This book presents a picture of Ireland in the 18th century from 1702 to 1800, the era of the so-called Protestant Ascendancy and the Penal Laws. It deals with Irish Society, and Irish history of that period. Every effort has been made to remove the traditional distortions of Catholic nationalist propaganda. Irish Protestants are regarded as Irishmen and their achievements are regarded as Irish achievements. The darker sides of the period are not ignored.