Seven Periods of Irish History

Cover blurb: There are few Americans who have not heard about one phase or another of the tragic history of Ireland. However, there are not many who know the whole sad story, who know that the inhuman persecution of the Irish and the ruthless devastation of their beautiful isle has been going on for nearly a millenium. Mr. O'Sheel, an authority on Irish history, presents not only his own review of the whole history of Eire, but also significant passages from the works of con- temporary writers of each period. With these unim- peachable sources, he has set forth what is virtually an "eye-witness" account of the bitter trials and tribula- tions of the Irish people since the Dark Ages. From the pens of men who actually experienced each succeeding blow of fate, the reader learns of the devastation of Ireland in medieval times, the "Curse of Cromwell," the ruination of Irish trade and industry, the dark eighteenth century, the Penal Laws, the famous "two years of liberty," the enslavement of the peasantry, the decades of famine and evictions, the Easter Rebellion. Only by reading this poignant document can you really understand why Arthur Griffith wrote: "The Irish Nation has been built upon corpses and broken hearts."