A complete overview of the story of Christianity in Ireland from earliest patrician times to the troubled days of today's church. In 23 essays, specialists in the various periods of the history visit again the period and present it in the light of the best modern scholarship. The contributors are: Alfred P. Smyth, Marie Therese Flanagan, John A. Watt, Mary Ann Lyons, Brendan Bradshaw, Colm Lennon, Declan M. Downey, Raymond Gillespie, Hugh Fenning OP, Finlay Holmes, Daire Keogh, Dudley Levistone Cooney, Donal A. Kerr, Emmet Larkin, Gerard Moran, Kenneth Milne, David Noel Doyle, Mary N. Harris, Thomas Bartlett, Michael Hurley SJ, James S. Donnelly Jr, Noel Barber SJ, and Kevin B. Nolan. While the contributors are all acknowledged experts in their fields, the book is aimed at a general, non-specialist readership.