An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800

Faith, education and political authority give Mary Francis Cusack's history of Ireland its strongly stated point of view. First published in 1868, the volume includes illustrations by Henry Doyle. Its image list ranges from early Irish manuscripts and St. Patrick at Tara to medieval rulers and Irish independence, providing visual points of reference alongside the historical account. Cusack's preface presents the study of Irish history as essential in schools and colleges and as preparation for voters and lawmakers.

Writing from an explicitly Catholic perspective, Cusack links religious conviction with national history. Her discussion of Henry VIII examines royal Church supremacy, approval by Parliament and Convocation, and separation from the Catholic Church. She also compares the condition of clergy in England and Ireland as part of her religious and political argument. Readers interested in Ireland's past can examine how a nineteenth-century writer connected historical education with faith, national identity and public responsibility.