Reader's Choice

Chronicling in minute detail the tragic demise of the townland of Ballykilcline in Co Roscommon during the 1840s, The End of Hidden Ireland: Rebellion, Famine & Emigration, by Robert Scally (OUP, £14.95 in UK), is a classic of historical reconstruction and interpretation. Sifting through social and archaeological history to provide the modern reader with both background information and clearly presented detail of the events that led up to the rebellion and emigration of the community, Scally narrates not just the dry historical facts but also intimately reaches into the harrowing lives of the ordinary people who were tragic victims of the Famine. This is the best book on the Great Famine that I have read and its success lies in Scally's unique storytelling power, combined with his fastidious historical detail.