This readable history traces the successive invasions of Celts, Vikings, and Normans, the Tudor and Stuart settlement, and the gradual emergence of the "Irish question" in British political life. Looking to history for answers, the author finds the origins of modern Irish troubles in the political, religious, social, and economic problems of the past. He concentrates on the failure of the union with Great Britain and the partition of Ireland into two countries and presents a special chapter on how the reader can find in modern Ireland the marks left by previous generations. Includes concise biographies of major figures, from soldiers and statesmen to patriots and poets; a list of important dates; suggestions for further reading; and an informative index.