Irelands Holy Wars – The Struggle for a Nations Soul 1500–2000 (Yale Nota Bene) Hardcover – 1 Oct. 2001

If, like me, you are fond of history books, you'll love this one. Tanner has a sure touch, a mastery of detail and just the right amount of understated humour to lead the reader through this fascinating, tortured story.

This book is simply superb.It is a detailed and scholarly - intensely and meticulously researched - book, but a book that is very readable and accessible to lay people interested in Irish history.The first chapter is an eyeopening account of Tanner's trip from Dublin to Belfast and on to Derry, and Tanner's meeting with the member of the Orange Order in Derry is quite startling!One cannot take away from the fact reading the book (alongside Dervla Murphy's 'A Place Apart' and Steve Bruce's work), that, to a British reader, the Protestant unionists of Northern Ireland come across as far more 'foreign', than the Irish of the south - witness the Derry Orange Order man's comments in the introductory chapter.Highly recommended.

Very useful and detailed analysis for a number of places in Ireland. It gave me an in-depth-understanding.

This is an excellent book for trying to understand the problems between Ireland and England. Also the problems between fellow Irishmen: Prostestants and Catholics.