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.

Part 1 covers the Spanish Netherlands. Captain Sorley, a nephew of Randall MacDonnell, the first Earl of Antrim, joined the O'Neill regiment in 1615. Involved in several invasion projects he also collected important bardic manuscripts. Two illegitimate sons of the first earl were also there: Daniel, a Franciscan at Louvain, and Maurice, a soldier involved in complex schemes concerning Scotland, Ireland and the Civil War.