Ireland is a country that arouses strong opinions: everyone has a view on its character, its foibles, its charms and its waywardness. It has inspired some of the best poetry and nurtured some of the best writers in the world, and in The Oxford Book of Ireland poets, novelists, artists, dramatists, historians, philosophers, peasants and aristocrats are brought together to celebrate and commemorate the nation and its people. Irish history lives more in the present than that of other countries, and there are constant reminders in these pages of past triumphs and tragedies, and their continuing impact on the national psyche. Conquest, famine, emigration, the decline of the language, the struggle for identity and independence are all charted here with a raw and passionate immediacy. Interwoven with episodes of national turbulence are lyrical sections on the Irish landscape and countryside, on the cities and the suburbs, the climate and the folk culture: high jinks and conviviality alongside reminiscence and disputation. Patricia Craig's skilful selection transforms a kaleidoscope of images into a picture of real substance and character; immensely rich and varied, full of the unexpected, as well as familiar voices from the Irish scene. The Oxford Book of Ireland captures the essence of a complex and fascinating land.