These Divided Isles

£25.00

Ireland is Britain’s closest neighbour – the sea crossing from Scotland measures only 12 miles. It was also its first captive in what became Britain’s empire. The two nation’s stories have been intertwined since Anglo-Norman invaders crossed the Irish Sea during the 12th century. ‘These Troubled Isles’ tells the extraordinary history of the past century in this tumultuous relationship, from the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1922 to the present day. This is a tale of deep division between Catholic nationalism and Protestant unionism, of wars and terrorist violence, and of occasional moments of great courage on the part of British and Irish leaders.

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Description

A vital history from the award-winning Financial Times journalist Philip Stephens on the dramatic century since the Anglo-Irish Treaty and partition.

These Divided Isles tells the story from both sides of the Irish Sea. Cutting through the layers of grievance and prejudice it explores the emotional intimacy and enmity of a relationship shaped by close familial ties and clashing national identities. It’s a story written by big political leaders – David Lloyd George, Michael Collins, Winston Churchill and Eamon de Valera – and the millions of Irish emigrants who crossed from Ireland to Britain to begin new lives.

Today demography, Brexit and political logic have brought the possibility of Irish unity into view. Grounded in decades of personal contact and interviews with key policymakers across Britain and Europe, Stephens maps this complex relationship and asks how Ireland might deploy its history to inform its future rather than hold it in place.

Additional information

Dimensions 23.4 × 15.3 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

480

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

941 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K