I'm working on a script based on a real life story which took place towards the end of the Irish War of Independence in 1921. As a result, I jump at the opportunity to read any Irish history books that relate to this period or the years leading up to it. I picked up this one in a tourist shop in Kinvara, Co. Clare last weekend and read it over the past few days. Jo Lee is a highly respected Irish historian. He 's also a great writer - which can't be said of all historians - with fascinating insights. This was a joy to read and I was very taken by his definition of modernisation as the growth of equality of opportunity.