The Making of Ireland recounts, in colorful detail, the waves of settlers, missionaries and invaders who have come to Ireland since the pre-history age.

This lively and long-viewed narrative includes discussion of the arrival of St. Patrick in the fifth century

and Henry II in the twelfth, as well as the stories of numerous soldiers, traders and craftsmen through the ages. James Lydon explores how these settlers have shaped the political and cultural climate and charts the changing racial mix which makes up the Ireland of today.