This is an updated edition (to 1998) of John O'Beirne Ranelagh's standard introductory account of the history of Ireland, reissued in a revised and extended second edition in 1995. While worldwide interest in Ireland has increased greatly in recent years, attention has focused on violence. with the result that discussion has been dominated by the troubles in Northern Ireland. This book covers the full sweep of Irish history from the earliest times up to President Clinton's second visit to Ireland in 1998, in the wake of the Omagh bomb and the surrounding peace initiatives. Throughout, the author's aim is to cast light on the people and the events which have contributed to Irish society, in both North and South.