A History of Ireland for Learners of English
by Baron Halpenny, LincsMag Editor.
Date: 09 April 2012
LincsMag Star Rating: 
Author: Tony Penston
Price: £10
Pages: 120
Format: 208 x 146 mm
Publisher: TP Publications
ISBN: 9780953132324
The book is a lovely little gem in that it’s not just of interest to learners of English – it can actually be enjoyed by native speaking adults and schoolchildren who need a less formal style of text.
Aspects of Irish history influenced by overseas nations (Spain, France, Germany, Italy) are given greater exposure than is the norm in Irish history books, in order to appeal to the more cosmopolitan readers of the English learning community.
In case you are wondering what the front cover is a picture of, it's the tomb of Tibbot-na-Long, which the author says is a little corner of history that seems to have been largely forgotten. Even so, I think that the back cover picture of Keel Village, Achill, looks more interesting and inviting for a reader, but that is just my personal opinion.
Reading Level
The reading level is pitched at intermediate to upper intermediate (B1, B2 on the Council of Europe Framework), but especially in the later chapters more challenging vocabulary and structure may be met (C1 reading level).
Interesting Facts
The book has over 150 photographs and sketches that are presented throughout and with the text makes for interesting and informative reading, especially with the fascinating facts that it contains.
I found the life of the ‘pirate queen’ Granuaile and Queen Elizabeth connection an interesting snippet and the love story of Charles Parnell and Kitty O’Shea rather touching, especially regarding her rose.
The final chapter brings the reader up to the present situation in the north and south of Ireland, providing insights into modern Irish culture, with the inclusion of social and economic statistics.
Interacting With The Reader
There is a centre-spread map of Ireland, also the work of the author, for filling in with name places as the reader progresses. Reading is more enjoyable when the reader knows the location of the places he reads about.
There is an average of two tasks after each chapter, and there are five vocabulary review games throughout. The tasks consist of continued reading on a related topic, with gap-fills.
There are also a good number of vocabulary matching tasks and some grammar review tasks, e.g. passive, modal verbs, conditionals. There are also two challenging quizzes, one on St. Patrick (so you’ll be more savvy on St Patrick’s Day, should anyone ask, “Who’s he?”) and the other on the Gaelic revival (both very useful as an introduction to a talk/workshop on Irish culture).
The Gaelic Revival
The Gaelic Revival (1884-) chapter (page 75) shows relevance to today’s Irish culture and has an inclusion of an American girl taking partin in a feis in San Diego as well as a recent photo of an uilleann piper, Freddi Tekook from Germany, in a pub in Wicklow ... ah the County of Wicklow, now there is a fine Irish county that has bred fine Irishmen ... and women.
If you love your history to be brief and just have the interesting little snippets, then this is a book to
consider if you want to know the Irish history...
Buying the book
You can buy A History of Ireland for Learners of English
