Wars of the Irish Kings: A Thousand Years of Struggle, from the Age of Myth through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I [Paperback]

David W. McCullough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 2002

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 Irish Kings moves through a time when history and storytelling were equally prized, into the age when history was as much propaganda as fact. This remarkable book tells of tribal battles, foreign invasions, Viking raids, family feuds, wars between rival Irish kingdoms, and wars of rebellion against the English. While the battles formed the legends of the land, it was the people fighting the battles—Cuchulain, Finn MacCool, Brian Boru, Robert the Bruce, Elizabeth I, and Hugh O’Donnell—who shaped the destiny and identity of the Irish nation.

This is the real story of how Ireland came to be, told through eyewitness accounts from a thousand years of struggle, brought together for the first time in one volume. It’s a surprisingly immediate and stunning portrait of an all-but-forgotten time that forged the Ireland of today.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ireland's long history of struggle against conquerors is evident in this fantastical collection of myths, stories, and legends. This is a fascinating mixture of mythology and actual historical events as recorded by monks who determined what they thought were of significance: war and the activities of kings. Figures from early Irish literature--Cuchulain, Finn MacCool, and St. Patrick the snake remover--are among the heroes doing battle against a succession of invaders, from the Vikings and the Scots to the British. The Irish love of storytelling and a real history of resistance to conquerors are woven into these lushly told tales: gods and mortals engaged in petty jealousies and grand revenge, a king foretelling the future by placing a thumb under his knowledge tooth, and enemies disarmed by sorcery. Each section is introduced with historical background information to help the reader sort fact from myth, as much as can be done, but with a decided appreciation of the exuberance of the stories. Lovers of Irish and medieval literature will relish this book. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“A fascinating mixture of mythology and actual historical events. . . . Lovers of Irish and medieval literature will relish this book.”—Booklist

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (February 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609809075
• ISBN-13: 978-0609809075
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 1 x 9.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful resource, May 31, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wars of the Irish Kings: A Thousand Years of Struggle, from the Age of Myth through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Hardcover)

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.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Thousand Years and Hundreds (It Seems) of Kings, December 7, 2000

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wars of the Irish Kings: A Thousand Years of Struggle, from the Age of Myth through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Hardcover)

David Willis McCullough has edited and combined many, many original texts of Wars of the Irish Kings (so goes the title) that can be interesting, frustrating, dull or very dull depending on the particular source used. It is a little jarring to go from one of the source writers to another as their styles are often different and the short length of the excerpts does not allow enough time to get used to a particular format or way of expressing ideas before it is time to move on. The flurry of names coming at the reader can be quite daunting, as well. The best and most effective part of the book are the brief introductions before each original source. They are concise, well-written and effectively prepare the reader for what is to come. The book does make me want to read further in Irish history to help fill in some of the gaps left empty by this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Collection, April 4, 2011

By 

John B "I'm going to read just one more book ... (California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Wars of the Irish Kings: A Thousand Years of Struggle, from the Age of Myth through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Paperback)

Wars of the Irish Kings is a very nice collection of tales and history, if one is interested in Irish lore and history, that is. It can be a bit overly extensive, at times, but I enjoyed it very much and found it fairly easy reading.