I’m not sure why it took me so long to read this book, but I really enjoyed reading it. It was a fun, engrossing read, and Mallory really keeps the reader’s interest throughout the book. It really is like a real life historical detective story, especially with how mysterious the Irish civilization is. I highly recommend this as a read. ( )

This book is the attempted summary of the author's many years of research into the origins of the Irish people. It is an interesting, but rather dry subject matter; the author at least attempts to put in a touch of humor from time to time.

The book starts all the way back at the beginning with the geological movements of the land of Ireland to understand where it comes from and how the geography was formed, the author arguing that this is as much a part of what makes an Irishman as the culture and heritage. He then proceeds through all the major ages of man to look at what archaeological evidence exists for the potential migrations into Ireland. He also looks at the genealogy evidence, the myths and legends, and the rise of the Irish language. All of this evidence leads to the inevitable conclusion that we can't confirm with any certainty where the Irish came from, but we can take an educated guess.

If you have any interest in the background of what it means to be Irish then this book is well worth a read. Who knows, maybe I have a touch of Niall of the Nine Hostages' genes running through me (well, at least I'd like to imagine so). ( )