Benedikt Stuchtey paints in this volume the tumultuous history of Ireland from its early Christian heyday and the conquest by Vikings and Normans to the immediate present. He explains England's centuries-long efforts to secure control over Ireland, the path to an independent Ireland, and the ongoing conflicts in the north of the divided island. In addition to the political and economic developments, he also considers the special role that religion, culture, and literature have played for Ireland at all times.