Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture

Just how many of the Irish-born have English addresses? What did Irish children learn in the schools of the 1930s? What was the boundary of the Pale in 1488? Who were the Wild Geese? This general reference contains the answers to these questions and about 400 other entries covering the history and culture of Ireland from its earliest records to modern times. Written primarily for general audiences in North America and Ireland, but also useful as quick reference for students and scholars, the articles are well-illustrated and include individual bibliographies for further reading. A particularly fine feature is the collection of primary sources, including the confession of St. Patrick ("a sinner"), American Protestant missionary Asenath Nicholson's assessment of rural society on the eve of the Great Famine (her hosts danced on the Sabbath), ruminations on home rule from the nineteenth century, and the Constitution of the Irish Free State of 1922. The contributors are careful to include both the Free State and Northern Ireland in their assessments. Scribner is now an imprint of Gale.