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ciannait76's review against another edition
5.0
Please Read my short review of the book at my website: Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland
crystabrittany's review against another edition
I really wanted to like this book. Really really. But I found it difficult - I stopped around Queen Elizabeth, which was frustrating because at least then we were in a history I already knew, with players with whom I was already familiar. I think I would've done better with an audio version, and had it really feel like stories.
tayguti's review against another edition
3.0
A good overview of the history of the country but somehow left me wanting more and less at the same time?
jrquinlisk's review
4.0
Not really a history, but an engaging read nonetheless.
McCourt spins yarns of some of the more famous, influential, and generally representative figures in Irish history, exploring common themes of intellectualism, struggle, and passion in constructing his story of Ireland. Discussing Irishmen and Irishwomen as varied as saints, scholars, warriors, landlords, rebels, and rock stars, McCourt's work serves as a fairly thorough and compelling exploration of Irish-ness.
It is not without its faults, however. The work is shot through with Irish nationalist sentiment that any competent historian would immediately recognize as bias. For example, Oliver Cromwell — a much loathed figure in Irish history — is mentioned by name only twice over the course of a single chapter spanning two-thirds of a single page. There are also several points where McCourt willfully eschews factual accuracy in favor of a more entertaining narrative, though to his credit, he admits this multiple times. The book also focuses disproportionately on the late 19th and early 20th centuries — historic times for Ireland, to be sure, but disappointing for someone looking for more thorough coverage. There are also a number of typographical errors which can occasionally prove distracting.
Ultimately, Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland is not much of a history. But McCourt goes to great lengths to remind the reader that it was never supposed to be one. As McCourt himself puts it at the end, "I never intended this brief history to be an academic work, and it hasn't been written as such. I think of it more as a collection of stories that one might share across a kitchen table about people we once knew." In this respect, it succeeds admirably. As long as the reader keeps in mind the biases and inaccuracies, McCourt's tales will easily engage and entertain anyone with an interest in the story of Ireland.
McCourt spins yarns of some of the more famous, influential, and generally representative figures in Irish history, exploring common themes of intellectualism, struggle, and passion in constructing his story of Ireland. Discussing Irishmen and Irishwomen as varied as saints, scholars, warriors, landlords, rebels, and rock stars, McCourt's work serves as a fairly thorough and compelling exploration of Irish-ness.
It is not without its faults, however. The work is shot through with Irish nationalist sentiment that any competent historian would immediately recognize as bias. For example, Oliver Cromwell — a much loathed figure in Irish history — is mentioned by name only twice over the course of a single chapter spanning two-thirds of a single page. There are also several points where McCourt willfully eschews factual accuracy in favor of a more entertaining narrative, though to his credit, he admits this multiple times. The book also focuses disproportionately on the late 19th and early 20th centuries — historic times for Ireland, to be sure, but disappointing for someone looking for more thorough coverage. There are also a number of typographical errors which can occasionally prove distracting.
Ultimately, Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland is not much of a history. But McCourt goes to great lengths to remind the reader that it was never supposed to be one. As McCourt himself puts it at the end, "I never intended this brief history to be an academic work, and it hasn't been written as such. I think of it more as a collection of stories that one might share across a kitchen table about people we once knew." In this respect, it succeeds admirably. As long as the reader keeps in mind the biases and inaccuracies, McCourt's tales will easily engage and entertain anyone with an interest in the story of Ireland.
disreputabledog's review against another edition
4.0
I'm giving this a 4 star review although 3.5 is probably more accurate.
Malachy McCourt's "History of Ireland" recounts Irish history by focusing on the people who shaped it. (It would probably be more accurate if he had titled it something like "Famous People in Irish History"). Each chapter describes a different figure, and the chapters are arranged chronologically throughout history. The problem with this structure is that sometimes McCourt glosses over important events in Irish history before finally getting around to discussing a person who was involved in the event. This is most notable in the second half of the book, which deals with the period of about 1850 to the present. For example, the Easter Uprising of 1916 is mentioned in passing several times before McCourt has a chapter on someone who was directly involved in the uprising. This structure probably works for readers who have some familiarity with Irish history, but, as someone who came into this book not knowing much at all, I found it confusing.
With that being said, there are two aspects of this history I really liked. First, McCourt spends a significant amount of time on 1850-2000, which is also the period I knew the least about. Since this was a monumental part of Irish history, I appreciated that I devoted so much time to it.
Second, McCourt has a very conversational writing style that made this history entertaining to read. He makes it very clear in the beginning that this is not meant to be a scholarly history, and indeed a lot of the "history" comes from stories he heard from other people. This plays on the oral storytelling tradition so characteristic of Ireland, and I enjoyed the approach.
Bottom line: this is a great book if you are familiar with key events in Irish history. However, I would not recommend it if you don't already have some background on Ireland.
Malachy McCourt's "History of Ireland" recounts Irish history by focusing on the people who shaped it. (It would probably be more accurate if he had titled it something like "Famous People in Irish History"). Each chapter describes a different figure, and the chapters are arranged chronologically throughout history. The problem with this structure is that sometimes McCourt glosses over important events in Irish history before finally getting around to discussing a person who was involved in the event. This is most notable in the second half of the book, which deals with the period of about 1850 to the present. For example, the Easter Uprising of 1916 is mentioned in passing several times before McCourt has a chapter on someone who was directly involved in the uprising. This structure probably works for readers who have some familiarity with Irish history, but, as someone who came into this book not knowing much at all, I found it confusing.
With that being said, there are two aspects of this history I really liked. First, McCourt spends a significant amount of time on 1850-2000, which is also the period I knew the least about. Since this was a monumental part of Irish history, I appreciated that I devoted so much time to it.
Second, McCourt has a very conversational writing style that made this history entertaining to read. He makes it very clear in the beginning that this is not meant to be a scholarly history, and indeed a lot of the "history" comes from stories he heard from other people. This plays on the oral storytelling tradition so characteristic of Ireland, and I enjoyed the approach.
Bottom line: this is a great book if you are familiar with key events in Irish history. However, I would not recommend it if you don't already have some background on Ireland.
priorfictions's review
2.0
Objectively, this is not a bad book. However, for a first timer’s try on an Irish history novel, I think I’d like something more traditional. For someone familiar with Irish history, I think this could be an engaging, easy refresher! I might come back to this at some point, but for now I’m happy to put it down and come back at a later point.
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