This detailed study first appeared in 1979. It traces the course of a critical period of Irish history: from the accession of James II to the surrender of Limerick, which made William of Orange master of the whole country. It takes the story from the Catholic revival that followed the accession of James II to the treaty of Limerick, which led to a century of Protestant ascendancy and penal laws. Much of the book is concerned with the war of the two kings, which coincided with a struggle for power between the Protestant settlers and the older inhabitants who were Catholic. The siege of Derry and the battle of the Boyne are still commemorated, and Dr Simms shows how the tensions of modern Ulster have their origins in the seventeenth century. Considerable attention is paid to the European implications of the conflict, which is shown as part of the contest between Louis XIV and the Grand Alliance. French, Danish and Dutch sources are used to illustrate the course of events in Ireland and,

This detailed study -- the first to appear for over fifty years -- traces the course of a critical period of Irish history: from the accession of James II to the surrender of Limerick, which made William of Orange master of the whole country. It takes the story from the Catholic revival that followed the accession of James II to the treaty of Limerick, which led to a century of Protestant ascendancy and penal laws. Much of the book is concerned with 'the war of the two kings', which coincided with a struggle for power between the Protestant settlers and the older inhabitants who were Catholic. The siege of Derry and the battle of Boyne are still commemorated, and Dr Simms shows how the tensions of modern Ulster have their origins in the seventeenth century. Considerable attention is paid to the European implications of the conflict, which is shown as part of the contest between Louis XIV and the Grand Alliance. French, Danish and Dutch sources are used to illustrate the course of events in Ireland and, in addition to the military narrative, problems of religion, politics and landholding are discussed.

Nowhere is the mid-20th century 'historiographical revolution' in Irish history better represented than in the writings of J. G. Simms, one of the most prolific historians of this generation. In a stream of books and papers from the early 1950s to his death in 1979, Simms tackled some of the most vexed and vexing questions in all Irish history: the wars, confiscations, persecutions and politics of the later 17th century. Topics such as Cromwell's sieges, the 'Glorious Revolution' and its aftermath, the later passage of the infamous 'penal laws' against Catholics are all episodes close to the heart of modern myth-makers, and yet all are described by Simms with fairness and exemplary clarity. This is a collection of his key essays, all of which remain a valuable resource for scholars of war and politics in early modern Ireland.

Migration - people moving in as immigrants, around as migrants, and out as emigrants - is a major theme of Irish history. This is the first book to offer both a survey of the last four centuries and an integrated analysis of migration, reflecting a more inclusive definition of the 'people of Ireland'.

Draws from a wide range of disciplines to bring together 36 leading scholars writing about 400 years of modern Irish history

The product of forty years of research by one of the foremost historians of Jacobitism, this book is a comprehensive revision of Professor Szechi’s popular 1994 survey of the Jacobite movement in the British Isles and Europe. Like the first edition, it is undergraduate-friendly, providing an enhanced chronology, a convenient introduction to the historiography and a narrative of the history of Jacobitism, alongside topics specifically designed to engage student interest. This includes Jacobitism as a uniting force among the pirates of the Caribbean and as a key element in sustaining Irish peasant resistance to English colonial rule. As the only comprehensive introduction to the field, the book will be essential reading for all those interested in early modern British and European politics.

Historians often view early modern Ireland as a testing ground for subsequent British colonial adventures further afield. McGrath argues against this passive view, suggesting that Ireland played an enthusiastic role in the establishment and expansion of the first British Empire. He focuses on two key areas of empire-building: finance and defence.