'Popular History of Ireland, Book 10' Summary

The book begins with an examination of the political and religious landscape of Ireland in the wake of the Restoration. McGee discusses the impact of the Act of Settlement, which confiscated land from Irish Catholics and Protestants who had supported the Cromwellian regime, and the introduction of the Penal Laws, which discriminated against Catholics in all aspects of public life. McGee then examines the Jacobite uprisings of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, which attempted to restore the Stuarts to the English throne. He discusses the impact of these uprisings on Irish society and the rise of the Irish Volunteers, a Protestant militia that played a significant role in the defense of Ireland against the Jacobite threat. Finally, McGee examines the political and cultural developments in Ireland during the reign of George I, including the rise of the Patriot Party, a group of Protestant politicians who advocated for greater Irish autonomy, and the emergence of a new Irish middle class.