Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Glossary -- Historical Timeline -- Introduction -- 1. Passages from the Medieval -- Politics and Social Organisation in Anglo-French Ireland -- Politics and Social Organisation in Late Gaelic Ireland -- Reformation and State Formation in the Atlantic Isles -- 2. Roots of Capitalism and Nationality -- Agrarian Society and Capitalist Development in Scotland and Ireland -- The Paradox of Anglicisation -- 3. Legacies of Uneven Development -- Ireland and the Empire -- The Limits of Independence -- 4. Conclusion: Ireland in a Changing World Order -- Further Reading -- Bibliography -- Index.