As Northern Ireland takes its first hesitant steps towards peace after twenty-five years of violence, this path-breaking study could scarcely be more timely. Covering the entire period between partition and the Provisional IRA's 1994 ceasefire, the authors take issue with the stereotypes which portray the old Unionist state and the Protestant : population as unchanging and monolithic and Catholics as uniformly rebellious and alienated from the political Establishment. Three of Ireland's most respected historians have written an accessible yet sophisticated history which shows how the divisions between the old Orange elite and the broader Protestant population created an explosive political dynamic. Using a wide range of primary sources, they lay bare the key issues of Northern Ireland's history, from the establishment of B Specials after partition to the stark realities of Direct Ru!e from London.

'Revisionist' history has been much discussed in recent years. In an Irish context this does not mean denying past realities but reassessing the country's history in a way which acknowledges the importance of specifically Irish factors in bringing about all manner of change rather than laying responsibility for all Ireland's woes at England's door. This highly original study by a justly celebrated group of historians is sure to be seen as a landmark in that new history.