Outlines the complex nature of the Anglo-Irish ruling class, showing how its multi-faceted identity was formed and how it evolved.

Preface
From Barbarian to Burlesque: The Changing Stereotype of the Irish
Anglo-Irish Attitudes: Shifting Perceptions of National Identity
Aristocratic Decline: The Fall of the House of Ormond
A Presence in the Country: The Brodricks and Their 'Interest'
'Commonwealthman', Unionist and King's Servant: Henry Maxwell and the Whig Imperative
'Paltry Underlings of State'? The Character and Aspirations of the 'Castle' Party, 1715-32
Creating Industrious Protestants: Charity Schools and the Enterprise of Religious and Social Reformation
A Question of Upbringing: Thomas Prior, Sir John Rawdon, 3rd Bt, and the Mentality and Ideology of 'Improvement'