John Gibney Audiobooks

A Short History of Ireland: five centuries of Irish history in nine hours

1 audiobook reviewed

★ 4.4/5 average

365 listener ratings

Who is John Gibney?

Five hundred years is a great deal of ground for a book that calls itself short, and the honesty of that title is the first thing to note about John Gibney’s A Short History of Ireland, 1500-2000. The span it names, from the early modern period to the close of the twentieth century, takes in very nearly everything a listener would want covered.

Our catalogue files it under classics and heritage, which is where the survey history belongs: not the specialist monograph but the book you hand to someone who wants the shape of the thing before the detail. Nine hours for five centuries means selection and pace, and a writer confident enough to decide what can be left out.

John Gibney in audiobooks

The rating has held steady in the low fours across a few hundred listeners, with Gerard Doyle narrating. For a general history that is a strong indication that the balance between accessibility and substance has been struck.

This makes a natural first stop before more specialised Irish history, and it works equally well as a refresher. The chronological structure means you can follow it straight through or return to a single century as the need arises. Anyone visiting Ireland, or descended from it, will find nine hours well spent. The shelf below has the details.