The history of Dublin is that of the whole island of Ireland. The book will take us from prehistory, the High Kings of Tara, the Viking invasion, the machinations of Henry II and the greed of Henry VIII to the burning of the saint's relics in front of Christchurch cathedral in 1538. At the end of this majestically sweeping narrative Rutherfurd effectively closes the story of the 'Irish' Irish: the descendants of Fingall and Cuchulainn, the princes and Kings of Tara of Brian Boru and the spiritual descendants of Patrick himself.