The most recommended books about the Republic of Ireland

Who picked these books? Meet our 33 experts.

33 authors created a book list connected to the Republic of Ireland, and here are their favorite Republic of Ireland books.
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Book cover of Ireland: The Politics of Enmity 1789-2006

Eamonn O'Kane Author Of The Northern Ireland Peace Process: From Armed Conflict to Brexit

From my list on Northern Ireland and the conflict it endured.

Why am I passionate about this?

Born to Irish parents in London, the conflict in Northern Ireland was a subject of discussion (but not debate) throughout my childhood. My understanding of the conflict was shaped by the distance we were from it and the (often romanticized) history of Ireland that was shared with me. I then spent many years studying the conflict and found myself agreeing with the view of Paul Anderson (used as the epigram to a book I chose for this list), ‘I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which when you looked at it the right way did not become still more complicated.’ But I believe we still need to look.

Eamonn's book list on Northern Ireland and the conflict it endured

Eamonn O'Kane Why did Eamonn love this book?

I am sometimes put off by ‘big’ sprawling works of history, that cover hundreds of years in hundreds of pages and may end up sitting on my shelf both goading and embarrassing me for my failure to do them the courtesy of finishing them. (Although admittedly, maybe looking good when people pop around!).

Paul Bew’s engaging examination of over 200 years of Irish history is an exception to this. Written by one of Ireland’s most eminent historians, it manages to combine academic rigor with accessibility (no mean feat). Bew offers a survey of the development and course of conflict in Ireland as well as an analysis of the decisions (and mistakes) made by key leaders along the way.

It covers a period much longer than the years Northern Ireland has existed as a political entity, but I found the analysis helpful in explaining its emergence and development.

By Paul Bew,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ireland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The French revolution had an electrifying impact on Irish society. The 1790s saw the birth of modern Irish republicanism and Orangeism, whose antagonism remains a defining feature of Irish political life. The 1790s also saw the birth of a new approach to Ireland within important elements of the British political elite, men like Pitt and Castlereagh. Strongly influenced by Edmund Burke, they argued that Britain's strategic interests were best served by a policy of catholic emancipation and political integration in Ireland. Britain's failure to achieve this objective, dramatised by the horrifying tragedy of the Irish famine of 1846-50, in which…


Book cover of Ireland: The Politics of Enmity 1789-2006

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