Six Generations: Life and Work in Ireland from 1790

Six generations represent only a short moment in the long history of human civilisation, but these Six Generations have brought more change in the way of life of the ordinary man and woman than came in the thousands of years before. From earliest times to the days of O'Connell, the speed of travel was no faster than that of a galloping horse; news of great events could take days even weeks to reach from one end of the country to another. This book describes the significant changes in everyday life - food, entertainment, household goods, working conditions, medicine, roads and communication - and what brought them about.

Louis Cullen, who is lecturer in history at Trinity College, Dublin, based the material on original and pioneering research he has carried out over a number of years. The illustrations are drawn from a variety of sources including the National Gallery, the National Library, the London Illustrated News and from many locations all over Ireland.

For the older generation this book will recall a way of life in the countryside which has virtually disappeared and for the younger generation it will illuminate what life was like while historic events such as the '98 rising, O'Connell's repeal movement, the Fenians and 1916 were being enacted. For both parents and pupils, this book will serve as a useful companion to the Telefís Scoile series of the same title.

Louis Michael Cullen (born 1932) is an Irish diplomat, academic, historian, author and Japanologist. He is Professor of Modern Irish History at Trinity College in Dublin. Nicholas Canny has described him as "the most prolific, most wide-ranging, and the most enterprising historian of his generation in Ireland."