Offers fresh perspectives on the political, military, religious, social, cultural, intellectual, economic, and environmental history of early modern Ireland.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Ireland in the early modern world Jane Ohlmeyer; Part II. Politics: 2. Politics, policy and power, 1550-1603 Ciaran Brady; 3. Political change and social transformation, 1603-1641 David Edwards; 4. Politics, 1641-1660 John Cunningham; 5. Restoration politics, 1660-1691 Ted McCormack; 6. Politics, 1692-1730 Charles Ivar McGrath; 7. The emergence of a protestant society, 1691-1730 D. W. Hayton; Part III. Religion and War: 8. Counter reformation: the Catholic Church, 1550-1641 Tadhg Ó Hannracháin; 9. Protestant reformations, 1550-1641 Colm Lennon; 10. Establishing a confessional Ireland, 1641-1691 Robert Armstrong; 11. Wars of religion, 1641-1691 John Jeremiah Cronin and Pádraig Lenihan; Part IV. Society: 12. Society, 1550-1730 Clodagh Tait; 13. Men, women, children and the family, 1550-1730 Mary O'Dowd; 14. Domestic materiality in Ireland, 1550-1730 Susan Flavin; 15. Irish art and architecture, 1550-1730 Jane Fenlon; 16. Ireland in the Atlantic world: migration and cultural transfer William O'Reilly; Part V. Culture: 17. Language, print and literature in Irish, 1550-1630 Marc Caball; 18. Language, literature and print in Irish, 1630-1730 Bernadette Cunningham; 19. The emergence of English print and literature, 1630-1730 Deana Rankin; 20. A world of honour: aristocratic mentalité Brendan Kane; 21. Irish political thought and intellectual history, 1550-1730 Ian Campbell; Part VI. Economy and Environment: 22. Economic life, 1550-1730 Raymond Gillespie; 23. Plantations, 1550-1641 Annaleigh Margery; 24. The down survey and the Cromwellian land settlement Micheál Ó Siochrú and David Brown; 25. Environmental history of Ireland, 1550-1730 Frank Ludlow and Arlene Crampsie; Part VII. Afterword: 26. Interpreting the history of early modern Ireland: from the sixteenth century to the present Nicholas Canny.