quite so vivid and accessible as In Search of Ireland's Heroes: The Story of the Irish from the English Invasion to the Present Day. IN SEARCH OF ANCIENT IRELAND was published in 2002 as a companion to the PBS series of the same name: this is actually a sequel to that book, standing solidly both as a companion volume and as an innovative history by itself. Here the struggle between English and Irish in the centuries since the first English invasion of Ireland in the 12th century are documented, filling the gap with a powerful narrative history documenting the personalities and people who fought on behalf of Ireland's freedom. The focus on heroes makes for a lively documentation indeed, making this a strong pick for both Irish history holdings and especially for general-interest public libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Irish History, January 11, 2007

By 

BookManBookWoman TV REVIEWS "Saralee Terry Woods" (Nashville, Tn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Search of Ireland's Heroes: The Story of the Irish from the English Invasion to the Present Day (Hardcover)

That rare publishing event where the sequel is even better than the original. McCaffrey uses original documents to illustrate Irish history from the English invasion through today.