The history of contemporary Ireland and its struggle for independence—excerpted from internationally bestselling author Norman Davies’s Vanished Kingdoms

Vanished Kingdoms introduces readers to once-powerful European empires that have left scant traces on the modern map. In this excerpt from his widely acclaimed book, Norman Davies chronicles the history of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland during what is referred to as the Era of National Liberation. Beginning with the Easter Rising of 1916, Davies recounts the difficulties of establishing Home Rule, which would allow for autonomous self-government under the British Crown, and the impact of the IRA and its fraught relationship with the Catholic Church. Along the way, Davies includes stirring portraits of the groundbreaking leaders who fought for Irish independence, such as Eamon de Valera and his organization Sinn Fein, and the well-known songs and poems that helped galvanize a sense of national pride.

A selection from the work The Boston Globe has called “commendably accessible, magisterial, and uncommonly humane,” The Battle for Ireland provides a concise overview of modern Irish politics and history with Davies’s characteristic vigor and intelligence.