Historical Dictionary of Ireland (New edition)

摘要

The Historical Dictionaries of Europe series covers practically every European nation, providing a useful starting point to anyone looking to begin research on those countries and their history and related fields. That any dictionary has a second, or in this case "new", edition is for me usually a good portent; so, this revised Historical Dictionary of Ireland is to be welcomed. It comprises a chronology, an introductory essay, bibliography and finally cross-referenced entries on important people, places, events, political parties and many relevant institutions. Initially flicking through, it is soon obvious, apart from the fact that it is very hard to put down, that the main advantage of the dictionary is that it is a brilliant, convenient to hand, account and summary/synopsis of all the principal historical figures or events in Irish history. In effect, it acts as an excellent refresher. Another initially strong feature is that it is very careful to avoid hackneyed cliches of theme parks, Irish sentimentality. Its principal strength is that it is very good at highlighting the many myths, half-truths and contradictions that pervade Irish history and politics. This has the effect of giving a comforting impression that there is a reasonable balance in the text commentary in terms of the perceived bias.