The Encyclopedia of Ireland is the most comprehensive reference work to date on all aspects of Irish life, culture, and history. It encompasses the whole of Ireland—its islands and seas, its people both home and abroad—and provides fascinating facts about subjects from prehistory to the present.

The encyclopedia contains:

• Thousands of entries arranged alphabetically, from the Abbey Theatre in Dublin to Zozimus, a nineteenth-century balladeer;

• More than 700 illustrations and maps, most in full color;

• Coverage of art, biography, cinema, current events, fashion, food, history, Irish language, literature, music, politics, religion, sports, and more;

• Biographies of a wide range of famous people of Irish descent, including St. Brigid, Éamon de Valera, John F. Kennedy, Bono, Eugene O’Neill, Mary Robinson, and William Butler Yeats;

• Articles on often-neglected subjects such as the role of women in Irish life and the contribution of Irish scholarship to science and philosophy;

• Extensive cross-references and a full index.