Originally published in 1973, the emphasis of this study is on the Scottish settlers during the first quarter of the 17th Century. It shows that the ‘Plantation’, although a milestone in Ireland’s past is also of considerable importance in Scotland’s history. The society that produced Scottish settlers is examined and the reasons why they left their homeland analysed. The book explains what effect the Scottish migration had upon both Ireland and Scotland and assesses the extent to which James I was personally involved in the promotion of the ‘Plantation’ scheme.

Explores the relationship between England and Ireland in the Tudor period using William Cecil as a vehicle for historical enquiry. Argues that Cecil shaped the course and character of Tudor rule in Ireland in Elizabeth's reign more than any other figure, and offers a major reappraisal of this crucial period in the histories of England and Ireland.

Set in a period of invasion, military conflict, social and political chaos perpetrated by the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the story of Eleanor, Countess of Desmond recounts the heroic efforts of a woman to protect her family against insurmountable odds. Aristocratic, educated, intelligent and able, Lady Eleanor Butler's destiny was as a wife and mother. But marriage to Garret FitzGerald, the powerful Earl of Desmond, hurls her headlong into a maelstrom of invasion, rebellion, intrigue, appalling cruelty, double-dealing, confiscation plantation, famine, social and political meltdown, as she and her husband become embroiled in a struggle to the death against the formidable, Machiavellian government of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Enduring imprisonment, exile, poverty, hunger and deprivation, her only son held hostage in the Tower of London, her mission to save the House of Desmond, her husband, her children and herself from annihilation becomes Eleanor's obsession and for which she will sacrifice anything, including herself. When all seems lost, like some latter-day phoenix, she rises, time after time, to bravely confront each new challenge. The life of Eleanor, Countess of Desmond is the story of the triumph of the human spirit against the most horrific adversity. In this vigorous and deeply moving biography that has all the constituents of a Shakespearean tragedy, sourced from primary contemporaneous manuscripts, including the Countess of Desmond's own letters, Anne Chambers, author of the bestselling Granuaile, vividly brings the life of this neglected heroine to light against the backdrop of one of the most convoluted and traumatic periods in Irish history.

A New History of Ireland is the largest scholarly project in modern Irish history. In 9 volumes, it provides a comprehensive new synthesis of modern scholarship on every aspect of Irish history and prehistory, from the earliest geological and archaeological evidence, through the Middle Ages, down to the present day. The third volume opens with a character study of early modern Ireland and a panoramic survey of Ireland in 1534, followed by twelve chapters of narrative history. There are further chapters on the economy, the coinage, languages and literature, and the Irish abroad. Two surveys, `Land and People', c.1600 and c.1685, are included.

(O) Farrells/Ferrells and others worldwide often ponder their Irish roots. This is currently the most comprehensive attempt to explore the origins of one of the largest branches of the Farrells/Ferrells. It includes: 1,400 years of Celtic roots in northwest Ireland, Gaelic ancestry linked to St Colum Cille (St Columba) from c.AD 655, 400-year-old associations with the Ulster Plantation, and worldwide migration. Those wishing to explore their own Irish family history and genealogy may use the methodology adopted by the author as a template for their own research. Almost 1,000 references are detailed, representing an invaluable resource to all those researching their Irish and Ulster roots. The benefits of DNA testing in family history and genealogy are outlined, and the results of the Donegal Farrell/Ferrell DNA research are analysed. Extensive genealogies of Ulster Farrells/Ferrells and associated families from the sixteenth to twenty-first centuries have been compiled, and this database will assist others research their roots in Donegal, Ulster, and Ireland.