Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Irish History and Culture

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is well titled. It is not to be taken seriously as a history book as it is full of clichés and superficial readings of Irish history. The author did not consult with any of the contemporary scholarship on Irish history because if she did she would not have written as she did on the 'Celtic' issue, St. Patrick and other aspects. This is a tourists' or 'pub' version of Ireland - not dealing with what is actually a complex history. This book actually highlights one of the problems with Irish history - valuable, informed sources are hard to find for a general reader.

I really enjoyed this book. Other reviews state that it is somewhat biased, but Ms. Massie IS Irish so you'll have that. I believe that the Irish were the good guys, simply because I know how the British treated the earlier Americans. However, I have no understanding of the present situation, so I am reserving judgement. I am exactly half Irish, so I was excited to read about my roots. This wasn't dry like other history books, and it has made me want to dig deeper. I loved this easy to read intro to Irish History!

I found this to be a very interesting book. I couldnt find another History book on Irish culture like it. One of my major in studies is World Cultures, although I found some misrepresentations, the majority of facts seemed accurate, from what I have studied. I am not Irish nor do I have any special study in Irish Culture. This is, as another reviewer noted, a history book you actually want to keep reading. Nice reading, but I would use this book as a beginner book on Irish Culture/History and follow up with another book. (just to compare notes)A great book for anyone with Irish blood to pick up, and discover why they should be proud of their roots, and get a feel for who their ancestors were.

This is a great book! I am not Irish (but I wish I was heehee!) but I got it for the fact that I am writing a book and the first part takes place in Ireland as well as the the last part. This book is filled with all sorts of information. I especially enjoyed the "speak plain Irish" on the side of most pages and the cute quotes or poems. I think Irish quotes, poems, and how they talk is so cute! This book was VERY helpful in this area. I love how it told what some of what they means like if a guy asks to knock you up at 10am, not to slap him, he is just asking to call you or come over for a visit at 10am (or some other time cant recall exactly!). :) I am now more informed about Irish history and the culture. And thanx to this book I learned about the very cool Claddagh ring. With more information from the internet and some cyber friends I was able to find out that not only would I LOVE to own one of them but I am going to use it as a gift from the second character to her best friend the main character in my book! I dont think I would have ever found out about this ring had I not found the information in this book! I truly believe this is one of the best Irish culture books I have been able to get my hands on. So if you want to look up Irish history, culture or find out where your roots are at BUY THIS BOOK! It will be well worth your money and time. And you won't be able to put it down till the very end, and wish for more ;) Hope this helps you out!

I'll keep it brief. I don't know how accurate the facts are in this book (addressing reviews above). What I do know is that I could not put this book down. Not only did I learn about Irish history and culture, I actually found my family's name and from which part of Ireland we came from. I recommend this book as a fun and interesting introduction to the subject.

The first page I looked at contained glaring errors. No one should trust this book to provide a background in even the most basic Irish history. The "Complete Idiot" series is very popular; it's a shame that many people will be misled by this one.

however, I am very suspect about her facts. I know next to nothing about Irish history and this book was recommended to me by a friend as an easy and enjoyable way to get a grasp of their history. While the book is an enjoyable read I noticed about halfway through that Ms. Massie insists Mary, Queen of Scots is the SISTER of Elizabeth I of England. No way, Ms. Massie. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots was the daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary de Guise. Elizabeth's sister, "Bloody Mary" was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of British history knows this. This makes me very nervous that her "facts" regarding Irish history may be in error also.

This book I found biased in the extreme. It's yet another tedious screed against the Evil Brits (tm) with the Irish as the MOPE (most oppressed people ever).

Massie's scholarship is also questionable. In her account of the battle of Clontarf, she makes a comment on the version given in the Norse Njal's saga as being, basically, Norse propaganda. Unfortunately she also makes a statement that makes it obvious that she has never read Njal's saga. It's OK to be skeptical of sources, but not if you haven't even bothered to read them.

Massie evidently entirely on secondary sources like Peter Beresford-Ellis, and also uncritically echoed their prejudices.

Better to get Foster's "Modern Ireland", or even Tim Pat Coogan's books on the Troubles, if you're seeking to understand the current situation in Ireland Irish history with a wee bit more nuance than the cardboard cut-out good guys vs. bad guys account given here.

Most history books are very dry, full of facts but no indication of the character and soul of the lives lived. Ms. Massie writes her book with much warmth and love for the Irish people, their culture and their history. In addition to the straightfoward historical facts, the author adds sidebar information which reflects little extras of humor, language, and Irish life. There is even a recipe for soda bread included! All of these combined kept me reading smoothly way past my bedtime! The only complaint I have is that Ms. Massie aims her book toward people of Irish descent, with the impression that one is only interested in reading about Irish history and culture if one has a little Irish in them. I don't, but have always been interested in Irish history and culture anyway. I'm not Irish, but wish I was. Does that count, Ms. Massie?