This pioneering new book presents a history of death and dying in Ireland and Europe, from pre-history to the twentieth century, focusing on virtually every era and from a diverse and broad range of perspectives. Martyrdom is examined through the phenomenon of the hunger strike and its impact on Irish life, and in particular the Cork and Brixton hunger strikes of 1920.

The history of suicide is discussed through the self-inflicted death of Theobald Wolfe Tone, probably the most famous case of suicide in Irish history. Cormac Ó Grada presents new research into varieties of death during the famines of 1740-41 and 1845-49, while Eunan O'Halpin looks at the problematic nature of accounting death during the War of Independence.

Other topics covered range from obituary notices in provincial newspapers, burials inmedieval Ireland, to the attitude to death of the French revolutionaries. Comprising fourteen essays by an outstanding list of expert historians, Death and Dying in Ireland, Britain, and Europe provides a unique new perspective on our history, and in a truly multi-disciplinary approach to an emerging style called the 'new social history'.