​****Shortlisted - An Post Irish Book Awards - Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year ****

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A uniquely entertaining look at how physical and mental experiences have shaped Irish history. Skulls, heads, hands, height, legs, sex organs, blood, brains, stomachs, ears and corpses – discover Irish history through the prism of the body.

 

From the brutal beheading of the 25-year-old, red-headed Clonycavan Man some 2,000 years ago, and the rich vein of information that has been preserved in his ‘bog body’, to the ancient skulls stolen from islands off Ireland’s west coast believed to be those of giants – here medical historian Dr Ian Miller brings readers on a uniquely entertaining journey through Irish history.

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Encounter the famous scribes, including St Patrick, who preserved our knowledge of ancient Ireland by hand. Discover the fears of excessive tea drinking that were once such a great cause for concern on this isle. Meet the doctors who revolutionised Irish medicine in the 19th century – along with the gruesome bodysnatching that accompanied it.

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Reviews

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"Fascinating, surprising and at times titillating...A useful appendage to the corpus of Irish history...a fascinating potted history lesson". Irish Times.

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"An impressively illustrated account of the interaction between history and the human body - hunger, sex, blood, brain, corpses - it's all here!, Oliver Callan, RTÉ.

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‘Enticing…’a history book with a twist’, Audrey Carville, BBC Radio Ulster.

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‘A journey through our bodies filled with stories from across time’, Ray D’Arcy, RTÉ One.

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‘A riveting read’, Pat Kenny, Newstalk.

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‘Very accessible’, Greg Hughes, Highland Radio.

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A History of Ireland in Ten Body Parts is the brainchild of Ulster University lecturer Dr Ian Miller. This accessible book brings the reader through Irish history via the prism of the body. In doing so - the book details a brutal beheading, stolen skulls and tea drinking – he’s devised an accessible, engaging read. Belfast Telegraph

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