This book is written by the man whose work gave rise to an influential school of Irish historical geography. It is written by a person who came as a stranger to this island, knowing very little of its peoples or their ways. Through his phenomenal work on the mid-nineteenth century Griffith Valuation and his intensive fieldwork in every corner of the land, he has made Ireland his own.

Anchored around the interconnected themes of landholding, settlement and ways of living, this book reveals not a homogenous Irish society but a human world full of diversities and surprises and does not flinch from exploring the darker sides of Irish society. In particular, it explores both the impressive material achievements and the devastating social and cultural consequences of what it has meant for Ireland to be a colonial country.

Equally, this scholarly work reveals both the striking continuities and adaptations of an Irish society faced with conditions very different to any other West European society. Readers of this book will come away with understandings and insights, which will greatly enlarge and enrich their vision of Ireland.