Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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

I have read several history books on Ireland, and this by far is the best history I have ever seen for this time period. Highly recommended.

Spectacular photos of artifacts, ancient maps and geographic areas around Ireland can be found inWars 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. The eleven chapters begin with the mythical wars and warriors and end with the Battle of Kinsale. This book holds a historical and interesting story of the Tuathe De Danann, a clan that is most important to know in the context of Celtic culture.

This text provides you with some information that is similar and some that is new than other texts on Celtic history and culture. New time stamps, new artifacts, new heroes and new wars. Its an asset to any library you are building, so that you can compare information and build a better foundation.

Yes it's history but it is much nice than the usual History Book. Lots of good facts.

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.

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

I'm not impressed when the cost of the Kindle edition is more than either the hardback but especially the paperback editions. I use the Kindle app for iPOD Touch and it will be getting less and less use as you keep on increasing the cost of Kindle editions.

-lad