Title: Quite superb treatment of Irish history
Product review: This is not only the best available work on modern Irish history but a wonderful example of how to give impartial treatment to a highly controversial topic. Many myths surround the Irish past, but Foster successfully strips them away. He is not afraid to criticise the post-1922 Irish state and politicians such as de Valera when necessary, but he establishes beyond doubt that the record of British rule in Ireland before that date was patchy and unwholesome at best, ignorant and vicious at worst. He also illuminates the complexities of the Ulster problem, showing that it is easier to caricature the province's Protestant reactionaries than to understand them. One other praiseworthy feature of the book is its biographical capsules, which are separated from the main text and neatly summarise the lives of the leading personalities of Irish history. If you feel you have a gap in your knowledge of Ireland, you must start with this book.
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