Book review on “A Shorter Illustrated History of Ulster” by Jonathan Bardon
Uploaded by Kerrytom on Aug 10, 2013
“A Shorter Illustrated History of Ulster” is a book written and produced in 1996 by Irish historian Jonathan Bardon. This book is a follow-up to Bardon’s earlier produced “History of Ulster”, with the chief differences between the books being that, as the title would suggest, “A Shorter Illustrated History” is a more concise, less detailed effort, which uses a vast array of images, maps and drawings, which are not present in the original. The book undertakes the task of retelling the entire history of Ulster from as far back as history can recall, to the days when it was penned in 1996. The book is structured chronologically, as is the only viable option when an author is undertaking the task of writing a complete history of a specific region. Bardon throughout the book focuses on the political, cultural and economic history of the province.
Roughly the first half of the book deals with the part of Ulster history before the creation of the Northern Irish state, with the latter half primarily dealing with the six counties. In the earlier chapters, Bardon gives a basic outline on very early Ulster, but his approach in summarising these early events, is an indicator to how the book as a whole is constructed. The first aspect to look at is his use of sources. Throughout the book, Bardon uses both primary and secondary source material. An early example of secondary material can be found in Chapter two dealing with Viking invasion, Norman conquest and Gaelic recovery, where he uses the words of Norman chronicler Gerald of Wales to help make his point valid. “They showered down a hail of arrows and spears at long range............came up to the knees and legs of their pursuers”. This use of primary source material is seen again and again throughout the book, examples including personal correspondence, newspaper reports, medical reports, etc. Perellos’s writing gives a fine example of Bardon’s use of primary material. “He held a great court in their fashion which to us seems very strange for someone of his status.....his table was of rushes spread out on the ground while nearby they placed delicate grass for him to wipe his mouth”
One of the positives of the book is the clear and lucid style it is written in. Bardon is a natural storyteller and the reader is kept engaged and enthralled throughout. “On a clear day...