"Stephen Howe's Ireland and Empire is the most lucid and best-written critique of [the] debate that has yet appeared. He is extraordinarily well read and presents the views of the various players in the debate fairly and often more clearly than they do themselves...Howe has opinions of his own, and they are often biting and funny. This is erudition at its best...[the book's] footnotes are a treat to read, as they are cutting and frequently amusing. And the index is first-rate...[T]he writing is so clear that anyone who knows the history of the British Isles moderately well will have no trouble grasping his arguments...This book should be purchased by any good college library."--History: Review of New Books

"[Howe's] chapters are lucid, perceptive critiques of the immense Irish historiographical output since the early 1970s and are invaluable to academics and students."--CHOICE