Customer Reviews

Story of the Irish Race

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The reason that this work only covers up to the first part of the twentieth century is that it was first written in 1921, before Ireland even had independence from England. Mr. MacManus did not get "tired", he simply wrote this work before much of the twentieth century happened.

I have owned this book for nearly ten years and I keep returning to it. It tells a powerful story spanning the course of Irish history from the earliest times to the early 20th century. I found it fascinating in the first few chapters (before English Conquest) and horrifying in the subsequent chapters (Once England had taken control and set to exterminating the Irish people). Yes, it is old. It is a fabulous narrative and it isn't a textbook. It is biased toward the Irish. If you read only this book you're missing out and not seeing the whole picture but it tells a powerful story and made me want to know more about the Irish people. Read this book then keep reading! Ireland has much to offer.

I was given an old dilapidated copy of the book by my Irish mother. I have read it twice. The legends and the early history are fascinating. The later material-1500 on- does not convey the sweep of history and the role of Ireland in Europe for the period. The perspective is interesting as it is entirely Irish. Although the reading can be slow, the book fills in an essential part of Irish history. I strongly recommend it.The narrative was like listening to my grandfather tell his tales of the Ireland.

MacManus tells the story of the Irish race with a passion and fervor that highlights the intertwining of his own identity with that of his native land.

Originally written just a few years before the successful separation of the 26 counties from British rule, the writing has an edge and agenda born of those turbulent times. It exposes the pain of a truly oppressed people and lets the reader feel at times the utter dispair of the Irish under English rule. Sometimes the only thing that kept me from being overwhelmed by the sadness of it was my own knowledge that Ireland is free, once and for all, and can never be oppressed so again.

What I found most interesting was the absolute consistency between MacManus' descriptions of 18th-century Ireland and the family stories handed down from my Great-Grandfather and -Grandmother, who were refugees from Ireland during the potato famine; the accounts of the potato famine itself, and of the underground nationalist movement against the British, and so much more - it was brought to life in MacManus' account.

The biggest challenge I had reading this book was not getting unreasonably upset with my English friends; I had to continually remind myself that they are much more enlightened than their Imperial British forefathers of only 85 years ago.

This is not a book for the faint-of-heart; it does not have the lively tone and easy style of some of the more recent Irish histories. It reads more like a textbook most times, and its 700+ pages sometimes feel like they will never end. But it is an invaluable tome for anyone who is studying Irish history and heritage, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the present-day Irish through their history.

MacManus' work is essential for a full understanding of Irish history. I found it refreshing that I wasn't constantly assaulted with "in your face" revisionism, which seems to be the rite of passage for modern historical writers. MacManus does not try to push some political or social paradigm down your throat. He does exactly what he tells you he will do. He tells a story.

I wasn't even going to write a review of this book until I read the other reviews. As an Irish Cultural Anthropology minor at college, this book is a treasure! The fact about history is that it is not objective, and as far as I am concerrned it should not be. This book is refreshingly written by a real man, who lived in Ireland during one of it's most turbulent times. This is of course going to colour his views. Objectivity is simply not possible, not by the most well-meaning person, we all have our lenses. The interesting part about this book is the lens. some of his views may not be "correct" by historical scholars viewpoints, but they are the views of a man living in Donegal during the war of independence. A man who was a storyteller and a person who held many of the old traditions. For this reason alone I would reccomend this book to anyone interested. The point is not to get an objective view, but to get many differing views to create a semblance of a whole that is as multifaceted and varying as the people who experienced the world through those times.

From the rule of the Firbolgs to the founding of the Republic, MacManus' book is the most comprehensive history of Ireland that I have ever seen. At times, it is a bit slow of a read, but that is merely because of the depth of the content. The book covers some legend in addition to history, and is a must read for any Irishman or Irishwoman.

For the past 5 years I have been working on writing the stories of my own Irish ancestors coming to America from 1860--1910. I have found The Story of the Irish Race to be a great resource for historical information, beautifully worded details, and the realities of the times. This book has been indispensable as a reference in writing the stories of my own ancestors in the context of the history they lived.

I have had a copy of this book for years and originally thought that it was a valid history book. However, I now know [having read much more about Irish history over the years] that while this is a very interesing read it should not be read as a history book. MacManus was a storyteller who lived about 100 years ago and was popular but he was never a trained historian in any way. Enjoy this if you want fiction.

An excellent survey of the history of my people. However, there ARE some fallacies in MacManus' "facts" that are easily disproven. Practically, everyone of a famous educational/theological role in the book, who had a staple on continental Europe, is Irish in the book.
Examples: Ulysses the Homer of Rome
Augustine of Hippo p.238 (the most famous Christian Theologian of the fifth century born in Africa or present-day Tunisia!)MacManus' statement is not backed by facts, save a collection of academic articles from the Royal Irish Academy.
Granted, we would not have Augustine to read today if it werent for my people, but leave Romans as Romans and Gaels as Gaels.
-Beyond this, everything else in it's 700 pages is as factual, and literary, as Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization. A great read that I'd recommend to anyone wanting to know about the Irish. A must read for the proud Irish (or Scots) Gael.