An original and fascinating history of Dublin that tells the story of the city through its bridges. Dublin's twenty bridges cross the tidal section of the River Liffey flowing through its centre; they were built over a span of a thousand years. Each has made a contribution to the city's development over time, so much so that it is possible to piece together its history by tracing their construction in chronological order. Starting with Church Street Bridge, Dublin's first, which dates back...

A fascinating and entertaining investigation into what makes Ireland so different from its neighbors, by a respected Irish historian. For hundreds of years, the islands and their constituent tribes that make up the British Isles have lived next door to each other in a manner that, over time, suggested some movement towards political union. It was an uneven, stop-start business and it worked better in some places than in others. Still, England, Wales and Scotland have hung together through ...

This authoritative and comprehensive history of Ireland covers the entire history of the island from the Ice Age to the peace process in 100 short episodes. In this thoughtful analysis of Irish society, Bardon integrates the significant cultural and literary history of Ireland with its political and social past.Based on the hugely popular BBC radio series A Short History of Ireland, each episode stands alone, providing a snippet of Irish history in five minutes' reading. I...