Irish history started when people arrived on the island. At least, that is when history really got going. Before that things were rather quiet . . .

So begins C.M. Boylan's wonderfully irreverent take on the history of Ireland. It will take readers from the "Age of the Third Best Metal" through the struggles of Wolfe Tone (Ireland's best-named revolutionary) right through the Celtic Tiger years, when there was pancetta and rubies for all. And then on to the present day, when there are fewer rubies. Along the way, this history is not afraid to ask the hard questions, such as: Why were walls so important for the Normans? Can you describe and explain Limerick? Is your mother enjoying the Boom this weather? This book is a journey in itself, taking its lucky readers through the long and winding valley of history, and into the bright ocean of the future, right up to the point where the history ends.