num_pages: 320
description: An essential new history of ancient Ireland and the Irish written as an engrossing detective storyAbout eighty million people today can trace their descent back to the occupants of Ireland. But where did the occupants of the island themselves come from and what do we even mean by Irish in the first place?This is the first major attempt to deal with the core issues of how the Irish came into being. J. P. Mallory emphasizes that the Irish did not have a single origin but are a product of multiple influences that can only be tracked by employing the disciplines of archaeology genetics geology linguistics and mythology.Beginning with the collision that fused the two halves of Ireland together the book traces Irelands long journey through space and time to become an island. The origins of its first farmers and their monumental impact on the island is followed by an exploration of how metallurgists in copper bronze and iron brought Ireland into increasingly wider orbits of European culture. Assessments of traditional explanations of Irish origins are combined with the very latest genetic research into the biological origins of the Irish.122 illustrations
language: English
title: The Origins of the Irish
publisher: Thames & Hudson