A short history of Ireland

A Short History of Ireland, published by David & Charles in 1973, emerged during a period of renewed international interest in Irish studies. Martin Wallace wrote the volume as a concise, accessible overview for a general audience seeking to understand the complex political and social evolution of the island. The book was produced as part of the publisher’s commitment to historical nonfiction, aiming to synthesize centuries of narrative into a digestible format that remained grounded in traditional academic perspectives of the time.

The design of the volume reflects the editorial standards of David & Charles in the early 1970s, favoring a clean, standard academic aesthetic that emphasized clarity and readability over elaborate ornamentation. While Wallace’s prose is direct and focused on key historical milestones, the book’s reception was marked by its utility as a reliable, introductory resource for students and laypeople. It stands as a representative example of mid-century popular history writing, bridging the gap between dense scholarly research and the public appetite for readable historical accounts.