This engaging book traces the history, archaeology, and legends of ancient Ireland from 9000 B.C., when nomadic hunter-gatherers appeared in Ireland at the end of the last Ice Age to 1167 A.D., when a Norman invasion brought the country under control of the English crown for the first time. So much of what people today accept as ancient Irish history—Celtic invaders from Europe turning Ireland into a Celtic nation; St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland and converting its people to Christianity—is myth and legend with little basis in reality. The truth is more interesting. The Irish, as the authors show, are not even Celtic in an archaeological sense. And there were plenty of bishops in Ireland before a British missionary called Patrick arrived. But In Search of Ancient Ireland is not simply the story of events from long ago. Across Ireland today are festivals, places, and folk customs that provide a tangible link to events thousands of years past. The authors visit and describe many of these places and festivals, talking to a wide variety of historians, scholars, poets, and storytellers in the very settings where history happened. Thus the book is also a journey on the ground to uncover ten thousand years of Irish identity. In Search of Ancient Ireland is the official companion to the three-part PBS documentary series. With 14 black-and-white photos, 6 b&w illustrations, and 1 map.

This engaging book traces the history, archaeology, and legends of ancient Ireland from Neolithic times to the coming of England. Companion to the PBS documentary series. Marvelous. Terry Golway New York Obsever

A companion to In Search of Ancient Ireland is a narrative history of the struggle between English and Irish goals after the twelfth century that draws on original sources and traces the contributions of the O'Neill, O'Donnell, and Fitzgerald families. BOMC. History.

Companion Web site to the PBS television documentary, first airing in June 2002, that tells the history of Ireland from 3,000 B.C. to the Norman invasion. The site provides video highlights and summaries of the three episodes: Heroes, Saints, and Warlords; features sections on the geography, religion, culture and technology of ancient Ireland; tells about the making of the film; provides lesson plans with complete instructions for classroom implementation; and includes links to related online and print resources.

When the Celts first arrived in Ireland around 200 B.C., the island had already been inhabited for over 7000 years. Drawing on a wealth of archaeological evidence and the author's own mastery of the subject, Ancient Ireland returns to those pre-Celtic roots in a bid to discover the secrets of the island's first inhabitants: Who were they? And how did they live? Few accounts of the period are as exhaustively researched; fewer still are as alive with historical insight and compelling detail. At once accessible and comprehensive, Ancient Ireland is an indispensable guide to early Irish civilisation, its culture and mythology.