The defining moments of Irish history illustrated with extended commentaries. The complex strands of Irish history are given physical expression: the main protagonists from the mid 1850s to 1910 were the Unionists comprising the old protestant ascendancy and the Northerners, and secondly, the Nationalists, both physical force men and constitutionalists. Each grouping has formed and reformed, declined in influence or extended it's constituency over the subsequent century to give an enduring shape to Irish politics. Major personalities, events, crises and triumphs are documented in this book not just in the field of politics but also in art and culture, sport and the traditions of the countryside.