From Norman invaders, religious wars—and the struggle for independence—the fascinating, turbulent history of a tortured nation and its gifted peopleWhen Shakespeare referred to England as a "jewel set in a silver sea," he could just as well have been speaking of Ireland. Not only has its luminous green landscape been the backdrop for bloody Catholic/Protestant conflict and a devastating famine, Ireland's great voices—like Joyce and Yeats—are now indelibly part of world literature.