February 2002

With over 1,800 entries, this book, now in its second edition, continues to offer a comprehensive and authoritative guide to all aspects of the Irish past from earliest times to the present day. There is coverage not only of leading political figures, organizations, and events, but also of subjects such as dress, music, sport and diet. Traditional topics such as the rebellion on 1798 and the Irish Civil War sit alongside entries on newly developing areas such as women's history and popular culture.

The editor, with the help of the existing 87 contributors and a small number of new contributors, has updated and revised the text to take into account recent research and events since the first edition published in 1998. The coverage has been expanded to offer a fuller treatment of prehistoric and early historic Ireland and more comprehensive information on literary history. There are also new entries on individuals who have died since the first edition was published. In addition, the sections dealing with the politics in the Ireland and in Northern Ireland have been rewritten to take full account of developments up to the end of the 20th century.

New and/or rewritten entries include: Visual Arts (art schools, creamics, furniture, history, painting and sculpture); Politics / Religion (Brendan Corish, James Dillon, Sean MacDermott, Alfred O'Rahilly, peace process, Progressive Democrats, Michael Tierney, Workers' Party, Sinn Fein, IRA); Literature (Dun Emer Press, Lady Augusta Gregory, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Lady Jane Wilde); Prehistoric and Early Ireland (Bronze Age Ireland, Celtic Ireland, crannog, La Tene in Ireland, Mesolithic Ireland, Neolithic Ireland, rath); Agriculture, Devon Commission, John Henry Newman, Ulster Scots.

In addition to A-Z entries, the Companion includes a section of maps showing the shape of modern Ireland, post-reformation ecclesiastical divisions in Ireland, political divisions circa 800, Ireland circa 1350, Ireland in the late 15th century, and the pattern of transport and communication in Ireland. There is also a subject index, which groups headwords into thematic batches to provide an alternative way to access the entries.