O'Brien of Thomond

"A wit once said, 'British relations with Ireland have always been based on mutual understanding and trust; we don't understand them and they don't trust us.' This book is an attempt to show how this came about in the context of one of the most prominent and numerous Irish families ... from both an historical and genealogical standpoint. It succeeds O'Donoghue's study of the same family published 126 years ago, which has long been unobtainable." (front fly-leaf). The family has always been a leader in Irish politics and history, and is part of the Irish nobility (the Earldom of Inchiquin and the Earldom of Thomond).